April 30
Indeed, hath God said? ~the devil
Old slewfoot is always flexing his muscles and is forever attempting to either browbeat or cajole or intimidate or to wrestle people of faith into compromising positions where they will fall into sin or doubt their faith and wonder at their salvation—or all the above.
How does he accomplish that? The reality is that his tactics haven't changed much. That's essentially because he doesn't have any real power over people of faith; all he can do is stir up the dust of confusion and doubt and cause them to despair of hope in the Christ who has given all for them. Why should he change his strategy? Beginning with Eve in the garden, the enemy has been convincing people who 'have it all' that they lack something and can attain it best by doubting God. (See Genesis 3:1-19).
Adam and Eve reigned over Paradise but they believed the serpent's suggestion that there was more to be had, that they could be like God if they would just sample the forbidden fruit. Trace any of us in our progression into the pit of doubt and despair and we will follow much the same track in our downward spiral as did they.
Some tantalizing tid-bit of pleasure or achievement or self-fulfillment is placed before us. The subtle suggestion of our foe is that in embracing it, we will find something we lack. What we discover as we proceed from the moment of capitulation is that what we had lacked was the self-imposed torment that comes when the cotton candy of his deception has turned to gravel in our mouths!
And he doesn't stop there. No. In his wicked glee, he takes great delight in taunting us with our fall. In that, he has the willing assistance of the self-righteous and arrogant pseudo Christians among us who are very eager to point their fingers at us and to accuse us of disappointing them and of disappointing God. They are like Job's false friends who took great self-satisfaction in gloating over the diminishing of this one who had always stood out as a pillar of perfection against the backdrop of their own paltry imperfection. (See Job 2:11; Job 4:3, 4; Job 4:7, 8; Job 8:20; Job 11:14; Job 15; Job 17).
But even that is not his primary mischief. No! It is when he can cause us to doubt our own salvation, our own forgiveness, our own cleansing that assures our right-standing with God because of the shed blood of Jesus that he attains his most diabolic delight! For what he is able to do when he makes us doubt our worth before the Christ who loves us is to plant the seed in our minds that Christ's work of salvation is not enough to cover the magnitude of our sin! The suggestion is that IF I'M TOO BAD FOR CHRIST TO CLEANSE AND MAKE ME FREE FROM SIN, IF I MUST BEAR THIS BURDEN ALONE, THEN THE LORD'S DEATH IS OF NONE EFFECT! JESUS' SACRIFICE ISN'T GREAT ENOUGH TO COVER MY SIN.
We'd never fall for that! Oh, but we do! If we must continue to carry our burden—whatever it may be of sin or despair or despondency or depression or self-recrimination or the accusations and judgmentalism of others—then we are agreeing with God's ancient foe when he says JESUS' BLOOD CANNOT WASH AWAY OUR PARTICULAR BURDEN! IF I MUST CARRY IT MYSELF, THEN JESUS' POWER ISN'T GREAT ENOUGH TO CLEANSE AND SET ME FREE!
"Indeed hath God said?" When those words ring in our ears, our answer must be, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!" I don't stand on my own righteousness, for I have no righteousness! I stand on the righteousness of Jesus! When the devil's human minions accuse us, we say, "You're right! But for the grace of God I am undone; but for the blood of Christ, I am dead in trespasses and sins! But, praise the Lord! JESUS DIED TO SET ME FREE FROM SIN AND TO CLEANSE ME FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS SO I AM WASHED! I AM NEW! I AM A REFLECTION OF HIS GLORY, FOR HIS MERCY IS REVEALED IN ME!
We must say with Paul who before he met Jesus, assented to the persecution of believers, "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED AND AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE TO KEEP THAT WHICH I'VE COMMITTED TO HIM,” II Timothy 1:12. The Bible tells us, "No weapon formed against you can stand," Isaiah 54:17. The only thing the devil has to use against us is lies and the doubts he can convince us to embrace that cause us to negate our complete freedom in Christ. We must not give him that power!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Nothing Can Rob Us
April 29
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller
When we consider the obstacles Helen Keller faced, we are aware that even the simplest activities of life were challenging for her. Because of the childhood illness that robbed her of sight and hearing, she achieved the ability to speak only through the diligence and loving resolve of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller's parents indulged her tantrums because they didn't know how to deal with her handicaps and because they loved and pitied her too much to require anything of her. Annie Sullivan loved her too much to allow her to remain in her dark, silent, angry world and demanded that she emerge from it.
The breakthrough came when Helen herself caught the vision of what Annie Sullivan was attempting to achieve in her behalf! Great strides were made and amazing things were accomplished. The child whose world was dark and silent because of illness went on to become the first deaf/blind person to earn a bachelor's degree! Annie Sullivan remained at her side through her college years and through her lifetime as a speaker and lecturer. The example of these two women is a great source of encouragement to us as we strive to overcome our own challenges. We learn from them that when faith and diligence are applied to even the most difficult circumstances, faith and diligence triumph!
Believers are often faced with challenges that could dishearten the strongest and most resolute among us, but with JESUS by our side, we MUST TRIUMPH, we must emerge from the darkness into the light of deliverance because our Jesus will not allow us to remain shrouded in gloom. We will hear the sweet whisper of His voice that says, "You are more than an overcomer! You are more than a conqueror!” (Romans 8:37) We are TRIUMPHANT because we are PRECIOUS IN THE BELOVED! Jesus will not allow us to be deaf to His message of love, for He counts us too precious to allow us to remain in our silent world. He longs for us to emerge into the light that will allow us to see His provision for all our needs.
OUR COOPERATION is invaluable to His work of renewal within us, for when we catch His vision, He will “Give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,” as He promises in Isaiah 61:3. He will show us how our loving prayers for our enemies will “heap coals of fire upon their heads,” (Proverbs 25:21, 22 and Romans 12:20). When we appropriate this vision for ourselves, we will go on to the glory upon glory that Jesus has purchased for us (II Corinthians 3:18).
Jesus wants us to know that our worth is inestimable because the Lamb of God has redeemed, restored, revitalized and revolutionized us! We no longer walk in the darkness of sin and the silence of desperation because the One who spoke the earth into existence is the Voice of creation (Genesis 1:1) and the Light of the world (John 8:12)! No darkness within us or silence around us can rob us of His power in our life’s adventure!
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller
When we consider the obstacles Helen Keller faced, we are aware that even the simplest activities of life were challenging for her. Because of the childhood illness that robbed her of sight and hearing, she achieved the ability to speak only through the diligence and loving resolve of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller's parents indulged her tantrums because they didn't know how to deal with her handicaps and because they loved and pitied her too much to require anything of her. Annie Sullivan loved her too much to allow her to remain in her dark, silent, angry world and demanded that she emerge from it.
The breakthrough came when Helen herself caught the vision of what Annie Sullivan was attempting to achieve in her behalf! Great strides were made and amazing things were accomplished. The child whose world was dark and silent because of illness went on to become the first deaf/blind person to earn a bachelor's degree! Annie Sullivan remained at her side through her college years and through her lifetime as a speaker and lecturer. The example of these two women is a great source of encouragement to us as we strive to overcome our own challenges. We learn from them that when faith and diligence are applied to even the most difficult circumstances, faith and diligence triumph!
Believers are often faced with challenges that could dishearten the strongest and most resolute among us, but with JESUS by our side, we MUST TRIUMPH, we must emerge from the darkness into the light of deliverance because our Jesus will not allow us to remain shrouded in gloom. We will hear the sweet whisper of His voice that says, "You are more than an overcomer! You are more than a conqueror!” (Romans 8:37) We are TRIUMPHANT because we are PRECIOUS IN THE BELOVED! Jesus will not allow us to be deaf to His message of love, for He counts us too precious to allow us to remain in our silent world. He longs for us to emerge into the light that will allow us to see His provision for all our needs.
OUR COOPERATION is invaluable to His work of renewal within us, for when we catch His vision, He will “Give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,” as He promises in Isaiah 61:3. He will show us how our loving prayers for our enemies will “heap coals of fire upon their heads,” (Proverbs 25:21, 22 and Romans 12:20). When we appropriate this vision for ourselves, we will go on to the glory upon glory that Jesus has purchased for us (II Corinthians 3:18).
Jesus wants us to know that our worth is inestimable because the Lamb of God has redeemed, restored, revitalized and revolutionized us! We no longer walk in the darkness of sin and the silence of desperation because the One who spoke the earth into existence is the Voice of creation (Genesis 1:1) and the Light of the world (John 8:12)! No darkness within us or silence around us can rob us of His power in our life’s adventure!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Stuff
April 28
Don't sweat the small stuff. - Richard Carlson
Perhaps you, too, have heard the little addendum to Carlson's quote, "...and it's all small stuff." We are inclined to make mountains out of mole hills. We place great import upon things that seem to loom before us as if they are great obstacles to our progress. As we do that, we are forgetting that the Christ we love and serve is greater than all our mountains!
JESUS, is not only greater than our mountains, HE, JESUS HAS GIVEN US THE POWER TO THROW THEM DOWN! (Matthew 21:21, 22) Sometimes we forget that unchanging truth. Why we do is a mystery of the human psyche that seems to take satisfaction in sustaining its own misery. Certainly, if we rationalize away the Lord's matchless power in our behalf we can wallow in the down side of life. We can rationalize our depression, our anxiety, our sense of hopelessness. But if we allow ourselves to see our mountains as Jesus has given us authority to do, we can replace those negative mindsets with the up-lifting ones of optimism, and peace and confident expectation!
When we have been in the presence of people who perceive us negatively, we often come away with a diminished concept of who we are in Christ and what we are able to accomplish through Him. This word comes primarily to remind believers that we are NOT who the nay-sayers and accusers perceive us to be. We are WHO JESUS SAYS WE ARE!
In their petty little minds, we may be flawed merchandise. In their sphere of reckoning, we may be beneath their approval. In their self-righteousness, we may be beyond redemption—but to Jesus, we are not flawed, we are forgiven; to Jesus, we are not unacceptable, we are precious in the beloved; to Jesus we are not standing on our own failed goodness, we are established on HIS UNFAILING RIGHTEOUSNESS! (Romans 3:22)
So regarding them—whether they receive us with feigned delight or whether they turn their backs to us as though we are anathema to them—they are the 'small stuff' that we don't need to sweat. They are small people with small minds and very small hearts who have no room within them for the love and forgiveness Jesus holds out to whoever will receive His gifts, who recognize they have no love and forgiveness of their own but abound in those precious commodities when they allow Christ to truly reign within them.
Today—no matter what transpired yesterday—we must allow our minds and hearts and spirits to be filled with the hope and peace and truth and faith and joy and love that come with being open to Jesus. We must vow again today that we will never shut Him out, never exclude Him from our interaction with people nor from our perception of ourselves. Today—no matter what transpired yesterday—we must allow ourselves to be holy and wholly the Lord's so we may brush aside with ease the ‘small stuff’ and get on with perfecting the real stuff of life.
Don't sweat the small stuff. - Richard Carlson
Perhaps you, too, have heard the little addendum to Carlson's quote, "...and it's all small stuff." We are inclined to make mountains out of mole hills. We place great import upon things that seem to loom before us as if they are great obstacles to our progress. As we do that, we are forgetting that the Christ we love and serve is greater than all our mountains!
JESUS, is not only greater than our mountains, HE, JESUS HAS GIVEN US THE POWER TO THROW THEM DOWN! (Matthew 21:21, 22) Sometimes we forget that unchanging truth. Why we do is a mystery of the human psyche that seems to take satisfaction in sustaining its own misery. Certainly, if we rationalize away the Lord's matchless power in our behalf we can wallow in the down side of life. We can rationalize our depression, our anxiety, our sense of hopelessness. But if we allow ourselves to see our mountains as Jesus has given us authority to do, we can replace those negative mindsets with the up-lifting ones of optimism, and peace and confident expectation!
When we have been in the presence of people who perceive us negatively, we often come away with a diminished concept of who we are in Christ and what we are able to accomplish through Him. This word comes primarily to remind believers that we are NOT who the nay-sayers and accusers perceive us to be. We are WHO JESUS SAYS WE ARE!
In their petty little minds, we may be flawed merchandise. In their sphere of reckoning, we may be beneath their approval. In their self-righteousness, we may be beyond redemption—but to Jesus, we are not flawed, we are forgiven; to Jesus, we are not unacceptable, we are precious in the beloved; to Jesus we are not standing on our own failed goodness, we are established on HIS UNFAILING RIGHTEOUSNESS! (Romans 3:22)
So regarding them—whether they receive us with feigned delight or whether they turn their backs to us as though we are anathema to them—they are the 'small stuff' that we don't need to sweat. They are small people with small minds and very small hearts who have no room within them for the love and forgiveness Jesus holds out to whoever will receive His gifts, who recognize they have no love and forgiveness of their own but abound in those precious commodities when they allow Christ to truly reign within them.
