24 Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;
not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10:24 ESV
How much trust must a man have to request the Lord of the Universe correct him? What level of faith in the Creator's goodness, love, and mercy must be present to entreat Him to invoke discipline.
As I was typing this entry, I closed my eyes, bowed my head and attempted to pray Jeremiah's prayer. "Correct me, O LORD." I could not do it. I found my mind inserting the following phrases:
"Reveal my sin to me." "Show my errors to me." "Disclose my shortcomings." But to ask God for correction? You have to be crazy!
The scripture is clear that whatever we ask in God's name will be granted. If we pray in God's will, we shall receive. God desires we live a sinless life. His plan for our lives is to be transformed into Christ's image. Therefore if we ask for correction in order to be transformed to better represent Jesus, that is a prayer God will answer.
Does my hesitancy expose a lack of trust in God's wisdom? Do I doubt His love? Or am not really ready to give up all the Adamness necessary to become more like Christ?
I dare you. No, I double-dog dare you. Close your eyes and with a earnest heart pray that God will do WHATEVER is necessary to bring you into perfect harmony with His will for your life. Pray that He will make whatever corrections to your lifestyle that are needed to sanctify you.
Did you hesitate? Did you search for words that might give Him a loophole? If so, why?
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
In Not Around December 29, 2014
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. John 16:33 ESV
Christianity does not guarantee inner peace. Tranquility is not a given for Believers. It is possible, even promised, but we must place ourselves in a right standing with God to receive that peace.
Jesus tells us that the peace we seek is IN him. Not because of him. Not because we have accepted him as Lord and Savior. Not because we pray and mediate.
We must be IN his word. We must be IN daily communication with him. We must be IN a right relationship with him. One of Webster's definition for "in" is, "in one's presence, possession, or control". Peace is found in Jesus, not around him.
Christianity does not guarantee inner peace. Tranquility is not a given for Believers. It is possible, even promised, but we must place ourselves in a right standing with God to receive that peace.
Jesus tells us that the peace we seek is IN him. Not because of him. Not because we have accepted him as Lord and Savior. Not because we pray and mediate.
We must be IN his word. We must be IN daily communication with him. We must be IN a right relationship with him. One of Webster's definition for "in" is, "in one's presence, possession, or control". Peace is found in Jesus, not around him.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
It Never Ends December 28, 2014
Continuous Conversion
3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children. . ." Matthew 18:3 ESV
These words of Our Lord are true of our initial conversion, but we have to be continuously converted all the days of our lives, continually to turn to God as children. If we trust to our wits instead of to God, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. Immediately our bodies are brought into new conditions by the providence of God, we have to see our natural life obeys the dictates of the Spirit of God. Because we have done it once is no proof that we shall do it again. The relation of the natural to the spiritual is one of continuous conversion, and it is the one thing we object to. In every setting in which we are put, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered but we have to “put on the new man.” God holds us responsible every time we refuse to convert ourselves, our reason for refusing is wilful obstinacy. Our natural life must not rule, God must rule in us.
The hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will not be continually converted, there are “wadges” of obstinacy where our pride spits at the throne of God and says—“I won’t.” We deify independence and wilfulness and call them by the wrong name. What God looks on as obstinate weakness, we call strength. There are whole tracts of our lives which have not yet been brought into subjection, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion. Slowly but surely we can claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 269-270). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Continuous conversion is a concept I had not considered before today's reading. Conversion was an experience. A one-time happening. Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. The Ethiopian eunuch was converted on the road to Gaza. Because of the work of missionaries around the globe, people convert to Christianity.
But Chambers tells us that after our initial conversion, we "have to be continually converted all the days of our lives." Christianity is not a one-and-done conversion experience. All to often our "natural lives do not obey the dictates of the Spirit of God." Almost without fail, these times of self-direction end in a less than prefect outcome.
So that begs the question, "How do we allow/enable this continual conversion." I believe the answer to that lies in what conditions were present at our initial conversion.
The Bible tells us that no one can come to God unless he has been prompted by the Holy Spirit. (John 6:44) Therefore for our conversion to be on-going we must be sensitive to and obedient to the Holy Spirit's direction in our lives. Much the same way the Holy Spirit convicts the lost person of the sinful state of his life (John 16:8-11), the Holy Spirit convicts the Believer of transgressions.
