This Week's Focal Passage:
“No one is holy like the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.”
1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This verse is part of Hannah’s prayer when she brought Samuel to the tabernacle to dedicate him to the Lord God. We first meet Hannah at the door post of the tabernacle pouring her heart out to the Lord. Her heart is broken because she is unable to bear children. Why the door post of the tabernacle? The door post was the entrance to worship. Hannah brought her sorrow and her heart’s desire to the Lord and offered them up to Him trusting Him with the outcome of her plea. God did grant Hannah her heart’s desire and Hannah brings Samuel back to that doorpost and offers him to the Lord.
This past month, the Lord has really been challenging me with His Word. It seems that every time I open the Word of God, listen to a sermon, or prepare notes to teach, God continues to bring me back to this one question: Do you value ME above all else? Most Christians would immediately answer that question with a hearty AMEN or YES!! But, before we answer that question, let’s take a moment to really ask God to search our hearts and allow Him to reveal to us our heart’s true desire. Are you ready?
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). It is very difficult not to get distracted by the fame and fortune of this world. There are so many things bidding for our time, attention, affection, and loyalties. Everywhere we look there are beautiful new cars, homes, clothes, and jewelry. There are positions of prestige that we can work our way up to in our careers. There are sporting events that we can excel in if we pour ourselves into the training and the time to sharpen our skills. There are ministry opportunities that allow us to present our gifts and talents. There are many ways that we can present ourselves to the world and receive the praise and acceptance of man but is that what truly satisfies to the very depth of our souls?
Think about that question a moment. Even if those achievements or possessions bring momentary attention and man’s praise, do they ever really reach the very depth of our soul with satisfaction? If they did, then once we had achieved our primary goal, there would be no reason to seek or strive for more of the world’s fame and/or fortune. Everyone would set a goal, work toward that goal, obtain that goal and be fully and completely satisfied to stop right there and enjoy life to the fullest without ever looking around and wanting more!! My Friend, I am learning that there is nothing that this world has to offer that even remotely satisfies my soul.
Over the past several months, the Lord has been drawing me deeper into His Word and revealing to me the sinfulness of my heart. I struggle with the desire for earthly things and I have to constantly guard myself from these things. I am also enticed to follow the world’s system regarding my marriage and my relationship with my husband. You see, I am a very strong-willed person and I like to be in control. It is very difficult for me to submit to my husband’s authority and to be content in submitting. God has been, and continues to be, very gracious to me by not allowing my husband to give into my demands and allow me to “lead” our home. God continues to teach me about honoring Him in my relationship with Glen and in my calling as a mother. This is not an easy task for me but I can assure you that I have never been more content or more satisfied than I am when I am living in a way that honors the Lord and follows His design marriage.
The same is true for any one of us not matter what our position in life may be. Whether we are male or female, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well, married or single, with children or without, working outside or inside our homes, God calls us to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). “And God spoke these words, saying: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before ME” (Exodus 20:1-3). What was happening to the Hebrew people in the land of Egypt? They were slaves in that land and the Lord God brought them out of their captivity. I love this passage of Scripture because it is exactly what God has done for us. HE has brought us out of the bondage of sin!!! “…That our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).
If this does not excite your soul and bring you to your knees praising the Lord God for His mercy, His grace, His forgiveness, His compassion, His love, His holiness, His faithfulness, then bow before Him and allow Him to search your heart!!! There is NOTHING more valuable or praiseworthy than the Lord God Himself. Sin separates man/woman from God for all eternity. If we are not freed from our sin, then we will die in our sin. If we die in our sin, then we will face the full wrath of God and be sentenced to an eternity of separation from Him. We will never see His face, worship at His feet, walk with Him under His wing, or see the fullness of His glory. Yes, hell is full of suffering, pain, and torment but the worst thing about hell is that Jesus is not there!!! Do you truly desire to be where Christ Jesus is? Do you truly desire Him above all things? Is HE the most valuable thing in your life? As you answer, be careful not to answer so that man will hear and give you praise. “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Nothing is hidden from the Lord God. HE sees the true condition of the heart and we cannot fool Him by doing or saying the right things. When we stand before Him, HE will judge us according to our true spiritual conditions.
