April 14
The extremity of the alternative stated in Proverbs 12:24 is enough to galvanize the most inert among us to determination and resolve and action! It states a clear distinction between a positive and energetic investment of our talents and our time and a lazy lack of concern regarding how we spend ourselves.
It states clearly, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.” The harsh reality is that, as Ben Franklin observed in Poor Richard’s Almanac, “The early bird catches the worm.”
Life holds out a prize, a desirable end that will be attained by the one who is diligent in his pursuit of it. That is not to negate the reality that our focus is to be on the things of the Lord rather than on the things of earth nor the truth that the spirit realm is eternal while the temporal matters flee away. Nor is it to diminish the importance of giving our utmost endeavor to the attaining of spiritual goals.
Rather, it is to affirm that the Lord’s expectation is that we shall give due diligence to every task He sets before us, that we shall use our talents wisely. He fully expects us to “occupy” until He comes. If we do, we shall be found in a position of power and gain, not indebtedness and loss when He assesses our use of the talents He’s entrusted to us.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
April 13
The Bible stresses the importance of a man’s own words regarding the outworking of his circumstances. People are not hapless by-standers where their fate is concerned. They do not have to sit back and watch events swallow them into a sea of eventualities that they would prefer to avoid.
The truth of our power over our own lives is stated clearly in Proverbs 12:14 where it says, “From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of his hands shall come back to him. The point is two-fold, and it is clear. Our attitude toward and what we do about our circumstances have impact.
Our words spring from our hearts. If our hearts are filled with faith, our response to life will be rooted in faith. When storm clouds gather, we will view them from a vantage point of expectation rather than from a vantage point of dread. We will speak hope into the storm, we will speak peace into the storm. Our actions too will reflect our confident expectation that our Father in Heaven is Lord over the storms of life.
We will not cower in fear of the storm, but will boldly meet it—knowing we do not encounter it alone but with the One who has promised to ever be at our side. When we face life and its battles with confidence in Jesus who has given us victory over every foe including death, hell, and the grave, our attitudes, our words and our actions will evidence His resurrection power within us and over every trial we encounter.
The Bible stresses the importance of a man’s own words regarding the outworking of his circumstances. People are not hapless by-standers where their fate is concerned. They do not have to sit back and watch events swallow them into a sea of eventualities that they would prefer to avoid.
The truth of our power over our own lives is stated clearly in Proverbs 12:14 where it says, “From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of his hands shall come back to him. The point is two-fold, and it is clear. Our attitude toward and what we do about our circumstances have impact.
Our words spring from our hearts. If our hearts are filled with faith, our response to life will be rooted in faith. When storm clouds gather, we will view them from a vantage point of expectation rather than from a vantage point of dread. We will speak hope into the storm, we will speak peace into the storm. Our actions too will reflect our confident expectation that our Father in Heaven is Lord over the storms of life.
We will not cower in fear of the storm, but will boldly meet it—knowing we do not encounter it alone but with the One who has promised to ever be at our side. When we face life and its battles with confidence in Jesus who has given us victory over every foe including death, hell, and the grave, our attitudes, our words and our actions will evidence His resurrection power within us and over every trial we encounter.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
As the ignomony of the cross on Good Friday gave way to the glory of the resurrection on Easter morning, may every trial you face become the springboard to a great blessing. In Romans 8:28 the Word assures us that "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to they who are called according to His purpose." Stand on His Word. He never lies. He cannot fail.
HAPPY EASTER!
HAPPY EASTER!
April 12
“Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God; they shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap.” There is a wealth of blessing within these few simple words found in Psalm 92:13, 14, and we must not overlook it.
First of all, we are to be planted in the house of the Lord. Something that is planted takes root and is not easily pulled up. Second of all, we are planted in the house of the Lord. We have not been plucked from our Source. We are attached to Him.
When we are attached to God, we shall flourish. We shall be nurtured properly, just as a plant is properly nurtured by virtue of its attachment to its root. Roses that are attached to the bush from which they have sprung will flourish while those that are picked—even to be arranged in a beautiful bouquet—will wither and die; neither will they be capable of generating new life
Unlike the beautiful but dying bouquet, the people of God will be viable throughout life—they shall be “full of sap” and this denotes their vitality. Not only will they be empowered to live long lives, they will be given the strength to live fruitful lives! Those who are rooted to Christ will not only flourish personally, they will, by the sap within them generate spiritual life in others.
“Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God; they shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap.” There is a wealth of blessing within these few simple words found in Psalm 92:13, 14, and we must not overlook it.
First of all, we are to be planted in the house of the Lord. Something that is planted takes root and is not easily pulled up. Second of all, we are planted in the house of the Lord. We have not been plucked from our Source. We are attached to Him.
When we are attached to God, we shall flourish. We shall be nurtured properly, just as a plant is properly nurtured by virtue of its attachment to its root. Roses that are attached to the bush from which they have sprung will flourish while those that are picked—even to be arranged in a beautiful bouquet—will wither and die; neither will they be capable of generating new life
Unlike the beautiful but dying bouquet, the people of God will be viable throughout life—they shall be “full of sap” and this denotes their vitality. Not only will they be empowered to live long lives, they will be given the strength to live fruitful lives! Those who are rooted to Christ will not only flourish personally, they will, by the sap within them generate spiritual life in others.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
April 11
The Lord our God is holy. That statement is beyond our comprehension. To say it is to suggest understanding its import, but the reality is that when we say that God is holy it’s as though we’re speaking in a foreign tongue. Just what is holy? What is our point of reference for the word?