Today—no matter what transpired yesterday—we must allow our minds and hearts and spirits to be filled with the hope and peace and truth and faith and joy and love that come with being open to Jesus. We must vow again today that we will never shut Him out, never exclude Him from our interaction with people nor from our perception of ourselves. Today—no matter what transpired yesterday—we must allow ourselves to be holy and wholly the Lord's so we may brush aside with ease the ‘small stuff’ and get on with perfecting the real stuff of life.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Revelation 21:4-7
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a-thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcomes shall inherit call things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.
Hold fast to the truth of Jesus and the hope you have in Him, dear saint, for your hour of trial is brief and your great reward is eternal. When you see the evil flourishing, remember they are followers of the 'god of this age,' and remember that their time--his time--is short but the rewards to the faithful in Christ shall abide forever.
In II Timothy 3:13, Paul reminds us that as the end of all things draws near, "Evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived," and he goes on to admonish that we who believe must continue in faith despite our trials.
May we remember the words of Jesus through the perilous days ahead, "When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near," Luke 21:28.
5 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a-thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcomes shall inherit call things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.
Hold fast to the truth of Jesus and the hope you have in Him, dear saint, for your hour of trial is brief and your great reward is eternal. When you see the evil flourishing, remember they are followers of the 'god of this age,' and remember that their time--his time--is short but the rewards to the faithful in Christ shall abide forever.
In II Timothy 3:13, Paul reminds us that as the end of all things draws near, "Evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived," and he goes on to admonish that we who believe must continue in faith despite our trials.
May we remember the words of Jesus through the perilous days ahead, "When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near," Luke 21:28.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Mary's Song
Luke 1:46-55
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for He has been mindful
of the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
and holy is His name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Have we ever considered how applicable these beautiful words, spoken by the Mother of Jesus, are to all of us who name His Holy Name? To all of us who claim Him as Lord and Savior? That is not to diminish Mary's unique role in fulfilling the plan of Salvation but simply to acknowledge the glorious application her words have to each of our lives.
We, too, magnify Him--for what Jesus has done on the cross. We, too, are blessed, for He has shown His mercy to us when we have come humbly before Him, laying our lives at His feet. Those who resist the wooing of His Holy Spirit, the proud, will still be scattered in the imagination of their hearts.
Those who love and trust Him hunger after His TRUTH and are filled while those who profess themselves wise and full shall be sent empty away. He still has His hand on His ancient people Israel and He shall defend them against all their foes. Just as Mary said, He shall yet today fulfill all the promises He has made from the foundation of the earth!
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for He has been mindful
of the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
and holy is His name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Have we ever considered how applicable these beautiful words, spoken by the Mother of Jesus, are to all of us who name His Holy Name? To all of us who claim Him as Lord and Savior? That is not to diminish Mary's unique role in fulfilling the plan of Salvation but simply to acknowledge the glorious application her words have to each of our lives.
We, too, magnify Him--for what Jesus has done on the cross. We, too, are blessed, for He has shown His mercy to us when we have come humbly before Him, laying our lives at His feet. Those who resist the wooing of His Holy Spirit, the proud, will still be scattered in the imagination of their hearts.
Those who love and trust Him hunger after His TRUTH and are filled while those who profess themselves wise and full shall be sent empty away. He still has His hand on His ancient people Israel and He shall defend them against all their foes. Just as Mary said, He shall yet today fulfill all the promises He has made from the foundation of the earth!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Thoughts from Isaiah 54
Sing, O barren...for more are the children of the desolate than of the married wife, says the Lord...you shall break forth on every hand! Your seed shall inherit the gentiles and cause the abandoned cities to be inhabited!
You shall be neither ashamed nor confounded...for your Maker is your Husband...and the Lord has called you as a rejected woman, forsaken and grieved in spirit, and HE tells you that He will have everlasting kindness and mercy upon you.
Your Redeemer promises that though the mountains and hills may topple into the sea, His covenant with you shall not be broken! You shall be established in His righteousness and you shall be unoppressed.
Your Maker assures you that no weapon formed against you shall prosper and that every tongue that rails against you shall be condemned. This is your heritage because your righteousness is the Lord's covering upon you.
Those you nurture in the faith shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and their peace shall abound.
Dear Reader, in these troubling times when strife is on every hand and men desire peace and safety to the degree that they will sacrifice their freedom to attain it, be mindful of this one true thing--JESUS IS STILL LORD OF ALL! HIS RETURN IS IMMINENT!
You shall be neither ashamed nor confounded...for your Maker is your Husband...and the Lord has called you as a rejected woman, forsaken and grieved in spirit, and HE tells you that He will have everlasting kindness and mercy upon you.
Your Redeemer promises that though the mountains and hills may topple into the sea, His covenant with you shall not be broken! You shall be established in His righteousness and you shall be unoppressed.
Your Maker assures you that no weapon formed against you shall prosper and that every tongue that rails against you shall be condemned. This is your heritage because your righteousness is the Lord's covering upon you.
Those you nurture in the faith shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and their peace shall abound.
Dear Reader, in these troubling times when strife is on every hand and men desire peace and safety to the degree that they will sacrifice their freedom to attain it, be mindful of this one true thing--JESUS IS STILL LORD OF ALL! HIS RETURN IS IMMINENT!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Foolishness
1 Corinthians 1:18-29
King James Version
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
When we stand for the Word of God before men who count us foolish, we are demonstrating our willingness to be considered witless fools for the glory of His name. Who shall we endeavor to impress with our wisdom--mere men or God?
King James Version
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
When we stand for the Word of God before men who count us foolish, we are demonstrating our willingness to be considered witless fools for the glory of His name. Who shall we endeavor to impress with our wisdom--mere men or God?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Heal Our Land, Lord!
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In light of the momentous events that are swirling around us--wars, rumors of war; earthquakes in greater frequency than ever-before recorded; men's hearts that are "wicked above all things," lacking compassion and deliberately disregarding life, should not we who name the name of the Living and Eternal God take it upon ourselves to heed this ancient imperative.
Our God does not require that the unbeliever, the godless, the merciless repent and seek His face. He admonishes HIS PEOPLE who are called by HIS NAME to humble themselves before Him. And who are we? Perhaps more than any other people of faith, we are the Christians, the people who name the name of Christ Jesus.
We must confess our sins of commission and omission. We must repent of our prayerlessness, of our preoccupation with worldly pursuits, of our affinity for the things of time above the things of eternity, of our complacency toward the suffering of our brothers who are not free to worship the Lord...
Let us bow our lives before Him, let us lay our hearts at His feet afresh. Let us ask Him to cleanse us first from our apathy in prayer and renew our fervor for His Kingdom's purposes. Then let us ask Him to allow us to pray the prayers of His heart.
14 if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In light of the momentous events that are swirling around us--wars, rumors of war; earthquakes in greater frequency than ever-before recorded; men's hearts that are "wicked above all things," lacking compassion and deliberately disregarding life, should not we who name the name of the Living and Eternal God take it upon ourselves to heed this ancient imperative.
Our God does not require that the unbeliever, the godless, the merciless repent and seek His face. He admonishes HIS PEOPLE who are called by HIS NAME to humble themselves before Him. And who are we? Perhaps more than any other people of faith, we are the Christians, the people who name the name of Christ Jesus.
We must confess our sins of commission and omission. We must repent of our prayerlessness, of our preoccupation with worldly pursuits, of our affinity for the things of time above the things of eternity, of our complacency toward the suffering of our brothers who are not free to worship the Lord...
Let us bow our lives before Him, let us lay our hearts at His feet afresh. Let us ask Him to cleanse us first from our apathy in prayer and renew our fervor for His Kingdom's purposes. Then let us ask Him to allow us to pray the prayers of His heart.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Impossible?
April 22
Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle
I have often joked that if it had been left to me, the wheel wouldn't have been invented yet. It's true, I am not one of the visionaries who, like the Lord, "See things that are not and call them as though they were," Romans 4:17. Some people have a real ability to invest themselves into concepts that require vision to formulate and develop, and ultimately advantage mankind. Others don’t.
The Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells and the Jonas Saulks have improved our world beyond our ability to fathom. We who have grown up with technological wizardry before our eyes and at our fingertips view it differently than those who remember the 'rag man' riding down the street in his horse-drawn wagon.
Though older people may have difficulty envisioning the magnitude of change modernity has wrought, they are not prevented from using it to their advantage. But the 'noble work' Carlyle speaks of may go beyond the inventions and innovations that have improved lives. That noble work, in a purer sense, is that which the Lord is doing within each of us. We sometimes feel we have come as far as we can go. He sees us as better than we are.
And HE is ever working toward the end of our refashioning into the best version of ourselves that we can become when HE has done His transformative work within us. He pursues loftier goals for us than we would strive to attain for ourselves. He exposes us to challenges that HE expects us to overcome. If we fail, HE reminds us that we can be better; that we needn't succumb to the worst of our self. We may think we have attained the best we can be—but He doesn't concur because He knows “We can do all things through Christ…” Philippians 4:13.
There are times when we would prefer He simply allow us to be who we are, but He loves us too much to let us remain unrefined—He wants us to be whole and happy and free of any stigma of the past that would rob us of blessings in the present or in the future. Is this work impossible? Jesus doesn't think so. He will continue empowering us to be the excellent likeness of Christ He desires us to become because HE LOVES US and He intends to equip us to rule and reign with Him eternally (Romans 5:17-21, Romans 8:17). He knows no noble work is impossible in us.
Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle
I have often joked that if it had been left to me, the wheel wouldn't have been invented yet. It's true, I am not one of the visionaries who, like the Lord, "See things that are not and call them as though they were," Romans 4:17. Some people have a real ability to invest themselves into concepts that require vision to formulate and develop, and ultimately advantage mankind. Others don’t.
The Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells and the Jonas Saulks have improved our world beyond our ability to fathom. We who have grown up with technological wizardry before our eyes and at our fingertips view it differently than those who remember the 'rag man' riding down the street in his horse-drawn wagon.
Though older people may have difficulty envisioning the magnitude of change modernity has wrought, they are not prevented from using it to their advantage. But the 'noble work' Carlyle speaks of may go beyond the inventions and innovations that have improved lives. That noble work, in a purer sense, is that which the Lord is doing within each of us. We sometimes feel we have come as far as we can go. He sees us as better than we are.
And HE is ever working toward the end of our refashioning into the best version of ourselves that we can become when HE has done His transformative work within us. He pursues loftier goals for us than we would strive to attain for ourselves. He exposes us to challenges that HE expects us to overcome. If we fail, HE reminds us that we can be better; that we needn't succumb to the worst of our self. We may think we have attained the best we can be—but He doesn't concur because He knows “We can do all things through Christ…” Philippians 4:13.
There are times when we would prefer He simply allow us to be who we are, but He loves us too much to let us remain unrefined—He wants us to be whole and happy and free of any stigma of the past that would rob us of blessings in the present or in the future. Is this work impossible? Jesus doesn't think so. He will continue empowering us to be the excellent likeness of Christ He desires us to become because HE LOVES US and He intends to equip us to rule and reign with Him eternally (Romans 5:17-21, Romans 8:17). He knows no noble work is impossible in us.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
John Newton
April 21
Adversity is the diamond dust heaven polishes its jewels with. Robert Leighton
Luster and brilliance are not the innate characteristics of jewels. In their natural state, the finest of gems appear dull and rough. They can easily be overlooked as they appear before they are transformed by the hand of a master craftsman. In fact, it takes a trained eye to recognize the valuable treasure hidden among the ordinary rocks in which they are found. Man is much like that. In his natural state he evidences little of worth. Whatever beauty is within him remains undiscovered until the Lord, the Master Jeweler, begins to work His skill upon him.
One man who will perhaps forever stand as "Exhibit A" of the power of God's workmanship upon a life is John Newton, author of the hymn "Amazing Grace." Newton's story is well known. His father was a seaman so he naturally gravitated toward the adventure of the sea. After working for a while in a respectable avenue of the seafaring trade, he asked to be transferred to a slave ship.
Newton witnessed and assented to the abuses to which his human cargo was subjected. The cruelties of slavery didn't touch his heart until he encountered an horrific storm that he knew would plunge the ship and its human cargo into the churning ocean. At that point, although he had disdained religion since losing his mother as a boy, he cried out, "God, save us!" The storm abated and the ship was safe. Alone in his cabin, Newton pondered the events he had just encountered and laid his life at the feet of Jesus.
Although we all have a 'past' from which we must be delivered, Newton's included extreme cruelty and abuse to fellow human beings, but the Lord transformed him through his trial from a man who had only faint reflections of youthful religious training into a minister of the gospel and the author of some of our most memorable hymns.
God used adversity to first cause Newton to cry out for mercy then remind him of the Lord he had once known and to cause him to turn to Jesus at the point of his helplessness. Though his heart was pliable in the hands of Christ, he didn't immediately realize his goal of service to the Kingdom of the Lord. Newton educated himself in the religious languages of the day, studied the Word and taught himself to listen to and follow after Jesus. As HE did with John Newton, so the unchanging Christ will use the adversity we face to bring us into a place of devotion and service to the Kingdom of God.