At our initial conversion, we were aware of our separation from God and cried out for reconciliation. Do we have that same desire for closeness after the joy of the salvation experience? Do we yearn for that restoration five years after that alter call? If not, make that an object of prayer. Ask God to rekindle the love and passion and desire for Him.
Finally there was a thankfulness, joy, and relief when we realized we were listed in the Lamb's Book of Life. A weight was lifted. A spark ignited. We should feel that same joy, thankfulness and relief when the evidence of God's continual conversion is present. Because of the Spirit's prompting, we refuse to repeat that juicy piece of gossip. Give God thanks. We pay the extra income tax that might have gone unnoticed. Give God praise for the strength He gave us to do the right thing. If we recognize and celebrate the ongoing conversion in our lives, we will become eager for more and more evidence of this continual conversion. Success breeds success.
Let's not allow conversion to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our natural self must be converted time and time again. As Chambers reminds us, "There are whole tracts of our lives which have not yet been brought into subjection, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion. Slowly but surely we can claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God."
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Fringe Benefits December 27, 2014
[ Bless the Lord, O My Soul ] [ Of David. ] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Psalm 103:1-2 ESV
"Forget not all his benefits, "
All too often the world knows of only the eternal-life benefit of Christianity. The whole heaven or hell thing. While that is the most permanent benefit of becoming a believer, the life of a child of God is filled with numerous benefits this side of heaven.
Peace. Guidance. Joy. Discernment. Fellowship. Understanding. Patience. Contentment.
I wonder if that part of salvation were preached more Christianity would have an increased desirability to a lost and dying world.
Psalm 103:1-2 ESV
"Forget not all his benefits, "
All too often the world knows of only the eternal-life benefit of Christianity. The whole heaven or hell thing. While that is the most permanent benefit of becoming a believer, the life of a child of God is filled with numerous benefits this side of heaven.
Peace. Guidance. Joy. Discernment. Fellowship. Understanding. Patience. Contentment.
I wonder if that part of salvation were preached more Christianity would have an increased desirability to a lost and dying world.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Follow the Shepherds December 24, 2014
20 And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things
that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:20 ESV
The shepherds had entered into the presence of the Christ child. God incarnate. The Savior of the world. Sure they had cause to glorify and praise God. A multitude of the heavenly host and baby Jesus would leave even the most hardened person's heart full of joy, wonderment, and adoration.
Each Sunday morning in our small group, our leader asks if we have any verbal prayer requests or praises. The praises center around healings, jobs obtained, or travel safety. What about the fact that each hour of each day we can enter into the presence of the Almighty God? We are adopted sons and daughters of the Creator of the Universe. Our eternal place in heaven is guaranteed.
Let's not confuse thankfulness with praise. Thank to God for health. Praise God for His faithfulness. Thank God for the relatives arriving (or leaving) safely. Praise God for the plan of salvation.
The shepherds had entered into the presence of the Christ child. God incarnate. The Savior of the world. Sure they had cause to glorify and praise God. A multitude of the heavenly host and baby Jesus would leave even the most hardened person's heart full of joy, wonderment, and adoration.
Each Sunday morning in our small group, our leader asks if we have any verbal prayer requests or praises. The praises center around healings, jobs obtained, or travel safety. What about the fact that each hour of each day we can enter into the presence of the Almighty God? We are adopted sons and daughters of the Creator of the Universe. Our eternal place in heaven is guaranteed.
Let's not confuse thankfulness with praise. Thank to God for health. Praise God for His faithfulness. Thank God for the relatives arriving (or leaving) safely. Praise God for the plan of salvation.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Salvation and Obedience December 22, 2014
The Drawing of the Father
No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. John 6:44 KJV
When God draws me, the issue of my will comes in at once—will I react on the revelation which God gives; will I come to Him? Discussion on spiritual matters is an impertinence. Never discuss with anyone when God speaks. Belief is not an intellectual act; belief is a moral act whereby I deliberately commit myself. Will I dump myself down absolutely on God and transact on what He says? If I will, I shall find I am based on Reality that is as sure as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always push an issue of will. Belief must be the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to persuasive power; a deliberate launching forth on God and on what He says until I am no longer confident in what I have done, I am confident only in God. The hindrance is that I will not trust God, but only my mental understanding. As far as feelings go, I must stake all blindly: I must will to believe, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways of looking at things, and by putting myself right over on to Him.