Reread our focal passage. “No one is holy like the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation” (1 Samuel 2:2). Hannah understood who God is and who she was. Hannah loved and valued the Lord God above anything that this world could offer. Hannah even loved the Lord God more than she loved herself. Hannah loved the Lord God more than she loved the very son she had begged God to give her. We first meet Hannah at the door post pouring her heart out to God and asking for a child. We next see Hannah with her son at the door post and she is offering Samuel to the Lord God and praising the Lord for the privilege of bearing a son and bringing him to the Lord. My Friend, is that our heart today? Do we truly value and desire the Lord God above all things?
This week, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. The heart of a man/woman is revealed in the things that he/she is thankful for. We, like Hannah, will stand at the doorpost one day. What will Christ see when HE looks deep within our hearts? “Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:7-10).
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #277
This Week's Focal Passage:
“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28
I love our focal passage because it expresses a heart totally surrendered to the Lord God. As our Ladies’ Sunday school class is studying through the book of 1 Samuel, I find myself challenged every week. Hannah desired a child and she took that desire to the doorpost of the tabernacle (the entrance of worship) and cried out to the Lord. God heard her pleas and HE granted her a child according to His perfect will. Hannah loved Samuel and she was so thankful to bear a child of her own, yet she loved the Lord God more than she loved anything, including her own child. She committed Samuel to the Lord and brought him back to the doorpost of the tabernacle when he was weaned and lent (completely gave him), to the Lord. How could Hannah do such a difficult thing? Her surrender was a form of worship from the heart of a very grateful mother. Surrendering Samuel was an act of worship and Hannah rejoiced in worshiping the Lord God (1 Samuel 2:1-11).
In the previous devotion, I shared how God has been teaching me about Biblical submission and transforming me into the wife, mother, and woman HE created me to be. Over the past two months, the Lord has faithfully continued His work and I can honestly say that I am enjoying the process!! And believe me, I am a work in progress!! God has provided a wonderful, godly mentor to walk alongside me during this season of my walk and she is sharing valuable truths from God’s Word. I am learning that God’s transformation includes transforming EVERY area of my life, not just those areas I think need to be changed. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
The core question my mentor asked me was: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST? If so, then I would have to live according to His commands in all areas of my life. Even those areas that are not fun or easy to surrender. God designs the roles for each gender as well as the functions within those roles. We cannot honor, glorify, or worship the Lord outside of the ways in which HE Himself has established. This is true regardless if we are male or female, married or single, work inside/outside the home, young or old, rich or poor. God Himself has designed that we all glorify Him and HE has ordained the way in which each of us are to do that.
Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Crucified #4957 (sustauroo) means “the death of Christ on the cross has wrought the extinction of our former corruption, by the death of Christ upon the cross I have become utterly estranged (dead to) my former habit of feeling and action.” Romans 6:6 says “Knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died, has been freed from sin.”
How does this apply to our daily lives? This means that we do not have to give into our sinful desires. We do not have to live according to the world’s culture. We are free in Christ to live in such a way that our every thought, every word, every action, and every heart’s motive is an act of worship!!! Isn’t that exciting?!!?! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ has empowered us with the Holy Spirit and we can live a life that produces the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We can fulfill whatever role the Lord calls us to in a way that brings honor and glory to Him and allows us to stand before Him and hear, “Well done, My good and faithful Servant.” Don’t you want that??!!
My Friend, I encourage you ask yourself the same question: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST? Only you can answer that question, but before you do, remember that Christ said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."( Mark 10:45) Christ did not serve in the areas that made Him feel good, brought Him praise, or made Him look good. Christ served by washing the feet of the disciples, proclaiming truth to people who hated and rejected Him, and HE gave His entire body for our benefit. If you want to be fully content, satisfied and useful to the Lord God, then you MUST put aside self and begin loving and serving in a way that elevates others above yourself. May our lives be an act of worship to our King!
“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28
I love our focal passage because it expresses a heart totally surrendered to the Lord God. As our Ladies’ Sunday school class is studying through the book of 1 Samuel, I find myself challenged every week. Hannah desired a child and she took that desire to the doorpost of the tabernacle (the entrance of worship) and cried out to the Lord. God heard her pleas and HE granted her a child according to His perfect will. Hannah loved Samuel and she was so thankful to bear a child of her own, yet she loved the Lord God more than she loved anything, including her own child. She committed Samuel to the Lord and brought him back to the doorpost of the tabernacle when he was weaned and lent (completely gave him), to the Lord. How could Hannah do such a difficult thing? Her surrender was a form of worship from the heart of a very grateful mother. Surrendering Samuel was an act of worship and Hannah rejoiced in worshiping the Lord God (1 Samuel 2:1-11).
