July 31
Before long on our journey of faith, it became apparent to us that the road we’d chosen has fewer travelers walking upon it than we’d been accustomed to seeing on our previous path. At times, in fact, it seems we’re virtually alone on the Road of Life. No matter how it seems, however, we know Jesus walks this new path with us.
We shouldn’t be surprised at the scarcity of people along this trail. The Word has pointed out to us that the road to destruction is broad—it is a boulevard, a thoroughfare of travel and business and social activity. The old way found us rubbing elbows with important people and bumping into friends all along the way.
Our new route is a virtual footpath that seems hewn afresh by each one who walks it. There may be indications of the ones who’ve gone before, but most of the time we feel like we’re forging new territory. We try to leave a trail to follow for others who come behind us, but we realize it may be overgrown by the time someone new comes along and he will have to beat down the overgrowth to forge his own way.
We may feel we’ve become lost, that we’ve chosen the wrong road, until we remember the Lord’s own words to us in Matthew 7:13,14. “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that follow it. But narrow is the road that leads to life, and few there be who find it.” If we’re among the crowd, we’re lost; if we’re among the few, we’re found—found eternally of Christ—who will Himself lead us home.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 30
Following after Christ in love is a lofty and lovely endeavor. There is no higher calling to which a person of faith may employ his gifts and resources. At the onset of faith, one is almost compelled to focus on the Lord, to spend himself in the behalf of the work of the Kingdom of Christ. This earnest desire wanes with time.
It is rather like a marriage, to which the life of faith is often compared in both the Old and the New Testaments. At the beginning of the relationship, both parties are desirous of pleasing the other and being devoted forever. But the intensity of passion lessens as time goes on. Being together becomes part of the routine.
Our relationship with the Lord can become routine. We go to church, we teach Sunday school, we’re elected to the board, but it’s all become a part of our routine—much like going to work every day. It’s become a necessary exercise in maintaining our way of life, but it has lost its initial excitement. To overcome this ‘ho-hum’ attitude, believers must employ the passion Jesus desired from His disciples when they followed Him into the garden to pray before His arrest and crucifixion.
In Matthew 26:41 He told them to, “…watch and pray that you enter not into temptation…” He added the caution that we, too, must heed, “…for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” When the joy we experienced initially in our salvation from sin has become the mundane exercise of one more responsibility, we will lose our zeal if we do not heed the Lord’s own formula of being vigilant to overcome the devices of the enemy and being prayerful in our fight against him, knowing only Jesus can overcome his wiles in our behalf and give us victory.
Following after Christ in love is a lofty and lovely endeavor. There is no higher calling to which a person of faith may employ his gifts and resources. At the onset of faith, one is almost compelled to focus on the Lord, to spend himself in the behalf of the work of the Kingdom of Christ. This earnest desire wanes with time.
It is rather like a marriage, to which the life of faith is often compared in both the Old and the New Testaments. At the beginning of the relationship, both parties are desirous of pleasing the other and being devoted forever. But the intensity of passion lessens as time goes on. Being together becomes part of the routine.
Our relationship with the Lord can become routine. We go to church, we teach Sunday school, we’re elected to the board, but it’s all become a part of our routine—much like going to work every day. It’s become a necessary exercise in maintaining our way of life, but it has lost its initial excitement. To overcome this ‘ho-hum’ attitude, believers must employ the passion Jesus desired from His disciples when they followed Him into the garden to pray before His arrest and crucifixion.
In Matthew 26:41 He told them to, “…watch and pray that you enter not into temptation…” He added the caution that we, too, must heed, “…for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” When the joy we experienced initially in our salvation from sin has become the mundane exercise of one more responsibility, we will lose our zeal if we do not heed the Lord’s own formula of being vigilant to overcome the devices of the enemy and being prayerful in our fight against him, knowing only Jesus can overcome his wiles in our behalf and give us victory.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 29
In Mark 8:34 Jesus said, “If anyone comes after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me.” He was here dispelling the idea that the Christian walk would be a cake walk. He was here dispelling the idea that in accepting Him as Savior and Lord the believer would become prosperous and care-free.
Some Christians may be wealthy and live lives that evidence God’s blessings upon them, but that is not to be our anticipation upon signing on with Jesus. He makes it very clear that if blessings come, we are not to set our heart upon them. Our heart is to be forever His—exclusively.
But in casting our lot with Him, there will be certain expectations we will endeavor to meet—not because our eternal salvation is contingent upon anything we must do, for He has completed the work—just because our love for the Lord compels us to be like Him. The One unmistakable characteristic that the believer in Christ should evidence more and more as he grows in Him is love. Love is the one fruit of the Spirit that we are told in I Corinthians 13:8 “will never fail.”
In Ephesians 5:2 we are given this directive, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a slain, fragrant, sacrificial offering to God.” It was love that established the foundation of salvation—Christ slain before the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8). It was love that brought Him from Heavenly glory to the ignominy of the cross. And it is love that will take us from the cross to a lifetime of following after Him no matter what the cost.