Every man is made to reach out beyond his grasp. It is God Who draws me, and my relationship with Him in the first place is a personal one, not an intellectual one. I am introduced into the relationship by the miracle of God and my own will to believe, then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transaction.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 265-266). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
While today's entry from My Utmost for His Highest may have been written with preaching the of the Gospel message in mind, several phrases are very applicable to the already adopted sons and daughters of God the Father.
If one replaces "belief" which is necessary for salvation, with "obedience" which is what believers are commanded to do, the passage becomes guidance for the Christian.
When God directs me, the issue of my will comes in at once. Obedience is not an intellectual act: obedience is a moral act where by I commit myself.
Obedience must be the will to obey.
I must will to obey, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways. . .
Both the initial acceptance of God a Lord and Savior and continued obedience are both only possible through the workings of the Holy Spirit, but both are also a product of one's individual will. We choose to accept Christ, and we choose to obey Him.
No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. John 6:44 KJV
When God draws me, the issue of my will comes in at once—will I react on the revelation which God gives; will I come to Him? Discussion on spiritual matters is an impertinence. Never discuss with anyone when God speaks. Belief is not an intellectual act; belief is a moral act whereby I deliberately commit myself. Will I dump myself down absolutely on God and transact on what He says? If I will, I shall find I am based on Reality that is as sure as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always push an issue of will. Belief must be the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to persuasive power; a deliberate launching forth on God and on what He says until I am no longer confident in what I have done, I am confident only in God. The hindrance is that I will not trust God, but only my mental understanding. As far as feelings go, I must stake all blindly: I must will to believe, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways of looking at things, and by putting myself right over on to Him.
Every man is made to reach out beyond his grasp. It is God Who draws me, and my relationship with Him in the first place is a personal one, not an intellectual one. I am introduced into the relationship by the miracle of God and my own will to believe, then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transaction.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 265-266). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
While today's entry from My Utmost for His Highest may have been written with preaching the of the Gospel message in mind, several phrases are very applicable to the already adopted sons and daughters of God the Father.
If one replaces "belief" which is necessary for salvation, with "obedience" which is what believers are commanded to do, the passage becomes guidance for the Christian.
When God directs me, the issue of my will comes in at once. Obedience is not an intellectual act: obedience is a moral act where by I commit myself.
Obedience must be the will to obey.
I must will to obey, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways. . .
Both the initial acceptance of God a Lord and Savior and continued obedience are both only possible through the workings of the Holy Spirit, but both are also a product of one's individual will. We choose to accept Christ, and we choose to obey Him.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
The Words Will Come December 20, 2014
19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. Matthew 10:19 ESV
You have a disagreeable duty to do at twelve o'clock. Do not blacken nine,
and ten, and eleven, and all between, with the color of twelve. Do the work
of each, and reap your reward in peace. So when the dreaded moment in the
future becomes the present, you shall meet it walking in the light, and
that light will overcome its darkness. The best preparation is the present
well seen to, the last duty done. For this will keep the eye so clear and
the body so full of light that the right action will be perceived at once,
the right words will rush from the heart to the lips, and the man, full of
the Spirit of God because he cares for nothing but the will of God, will
trample on the evil thing in love, and be sent, it may be, in a chariot
of fire to the presence of his Father, or stand unmoved amid the cruel
mockings of the men he loves.
My Utmost for His Highest. Mary Tileston, December 20.
Oh, how many times have I "blackened nine, and ten, and eleven"?
Three days from now I have to (fill in the blank).
Tomorrow I have to talk to (fill in the blank) about (fill in the blank).
(Fill in the blank) has to be done, and I am not looking forward to it.
Jesus reminds her listeners that God will provide His children with the right words at the right time. Allowing that future challenge to become today's focus will not only strip today of its joy, but might also have a negative effect on today's productivity.
Does this mean we should not prepare for or pray about that unpleasant future task? By all means, "No". Jesus spent many hours in the temple in study, discussion, debate. There are numerous times in the New Testament when Christ went off alone to pray. However, He did not allow the future to destroy the present.
Pray. Prepare. Plan. But then allow today's focus to be today's tasks. This hour's assignment should be this hour's concern. Do today the best we can. He will equip us for tomorrow.