In the previous devotion, I shared how God has been teaching me about Biblical submission and transforming me into the wife, mother, and woman HE created me to be. Over the past two months, the Lord has faithfully continued His work and I can honestly say that I am enjoying the process!! And believe me, I am a work in progress!! God has provided a wonderful, godly mentor to walk alongside me during this season of my walk and she is sharing valuable truths from God’s Word. I am learning that God’s transformation includes transforming EVERY area of my life, not just those areas I think need to be changed. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
The core question my mentor asked me was: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST? If so, then I would have to live according to His commands in all areas of my life. Even those areas that are not fun or easy to surrender. God designs the roles for each gender as well as the functions within those roles. We cannot honor, glorify, or worship the Lord outside of the ways in which HE Himself has established. This is true regardless if we are male or female, married or single, work inside/outside the home, young or old, rich or poor. God Himself has designed that we all glorify Him and HE has ordained the way in which each of us are to do that.
Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Crucified #4957 (sustauroo) means “the death of Christ on the cross has wrought the extinction of our former corruption, by the death of Christ upon the cross I have become utterly estranged (dead to) my former habit of feeling and action.” Romans 6:6 says “Knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died, has been freed from sin.”
How does this apply to our daily lives? This means that we do not have to give into our sinful desires. We do not have to live according to the world’s culture. We are free in Christ to live in such a way that our every thought, every word, every action, and every heart’s motive is an act of worship!!! Isn’t that exciting?!!?! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ has empowered us with the Holy Spirit and we can live a life that produces the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We can fulfill whatever role the Lord calls us to in a way that brings honor and glory to Him and allows us to stand before Him and hear, “Well done, My good and faithful Servant.” Don’t you want that??!!
My Friend, I encourage you ask yourself the same question: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST? Only you can answer that question, but before you do, remember that Christ said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."( Mark 10:45) Christ did not serve in the areas that made Him feel good, brought Him praise, or made Him look good. Christ served by washing the feet of the disciples, proclaiming truth to people who hated and rejected Him, and HE gave His entire body for our benefit. If you want to be fully content, satisfied and useful to the Lord God, then you MUST put aside self and begin loving and serving in a way that elevates others above yourself. May our lives be an act of worship to our King!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #276
This Week's Focal Passage:
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Strong's
Crucified #4957 - sustauroo = "the death of Christ on the cross has wrought the extinction of our former corruption, by the death of Christ upon the cross I have become utterly estranged (dead to) my former habit of feeling and action."
In the last devotion, I talked about embarking upon a new journey, a new season in my spiritual walk with the Lord. I mentioned that I felt the Lord impressing upon my heart that I needed to focus on becoming a more godly wife, loving my husband in ways that encourages him and honors the Lord. Now, I understand that the men reading this may be tempted to think that this devotion may not contain any life application for them. I urge you to consider that although your goal is not to be a godly wife your goal in Christ should be to become a godly man fulfilling the role(s) the Lord has called you to fill. Remember that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful in teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16)".
In John MacArthur's book Twelve Extraordinary Women, he writes "Eve must have been a creature of unsurpassed beauty. She was the crown and the pinnacle of God's amazing creative work. The first female of Adam's race was the last living thing to be called into existence-actually fashioned directly by the Creator's own hand in a way that showed particular care and attention to detail. Remember, Eve wasn't made out of dust like Adam, but carefully designed from living flesh and bone. Adam was refined dirt; Eve was a glorious refinement of humanity itself. She was a special gift to Adam. She was the necessary partner who finally made his existence complete-and whose own existence finally signaled the completion of all creation" (p.1). "The circumstances of Eve's creation illustrate how deep and meaningful the marriage of husband and wife is designed to be. It is not merely a physical union, but a union of heart and soul as well. Eve was Adam's complement in every sense, designed by God to be the ideal soul-companion for him. And the intimacy of her relationship with her husband derives from her being literally taken from his side. In his classic commentary on the Bible, Puritan author Matthew Henry wrote these familiar words, which have been adapted and quoted in many marriage ceremonies: "The woman was made out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved"" (p.6).
Beloved, the Lord God's ways are perfect. His design for all of mankind comes from His unconditional love and His perfect plan for us. We can trust in Him and know that when we follow the Lord's direction in all aspects of our lives HE will bless us in ways that we can never even imagine!! God's blessings flow from His heart into our lives and nothing this world or our flesh offers us will ever come close to equaling what God has for us. When we manipulate, control, and work things out according to our thoughts, our ways, our plans, and/or our desires, we will ALWAYS end up disappointed. The very depth of our souls crave the Lord Jesus Christ and when we try to fill that void with anything else, we are left wanting, hurting, and completely dissatisfied!!