In Mark 8:34 Jesus said, “If anyone comes after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me.” He was here dispelling the idea that the Christian walk would be a cake walk. He was here dispelling the idea that in accepting Him as Savior and Lord the believer would become prosperous and care-free.
Some Christians may be wealthy and live lives that evidence God’s blessings upon them, but that is not to be our anticipation upon signing on with Jesus. He makes it very clear that if blessings come, we are not to set our heart upon them. Our heart is to be forever His—exclusively.
But in casting our lot with Him, there will be certain expectations we will endeavor to meet—not because our eternal salvation is contingent upon anything we must do, for He has completed the work—just because our love for the Lord compels us to be like Him. The One unmistakable characteristic that the believer in Christ should evidence more and more as he grows in Him is love. Love is the one fruit of the Spirit that we are told in I Corinthians 13:8 “will never fail.”
In Ephesians 5:2 we are given this directive, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a slain, fragrant, sacrificial offering to God.” It was love that established the foundation of salvation—Christ slain before the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8). It was love that brought Him from Heavenly glory to the ignominy of the cross. And it is love that will take us from the cross to a lifetime of following after Him no matter what the cost.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28
What is it that causes us most concern? What do we fear? The answers to that question run the gamut of human experience. Some of us fret over the day-to-day matters of paying bills and meeting obligations. Some of us worry about health issues. Some of us agonize over growing threats that loom large over the world—global warming, terrorism, the coarsening of our morals.
Yet, we are admonished in the Word that we not fret and we not fear. We are assured that His perfect love for us casts out all fear. (I John 4:18) When we trust Jesus, we leave the matters that concern us in His capable hands and go about our business of walking in faith.
Yet there is something that even Jesus was cautious against, and if He found Himself in a position to guard against it, we, too, should take a good look at ourselves as regards the matter. In John 6:15 we are told, “Jesus, knowing that they meant to make Him their King, withdrew to the hillside, alone with God” (John 6:15). One proclivity of man that is most difficult to overcome is the ingrained desire to be important, to be recognized as a leader, to be someone of significance.
Jesus knew that all glory in heaven and earth was His, but that it was not to be conferred upon Him by mere men. We, too, must flee the tendency we have to allow others to lift us up. We must labor diligently at the tasks before us, performing them as though we were working for the Lord Himself and allowing HIM to recognize and commend our effort. Rather than the praise of men, we must desire His, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Luke 19:17)
What is it that causes us most concern? What do we fear? The answers to that question run the gamut of human experience. Some of us fret over the day-to-day matters of paying bills and meeting obligations. Some of us worry about health issues. Some of us agonize over growing threats that loom large over the world—global warming, terrorism, the coarsening of our morals.
Yet, we are admonished in the Word that we not fret and we not fear. We are assured that His perfect love for us casts out all fear. (I John 4:18) When we trust Jesus, we leave the matters that concern us in His capable hands and go about our business of walking in faith.
Yet there is something that even Jesus was cautious against, and if He found Himself in a position to guard against it, we, too, should take a good look at ourselves as regards the matter. In John 6:15 we are told, “Jesus, knowing that they meant to make Him their King, withdrew to the hillside, alone with God” (John 6:15). One proclivity of man that is most difficult to overcome is the ingrained desire to be important, to be recognized as a leader, to be someone of significance.
Jesus knew that all glory in heaven and earth was His, but that it was not to be conferred upon Him by mere men. We, too, must flee the tendency we have to allow others to lift us up. We must labor diligently at the tasks before us, performing them as though we were working for the Lord Himself and allowing HIM to recognize and commend our effort. Rather than the praise of men, we must desire His, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Luke 19:17)
Monday, July 27, 2009
July 27
Can we ask too much of God? Can we presume upon His kindness, upon His love, upon His desire to help us when we are beyond helping ourselves? If we read the Scriptures correctly, the answer to all the above is a simple, emphatic ‘NO!”
It is difficult for us to imagine a God who is willing to go the extra mile for us, but indeed, Jesus said that is what we are to do—“If a man asks you to walk a mile with him, walk with him two miles. If he asks for your coat, give him your cloak also.” (Matthew 5:40,41)
If that is what He expects of us and we are frail creatures of a fallen planet, how much more must He, the lofty One who inhabits eternity, extend Himself! Of course, we have the ultimate, conclusive evidence of His selfless, unfailing love at the cross. Calvary demonstrates the love of our Triune God more clearly than anything else we might suggest.
But beyond Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for our eternal salvation, we also have the assurance of His Word in Ephesians 3:20 that assures His concern for us is not only eternal but temporal as well. Here He emphatically states that He, “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to His power at work within us.” He’ll equip us to receive--and to give--all we need!
Can we ask too much of God? Can we presume upon His kindness, upon His love, upon His desire to help us when we are beyond helping ourselves? If we read the Scriptures correctly, the answer to all the above is a simple, emphatic ‘NO!”