As HE did with John Newton, HE will use the trials we face to become the tools in His hand that will cut and polish us into beautiful gems that reflect His craftsmanship. He will use the worst trials we face as HE used Newton's violent storm at sea--as the diamond dust that elicits the utmost glory from the work He is doing in us. Through the worst that life hurls at us, God will reveal His power in our behalf. He will prove again that, “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord…” Romans 8:28.
The truth is that there are hundreds of slave boat captains whose names we will never know. Newton was not alone in his depth of depravity. But we know his name because he found Christ and experienced His mercy through all he suffered due to his sin. Jesus would have us to be like him in that regard...that all we suffer will become the diamond dust that enhances the glory of His unspeakable gift to us (II Corinthians 9:15).
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Hone Your Wilderness Skills
April 20
It is with many enterprises as with striking fire; we do not meet with success except by reiterated efforts, and often at the instant when we despaired of success. Francoise de Maintenon
I wasn't a very good scout. I have never been a good camper. The skills they tried to teach in our troop meetings were lost upon me and I've not ventured forth into the real-life application of them. I, for example, have never successfully built a fire in the wilderness using only the humble tools available in a remote location. If it were up to me, in fact, fire would not yet have been discovered.
Maybe I simply haven't tried enough. According to de Maintenon, repeated efforts are required to build a fire by striking sticks or stones, and I have never pursued the task to success—perhaps because I have never known the want of a match.
Sometimes in life, as in building a fire in the wilderness, our failure to attain what we think we desire springs more from our reluctance to strive toward it as from the lack of the necessary tools to achieve it. Sometimes we simply don't want it enough to persist. Matthew 7:7 tells us to “Keep on asking; keep knocking…” Jesus recommends persistence in our prayers, persistence in our efforts.
Sometimes our seeming roadblocks are set up by God Himself to keep us from pursuing goals He knows are not right for us. Sometimes we simply aren't sure. One thing we do know with certitude—the Lord has given us His 'handbook' for life that, like the Scout Handbook gives us insight into how to perform the tasks that may be required of us in the wilderness—in those places where the tools on which we rely aren't available. When we have no matches, we will certainly continue rubbing the sticks together until we gain the spark that gives us fire.
My prayer for you is that you will not weary in your endeavor to produce the good things your heart desires; that you'll not "weary in well doing," but be among those who are promised that they will, "reap if you faint not," (Galatians 6:9). This very promise suggests that pursuing good goals, endeavoring to achieve God's promises, can be a laborious task.
We don't weary when things go smoothly and without effort. No, we weary when we must persist without evident success. What we often mistake as the Lord's indifference to our plight, His failure to assist in our efforts, His refusal to hear our prayers, is really His standing aside to allow us to hone our spiritual 'wilderness skills' so we may become successful in praying through, so we may gain the confidence that comes when we receive the answers to our prayers.
Remain steadfast in rubbing those sticks together! You will produce the fire of faith that you long to have burning within your soul! Jesus wants you to be a believer of power and He is allowing you to hone your spiritual wilderness skills. Only time will reveal how many people will be lifted up from despair, how many precious ones will be lifted from the dark pit of lost-ness into the light of life in Christ because one resolute person of faith allowed Jesus to make him an effective guide through the wilderness by his own emergence from the dark forest of anxiety and despair into the glorious clearing that is bathed in Christ's glorious light.
It is with many enterprises as with striking fire; we do not meet with success except by reiterated efforts, and often at the instant when we despaired of success. Francoise de Maintenon
I wasn't a very good scout. I have never been a good camper. The skills they tried to teach in our troop meetings were lost upon me and I've not ventured forth into the real-life application of them. I, for example, have never successfully built a fire in the wilderness using only the humble tools available in a remote location. If it were up to me, in fact, fire would not yet have been discovered.
Maybe I simply haven't tried enough. According to de Maintenon, repeated efforts are required to build a fire by striking sticks or stones, and I have never pursued the task to success—perhaps because I have never known the want of a match.
Sometimes in life, as in building a fire in the wilderness, our failure to attain what we think we desire springs more from our reluctance to strive toward it as from the lack of the necessary tools to achieve it. Sometimes we simply don't want it enough to persist. Matthew 7:7 tells us to “Keep on asking; keep knocking…” Jesus recommends persistence in our prayers, persistence in our efforts.
Sometimes our seeming roadblocks are set up by God Himself to keep us from pursuing goals He knows are not right for us. Sometimes we simply aren't sure. One thing we do know with certitude—the Lord has given us His 'handbook' for life that, like the Scout Handbook gives us insight into how to perform the tasks that may be required of us in the wilderness—in those places where the tools on which we rely aren't available. When we have no matches, we will certainly continue rubbing the sticks together until we gain the spark that gives us fire.
My prayer for you is that you will not weary in your endeavor to produce the good things your heart desires; that you'll not "weary in well doing," but be among those who are promised that they will, "reap if you faint not," (Galatians 6:9). This very promise suggests that pursuing good goals, endeavoring to achieve God's promises, can be a laborious task.
We don't weary when things go smoothly and without effort. No, we weary when we must persist without evident success. What we often mistake as the Lord's indifference to our plight, His failure to assist in our efforts, His refusal to hear our prayers, is really His standing aside to allow us to hone our spiritual 'wilderness skills' so we may become successful in praying through, so we may gain the confidence that comes when we receive the answers to our prayers.
Remain steadfast in rubbing those sticks together! You will produce the fire of faith that you long to have burning within your soul! Jesus wants you to be a believer of power and He is allowing you to hone your spiritual wilderness skills. Only time will reveal how many people will be lifted up from despair, how many precious ones will be lifted from the dark pit of lost-ness into the light of life in Christ because one resolute person of faith allowed Jesus to make him an effective guide through the wilderness by his own emergence from the dark forest of anxiety and despair into the glorious clearing that is bathed in Christ's glorious light.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Power to Power; Glory to Glory
April 19
The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes
All things change. The wise saying is that whether we like the spot we're in or whether we don't, we should not become too comfortable in it because we will soon move beyond it. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to assess our circumstances from our current vantage point and to move on from there in the most advantageous direction.
The direction you are going may not set you toward your optimum goal, it may not establish you on the path toward complete fulfillment, but it is a viable route to pursue–at least for a while—until you have a better vista of the options before you and a clearer insight into how to obtain the best of them.
Should you be forever content in your current circumstances? That is not the nature of life. Mankind is forever seeking to ascend higher, to attain more. You will rise beyond today's point and you will possess more of what you desire–you will assess your position with wisdom and discernment and you will patiently pursue your next advantage.
In the meantime, you will love fervently. You will establish yourself in strength and kindness and firm resolve before those whose lives touch yours so they will see the strength of the Lord in you; they will see His power overcome your weakness (II Corinthians 12:9), and this will inspire them to allow the Christ you love to be their help through the trials that come their way.
They will see in you a role model who demonstrates exactly how to find contentment where you are (Philippians 4:11) even as you chart your course to a better place. They will see in you the epitome of what a child of God does to utilize his substantial gifts for not only his own advantage but for the benefit of those around him who are also precious to the Lord.
They will be winners because they see in you a clear demonstration of faith and strength that make you “more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ,” (Romans 8:37) who allows the Christ in you to hold you up and to guide you in the path that you are to follow. They will be more than conquerors as they emulate you!
Life, circumstances, people, adversity cannot diminish their ability to chart their course or to reach their desired destination—one step at a time, one goal at a time, one achievement at a time. Life cannot hold them back because they are always plotting their next step as they walk with Jesus, as they see you do. They will stand in His power today and rise in His power tomorrow because that is what they see in you! JESUS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU AS YOU TRAVERSE FROM POWER TO POWER AND GLORY TO GLORY IN HIS NAME—nor will He fail those who pattern their lives after yours.
The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes
All things change. The wise saying is that whether we like the spot we're in or whether we don't, we should not become too comfortable in it because we will soon move beyond it. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to assess our circumstances from our current vantage point and to move on from there in the most advantageous direction.
The direction you are going may not set you toward your optimum goal, it may not establish you on the path toward complete fulfillment, but it is a viable route to pursue–at least for a while—until you have a better vista of the options before you and a clearer insight into how to obtain the best of them.
Should you be forever content in your current circumstances? That is not the nature of life. Mankind is forever seeking to ascend higher, to attain more. You will rise beyond today's point and you will possess more of what you desire–you will assess your position with wisdom and discernment and you will patiently pursue your next advantage.
In the meantime, you will love fervently. You will establish yourself in strength and kindness and firm resolve before those whose lives touch yours so they will see the strength of the Lord in you; they will see His power overcome your weakness (II Corinthians 12:9), and this will inspire them to allow the Christ you love to be their help through the trials that come their way.
They will see in you a role model who demonstrates exactly how to find contentment where you are (Philippians 4:11) even as you chart your course to a better place. They will see in you the epitome of what a child of God does to utilize his substantial gifts for not only his own advantage but for the benefit of those around him who are also precious to the Lord.
They will be winners because they see in you a clear demonstration of faith and strength that make you “more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ,” (Romans 8:37) who allows the Christ in you to hold you up and to guide you in the path that you are to follow. They will be more than conquerors as they emulate you!
Life, circumstances, people, adversity cannot diminish their ability to chart their course or to reach their desired destination—one step at a time, one goal at a time, one achievement at a time. Life cannot hold them back because they are always plotting their next step as they walk with Jesus, as they see you do. They will stand in His power today and rise in His power tomorrow because that is what they see in you! JESUS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU AS YOU TRAVERSE FROM POWER TO POWER AND GLORY TO GLORY IN HIS NAME—nor will He fail those who pattern their lives after yours.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
All about Growing
April 18
That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures. Josiah Gilbert Holland
Life is all about growing. Our bodies are designed to renew themselves. They are programmed to provide healing for injuries and strengthening for weaknesses. Children have growth spurts that enable them to attain greater height and strength, and these spurts are accompanied by clumsiness because it takes a while for the bigger body to become accustomed to itself.
In the spiritual realm, we must grow, too, and our increase in spiritual stature brings a penchant for stumbling, for bungling along, just as does growth in the natural realm. The Lord wants us to grow in spiritual power and He desires that we use the increase to bring glory to His name. Jesus is honored when we exercise the gifts in the spirit that He says are ours.
The biggest hindrance to our appropriation of our spiritual gifts is the fact that we are inhibited by our reason. It is difficult to reach out for greater spiritual gifting when we are bound by the logic that serves us through our day-to-day employment of our natural gifts. We don't anticipate the power of the Lord working through us to accomplish His goals or our good, so we refrain from endeavoring to see it at work.
But once we reap success in that area, we hunger to see it all the time. When the Lord prevents our gleaning spiritual outcomes it is because HE wants us to have enduring results. If we are too successful, we won't strive for the highest we can achieve but we will settle for the 'quick fix' outcomes that do not reflect true spiritual growth and power but give us merely short-term gratification.
God doesn't want us to be satisfied with short term achievements that fade like the grass (Isaiah 40:8); rather, HE wants us to be grounded in long-term lessons of the Word that involve living faithfully, lovingly, joyfully—all these things are wrought through abiding with Him (John 15:4)—so we can bear fruit for the Kingdom rather than merely enjoy His gifts.
If it seems these things come slowly, it is because He knows the treasures that endure are those that grow gradually, those that come with abiding in Jesus and allowing Him to “give the increase” (I Corinthians 3:7) to our spiritual gifts.
May we be so in tune with Him that we can allow Him to enrich us by those slow, steady increments that strengthen us—and that last. May we not be allured by the 'flash in the pan' of increase that fades rapidly away; rather, may we be endued with the power of the steady, daily increase of our surrender to Him as He grows His perfect fruit in us.
Be not like the grass of temporal pursuits that withers, but be like the sturdy oak of the Word that endures forever, that never fades away (Isaiah 40:8).
That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures. Josiah Gilbert Holland
Life is all about growing. Our bodies are designed to renew themselves. They are programmed to provide healing for injuries and strengthening for weaknesses. Children have growth spurts that enable them to attain greater height and strength, and these spurts are accompanied by clumsiness because it takes a while for the bigger body to become accustomed to itself.
In the spiritual realm, we must grow, too, and our increase in spiritual stature brings a penchant for stumbling, for bungling along, just as does growth in the natural realm. The Lord wants us to grow in spiritual power and He desires that we use the increase to bring glory to His name. Jesus is honored when we exercise the gifts in the spirit that He says are ours.
The biggest hindrance to our appropriation of our spiritual gifts is the fact that we are inhibited by our reason. It is difficult to reach out for greater spiritual gifting when we are bound by the logic that serves us through our day-to-day employment of our natural gifts. We don't anticipate the power of the Lord working through us to accomplish His goals or our good, so we refrain from endeavoring to see it at work.
But once we reap success in that area, we hunger to see it all the time. When the Lord prevents our gleaning spiritual outcomes it is because HE wants us to have enduring results. If we are too successful, we won't strive for the highest we can achieve but we will settle for the 'quick fix' outcomes that do not reflect true spiritual growth and power but give us merely short-term gratification.