It is interesting how this blog entry supports the lesson I am teaching tomorrow in small group. Much of tomorrow's lesson will be spent on Joseph's response to God's direction prior to and following Jesus' birth.
Marry Mary who is pregnant, but the baby is not yours. Joseph did.
Take your family to Egypt. Joseph did.
He did not know each step of the future. The journey was not laid out from start to finish. Joseph was obedient one day at a time. His "Yes, Lord" was not dependent on knowing every jot and tittle of the future. "Today God said (fill in the blank). So today I did (fill in the blank)." That is obedience. That is faith.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Peace December 14, 2014
The Great Life Peace
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV
Let not your heart be troubled. John 14:1 Whenever a thing becomes difficult in personal experience, we are in danger of blaming God, but it is we who are in the wrong, not God, there is some perversity somewhere that we will not let go. Immediately we do, everything becomes as clear as daylight. As long as we try to serve two ends, ourselves and God, there is perplexity. The attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. When once we get there, there is nothing easier than living the saintly life; difficulty comes in when we want to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own ends.
Whenever you obey God, His seal is always that of peace, the witness of an unfathomable peace, which is not natural, but the peace of Jesus. Whenever peace does not come, tarry till it does or find out the reason why it does not. If you are acting on an impulse, or from a sense of the heroic, the peace of Jesus will not witness; there is no simplicity or confidence in God, because the spirit of simplicity is born of the Holy Ghost, not of your decisions. Every decision brings a reaction of simplicity.
My questions come whenever I cease to obey. When I have obeyed God, the problems never come between me and God, they come as probes to keep the mind awake and amazed at the revelation of God. Any problem that comes between God and myself springs out of disobedience; any problem, and there are many, that is alongside me while I obey God, increases my ecstatic delight, because I know that my Father knows, and I am going to watch and see how He unravels this thing.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 259-260). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
John 14:27 is one of those verses that brings me close to tears each time slow down and meditate on it. Jesus is speaking to his disciples near the end of his life, possibly within just days of his impending crucifixion. He is aware of what his immediate future holds- pain, humiliation, rejection. Yet he is speaking a word of peace to his disciples.
His focus is concern, not the cross. He wishes to comfort, not be comforted. He wants to protect, not be protected. At the point in his life where by all logical thinking he should be withdrawing, retreating, trembling, he is continuing to minister to the needs of others.
Remember that Christ was 100% man and only his "complete reliance on God" made this possible. As Christ obediently moved toward the cross, he was assured of His father's approval and salvation brought about by the "witness of unfathomable peace".
Friday, December 12, 2014
The Choice is Yours December 12, 2014
8 I delight to do your will, O my God; Psalm 40:8 ESV
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart! Psalm 119:32 ESV
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 ESV
I enjoy taking photographs. I look forward to game night with family and friends. I have a fondness for travel. But do I delight in doing God's will? Do I run to be obedient to God?
I would like to answer those questions in the affirmative, but all to often, while perhaps not negative, I am neutral. Too many times my obedience is out of a sense of duty and obligation. On rare occasion I am obedient because I want to avoid possible heavenly reprecussions.
Would God prefer a grousing, but obedient child over a joyful reprobate? Me thinks so. But what He truly desires is a joyful path follower.
Why is a positive attitude of obedience so important?
1. It is what God prefers and pleases Him. Think of this in terms of your parenting. If a child complies, but lets you know he really would rather not, it does not lift your heart as a parent. It does not strengthen the relationship. There is "no joy in Mudville".
2. It affects those around us. We are ambassadors of Christ. We are the Jesus this world sees. If our countenance is dour and our attitude sour, we will not a winsome witness for our Lord and Savior. Who would want to know more about a Father whose children are unhappy all the time?
3. If our attitude of obedience is one of joy, future obedience becomes easier. We repeat the things we enjoy and avoid those which we do not.
At the end of the day we have three options: disobedience, grumpy obedience, or joyful obedience. Since disobedience is not a choice most of us would consciously make, that leaves surly obedience or cheerful obedience. The choice seems like a no-brainer to me.
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart! Psalm 119:32 ESV
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 ESV
I enjoy taking photographs. I look forward to game night with family and friends. I have a fondness for travel. But do I delight in doing God's will? Do I run to be obedient to God?
I would like to answer those questions in the affirmative, but all to often, while perhaps not negative, I am neutral. Too many times my obedience is out of a sense of duty and obligation. On rare occasion I am obedient because I want to avoid possible heavenly reprecussions.