It is difficult for us to imagine a God who is willing to go the extra mile for us, but indeed, Jesus said that is what we are to do—“If a man asks you to walk a mile with him, walk with him two miles. If he asks for your coat, give him your cloak also.” (Matthew 5:40,41)
If that is what He expects of us and we are frail creatures of a fallen planet, how much more must He, the lofty One who inhabits eternity, extend Himself! Of course, we have the ultimate, conclusive evidence of His selfless, unfailing love at the cross. Calvary demonstrates the love of our Triune God more clearly than anything else we might suggest.
But beyond Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for our eternal salvation, we also have the assurance of His Word in Ephesians 3:20 that assures His concern for us is not only eternal but temporal as well. Here He emphatically states that He, “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to His power at work within us.” He’ll equip us to receive--and to give--all we need!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
July 26
There is a great advantage to the child whose parents establish firm guidelines of behavior and achievement for the child at an early age. There is an incalculable advantage to the child whose parents apply these same guidelines not only to matters of scholarship and social interaction but also to matters of the spirit.
The child who is diligently instructed in the way he should go from infancy will be the child who does not quickly fall into unproductive habits. People who achieve great success are often those whose earliest nurturing included self-discipline and determination to attain worthwhile goals.
The Word encourages this same discipline in striving for eternal goals. In Psalm 94: 12, 13, it says, “Blessed is the one who You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach from Your law so You may give him power to prosper even in the day of adversity.” The Lord wants to equip the believer for complete victory.
The Lord’s discipline has the same intent as does parental discipline—to prepare the child for success over any and every eventuality. The Lord’s discipline lays the foundation of understanding of Who He is and what He wants from man in order that man might prevail over every circumstance that comes his way.
There is a great advantage to the child whose parents establish firm guidelines of behavior and achievement for the child at an early age. There is an incalculable advantage to the child whose parents apply these same guidelines not only to matters of scholarship and social interaction but also to matters of the spirit.
The child who is diligently instructed in the way he should go from infancy will be the child who does not quickly fall into unproductive habits. People who achieve great success are often those whose earliest nurturing included self-discipline and determination to attain worthwhile goals.
The Word encourages this same discipline in striving for eternal goals. In Psalm 94: 12, 13, it says, “Blessed is the one who You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach from Your law so You may give him power to prosper even in the day of adversity.” The Lord wants to equip the believer for complete victory.
The Lord’s discipline has the same intent as does parental discipline—to prepare the child for success over any and every eventuality. The Lord’s discipline lays the foundation of understanding of Who He is and what He wants from man in order that man might prevail over every circumstance that comes his way.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
July 25
Has the question ever crossed your mind as to why some people seem to have such an unwavering belief in the existence of God while others negate Him? Perhaps we can go further and say that within the minds of those of us who profess faith in the Lord, there are times we doubt; times we waver in our faith.
What causes such fluctuation? Why don’t we always believe with the fervency we once knew? There is an admonition that adjures that we ‘never doubt in the darkness what the Lord has revealed clearly in the light,’ but we do. We doubt Him in the darkness—and we don’t make Him our priority in the light.
Because we don’t seek Him with our fully committed heart, we see Him through ‘foggy faith.’ Sometimes the fog that shrouds us is so thick that we can’t see Him at all. This is 180 degrees apart from what His Word admonishes that we do. In Deuteronomy 4:29 we are given the key to unlock the sense of His presence, to know the assurance of His love.
It gives us the roadmap to unswerving faith. It says, “If you will seek the Lord your God, you will find Him—if you search for Him with all your heart and soul and mind.” Our Heavenly Father wants us to be diligent in our pursuit of Him. He does not want to be an addendum to our lives. We will find Him when our whole life is about seeking Him.
Has the question ever crossed your mind as to why some people seem to have such an unwavering belief in the existence of God while others negate Him? Perhaps we can go further and say that within the minds of those of us who profess faith in the Lord, there are times we doubt; times we waver in our faith.
What causes such fluctuation? Why don’t we always believe with the fervency we once knew? There is an admonition that adjures that we ‘never doubt in the darkness what the Lord has revealed clearly in the light,’ but we do. We doubt Him in the darkness—and we don’t make Him our priority in the light.
Because we don’t seek Him with our fully committed heart, we see Him through ‘foggy faith.’ Sometimes the fog that shrouds us is so thick that we can’t see Him at all. This is 180 degrees apart from what His Word admonishes that we do. In Deuteronomy 4:29 we are given the key to unlock the sense of His presence, to know the assurance of His love.
It gives us the roadmap to unswerving faith. It says, “If you will seek the Lord your God, you will find Him—if you search for Him with all your heart and soul and mind.” Our Heavenly Father wants us to be diligent in our pursuit of Him. He does not want to be an addendum to our lives. We will find Him when our whole life is about seeking Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)