God doesn't want us to be satisfied with short term achievements that fade like the grass (Isaiah 40:8); rather, HE wants us to be grounded in long-term lessons of the Word that involve living faithfully, lovingly, joyfully—all these things are wrought through abiding with Him (John 15:4)—so we can bear fruit for the Kingdom rather than merely enjoy His gifts.
If it seems these things come slowly, it is because He knows the treasures that endure are those that grow gradually, those that come with abiding in Jesus and allowing Him to “give the increase” (I Corinthians 3:7) to our spiritual gifts.
May we be so in tune with Him that we can allow Him to enrich us by those slow, steady increments that strengthen us—and that last. May we not be allured by the 'flash in the pan' of increase that fades rapidly away; rather, may we be endued with the power of the steady, daily increase of our surrender to Him as He grows His perfect fruit in us.
Be not like the grass of temporal pursuits that withers, but be like the sturdy oak of the Word that endures forever, that never fades away (Isaiah 40:8).
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Wills, Won'ts, Can'ts
April 17
There are three kinds of people in the world, the wills, the won'ts and the can'ts.
Eclectic Magazine
Every day we must determine what kind of people we will be. All people will face challenges today. We know that because we know that the "rain falls on the just and on the unjust, just as the sun shines on the just and on the unjust," Matthew 5:45. The Word tells us that God is equitable in both trails and blessings.
Our choice is merely in how we will face them. Will we look upon the bad things with a determinate resolve that though they challenge us, we will not be defeated by them? Will we look upon the blessings with profound appreciation yet without allowing them to lull us into a false sense of freedom from challenge?
It seems that therein lies our success. When we confront the reality of life and assess it accurately, we know that there are challenges and opportunities before us. We dig in our heels so the forces that come against our purposes won't be able to shove us back from our goals yet we embrace our advantages loosely, knowing that if they hold us, we will be unable to maneuver into our most beneficial position for dealing with all of life's eventualities.
Our wisdom in discerning the circumstances before us is our great advantage, for without the insight that comes from appropriating the mind of Christ into the assemblage of facts that require our attention, we won't always know which are ultimately for our undoing or which are for our betterment. Things are not always as they first appear.
If we are among the 'wills,' we won’t be put off by our initial inability to recognize how to maneuver our circumstances to our advantage. We realize that until we are able to see them clearly, we cannot know how they will best play out. The willingness to scrutinize circumstances before acting is the strength of a 'will' over the 'won't' or the 'can't.'
He does not presume anything but allows everything that touches him to be revealed in the light of the one glorious truth which reveals all things to him—he submits his mind to Christ and is thereby enabled to discern and to evaluate all things from the Lord’s vantage point.
If they are detrimental in nature and undo the purposes of the Lord, they are to be discarded; if they are godly in nature and facilitate the purposes of the Lord, they are to be advanced. Recognizing the trash of life, discerning it from life's treasure is not always easy to do. The circumstances of life are often discretely veiled. The wills, therefore, weigh each potentiality before the Lord and His Word to know in his heart how it fits into God’s scheme—to know if it should fit into God’s scheme.
If something negates the purposes of the Lord for his life, the 'will' turns his back and walks away—even from the thing that appears to be a tantalizing solution to his immediate dilemma. If a thing truly facilitates God's purposes, the 'will' allows it to have His way in every area of his life, even if his logic denies him complete understanding. The 'wills' know the human mind is limited in its ability to discern how time will impact all matters with which it wrestles. The wills understand that if for no reason but this, the entirety of life's outcomes must be left in the loving hands of Jesus.
There are three kinds of people in the world, the wills, the won'ts and the can'ts.
Eclectic Magazine
Every day we must determine what kind of people we will be. All people will face challenges today. We know that because we know that the "rain falls on the just and on the unjust, just as the sun shines on the just and on the unjust," Matthew 5:45. The Word tells us that God is equitable in both trails and blessings.
Our choice is merely in how we will face them. Will we look upon the bad things with a determinate resolve that though they challenge us, we will not be defeated by them? Will we look upon the blessings with profound appreciation yet without allowing them to lull us into a false sense of freedom from challenge?
It seems that therein lies our success. When we confront the reality of life and assess it accurately, we know that there are challenges and opportunities before us. We dig in our heels so the forces that come against our purposes won't be able to shove us back from our goals yet we embrace our advantages loosely, knowing that if they hold us, we will be unable to maneuver into our most beneficial position for dealing with all of life's eventualities.
Our wisdom in discerning the circumstances before us is our great advantage, for without the insight that comes from appropriating the mind of Christ into the assemblage of facts that require our attention, we won't always know which are ultimately for our undoing or which are for our betterment. Things are not always as they first appear.
If we are among the 'wills,' we won’t be put off by our initial inability to recognize how to maneuver our circumstances to our advantage. We realize that until we are able to see them clearly, we cannot know how they will best play out. The willingness to scrutinize circumstances before acting is the strength of a 'will' over the 'won't' or the 'can't.'
He does not presume anything but allows everything that touches him to be revealed in the light of the one glorious truth which reveals all things to him—he submits his mind to Christ and is thereby enabled to discern and to evaluate all things from the Lord’s vantage point.
If they are detrimental in nature and undo the purposes of the Lord, they are to be discarded; if they are godly in nature and facilitate the purposes of the Lord, they are to be advanced. Recognizing the trash of life, discerning it from life's treasure is not always easy to do. The circumstances of life are often discretely veiled. The wills, therefore, weigh each potentiality before the Lord and His Word to know in his heart how it fits into God’s scheme—to know if it should fit into God’s scheme.
If something negates the purposes of the Lord for his life, the 'will' turns his back and walks away—even from the thing that appears to be a tantalizing solution to his immediate dilemma. If a thing truly facilitates God's purposes, the 'will' allows it to have His way in every area of his life, even if his logic denies him complete understanding. The 'wills' know the human mind is limited in its ability to discern how time will impact all matters with which it wrestles. The wills understand that if for no reason but this, the entirety of life's outcomes must be left in the loving hands of Jesus.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Love That Transforms
April 16
A loving heart is the truest wisdom. ~Charles Dickens
The longer we ponder that statement from Charles Dickens, the more convinced we will become that he is absolutely correct. Essentially, he is combining the characteristics that most distinguish God when he incorporates those two concepts. Our Almighty Father in Heaven is both loving and wise. It seems that in employing the one, He is manifesting the other.
To be wise is to possess knowledge that goes beyond the accumulated gathering of information and to evidence an insight that instructs one in how to utilize knowledge to the optimum advantage. To bathe that wisdom in love is to assure that it will be an instrument of great benefit to everyone it touches, for we know that love of itself is said to, “…cover a multitude of sins,” I Peter 4:8.
Indeed, these qualities manifest the heart of God—He, in His matchless counsel, the Bible, instructs man as to how to transform the wisdom of the ages that springs eternal from His mind into a tool that enables His child to fashion a life of dignity and compassion and accomplishment and worth.
Because it is wrapped in the cocoon of His love, it is a place where the child of God can grow and mature into a being who reflects not only his own ability to employ the gifts he has been given but reflects the compassionate and loving heart of the Savior whose mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22, 23).
As we awaken to a new day, may we become even more acutely aware of the power of wisdom and love in and through us today. May it become ever more incumbent upon us to draw on our Father's wisdom of the ages and to use it to enlighten those around us to the love He has for them (Matthew 5:16).
May we become ever more attuned to the power of love to transform circumstances and people--much as a jeweler uses his tools to hone and polish the gems he is transforming from their raw state into their glorious radiance, may we use love to hone and polish the character of those within our sphere of influence to the gleaming surface that can unobtrusively reflect the glory of Jesus.
A loving heart is the truest wisdom. ~Charles Dickens
The longer we ponder that statement from Charles Dickens, the more convinced we will become that he is absolutely correct. Essentially, he is combining the characteristics that most distinguish God when he incorporates those two concepts. Our Almighty Father in Heaven is both loving and wise. It seems that in employing the one, He is manifesting the other.
To be wise is to possess knowledge that goes beyond the accumulated gathering of information and to evidence an insight that instructs one in how to utilize knowledge to the optimum advantage. To bathe that wisdom in love is to assure that it will be an instrument of great benefit to everyone it touches, for we know that love of itself is said to, “…cover a multitude of sins,” I Peter 4:8.
Indeed, these qualities manifest the heart of God—He, in His matchless counsel, the Bible, instructs man as to how to transform the wisdom of the ages that springs eternal from His mind into a tool that enables His child to fashion a life of dignity and compassion and accomplishment and worth.
Because it is wrapped in the cocoon of His love, it is a place where the child of God can grow and mature into a being who reflects not only his own ability to employ the gifts he has been given but reflects the compassionate and loving heart of the Savior whose mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22, 23).
As we awaken to a new day, may we become even more acutely aware of the power of wisdom and love in and through us today. May it become ever more incumbent upon us to draw on our Father's wisdom of the ages and to use it to enlighten those around us to the love He has for them (Matthew 5:16).
May we become ever more attuned to the power of love to transform circumstances and people--much as a jeweler uses his tools to hone and polish the gems he is transforming from their raw state into their glorious radiance, may we use love to hone and polish the character of those within our sphere of influence to the gleaming surface that can unobtrusively reflect the glory of Jesus.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Command and the Power
April 15
The more a man knows, the more he forgives. Catherine the Great of Russia
It isn't just those who exercise great power in the world who have the insight into the lives and hearts of others or the power necessary to forgive. All of us do.
It is a God-given ability, the light of truth within each of us that allows us to probe the intent of those around us, to weigh what they say and do with what they feel and think; it is the light of truth within each of us that allows us to prove our own hearts. And with that kind of insight, comes the necessity to employ forgiveness on a large scale.
When we look into others, the heart of who they are is revealed. Sometimes we see the true motive that underlies an action; sometimes we see the intent of a word that has been spoken to mislead. When we look with the Lord’s eyes (Hebrews 4:12, 13) into our own heart, the thoughts and intents of our own spirits are revealed to us.
When we see our 'self,' we realize, we too, are motivated by the hope of gaining a stronger vantage point from which to attain our goals. We, and all of humankind apart from Christ, live life from a selfish perspective that brings us to actions intended for our selfish gain. But when we have allowed the candle of the Holy Spirit to reveal the un-godly bent of our focus, “The spirit of man becomes the candle of the Lord, revealing the intents of the heart,” Proverbs 20:27.
This insight brings us to the point where we can see that we must forgive others and we forgive ourselves for not only our manipulation of circumstances to our own advantage but for the times we have failed, for the times our actions have favorably served neither our 'self' nor those around us. We can do that because we know JESUS has seen our hearts and HE has forgiven—and HE HAS GIVEN US THE COMMAND, AND THE POWER, TO FORGIVE.
JESUS, who from the cross said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do," Luke, 23:34, desires that we not only love those around us but forgive them. As He loves the unlovely, so must we—even when the unlovely one we love is our self. When we allow Him full residence and complete reign in our hearts, which HE says are, “deceptive above all things,” Jeremiah 17:9, we know that from these fonts of distortion and self-delusion may flow the most honorable and good of ends! When we have received His forgiveness and have forgiven ourselves, we become instruments in His loving hand from which His forgiveness and His loving heart may be expressed.
The more a man knows, the more he forgives. Catherine the Great of Russia
It isn't just those who exercise great power in the world who have the insight into the lives and hearts of others or the power necessary to forgive. All of us do.
It is a God-given ability, the light of truth within each of us that allows us to probe the intent of those around us, to weigh what they say and do with what they feel and think; it is the light of truth within each of us that allows us to prove our own hearts. And with that kind of insight, comes the necessity to employ forgiveness on a large scale.
When we look into others, the heart of who they are is revealed. Sometimes we see the true motive that underlies an action; sometimes we see the intent of a word that has been spoken to mislead. When we look with the Lord’s eyes (Hebrews 4:12, 13) into our own heart, the thoughts and intents of our own spirits are revealed to us.
When we see our 'self,' we realize, we too, are motivated by the hope of gaining a stronger vantage point from which to attain our goals. We, and all of humankind apart from Christ, live life from a selfish perspective that brings us to actions intended for our selfish gain. But when we have allowed the candle of the Holy Spirit to reveal the un-godly bent of our focus, “The spirit of man becomes the candle of the Lord, revealing the intents of the heart,” Proverbs 20:27.
This insight brings us to the point where we can see that we must forgive others and we forgive ourselves for not only our manipulation of circumstances to our own advantage but for the times we have failed, for the times our actions have favorably served neither our 'self' nor those around us. We can do that because we know JESUS has seen our hearts and HE has forgiven—and HE HAS GIVEN US THE COMMAND, AND THE POWER, TO FORGIVE.
JESUS, who from the cross said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do," Luke, 23:34, desires that we not only love those around us but forgive them. As He loves the unlovely, so must we—even when the unlovely one we love is our self. When we allow Him full residence and complete reign in our hearts, which HE says are, “deceptive above all things,” Jeremiah 17:9, we know that from these fonts of distortion and self-delusion may flow the most honorable and good of ends! When we have received His forgiveness and have forgiven ourselves, we become instruments in His loving hand from which His forgiveness and His loving heart may be expressed.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Illumine the Shoreline
April 14
The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shore line of wonder. Ralph W. Sockman
I wonder how much we really know. Oh, yes, we study and we glean information and we are quite capable at imparting the product of our discovery to others—so the cycle of learning and teaching and learning goes on—but what do we really know?