Reread our focal passage. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). What is God's Word telling us? According to this passage of Scripture, when we were crucified with Christ (accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior and surrendered our life to Him), at that moment, we become new!! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We were, at that moment, freed from all sin!! "Knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died, has been freed from sin" (Romans 6:6-7). Then why do we continue to sin?
Allow me to share a personal testimony for a moment. I am learning that I have been holding onto sinful habits, patterns, thoughts, and behaviors and defining those as "my personality." I have excused or justified my sin by saying, "Well, I cannot help it…I was made that way" or "That is just me!" That is a lie straight from the pit of hell! God's Word tells me that when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, the same power that raised Him from the dead now dwells within me (Ephesians 1:17-23). If the power who raised Jesus from the dead now lives within me, then I am not subject to sin any longer!! I now have a choice as to whether I will obey the Lord Jesus or rebel against Him and His authority over my life. Sin is defined as rebellion against the Lord God. Sin stems from a prideful heart, a heart that wants to be its own god.
Beloved, if we are children of the Risen Lord, then we are no longer slaves to sin!! We do not have to act according to our old habits, behaviors, thoughts, and desires. God designed us with unique characteristics and personalities but what we do with those things can either glorify the Lord or dishonor Him. Those portions of our "personality" that dishonor the Lord can be removed through the power of the cross. As a child of God, we are being transformed into the image of Christ. In order to be transformed, the old has to be shed and the new has to be applied. Thus begs the question: Do you REALLY want to be like Christ?
Becoming like Christ means giving up the old self, dying to those old habits, thoughts, feelings, reactions, behaviors, and fleshly desires. It is not an easy task but it is the ONLY way that we can truly become the men and women God created us to be. "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Is this your heart's prayer today? If so, praise the Lord for opening your eyes to see His truth and your heart to receive His Word. If this is not your prayer, I encourage you to come before the Lord God and allow Him to search your heart. Do not be afraid to allow Him to reveal to you the heart issues that are separating you from Him. HE loves you and HE gave Himself up for you. HE is trustworthy and HE is the only completion and satisfaction for your soul.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Strong's
Crucified #4957 - sustauroo = "the death of Christ on the cross has wrought the extinction of our former corruption, by the death of Christ upon the cross I have become utterly estranged (dead to) my former habit of feeling and action."
In the last devotion, I talked about embarking upon a new journey, a new season in my spiritual walk with the Lord. I mentioned that I felt the Lord impressing upon my heart that I needed to focus on becoming a more godly wife, loving my husband in ways that encourages him and honors the Lord. Now, I understand that the men reading this may be tempted to think that this devotion may not contain any life application for them. I urge you to consider that although your goal is not to be a godly wife your goal in Christ should be to become a godly man fulfilling the role(s) the Lord has called you to fill. Remember that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful in teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16)".
In John MacArthur's book Twelve Extraordinary Women, he writes "Eve must have been a creature of unsurpassed beauty. She was the crown and the pinnacle of God's amazing creative work. The first female of Adam's race was the last living thing to be called into existence-actually fashioned directly by the Creator's own hand in a way that showed particular care and attention to detail. Remember, Eve wasn't made out of dust like Adam, but carefully designed from living flesh and bone. Adam was refined dirt; Eve was a glorious refinement of humanity itself. She was a special gift to Adam. She was the necessary partner who finally made his existence complete-and whose own existence finally signaled the completion of all creation" (p.1). "The circumstances of Eve's creation illustrate how deep and meaningful the marriage of husband and wife is designed to be. It is not merely a physical union, but a union of heart and soul as well. Eve was Adam's complement in every sense, designed by God to be the ideal soul-companion for him. And the intimacy of her relationship with her husband derives from her being literally taken from his side. In his classic commentary on the Bible, Puritan author Matthew Henry wrote these familiar words, which have been adapted and quoted in many marriage ceremonies: "The woman was made out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved"" (p.6).
Beloved, the Lord God's ways are perfect. His design for all of mankind comes from His unconditional love and His perfect plan for us. We can trust in Him and know that when we follow the Lord's direction in all aspects of our lives HE will bless us in ways that we can never even imagine!! God's blessings flow from His heart into our lives and nothing this world or our flesh offers us will ever come close to equaling what God has for us. When we manipulate, control, and work things out according to our thoughts, our ways, our plans, and/or our desires, we will ALWAYS end up disappointed. The very depth of our souls crave the Lord Jesus Christ and when we try to fill that void with anything else, we are left wanting, hurting, and completely dissatisfied!!