Would God prefer a grousing, but obedient child over a joyful reprobate? Me thinks so. But what He truly desires is a joyful path follower.
Why is a positive attitude of obedience so important?
1. It is what God prefers and pleases Him. Think of this in terms of your parenting. If a child complies, but lets you know he really would rather not, it does not lift your heart as a parent. It does not strengthen the relationship. There is "no joy in Mudville".
2. It affects those around us. We are ambassadors of Christ. We are the Jesus this world sees. If our countenance is dour and our attitude sour, we will not a winsome witness for our Lord and Savior. Who would want to know more about a Father whose children are unhappy all the time?
3. If our attitude of obedience is one of joy, future obedience becomes easier. We repeat the things we enjoy and avoid those which we do not.
At the end of the day we have three options: disobedience, grumpy obedience, or joyful obedience. Since disobedience is not a choice most of us would consciously make, that leaves surly obedience or cheerful obedience. The choice seems like a no-brainer to me.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Dough and H2O December 11, 2014
25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water
Exodus 23:25 ESV
Prayer List: President of the United States and Congress, missionaries abroad, pastor, relative with cancer, job search for friend, that situation at work, fun, enjoyment, WAIT!!
Fun, enjoyment? With all the heavy duty stuff going on in our personal lives and the world at large, does God really have time for our little prayers? The verse from Exodus reminds His children He is involved in all aspects of our lives. God will even bless our "bread and your water".
Bread and water. Basic. Bare. Ordinary. Yet because God is the Lord of big and small, He promises to bless even that for His children.
So often prayer lists are chock full of consequential issues and grave illnesses. Those things most certainly need our fervent and effectual prayer, but don't forget God is also aware of and involved with our bread and water, the little stuff of life.
Exodus 23:25 ESV
Prayer List: President of the United States and Congress, missionaries abroad, pastor, relative with cancer, job search for friend, that situation at work, fun, enjoyment, WAIT!!
Fun, enjoyment? With all the heavy duty stuff going on in our personal lives and the world at large, does God really have time for our little prayers? The verse from Exodus reminds His children He is involved in all aspects of our lives. God will even bless our "bread and your water".
Bread and water. Basic. Bare. Ordinary. Yet because God is the Lord of big and small, He promises to bless even that for His children.
So often prayer lists are chock full of consequential issues and grave illnesses. Those things most certainly need our fervent and effectual prayer, but don't forget God is also aware of and involved with our bread and water, the little stuff of life.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
December 9, 2014
The Offence of the Natural
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:24 ESV
The natural life is not sinful; we must be apostatised from sin, have nothing to do with sin in any shape or form. Sin belongs to hell and the devil; I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought. It is the things that are right and noble and good from the natural standpoint that keep us back from God’s best. To discern that natural virtues antagonise surrender to God, is to bring our soul into the centre of its greatest battle. Very few of us debate with the sordid and evil and wrong, but we do debate with the good. It is the good that hates the best, and the higher up you get in the scale of the natural virtues, the more intense is the opposition to Jesus Christ. “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh”—it is going to cost the natural in you everything, not something. Jesus said—If any man will be My disciple, “let him deny himself” i.e., his right to himself, and a man has to realise Who Jesus Christ is before he will do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.
The natural life is not spiritual, and it can only be made spiritual by sacrifice. If we do not resolutely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural in us. There is no royal road there; each of us has it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of performing.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (p. 256). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Sushi? Yuck! December 8, 2014
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:3 ESV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
Editors Note: If I am committing some spiritual heresay by equating "spiritual blessing" with "fruit of the Spirit" please don't report me to the seminary police.
Note the tense of the verb in the second half of Ephesians 1:3. "Has" is present perfect tense. What?! PPT describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue into the future.
God, through the atoning work of His son, Jesus Christ, blessed us in the past, continues to bless, and will bless us in the future with EVERY spiritual blessing.
When Seth, Kristi, and I go to a sushi restaurant, I feel like the narrator in the beloved children's book, Green Eggs and Ham. I will not eat it in a box. I will not eat it with a fox. I will not eat it here. I will not eat it any where. When presented with a choice of raw sea creatures my eyes wander to the "sides" portion of the menu. I end up getting a side of teriyaki chicken, a side of rice, and a side of noodles. While not as daring or metropolitan as kelp-wrapped eel or lightly sauteed cephalopod limb, I do enjoy the more pedestrian repast.