If we are honest with ourselves we will confess, at least within the silence of our own hearts that we understand very little. The smattering of the world's accumulated facts, figures and statistics that we store in our brain is inconsequential at best—even for those of us who are considered to be 'experts' in our field of endeavor.
What do we really know? Without attempting to denigrate the essential process of accumulating insight and information, we must conclude that with all our gaining of factual data, we are little more than dunderheads! Some would dispute that, but should an expert biologist enter into a reasoned discourse with an historian, how eloquently could he comport himself? Not very.
And so it is with all of us. We acquire great volumes of information that allow us to perform certain tasks with specificity, but we hardly embody a great reservoir of wisdom. Each of us must stand in wonder of all we do not know. And the more we know, "the larger our island of knowledge," as Sockman so colorfully states it, "the longer the shoreline of our wonder."
As believers in Christ, this leaves us with the profound awareness that Jesus was right when He said, "Without Me, you can do nothing," John 15:5. We realize that we are utterly helpless to be productive or successful or even decent people, if HE does not, in His mercy and grace, give us the mechanism for our productivity and for our success and for our decency.
Do we then lament our limitations and hide ourselves away in despair of our inadequacy? No! We rejoice that we, finite in knowledge that we may be of ourselves, have a resource that is far, far beyond what our own frail intellect can afford to us! We have the mind of Christ, (I Corinthians 2:16). Because we allow Him to rule and reign in our lives, He causes our lives to become a reflection of His life! He allows our minds to become the storehouse for His unsearchable truth!
Because we are the repositories for the unsearchable riches of Christ, we are of utmost value and our worth is incalculable! He uses us as He will—to give food to the hungry and to impart food for thought to those who lack His wisdom! We can be used of the Lord to touch the pain of those who hurt and salve it with kindness and empathy. We can touch the minds of those who are wise in their own eyes and help them to see their foolishness. We can touch the hearts of the unloved and help them know they are precious in the beloved.
We who have such limited understanding can give understanding to the lost and dying who populate our sphere of influence! We can give mercy to the unmerciful, joy to the sorrowing, hope to the hopeless, wisdom to the foolish, faith to the doubtful—all because we are smart enough to know that apart from Jesus, we aren't smart at all, but with Jesus, we can enlighten the shoreline of the world—one soul at a time, starting with our own.
The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shore line of wonder. Ralph W. Sockman
I wonder how much we really know. Oh, yes, we study and we glean information and we are quite capable at imparting the product of our discovery to others—so the cycle of learning and teaching and learning goes on—but what do we really know?
If we are honest with ourselves we will confess, at least within the silence of our own hearts that we understand very little. The smattering of the world's accumulated facts, figures and statistics that we store in our brain is inconsequential at best—even for those of us who are considered to be 'experts' in our field of endeavor.
What do we really know? Without attempting to denigrate the essential process of accumulating insight and information, we must conclude that with all our gaining of factual data, we are little more than dunderheads! Some would dispute that, but should an expert biologist enter into a reasoned discourse with an historian, how eloquently could he comport himself? Not very.
And so it is with all of us. We acquire great volumes of information that allow us to perform certain tasks with specificity, but we hardly embody a great reservoir of wisdom. Each of us must stand in wonder of all we do not know. And the more we know, "the larger our island of knowledge," as Sockman so colorfully states it, "the longer the shoreline of our wonder."
As believers in Christ, this leaves us with the profound awareness that Jesus was right when He said, "Without Me, you can do nothing," John 15:5. We realize that we are utterly helpless to be productive or successful or even decent people, if HE does not, in His mercy and grace, give us the mechanism for our productivity and for our success and for our decency.
Do we then lament our limitations and hide ourselves away in despair of our inadequacy? No! We rejoice that we, finite in knowledge that we may be of ourselves, have a resource that is far, far beyond what our own frail intellect can afford to us! We have the mind of Christ, (I Corinthians 2:16). Because we allow Him to rule and reign in our lives, He causes our lives to become a reflection of His life! He allows our minds to become the storehouse for His unsearchable truth!
Because we are the repositories for the unsearchable riches of Christ, we are of utmost value and our worth is incalculable! He uses us as He will—to give food to the hungry and to impart food for thought to those who lack His wisdom! We can be used of the Lord to touch the pain of those who hurt and salve it with kindness and empathy. We can touch the minds of those who are wise in their own eyes and help them to see their foolishness. We can touch the hearts of the unloved and help them know they are precious in the beloved.
We who have such limited understanding can give understanding to the lost and dying who populate our sphere of influence! We can give mercy to the unmerciful, joy to the sorrowing, hope to the hopeless, wisdom to the foolish, faith to the doubtful—all because we are smart enough to know that apart from Jesus, we aren't smart at all, but with Jesus, we can enlighten the shoreline of the world—one soul at a time, starting with our own.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Undaunted
April 13
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
Sometimes the hardest aspect of the task ahead is the realization that in spite of all we've already done, there is yet more to do. Compounding the difficulty is the inclusion in all we've done of what we consider to have been our 'best shot.' If we've tried our best and still seem to have missed the mark, our frustration is intensified. After all, what can possibly be left to do when our best has not brought us to a desirable conclusion?
At that problematic juncture we find ourselves confronted with a choice. Shall we abandon the task? Shall we give it up as a bad deal? A program about the filming of the movie JAWS, the summer blockbuster that was made in 1974, reveals that the movie was a very difficult one to make. It was the first to be filmed on open water and the challenges were seemingly endless.
Production had gone way beyond the time they'd anticipated it would take to complete the movie and they had gone way over budget. The young director, Steven Spielberg, had considered abandoning the project because there were so many things about it that were beyond his control and they, as well as the things he could control, were not going well.
Of course, we know the movie was completed and it was the top-money maker of its time. Spielberg said at the conclusion of the presentation that because of JAWS, he had the liberty to take his career anywhere he wanted it to go. Because of this movie that seemed would result in disaster to his career, his career was established, his reputation was elevated, and his financial circumstances were greatly enriched.
As believers, we can find ourselves with our backs to the wall as Spielberg was with this movie that seemed to have become an albatross around his neck. Nothing we do seems to avail us any advantage and there seems to be no wiggle room left for us to work. The only viable option before us seems to be extricating ourselves from the whole endeavor.
Had Spielberg done that, it is unlikely that his name would be a household word or that some of the most famous movies of the last few decades--SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ET, and others too numerous to include would have been made. Because a man was resolute in his determination to finish what he'd begun, because he employed the scriptural admonition, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord,” Colossians 3:23, he earned the enviable ability to do whatever he wants for the rest of his life!
Do we have that kind of assurance? Most of us cannot hope to attain the level of achievement that this movie wizard has reached, but as Christians we can be sure that our God and King will ever be true in our lives. We can rest on the assurance that the One who has placed a task before us will empower us to complete it.
It may not be done within the time constraints we would have expected. Perhaps we will be required to spend much more of ourselves in completing it than we ever anticipated the cost would be, but ultimately, the Power behind us will enable us to achieve our goal.
God doesn't expect us to envision the whole thing; He simply encourages us to go to the next step hand-in-hand with Him, trusting His power to effect the facilitation of all He gives us to do. If we believe the Power behind us is greater than the task before us, it will be so because the Word says, "As YOU BELIEVE, SO SHALL IT BE DONE TO YOU," Matthew 8:13, Matthew 9:29. Jesus' Power is always behind us, so we cannot fail!
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
Sometimes the hardest aspect of the task ahead is the realization that in spite of all we've already done, there is yet more to do. Compounding the difficulty is the inclusion in all we've done of what we consider to have been our 'best shot.' If we've tried our best and still seem to have missed the mark, our frustration is intensified. After all, what can possibly be left to do when our best has not brought us to a desirable conclusion?
At that problematic juncture we find ourselves confronted with a choice. Shall we abandon the task? Shall we give it up as a bad deal? A program about the filming of the movie JAWS, the summer blockbuster that was made in 1974, reveals that the movie was a very difficult one to make. It was the first to be filmed on open water and the challenges were seemingly endless.
Production had gone way beyond the time they'd anticipated it would take to complete the movie and they had gone way over budget. The young director, Steven Spielberg, had considered abandoning the project because there were so many things about it that were beyond his control and they, as well as the things he could control, were not going well.
Of course, we know the movie was completed and it was the top-money maker of its time. Spielberg said at the conclusion of the presentation that because of JAWS, he had the liberty to take his career anywhere he wanted it to go. Because of this movie that seemed would result in disaster to his career, his career was established, his reputation was elevated, and his financial circumstances were greatly enriched.
As believers, we can find ourselves with our backs to the wall as Spielberg was with this movie that seemed to have become an albatross around his neck. Nothing we do seems to avail us any advantage and there seems to be no wiggle room left for us to work. The only viable option before us seems to be extricating ourselves from the whole endeavor.
Had Spielberg done that, it is unlikely that his name would be a household word or that some of the most famous movies of the last few decades--SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ET, and others too numerous to include would have been made. Because a man was resolute in his determination to finish what he'd begun, because he employed the scriptural admonition, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord,” Colossians 3:23, he earned the enviable ability to do whatever he wants for the rest of his life!
Do we have that kind of assurance? Most of us cannot hope to attain the level of achievement that this movie wizard has reached, but as Christians we can be sure that our God and King will ever be true in our lives. We can rest on the assurance that the One who has placed a task before us will empower us to complete it.
It may not be done within the time constraints we would have expected. Perhaps we will be required to spend much more of ourselves in completing it than we ever anticipated the cost would be, but ultimately, the Power behind us will enable us to achieve our goal.
God doesn't expect us to envision the whole thing; He simply encourages us to go to the next step hand-in-hand with Him, trusting His power to effect the facilitation of all He gives us to do. If we believe the Power behind us is greater than the task before us, it will be so because the Word says, "As YOU BELIEVE, SO SHALL IT BE DONE TO YOU," Matthew 8:13, Matthew 9:29. Jesus' Power is always behind us, so we cannot fail!
Friday, April 12, 2013
A Prayer
April 12
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-7
These beautiful words say all we need to know. We may not always trust our circumstances, we may not always understand the people around us, but we KNOW, through thick and thin, through our ups and downs, through our good times and bad times, in every situation we find ourselves--WE CAN TRUST JESUS as Proverbs 3:5-7 admonishes that we do.
Lord, I ask You to wrap Your precious people and those for whom they pray in YOUR LOVE AND POWER AND PROTECTION. I ask You to keep them safe as they journey through this Vale of Tears. I ask You to guard their hears and to fill their hearts with complete love and surrender to You and to Your purposes. I ask You to fill them with faith and kindness that enables them to pray in power and to love unselfishly.
I ask that You bless them individually and that they lavish the blessings You bestow upon them without discrimination upon the people around them so every life that touches theirs will be bathed in the light of the Son.
I ask that You guide their path into the fullness of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) and into the brightness of the light and perfection of the life You desire them to possess. I ask that Your power at work in and through them, that Your goodness and love lavished upon them bring them to the blessings You desire to give them, according to Jeremiah 33:3 which says, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you amazing things you cannot imagine.”
May they know beyond the shadow of doubting that Your blessings are not the tangible things of time but the glorious things of eternity. May they know that the Son is life’s one true and abiding treasure. It is in Your own mighty name I ask, Jesus. Amen.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-7
These beautiful words say all we need to know. We may not always trust our circumstances, we may not always understand the people around us, but we KNOW, through thick and thin, through our ups and downs, through our good times and bad times, in every situation we find ourselves--WE CAN TRUST JESUS as Proverbs 3:5-7 admonishes that we do.
Lord, I ask You to wrap Your precious people and those for whom they pray in YOUR LOVE AND POWER AND PROTECTION. I ask You to keep them safe as they journey through this Vale of Tears. I ask You to guard their hears and to fill their hearts with complete love and surrender to You and to Your purposes. I ask You to fill them with faith and kindness that enables them to pray in power and to love unselfishly.
I ask that You bless them individually and that they lavish the blessings You bestow upon them without discrimination upon the people around them so every life that touches theirs will be bathed in the light of the Son.
I ask that You guide their path into the fullness of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) and into the brightness of the light and perfection of the life You desire them to possess. I ask that Your power at work in and through them, that Your goodness and love lavished upon them bring them to the blessings You desire to give them, according to Jeremiah 33:3 which says, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you amazing things you cannot imagine.”
May they know beyond the shadow of doubting that Your blessings are not the tangible things of time but the glorious things of eternity. May they know that the Son is life’s one true and abiding treasure. It is in Your own mighty name I ask, Jesus. Amen.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Words with a Jolt
April 11
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln
The wisdom of the wise emanates ultimately from the only One who is wise. We credit Abe Lincoln with being one of our most profoundly gifted presidents. Indeed, this frontiersman could not have attained the height to which he ascended apart from the innate intellectual prowess the Lord gave to him and the hand of God upon him. Wise and astute, Lincoln recognized the power of a well-controlled tongue.