We know that Jesus is holy and the Bible records much about Him, so that gives us some insight. Further, we have the Holy Spirit who has come to teach us all we need to know about life and salvation and God. Yet the reality is that no matter what helps we have, our finite minds cannot comprehend our infinitely holy God.
What are we to do? How can we make ourselves grasp the reality of who He is and why He is to be worshipped when we cannot even understand the great gulf that exists between our humanity and His holiness? What does He expect us to do to resolve our dilemma? As with all questions of great import, the answer to this one is found in the Word itself.
In Psalm 100:4 we are told that we are to, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and praise His name.” It comforts us with the realization that we don’t have to understand what it means that He is holy; all we must be willing to do is to recognize that He is by thanking and praising Him! Thanks. Praise. Enough.
The Lord our God is holy. That statement is beyond our comprehension. To say it is to suggest understanding its import, but the reality is that when we say that God is holy it’s as though we’re speaking in a foreign tongue. Just what is holy? What is our point of reference for the word?
We know that Jesus is holy and the Bible records much about Him, so that gives us some insight. Further, we have the Holy Spirit who has come to teach us all we need to know about life and salvation and God. Yet the reality is that no matter what helps we have, our finite minds cannot comprehend our infinitely holy God.
What are we to do? How can we make ourselves grasp the reality of who He is and why He is to be worshipped when we cannot even understand the great gulf that exists between our humanity and His holiness? What does He expect us to do to resolve our dilemma? As with all questions of great import, the answer to this one is found in the Word itself.
In Psalm 100:4 we are told that we are to, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and praise His name.” It comforts us with the realization that we don’t have to understand what it means that He is holy; all we must be willing to do is to recognize that He is by thanking and praising Him! Thanks. Praise. Enough.
Friday, April 10, 2009
April 10
In I Corinthians 16:13 Paul gives us a word of cautionary advice. He warns us that we must, “Be vigilant and alert and stand firm in your faith; quit you like men and be courageous as you grow in strength.” The implication of these few words is quite profound.
Paul is advising us to be vigilant, to be on guard. That suggests that there is a force, an enemy, that stands against us and that it may encroach upon us. Our vigilance allows us to be aware of its presence and to defend ourselves against it.
To be successful in that regard, we must stand firm in our faith. Some of the things that try us are of overwhelming magnitude. It is the intent of the enemy of our soul to swallow us in defeat. Indeed, he desires not merely our defeat but our total destruction! The evil one desires nothing more than to annihilate people of faith because he knows they are precious to the Lord.
To resist and overcome his insidious devices, it is imperative that we hold fast to our confidence in Jesus, that we rely upon the Holy Spirit within us to guide us through the mine field of trial and temptation that the enemy set up to destroy us! When we have been vigilant and resisted, we will find our faith strong and our courage to be more than sufficient for us to overcome.
In I Corinthians 16:13 Paul gives us a word of cautionary advice. He warns us that we must, “Be vigilant and alert and stand firm in your faith; quit you like men and be courageous as you grow in strength.” The implication of these few words is quite profound.
Paul is advising us to be vigilant, to be on guard. That suggests that there is a force, an enemy, that stands against us and that it may encroach upon us. Our vigilance allows us to be aware of its presence and to defend ourselves against it.
To be successful in that regard, we must stand firm in our faith. Some of the things that try us are of overwhelming magnitude. It is the intent of the enemy of our soul to swallow us in defeat. Indeed, he desires not merely our defeat but our total destruction! The evil one desires nothing more than to annihilate people of faith because he knows they are precious to the Lord.
To resist and overcome his insidious devices, it is imperative that we hold fast to our confidence in Jesus, that we rely upon the Holy Spirit within us to guide us through the mine field of trial and temptation that the enemy set up to destroy us! When we have been vigilant and resisted, we will find our faith strong and our courage to be more than sufficient for us to overcome.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
April 9
The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 84:4 just how we can attain true happiness. This is not the fleeting emotion that is contingent upon how much we own or how we look or how other people think of us or how successful we are in our interactions with others. This is the abiding kind of happiness that gives us the strength to transcend our circumstances.
The secret to this happiness that overcomes adverse circumstances lies in our proximity to the God who fashioned us for Himself. As Augustine observed centuries ago, “Lord, You have made us for Yourself and restless are our hearts until they rest in You.”
When we rest—are at peace with our circumstances and with ourselves because we know we’re secure in His love—we will acknowledge as did David, “Blessed is the man who dwells in Your house, in Your presence. He will sing songs of deliverance all the day long.” David goes on to advise his reader to ponder that truth.
If the magnitude of its meaning is to impact the lives of believers, it must be an integral part of our thoughts and attitudes. For that to occur within us, we must give ourselves to prayer as the Word admonishes in Psalm 109:4. Then we shall rest in the security of His presence where there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and there discover His joy to be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 84:4 just how we can attain true happiness. This is not the fleeting emotion that is contingent upon how much we own or how we look or how other people think of us or how successful we are in our interactions with others. This is the abiding kind of happiness that gives us the strength to transcend our circumstances.
The secret to this happiness that overcomes adverse circumstances lies in our proximity to the God who fashioned us for Himself. As Augustine observed centuries ago, “Lord, You have made us for Yourself and restless are our hearts until they rest in You.”
When we rest—are at peace with our circumstances and with ourselves because we know we’re secure in His love—we will acknowledge as did David, “Blessed is the man who dwells in Your house, in Your presence. He will sing songs of deliverance all the day long.” David goes on to advise his reader to ponder that truth.
If the magnitude of its meaning is to impact the lives of believers, it must be an integral part of our thoughts and attitudes. For that to occur within us, we must give ourselves to prayer as the Word admonishes in Psalm 109:4. Then we shall rest in the security of His presence where there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and there discover His joy to be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)