In the past I have been guilty of looking at the fruit of the spirit as an ala carte menu. Today I will need some self-control, with a side of gentleness, and a couple of helpings of peace. I will pass on the faithfulness today and go light on the joy. But according to Paul in Ephesians, as God's children we have already been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing.
Our plate is brim full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no need to pray a portion of any of the items listed in the fruit of the spirit. God has and continues to bestow them on Christians.
What practical application does this have? When we fail to exhibit the fruit of the spirit, it is not because we are lacking that attribute, but because we have not allowed God to manifest it in our lives. We have allowed the old nature to trump the new nature that has been bestowed on us at the point of salvation.
Jesus Christ saved not just from an eternity of separation from Him, but He also saved us from a broken relationship with God the Father. Jesus' death and resurrection made restoration of that relationship possible. And with that we have the power through Jesus to exhibit the fruit of the spirit on a daily, hourly basis. It won't always be easy, and we will most likely fail multiple times a day, but it is not because we lack the spiritual blessings, our old nature just keeps rearing its ugly head.
Pray each day that today more of the fruit will be apparent to those around you than was present yesterday. Anticipate those situations or people who make it difficult to be patient, kind, or peaceful. Get prayed up. The fruit is within. Allow God to help apply that fruit each day to each situation.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
Editors Note: If I am committing some spiritual heresay by equating "spiritual blessing" with "fruit of the Spirit" please don't report me to the seminary police.
Note the tense of the verb in the second half of Ephesians 1:3. "Has" is present perfect tense. What?! PPT describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue into the future.
God, through the atoning work of His son, Jesus Christ, blessed us in the past, continues to bless, and will bless us in the future with EVERY spiritual blessing.
When Seth, Kristi, and I go to a sushi restaurant, I feel like the narrator in the beloved children's book, Green Eggs and Ham. I will not eat it in a box. I will not eat it with a fox. I will not eat it here. I will not eat it any where. When presented with a choice of raw sea creatures my eyes wander to the "sides" portion of the menu. I end up getting a side of teriyaki chicken, a side of rice, and a side of noodles. While not as daring or metropolitan as kelp-wrapped eel or lightly sauteed cephalopod limb, I do enjoy the more pedestrian repast.
In the past I have been guilty of looking at the fruit of the spirit as an ala carte menu. Today I will need some self-control, with a side of gentleness, and a couple of helpings of peace. I will pass on the faithfulness today and go light on the joy. But according to Paul in Ephesians, as God's children we have already been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing.
Our plate is brim full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no need to pray a portion of any of the items listed in the fruit of the spirit. God has and continues to bestow them on Christians.
What practical application does this have? When we fail to exhibit the fruit of the spirit, it is not because we are lacking that attribute, but because we have not allowed God to manifest it in our lives. We have allowed the old nature to trump the new nature that has been bestowed on us at the point of salvation.
Jesus Christ saved not just from an eternity of separation from Him, but He also saved us from a broken relationship with God the Father. Jesus' death and resurrection made restoration of that relationship possible. And with that we have the power through Jesus to exhibit the fruit of the spirit on a daily, hourly basis. It won't always be easy, and we will most likely fail multiple times a day, but it is not because we lack the spiritual blessings, our old nature just keeps rearing its ugly head.
Pray each day that today more of the fruit will be apparent to those around you than was present yesterday. Anticipate those situations or people who make it difficult to be patient, kind, or peaceful. Get prayed up. The fruit is within. Allow God to help apply that fruit each day to each situation.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Rainbow December 6, 2014
The Bow in the Cloud
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9:13 KJV
Waiting for God is incarnate unbelief, it means that I have no faith in Him; I wait for Him to do something in me that I may trust in that. God will not do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man has to go out of himself in his covenant with God as God goes out of Himself in His covenant with man. It is a question of faith in God—the rarest thing; we have faith only in our feelings. I do not believe God unless He will give me something in my hand whereby I may know I have it, then I say—“Now I believe.” There is no faith there. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.” Isaiah 45:22 KJV
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (p. 254). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
I worry. I fret. I fuss. I stew. Several years ago, the cotton industry ran a series of ads touting cotton as the "Fabric of Our Lives". Ever since I can remember worry has been the "fabric of my life". And for years I have attacked worry from the negative. Please help me not to worry. Please help me get back to sleep. Please help me to think of something else. I found verses that combated worry.