Lincoln, a consummate politician knew the power of words to uplift, to inflame, to counsel, to guide, to capture the minds and hearts of his constituents. Who can think of his Gettysburg Address without realizing his compelling prowess with words.
One rich evidence of a man's skill at the craft of building ideas with words is his knowledge of when he has said enough. Going back to the setting of the Gettysburg Address, we are mindful of the purpose of the gathering—to honor the fallen who were buried there, and how Lincoln's audience had barely settled in from hearing the two hour dissertation of the previous speaker until the President had stood, given his remarks, and returned to his seat! And the words he spoke are considered to be among the most profound ever spoken by man.
Perhaps Abe took his cue from the Bible, the one Book of books that he cherished the entirety of his lifetime, for it reminds us to, "Let your words be few," Ecclesiastes 5:2. The Word has also given us the wondrous example of Mary, the young girl who would become the mother of Jesus. Perhaps Lincoln thought of her when he spoke, for of her the Bible tells us, "She kept these things and pondered them in her heart," Luke 2:19.
When the angel Gabriel proposed God's plan that she should be the one to bear the Messiah, she did not take counsel with her mother or her priest or her fiancé. She kept the words she had received in her heart, knowing that the One who spoke to her would let His light reveal those words in His perfect time.
Lincoln, too, knew that when the fullness of time had passed, when his words had been digested, they would have his desired impact upon not only those who heard them, but upon all who would read them in the newspapers of his day and in the annals of history. Indeed, both Mary and Lincoln were correct. The words that were spoken to her and the words that were spoken by him have had great impact through the pages of time.
We, as they, must weigh our words and measure them out sparingly, assuring that the words we serve to those around us achieve our intended purpose. May the Holy Spirit help us each day, each moment, to ration our speech, to control the extent of what we feel in our hearts that we share by our words. May we have the assurance that when we are to speak, HE will give us the words to say (John 14:16).
May we, like Lincoln, give our audience enough to jolt them like a bolt of lightening when they reflect upon the words we've spoken; may we, like Mary the mother of our Lord, ponder the most profound of words quite carefully in our hearts--knowing the Holy Spirit will bring them into the light in God's perfect time.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln
The wisdom of the wise emanates ultimately from the only One who is wise. We credit Abe Lincoln with being one of our most profoundly gifted presidents. Indeed, this frontiersman could not have attained the height to which he ascended apart from the innate intellectual prowess the Lord gave to him and the hand of God upon him. Wise and astute, Lincoln recognized the power of a well-controlled tongue.
Lincoln, a consummate politician knew the power of words to uplift, to inflame, to counsel, to guide, to capture the minds and hearts of his constituents. Who can think of his Gettysburg Address without realizing his compelling prowess with words.
One rich evidence of a man's skill at the craft of building ideas with words is his knowledge of when he has said enough. Going back to the setting of the Gettysburg Address, we are mindful of the purpose of the gathering—to honor the fallen who were buried there, and how Lincoln's audience had barely settled in from hearing the two hour dissertation of the previous speaker until the President had stood, given his remarks, and returned to his seat! And the words he spoke are considered to be among the most profound ever spoken by man.
Perhaps Abe took his cue from the Bible, the one Book of books that he cherished the entirety of his lifetime, for it reminds us to, "Let your words be few," Ecclesiastes 5:2. The Word has also given us the wondrous example of Mary, the young girl who would become the mother of Jesus. Perhaps Lincoln thought of her when he spoke, for of her the Bible tells us, "She kept these things and pondered them in her heart," Luke 2:19.
When the angel Gabriel proposed God's plan that she should be the one to bear the Messiah, she did not take counsel with her mother or her priest or her fiancé. She kept the words she had received in her heart, knowing that the One who spoke to her would let His light reveal those words in His perfect time.
Lincoln, too, knew that when the fullness of time had passed, when his words had been digested, they would have his desired impact upon not only those who heard them, but upon all who would read them in the newspapers of his day and in the annals of history. Indeed, both Mary and Lincoln were correct. The words that were spoken to her and the words that were spoken by him have had great impact through the pages of time.
We, as they, must weigh our words and measure them out sparingly, assuring that the words we serve to those around us achieve our intended purpose. May the Holy Spirit help us each day, each moment, to ration our speech, to control the extent of what we feel in our hearts that we share by our words. May we have the assurance that when we are to speak, HE will give us the words to say (John 14:16).
May we, like Lincoln, give our audience enough to jolt them like a bolt of lightening when they reflect upon the words we've spoken; may we, like Mary the mother of our Lord, ponder the most profound of words quite carefully in our hearts--knowing the Holy Spirit will bring them into the light in God's perfect time.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Gambler
April 10
The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook. William James
There's an old country song, which says in part, "...You've got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table; there'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done. Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin' is knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep, cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser..." “The Gambler” by Don Schlitz.
There's a lot of wisdom in these few words. In one aspect, life is like a card game that we can resolve to play with skill. The first and foremost step to take is to know the value of our cards so we know what to do with them. If we don't understand that, we can't play skillfully. If we are to truly grasp an appreciation of the ‘Game of Life,’ we must have the “mind of Christ,” I Corinthians 2:16, for as the “Author and Finisher of life,” Hebrews 12:2, He is the only one who fully understands it. The Bible is our users' guide to engaging life successfully.
Every hand we have is potentially a winning one or a losing one—depending on how skillfully we project our 'self' to our opponent. Our adversary is the ancient enemy of our God and his intended purpose is to foil us at every move of the game. If he can, he will rob us of our gifts from God and he will gladly destroy us in the process (John 10:10).
It is imperative that we assess our situation and know what to overlook and what to focus on...we have to evaluate our hand and decide how to play each card. We have to play like winners because we ARE DETERMINED TO WIN! The stakes are too high for us to allow the enemy of our soul to undermine our effort to defeat him!
We must be “wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove,” Matthew 10:16; we must project ourselves as "more than conquerors," Romans 8:37, when we are confronted by the evil one and his minions. We will not gamble away our victory if we play our hand in the POWER OF WHO JESUS' WORD SAYS WE ARE!
The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook. William James
There's an old country song, which says in part, "...You've got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table; there'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done. Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin' is knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep, cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser..." “The Gambler” by Don Schlitz.
There's a lot of wisdom in these few words. In one aspect, life is like a card game that we can resolve to play with skill. The first and foremost step to take is to know the value of our cards so we know what to do with them. If we don't understand that, we can't play skillfully. If we are to truly grasp an appreciation of the ‘Game of Life,’ we must have the “mind of Christ,” I Corinthians 2:16, for as the “Author and Finisher of life,” Hebrews 12:2, He is the only one who fully understands it. The Bible is our users' guide to engaging life successfully.
Every hand we have is potentially a winning one or a losing one—depending on how skillfully we project our 'self' to our opponent. Our adversary is the ancient enemy of our God and his intended purpose is to foil us at every move of the game. If he can, he will rob us of our gifts from God and he will gladly destroy us in the process (John 10:10).
It is imperative that we assess our situation and know what to overlook and what to focus on...we have to evaluate our hand and decide how to play each card. We have to play like winners because we ARE DETERMINED TO WIN! The stakes are too high for us to allow the enemy of our soul to undermine our effort to defeat him!
We must be “wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove,” Matthew 10:16; we must project ourselves as "more than conquerors," Romans 8:37, when we are confronted by the evil one and his minions. We will not gamble away our victory if we play our hand in the POWER OF WHO JESUS' WORD SAYS WE ARE!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Trust the Promise
April 9
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
May today be a day of true Thanksgiving and praise, if for no other reason than that the Lord loves you and He inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). If we can allow ourselves to praise and thank Him in the midst of our problems, He has much more flexibility in causing the "all things" He speaks of in our lives to "work together for our good," Romans 8:28.
The Lord will use your praise and thanks—your expression of your COMPLETE TRUST IN THE GOD WHO HAS ALL POWER OVER ALL THINGS TO WORK OUT EVERY DETAIL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE PERPLEXING TO YOU. HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE THAT JESUS, BY THE POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT IN YOU, WILL EITHER TRANSFORM THE DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND YOU OR TRANSFORM YOU. “HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS,” John 14:18.
PRAISE GOD FOR THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN YOUR LIFE. Praise God for HIS OWN STRENGTH and JOY (Nehemiah 8:10) that HE HAS REVEALED IN AND THROUGH YOU, for you could not have navigated the difficulties you have faced alone. You may not have always recognized His presence and power with you, but they have been there through His abiding Holy Spirit who has "never failed you or forsaken you," Hebrews 13:5.
HE WILL ABIDE WITHIN YOUR HEART THROUGH TIME AND ALL ITS CHALLENGES AND CARRY YOU AS 'MORE THAN A CONQUEROR' (Romans 8:37) INTO ETERNITY WHERE YOU WILL JUDGE ANGELS! I Corinthians 6:3. May you be lifted up by the power of Christ to a new level of faith that can grow and flourish because you trust in the promise of the glorious One to whom you lift up all thanksgiving and praise.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
May today be a day of true Thanksgiving and praise, if for no other reason than that the Lord loves you and He inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). If we can allow ourselves to praise and thank Him in the midst of our problems, He has much more flexibility in causing the "all things" He speaks of in our lives to "work together for our good," Romans 8:28.
The Lord will use your praise and thanks—your expression of your COMPLETE TRUST IN THE GOD WHO HAS ALL POWER OVER ALL THINGS TO WORK OUT EVERY DETAIL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE PERPLEXING TO YOU. HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE THAT JESUS, BY THE POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT IN YOU, WILL EITHER TRANSFORM THE DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND YOU OR TRANSFORM YOU. “HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS,” John 14:18.
PRAISE GOD FOR THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN YOUR LIFE. Praise God for HIS OWN STRENGTH and JOY (Nehemiah 8:10) that HE HAS REVEALED IN AND THROUGH YOU, for you could not have navigated the difficulties you have faced alone. You may not have always recognized His presence and power with you, but they have been there through His abiding Holy Spirit who has "never failed you or forsaken you," Hebrews 13:5.
HE WILL ABIDE WITHIN YOUR HEART THROUGH TIME AND ALL ITS CHALLENGES AND CARRY YOU AS 'MORE THAN A CONQUEROR' (Romans 8:37) INTO ETERNITY WHERE YOU WILL JUDGE ANGELS! I Corinthians 6:3. May you be lifted up by the power of Christ to a new level of faith that can grow and flourish because you trust in the promise of the glorious One to whom you lift up all thanksgiving and praise.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Emerge with the Pearl
April 8
Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine and coming out with empty hands. Japanese Proverb
This proverb has a very pointed message. It reminds us that anything worth having is worth fighting for; that anything worth achieving is worth working for; that anything of value has a price. But if we will enter the fray, the ring, the playing field, the challenge, we will come forth with the prize! There is nothing we endeavor to do or to be that doesn't require a profound investment of ourselves.
Sometimes it is that commitment to the effort required that is the greatest part of the challenge we face. Sometimes it is ourselves we must first conquer before we can hope to conquer our circumstances. But if we will apply ourselves to the looming task before us; if we will dig in our heels and hone our determination, we will exit the jewel mine with the treasures of life.
One thing that should motivate our diligence is the scriptural admonition that we, “Do everything our hand finds to do as unto the Lord,” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23). Although the cost is high, the prize is worth the investment of our resolve, our determination, our hope, our faith. And the reality is that we don't have to pay the price by ourselves--we have Jesus who has paid it all for us. In our behalf, He has covered the totality of the cost.
We should rejoice in Him, when we have little else in which to take joy. Hope in Him, when our hope is diminished. TRUST HIM, WHEN WE DON'T EVEN TRUST OURSELVES. HE WILL NEITHER FAIL NOR FORSAKE US (Hebrews 13:5). If we will, we shall emerge from the mine with an abundance of jewels, most especially, the “Pearl of great price,” Matthew 13:1-58.
Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine and coming out with empty hands. Japanese Proverb
This proverb has a very pointed message. It reminds us that anything worth having is worth fighting for; that anything worth achieving is worth working for; that anything of value has a price. But if we will enter the fray, the ring, the playing field, the challenge, we will come forth with the prize! There is nothing we endeavor to do or to be that doesn't require a profound investment of ourselves.
Sometimes it is that commitment to the effort required that is the greatest part of the challenge we face. Sometimes it is ourselves we must first conquer before we can hope to conquer our circumstances. But if we will apply ourselves to the looming task before us; if we will dig in our heels and hone our determination, we will exit the jewel mine with the treasures of life.
One thing that should motivate our diligence is the scriptural admonition that we, “Do everything our hand finds to do as unto the Lord,” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23). Although the cost is high, the prize is worth the investment of our resolve, our determination, our hope, our faith. And the reality is that we don't have to pay the price by ourselves--we have Jesus who has paid it all for us. In our behalf, He has covered the totality of the cost.
We should rejoice in Him, when we have little else in which to take joy. Hope in Him, when our hope is diminished. TRUST HIM, WHEN WE DON'T EVEN TRUST OURSELVES. HE WILL NEITHER FAIL NOR FORSAKE US (Hebrews 13:5). If we will, we shall emerge from the mine with an abundance of jewels, most especially, the “Pearl of great price,” Matthew 13:1-58.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Overflowing Cup Of Joy
April 7
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think. La Bruyere
Certainly, there is an element of truth to these words because people who are overly sensitive find themselves easily offended. They are tender of heart and easily wounded. They spend their time pondering slights and sometimes finding offense when there is none. People who ponder the events of life discover the humor in the convoluted situations in which they find themselves. They become rather like the turtle on a fence post—they have no idea how they got there or how they will get down so they simply laugh at their inconvenience.
Is either method right? Is either method wrong? Is there is preferred method of dealing with life and its challenges? How can we discover the preferred course we are to take when often our options leave us unsatisfied and unsure of how we should proceed? Perhaps our answer lies in the truth that we are to keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 3:1). Perhaps our answer lies in the reality that although we don't have a viable answer for our dilemma, we know the One who does. Perhaps our difficulty will be best resolved when we arrive at the point of seeing human avenues of help for the fallacies they are (Psalm 108:12) and Jesus for the totality of our answer that He is (Mark 7:37).
Life is neither a tragedy nor a comedy. We need neither weep nor laugh at our perplexities. Rather, life is an opportunity for the Lord to manifest His great love for us and His power in our behalf. Life’s trials and life’s blessings are our opportunity to thank and praise our God for all things (I Thessalonians 5:18).
When we turn the problems of our lives over to His loving hands, we are set free to use our hands to clap and to lift them in praise to Him! When we praise Him, we are evidencing our complete faith in His ability to set right all that is amiss in our lives. When we lift our hands and our voices in praise, we are declaring as Paul did, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him," (II Timothy 1:12).
When we turn the matters of our lives over to His care and keeping, we are delivered from the tears of our own weakness and from the humor of our own foolishness. When we trust Jesus, we are set free to live each day in confidence because we know WHO holds our days in His hands.
May you trust Jesus more today than you ever yet have; may you love Jesus more today than you have ever yet allowed yourself to do. And in expanding in these two vital areas, may your cup of joy overflow more than it has ever done.
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think. La Bruyere
Certainly, there is an element of truth to these words because people who are overly sensitive find themselves easily offended. They are tender of heart and easily wounded. They spend their time pondering slights and sometimes finding offense when there is none. People who ponder the events of life discover the humor in the convoluted situations in which they find themselves. They become rather like the turtle on a fence post—they have no idea how they got there or how they will get down so they simply laugh at their inconvenience.
Is either method right? Is either method wrong? Is there is preferred method of dealing with life and its challenges? How can we discover the preferred course we are to take when often our options leave us unsatisfied and unsure of how we should proceed? Perhaps our answer lies in the truth that we are to keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 3:1). Perhaps our answer lies in the reality that although we don't have a viable answer for our dilemma, we know the One who does. Perhaps our difficulty will be best resolved when we arrive at the point of seeing human avenues of help for the fallacies they are (Psalm 108:12) and Jesus for the totality of our answer that He is (Mark 7:37).
Life is neither a tragedy nor a comedy. We need neither weep nor laugh at our perplexities. Rather, life is an opportunity for the Lord to manifest His great love for us and His power in our behalf. Life’s trials and life’s blessings are our opportunity to thank and praise our God for all things (I Thessalonians 5:18).
When we turn the problems of our lives over to His loving hands, we are set free to use our hands to clap and to lift them in praise to Him! When we praise Him, we are evidencing our complete faith in His ability to set right all that is amiss in our lives. When we lift our hands and our voices in praise, we are declaring as Paul did, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him," (II Timothy 1:12).
When we turn the matters of our lives over to His care and keeping, we are delivered from the tears of our own weakness and from the humor of our own foolishness. When we trust Jesus, we are set free to live each day in confidence because we know WHO holds our days in His hands.
May you trust Jesus more today than you ever yet have; may you love Jesus more today than you have ever yet allowed yourself to do. And in expanding in these two vital areas, may your cup of joy overflow more than it has ever done.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Finding Rest of Spirit
April 6
Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure. Kal Menninger
This quote puts me in the mind of an old hymn that says, "If we never had a problem, how could we know that Jesus solves them?" Of course, we would prefer not to have problems, but the reality is that they do come and by diligence in prayer, they ultimately come to an acceptable conclusion. Menninger is right in his observation of our great sense of at least accomplishment, if not pleasure, when by God's grace our most perplexing dilemmas are resolved.
Unrest of spirit is perhaps more than an ordinary problem. The day-to-day, run-of-the-mill problems that are encountered regularly are challenges, of course, but righting them requires little from us but the determination to see them through. Although it is challenging to smooth out the rough places that are manifested between and among people of differing points of view and varied perceptions of how to arrive at satisfactory compromise regarding the differences between them, such compromise, such agreements, can be arrived upon when both/all parties truly wish to see resolution.
What is more difficult to tackle is the 'unrest of spirit' of which Menninger speaks, for it comes when one is ill-at-ease within himself, usually because there is an unresolved matter between him and God. This is true because although people matter to a degree, God matters completely—and until a person lays the entirety of his life at the feet of Jesus—warts and all—and allows the Lord to transform him into the blood-bathed, reflection of HIMSELF that HE desires all mankind to become, a person cannot find abiding rest within his spirit.
Once he has attained that rest, however, all other resolutions of difficulties between and among other fallen creatures becomes a simple matter of forgiving as he is forgiven, of loving as he is loved (Ephesians 4:32). When an individual who has fallen from grace forgives and loves himself, thereby re-establishing the spiritual rest that comes with salvation, he is then able to reconstruct the broken down walls of other relationships in his life.
As Augustine said, "Lord, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and we can find no rest till we find rest in Thee!" When we attain that spiritual rest, when we are secure in the cleansing flow of Jesus' blood in our behalf, then we, like that renegade young man Augustine, will be able to find the rest for which our spirits yearn. And from that point forward, we can be whole in our relationships—first with God, then with others—and take pleasure in resting our spirit with them (Proverbs 16:7).
Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure. Kal Menninger
This quote puts me in the mind of an old hymn that says, "If we never had a problem, how could we know that Jesus solves them?" Of course, we would prefer not to have problems, but the reality is that they do come and by diligence in prayer, they ultimately come to an acceptable conclusion. Menninger is right in his observation of our great sense of at least accomplishment, if not pleasure, when by God's grace our most perplexing dilemmas are resolved.
Unrest of spirit is perhaps more than an ordinary problem. The day-to-day, run-of-the-mill problems that are encountered regularly are challenges, of course, but righting them requires little from us but the determination to see them through. Although it is challenging to smooth out the rough places that are manifested between and among people of differing points of view and varied perceptions of how to arrive at satisfactory compromise regarding the differences between them, such compromise, such agreements, can be arrived upon when both/all parties truly wish to see resolution.
What is more difficult to tackle is the 'unrest of spirit' of which Menninger speaks, for it comes when one is ill-at-ease within himself, usually because there is an unresolved matter between him and God. This is true because although people matter to a degree, God matters completely—and until a person lays the entirety of his life at the feet of Jesus—warts and all—and allows the Lord to transform him into the blood-bathed, reflection of HIMSELF that HE desires all mankind to become, a person cannot find abiding rest within his spirit.
Once he has attained that rest, however, all other resolutions of difficulties between and among other fallen creatures becomes a simple matter of forgiving as he is forgiven, of loving as he is loved (Ephesians 4:32). When an individual who has fallen from grace forgives and loves himself, thereby re-establishing the spiritual rest that comes with salvation, he is then able to reconstruct the broken down walls of other relationships in his life.
As Augustine said, "Lord, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and we can find no rest till we find rest in Thee!" When we attain that spiritual rest, when we are secure in the cleansing flow of Jesus' blood in our behalf, then we, like that renegade young man Augustine, will be able to find the rest for which our spirits yearn. And from that point forward, we can be whole in our relationships—first with God, then with others—and take pleasure in resting our spirit with them (Proverbs 16:7).
Friday, April 5, 2013
Reflecting Jesus
In response to the comments left today, may I say simply, "To God be the glory." We (people of faith) are rather like the moon. We have no light of our own but if we will allow Him, the SON will reflect His light from us and illumine the darkness around us.
Living Faith In Our Living God
April 5
Govern thy life and thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other. Thomas Fuller
Believer, you are embarking on a lovely journey today, one where you have the opportunity to allow the people closest to you to see the best of yourself and to read your heart. No matter what may press upon you, you have the opportunity, the responsibility, to allow the people around you to see you as one who has truly cast all the pressures of life upon Jesus, knowing He cares for you, (I Peter 5:7).
Your resolve must be to allow everyone touched by your life and faith to see that when you become pressed by circumstances–even those negative circumstances the people around you may have caused—you give them to Jesus and all that can be seen of them in you is the sweet wine that is left from the pressing of the grapes, the fragrant perfume that results from the pressing of the petals, when your faith is tried (Matthew 5:16).
Those who are young in faith need to see the best in you as you trust Jesus with the cares of life so they will learn from you to trust Him when they are challenged. They need to see that their mentor is aware life's burdens aren't intended for your shoulders, but for the Lord's. Allow the power and love of Christ to be lavished upon them as they see His power and love manifested through you.
Others who may be immersed in a Pharisaical version of Christianity or who may be steeped in the dogma of false religions need to see the best and loftiest of faith and truth and honor and kindness and love from you, for you may be the only Bible they read, the only Jesus they see. They need to see the best in you as you trust Jesus with the cares of life--some of which they may have imposed upon you.
Your interaction with them will enable them to see your true heart where Jesus lives and reigns, the place where the Lord has forgiven you and empowers you to forgive those who have taken it upon themselves to hurt you (Colossians 3:13). They will see that your faith in the true message of the Christ who loves and forgives is the kind of faith they must receive to be children of the Living and True God.
Govern thy life and thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other. Thomas Fuller
Believer, you are embarking on a lovely journey today, one where you have the opportunity to allow the people closest to you to see the best of yourself and to read your heart. No matter what may press upon you, you have the opportunity, the responsibility, to allow the people around you to see you as one who has truly cast all the pressures of life upon Jesus, knowing He cares for you, (I Peter 5:7).
Your resolve must be to allow everyone touched by your life and faith to see that when you become pressed by circumstances–even those negative circumstances the people around you may have caused—you give them to Jesus and all that can be seen of them in you is the sweet wine that is left from the pressing of the grapes, the fragrant perfume that results from the pressing of the petals, when your faith is tried (Matthew 5:16).
Those who are young in faith need to see the best in you as you trust Jesus with the cares of life so they will learn from you to trust Him when they are challenged. They need to see that their mentor is aware life's burdens aren't intended for your shoulders, but for the Lord's. Allow the power and love of Christ to be lavished upon them as they see His power and love manifested through you.
Others who may be immersed in a Pharisaical version of Christianity or who may be steeped in the dogma of false religions need to see the best and loftiest of faith and truth and honor and kindness and love from you, for you may be the only Bible they read, the only Jesus they see. They need to see the best in you as you trust Jesus with the cares of life--some of which they may have imposed upon you.
Your interaction with them will enable them to see your true heart where Jesus lives and reigns, the place where the Lord has forgiven you and empowers you to forgive those who have taken it upon themselves to hurt you (Colossians 3:13). They will see that your faith in the true message of the Christ who loves and forgives is the kind of faith they must receive to be children of the Living and True God.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Predestination or Free Will?
April 4
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents predestination; the way you play it is free will. Jawaharal Nehru
Life is too important to equate it to a frivolous game of cards--especially since card games are so often associated with gambling, but Nehru does make a point that is worth assessing. One of the perplexities of being a Christian is having to reconcile the single verse in scripture that uses the word 'predestine' (Romans 8:29) with so many others that indicate man has a free will. Not being students of the original languages of scripture, most believers must trust the scholarship of those who are.
With that in mind, and knowing God has promised all things will be revealed to us when we see Jesus face-to-face (I John 3:2,3), we look through our "glass darkly" and try to live our lives the best way we can within the clouded understanding our many limitations impose upon us, according to I Corinthians 13:13. Are some people predestined for certain tasks, achievements, foibles, failures? Are some predestined for greatness while others are on a path to obscurity from birth? Or is there the matter of free will that makes it possible for a person born in poverty–an Abraham Lincoln, for example—to rise to heights of power to which few in his mean position ever dare to hope? That cause one destined to power–Edward VIII, for example—to live in luxurious obscurity instead of realizing his potential for leadership?
Can we ever fully know? Should we care? Or, perhaps rather than wrestle with the line between predestination and free will, we should simply, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge HIM, and HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATH!" according to Proverbs 3:5. From all we read of the scripture, from the words of the Old Testament scribes to those of Jesus Himself, it would appear that in the eyes of God, trust—our conviction of the honor and integrity of our loving Heavenly Father—trumps both the concepts of predestination and free will!