My focus was on worry when all along it should have been on God. He has promised an abundant life. He has vowed to provide peace beyond all understanding. He placed a rainbow in the sky.
His promises of salvation are not exclusive to eternal salvation. That salvation is a daily salvation from anxiety, confusion, anger, depression. A positive outcome of the situation that is the object of worry is a foregone conclusion for the child of God.
As Chambers points out, if we wait for God to show us that outcome or create that internal feeling, it is "incarnate unbelief". Where is the faith if it depends on the tangible. Faith is trusting the ladder before stepping on the rung. Faith is boarding the plan before it is airborne. Faith is knowing cancer serves a greater purpose. Faith is committing to a ministry when you really don't have the time, but have been called.
Focus on God, not worry. Ask for a stronger faith, not the cessation of disquietude. It is our lack of faith that creates worry, not the machinations of this world.
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9:13 KJV
Waiting for God is incarnate unbelief, it means that I have no faith in Him; I wait for Him to do something in me that I may trust in that. God will not do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man has to go out of himself in his covenant with God as God goes out of Himself in His covenant with man. It is a question of faith in God—the rarest thing; we have faith only in our feelings. I do not believe God unless He will give me something in my hand whereby I may know I have it, then I say—“Now I believe.” There is no faith there. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.” Isaiah 45:22 KJV
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (p. 254). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
I worry. I fret. I fuss. I stew. Several years ago, the cotton industry ran a series of ads touting cotton as the "Fabric of Our Lives". Ever since I can remember worry has been the "fabric of my life". And for years I have attacked worry from the negative. Please help me not to worry. Please help me get back to sleep. Please help me to think of something else. I found verses that combated worry.
My focus was on worry when all along it should have been on God. He has promised an abundant life. He has vowed to provide peace beyond all understanding. He placed a rainbow in the sky.
His promises of salvation are not exclusive to eternal salvation. That salvation is a daily salvation from anxiety, confusion, anger, depression. A positive outcome of the situation that is the object of worry is a foregone conclusion for the child of God.
As Chambers points out, if we wait for God to show us that outcome or create that internal feeling, it is "incarnate unbelief". Where is the faith if it depends on the tangible. Faith is trusting the ladder before stepping on the rung. Faith is boarding the plan before it is airborne. Faith is knowing cancer serves a greater purpose. Faith is committing to a ministry when you really don't have the time, but have been called.
Focus on God, not worry. Ask for a stronger faith, not the cessation of disquietude. It is our lack of faith that creates worry, not the machinations of this world.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
It's About Focus December 4, 2014
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. 1 Timothy 6:12 ESV
7 To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 ESV
The verses above are from the three readings I access each morning for my Bible study. The verse from John is the "Verse of the Day" sent out via the Internet by Bible Gateway. The Timothy and Revelation verses are from books written many decades ago: My Utmost for His Highest and Daily Strength for Daily Needs.
As I have considered these three sources this morning, I realized that the two older sources focus a lot on trials, struggles, and overcoming. While that is certainly an aspect of the Christian life (both spiritually and physically) there is the other side of the Christian coin--light, joy, praise. The verse from John is a shining (pun intended) example of the lighter side of Salvation.
Praise is not easy for me. Thanksgiving gives way to supplication too quickly. Joy is outstripped by toil.
I have a tendency to turn my Christian life into a series of battles and lose that balance between struggle and celebration.
Some of that is my nature; however, it is being aided by my choice of reading materials. I would welcome any devotionals that may lean more toward celebration and thanksgiving.
Christians are conquerors, victors, winners, not JOE BTFSPLK.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. 1 Timothy 6:12 ESV
7 To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 ESV
The verses above are from the three readings I access each morning for my Bible study. The verse from John is the "Verse of the Day" sent out via the Internet by Bible Gateway. The Timothy and Revelation verses are from books written many decades ago: My Utmost for His Highest and Daily Strength for Daily Needs.
As I have considered these three sources this morning, I realized that the two older sources focus a lot on trials, struggles, and overcoming. While that is certainly an aspect of the Christian life (both spiritually and physically) there is the other side of the Christian coin--light, joy, praise. The verse from John is a shining (pun intended) example of the lighter side of Salvation.