Whether we believe His all-seeing eye and almighty hand are upon us to direct us into paths of His choosing or whether we believe His all-seeing eye and almighty hand simply guide our minds and hearts into the way He would desire that we go if we would but obey Him, we must ultimately trust Him with the moments and hours and days and years and decades of our existence so we can walk in the confident resolve that our time on this planet will be lived at the optimum advantage for our profoundest self-fulfillment and enrichment--and for the realization of Jesus' fullest glory in and through us.
As Nehru suggested, we play the hand that is given to us simultaneously with the skill of a Mississippi Riverboat gambler and with the faith of a preacher. We allow our confidence in Jesus to guide us, to use us to lavish His truth and hope and joy and power and love upon every life that touches ours. We allow our hearts to overflow with faith in the Christ who makes His dwelling place within us. We say as did Paul, "I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him," II Timothy 1:12.
We trust His plan to be achieved in and through us whether by His predestination or by our free will.
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents predestination; the way you play it is free will. Jawaharal Nehru
Life is too important to equate it to a frivolous game of cards--especially since card games are so often associated with gambling, but Nehru does make a point that is worth assessing. One of the perplexities of being a Christian is having to reconcile the single verse in scripture that uses the word 'predestine' (Romans 8:29) with so many others that indicate man has a free will. Not being students of the original languages of scripture, most believers must trust the scholarship of those who are.
With that in mind, and knowing God has promised all things will be revealed to us when we see Jesus face-to-face (I John 3:2,3), we look through our "glass darkly" and try to live our lives the best way we can within the clouded understanding our many limitations impose upon us, according to I Corinthians 13:13. Are some people predestined for certain tasks, achievements, foibles, failures? Are some predestined for greatness while others are on a path to obscurity from birth? Or is there the matter of free will that makes it possible for a person born in poverty–an Abraham Lincoln, for example—to rise to heights of power to which few in his mean position ever dare to hope? That cause one destined to power–Edward VIII, for example—to live in luxurious obscurity instead of realizing his potential for leadership?
Can we ever fully know? Should we care? Or, perhaps rather than wrestle with the line between predestination and free will, we should simply, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge HIM, and HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATH!" according to Proverbs 3:5. From all we read of the scripture, from the words of the Old Testament scribes to those of Jesus Himself, it would appear that in the eyes of God, trust—our conviction of the honor and integrity of our loving Heavenly Father—trumps both the concepts of predestination and free will!
Whether we believe His all-seeing eye and almighty hand are upon us to direct us into paths of His choosing or whether we believe His all-seeing eye and almighty hand simply guide our minds and hearts into the way He would desire that we go if we would but obey Him, we must ultimately trust Him with the moments and hours and days and years and decades of our existence so we can walk in the confident resolve that our time on this planet will be lived at the optimum advantage for our profoundest self-fulfillment and enrichment--and for the realization of Jesus' fullest glory in and through us.
As Nehru suggested, we play the hand that is given to us simultaneously with the skill of a Mississippi Riverboat gambler and with the faith of a preacher. We allow our confidence in Jesus to guide us, to use us to lavish His truth and hope and joy and power and love upon every life that touches ours. We allow our hearts to overflow with faith in the Christ who makes His dwelling place within us. We say as did Paul, "I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him," II Timothy 1:12.
We trust His plan to be achieved in and through us whether by His predestination or by our free will.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
...As Unto God
April 3
Do not allow what you cannot do to interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden
Perhaps you know that John Wooden was a godly Christian man who just happened to be the 'winningest' coach in the history of the game of college basketball. He was honored as both a player and as a coach. He was considered a genius regarding the sport he loved.
The words he is noted for are wise in any field of endeavor, for we must never relegate ourselves to the category of failure because of things we cannot accomplish. We cannot relegate ourselves to the category of loser because of our inability to attain recognition in every area of endeavor. NOBODY succeeds at everything! Our role, if we are to be successful, is to discover those things at which we are good—and focus on performing them excellently. We must be ever mindful of the Lord’s admonition that we are to, “do everything our hand finds to do as unto God,” Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23.
Will there be some people who denigrate us because we do not rise to the top in an area they consider to be important? Perhaps so, but our ultimate success or lack there-of is not connected to their perception of who we are or who we should be. Will there be people who will diminish our achievements and focus only upon our failures? Yes, there may be some who will relish our failures because they build themselves up by tearing us down.
But ultimately, we are not who they say we are! We are not the product of the worst of our failures but of the best of our successes! If we will follow John Wooden's counsel, the things we cannot do will not impede our progress toward the things we can achieve with great success. By God's grace, we will be defined by the things we can do well—and the failures of our life will be covered by the blood of Jesus.
The real beauty of the quote is that we can do and be everything the Lord has ordained—and HE has ordained that His people be "more than conquerors through Jesus Christ," Romans 8:37
Do not allow what you cannot do to interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden
Perhaps you know that John Wooden was a godly Christian man who just happened to be the 'winningest' coach in the history of the game of college basketball. He was honored as both a player and as a coach. He was considered a genius regarding the sport he loved.
The words he is noted for are wise in any field of endeavor, for we must never relegate ourselves to the category of failure because of things we cannot accomplish. We cannot relegate ourselves to the category of loser because of our inability to attain recognition in every area of endeavor. NOBODY succeeds at everything! Our role, if we are to be successful, is to discover those things at which we are good—and focus on performing them excellently. We must be ever mindful of the Lord’s admonition that we are to, “do everything our hand finds to do as unto God,” Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23.
Will there be some people who denigrate us because we do not rise to the top in an area they consider to be important? Perhaps so, but our ultimate success or lack there-of is not connected to their perception of who we are or who we should be. Will there be people who will diminish our achievements and focus only upon our failures? Yes, there may be some who will relish our failures because they build themselves up by tearing us down.
But ultimately, we are not who they say we are! We are not the product of the worst of our failures but of the best of our successes! If we will follow John Wooden's counsel, the things we cannot do will not impede our progress toward the things we can achieve with great success. By God's grace, we will be defined by the things we can do well—and the failures of our life will be covered by the blood of Jesus.
The real beauty of the quote is that we can do and be everything the Lord has ordained—and HE has ordained that His people be "more than conquerors through Jesus Christ," Romans 8:37
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
...Going from Failure...
April 2
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill
Churchill certainly had much about which to be discouraged in war-ravaged England. His country was bombarded mercilessly by a foe who had already taken much of Europe and was sure it would have this one last prize to add to its trove of victories over free nations which it intended to fully subjugate to its oppression. Churchill affirmed that he and his people would fight them in the air, fight them in the sea, fight them on the beaches and they would never give up. At an appointed time, another nation came along side and assisted his people. The United States entered the war and together with other nations that cherished freedom, they ultimately defeated the Nazis.
But the freedom they achieved was not without a heavy price. Freedom always requires a price. And the one who is ultimately behind any theft of freedom or peace or virtue of any sort is still afoot. In the land that was instrumental in securing freedom for England and in restoring that precious commodity to the rest of Europe, he is today making inroads that will rob the U.S. of the freedom our founding fathers wrote into our Constitution! The enemy never gives up!
Besides the freedom he would steal from nations and political systems, there is also the personal freedom he would steal from everyone who has ever been born. It is his intention to blind the eyes of the lost so they cannot see the salvation Jesus has provided for them (II Corinthians 4:4), so they can never be free from sin and slavery to a system that will end in their eternal separation from God (II Timothy 2:26). If he can, he will also blind the minds and hearts of believers in Christ to their constant Help and Protection through the Christ who loves them. If he could, the evil one would fight them in small battles and large to endeavor to steal their victory!
When he does, people of faith must be like Churchill who said we must go from "failure to failure with enthusiasm." As the British had an ally that came to assist them in their battle to remain free, so do we have an Ally who is here to help us maintain our freedom! We have the Holy Spirit of the living Christ who will never fail or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5,6) He is the One who will empower us to fight one more skirmish, to overcome one more assault until the battle is done and the enemy is eternally defeated!
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill
Churchill certainly had much about which to be discouraged in war-ravaged England. His country was bombarded mercilessly by a foe who had already taken much of Europe and was sure it would have this one last prize to add to its trove of victories over free nations which it intended to fully subjugate to its oppression. Churchill affirmed that he and his people would fight them in the air, fight them in the sea, fight them on the beaches and they would never give up. At an appointed time, another nation came along side and assisted his people. The United States entered the war and together with other nations that cherished freedom, they ultimately defeated the Nazis.
But the freedom they achieved was not without a heavy price. Freedom always requires a price. And the one who is ultimately behind any theft of freedom or peace or virtue of any sort is still afoot. In the land that was instrumental in securing freedom for England and in restoring that precious commodity to the rest of Europe, he is today making inroads that will rob the U.S. of the freedom our founding fathers wrote into our Constitution! The enemy never gives up!
Besides the freedom he would steal from nations and political systems, there is also the personal freedom he would steal from everyone who has ever been born. It is his intention to blind the eyes of the lost so they cannot see the salvation Jesus has provided for them (II Corinthians 4:4), so they can never be free from sin and slavery to a system that will end in their eternal separation from God (II Timothy 2:26). If he can, he will also blind the minds and hearts of believers in Christ to their constant Help and Protection through the Christ who loves them. If he could, the evil one would fight them in small battles and large to endeavor to steal their victory!
When he does, people of faith must be like Churchill who said we must go from "failure to failure with enthusiasm." As the British had an ally that came to assist them in their battle to remain free, so do we have an Ally who is here to help us maintain our freedom! We have the Holy Spirit of the living Christ who will never fail or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5,6) He is the One who will empower us to fight one more skirmish, to overcome one more assault until the battle is done and the enemy is eternally defeated!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Winning Isn't Everything, But...
April 1, 2013
Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is - Vince Lombardi
Lombardi was an Italian. He didn't put just Green Bay on the map, he put Italian people on the map for something besides being gangsters and thugs. He gave them a reason to lift their heads. They didn't have to hang their heads in the shame of Capone's Chicago; they had Vince Lombardi's Green Bay to give them pride in their people!
Lombardi said that wanting to win is everything. It doesn't appear to be scriptural at first glance but when pondered a bit more deeply, it indeed is. The Word admonishes us to step from the ash heap of despair to the beauty of salvation --Jesus gives us “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness!” (Isaiah 61:3)
God doesn't want us to wallow in the burnt-out embers of our past. His Word says, “Forgetting those things that are behind…I press toward the high calling of Jesus,” Philippians 3:13, 14. He wants us to step into the beauty of our future.
God wants us to be winners! God doesn't want us to mourn our past failures and foibles and sins. Nor does God want us to wear the ragged robes of our own goodness. He wants to clothe us in the beautiful robe of Christ's righteousness. Yes, He wants us to be winners!
Jesus has made us realize we don't have to walk the dark Avenue of Losers. He has invited us to be partakers with the redeemed of Christ who walk in the light of His righteousness in the spiritual realm (See I John 1:7). Jesus says we are winners in the game of life. He tells us we don't need to EVER content ourselves with the dregs of human experience! We can have the best life has to offer.
Life's BEST, for time and eternity, is what Jesus holds out to us. We are winners because HE has already conquered death, hell and the grave in our behalf! (Hosea 13:14; Romans 8:37) We are winners because we are destined to rule and reign with Him (II Timothy 2:12). We are winners because HE IS THE WORLD'S ULTIMATE WINNER--and HE SAYS THAT ALL HE HAS IS OURS!
Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is - Vince Lombardi
Lombardi was an Italian. He didn't put just Green Bay on the map, he put Italian people on the map for something besides being gangsters and thugs. He gave them a reason to lift their heads. They didn't have to hang their heads in the shame of Capone's Chicago; they had Vince Lombardi's Green Bay to give them pride in their people!
Lombardi said that wanting to win is everything. It doesn't appear to be scriptural at first glance but when pondered a bit more deeply, it indeed is. The Word admonishes us to step from the ash heap of despair to the beauty of salvation --Jesus gives us “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness!” (Isaiah 61:3)
God doesn't want us to wallow in the burnt-out embers of our past. His Word says, “Forgetting those things that are behind…I press toward the high calling of Jesus,” Philippians 3:13, 14. He wants us to step into the beauty of our future.
God wants us to be winners! God doesn't want us to mourn our past failures and foibles and sins. Nor does God want us to wear the ragged robes of our own goodness. He wants to clothe us in the beautiful robe of Christ's righteousness. Yes, He wants us to be winners!
Jesus has made us realize we don't have to walk the dark Avenue of Losers. He has invited us to be partakers with the redeemed of Christ who walk in the light of His righteousness in the spiritual realm (See I John 1:7). Jesus says we are winners in the game of life. He tells us we don't need to EVER content ourselves with the dregs of human experience! We can have the best life has to offer.
Life's BEST, for time and eternity, is what Jesus holds out to us. We are winners because HE has already conquered death, hell and the grave in our behalf! (Hosea 13:14; Romans 8:37) We are winners because we are destined to rule and reign with Him (II Timothy 2:12). We are winners because HE IS THE WORLD'S ULTIMATE WINNER--and HE SAYS THAT ALL HE HAS IS OURS!
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