Praise is not easy for me. Thanksgiving gives way to supplication too quickly. Joy is outstripped by toil.
I have a tendency to turn my Christian life into a series of battles and lose that balance between struggle and celebration.
Some of that is my nature; however, it is being aided by my choice of reading materials. I would welcome any devotionals that may lean more toward celebration and thanksgiving.
Christians are conquerors, victors, winners, not JOE BTFSPLK.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
To Thirst or Not To Thirst December 3, 2014
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV
1As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1-2 ESV
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 ESV
I am not trying to pick a bone with Jesus. That would be foolhardy and perhaps disastrous. But I would welcome any insight into John 6:35.
Jesus is not referring to physical hunger and thirst. There have been, still are, and always will be Christians who suffer from physical hunger and thirst. One of the last words Christ spoke on the cross were, "I thirst", referring to a physical need. John 19:28 ESV
So Christ must have been referring to a spiritual hunger and thirst. Yet as shown in the verses from Psalm and Matthew, a spiritual thirst and hunger are desirable.
If Christ is not referring to the physical and other verses seem to point to the value of a spiritual hunger and thirst, what is His reference in John 6:35?
Me thinks that perhaps the reason today's verse struck me so hard is the spiritual thirst and hunger I am currently feeling. The ministry in which I have been involved for the past three/four years has been shut down, two other ministry openings at church have been filled, and I am struggling to discern God's will for my involvement in a specific ministry. There is a certain restlessness in my soul.
1As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1-2 ESV
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 ESV
I am not trying to pick a bone with Jesus. That would be foolhardy and perhaps disastrous. But I would welcome any insight into John 6:35.
Jesus is not referring to physical hunger and thirst. There have been, still are, and always will be Christians who suffer from physical hunger and thirst. One of the last words Christ spoke on the cross were, "I thirst", referring to a physical need. John 19:28 ESV
So Christ must have been referring to a spiritual hunger and thirst. Yet as shown in the verses from Psalm and Matthew, a spiritual thirst and hunger are desirable.
If Christ is not referring to the physical and other verses seem to point to the value of a spiritual hunger and thirst, what is His reference in John 6:35?
Me thinks that perhaps the reason today's verse struck me so hard is the spiritual thirst and hunger I am currently feeling. The ministry in which I have been involved for the past three/four years has been shut down, two other ministry openings at church have been filled, and I am struggling to discern God's will for my involvement in a specific ministry. There is a certain restlessness in my soul.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
The Altruistic Atheist December 2, 2014
Christian Perfection
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:12 ESV
It is a snare to imagine that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do; God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements is apt to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you go off on this idea of personal holiness, the dead-set of your life will not be for God, but for what you call the manifestation of God in your life. “It can never be God’s will that I should be sick,” you say. If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son, why should He not bruise you? The thing that tells for God is not your relevant consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your real vital relation to Jesus Christ, and your abandonment to Him whether you are well or ill.
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship to God which shows itself amid the irrelevancies of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that strikes you is the irrelevancy of the things you have to do, and the next thing that strikes you is the fact that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives are apt to leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary, by human effort and devotion we can reach the standard God wants. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in perfect relation to God so that my life produces a longing after God in other lives, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God is not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His show-room; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He likes.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 250-251). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
In today's reading, Chambers addresses one of the issues I find disconcerting. . . The munificent Muslim. The benevolent Buddhist. The humanitarian Hindu. People and organizations who are devoid of Christ but are still affecting the world for good. Many of whom seem to espouse "Christian" values at a greater rate than many of our churches.
Chambers makes it clear that our actions are not God's goal. What we do is of little value if it is not borne out of a closer relationship with Him. Our desire should be a more intimate relationship with Him. Out of this intimacy will flow the thoughts and actions that are pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
Isaiah 64:6 KJV
If we give, but grumble, He is displeased. If we feed the poor, but hate our neighbor, He is grieved. If we march in protest, but neglect the Word, He is disappointed.
Actions that are not the result of our relationship with Him are of little value to our Heavenly Father who sees the heart. Before we act, let us pray. Before we march, let us mediate on Him. Before we give, let us deepen our relationship.
If we align ourselves with God, spend time with Him. search for His will, our thoughts, words, and actions will be pleasing to Him and of benefit to a lost and dying world.
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