Reread our focal passage. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). What is God's Word telling us? According to this passage of Scripture, when we were crucified with Christ (accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior and surrendered our life to Him), at that moment, we become new!! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We were, at that moment, freed from all sin!! "Knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died, has been freed from sin" (Romans 6:6-7). Then why do we continue to sin?
Allow me to share a personal testimony for a moment. I am learning that I have been holding onto sinful habits, patterns, thoughts, and behaviors and defining those as "my personality." I have excused or justified my sin by saying, "Well, I cannot help it…I was made that way" or "That is just me!" That is a lie straight from the pit of hell! God's Word tells me that when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, the same power that raised Him from the dead now dwells within me (Ephesians 1:17-23). If the power who raised Jesus from the dead now lives within me, then I am not subject to sin any longer!! I now have a choice as to whether I will obey the Lord Jesus or rebel against Him and His authority over my life. Sin is defined as rebellion against the Lord God. Sin stems from a prideful heart, a heart that wants to be its own god.
Beloved, if we are children of the Risen Lord, then we are no longer slaves to sin!! We do not have to act according to our old habits, behaviors, thoughts, and desires. God designed us with unique characteristics and personalities but what we do with those things can either glorify the Lord or dishonor Him. Those portions of our "personality" that dishonor the Lord can be removed through the power of the cross. As a child of God, we are being transformed into the image of Christ. In order to be transformed, the old has to be shed and the new has to be applied. Thus begs the question: Do you REALLY want to be like Christ?
Becoming like Christ means giving up the old self, dying to those old habits, thoughts, feelings, reactions, behaviors, and fleshly desires. It is not an easy task but it is the ONLY way that we can truly become the men and women God created us to be. "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Is this your heart's prayer today? If so, praise the Lord for opening your eyes to see His truth and your heart to receive His Word. If this is not your prayer, I encourage you to come before the Lord God and allow Him to search your heart. Do not be afraid to allow Him to reveal to you the heart issues that are separating you from Him. HE loves you and HE gave Himself up for you. HE is trustworthy and HE is the only completion and satisfaction for your soul.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #275
This Week's Focal Passage:
"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12)
Strong's:
Virtuous #02428 - chayil = speaks of excellence, moral worth, ability, and nobility, not just marital fidelity…the ideal of wisdom in action (Nelson Study Bible, p. 1076)
Worth #04377 - meker = value
Heart #03820 - leb = inner man, mind, will
Trust #0982 - batach = to have confidence, be confident
Does (do in KJV) #01580 = to deal bountifully with
Good #02896 - towb = (n.) a good thing, benefit, welfare
Life # 02416 - chay = sustenance
"To be a believer in God early in life--is to be saved from a thousand regrets! Such a man will never have to say that he carries in his bones--the sins of his youth" (Charles Spurgeon). My testimony is not one of early piety or obedience to the Lord and I know all too well the pain of a thousand regrets. Although I am not proud of my past, I can rejoice in portions of my testimony because they reflect God's incredible grace, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness, healing, and restoration. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; HE has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound…That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that HE may be glorified" (Isaiah 61:1&3b).
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah and what HE would offer to a world drowning in sin. My Friend, the Messiah did come and when HE did HE brought healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2)!!! His grace changes lives and it truly sets the captives free. There is nothing in this world that even begins to compare to His greatness. There is no possession that we can ever obtain that will satisfy to the very depths of our soul. In Him, there is nothing missing!! HE is completion! Praise You, Jesus.
I have shared portions of my testimony many times and I have shared how God began to change my heart toward my husband, Glen, about two years after we relocated to Kansas. Over the past eight years, our marriage has grown and developed into a wonderful, loving, joyful friendship. I can assure you it is not perfect, but it is a wonderful example of how God's power transforms lives, hearts, and attitudes.
My journey began with submission. In my rebellion, I had rejected God's design that commands a wife to be submissive toward her husband. I am truly ashamed to say that in our wedding vows, I asked the pastor to remove the "obedience" portion and he agreed. When our children watch our wedding video each year on our anniversary, my heart aches. Over the years, the Lord has blessed me with a church home where the women love and honor their husband in ways that glorify the Lord. I have learned that real joy is rooted and established within the pages of Scripture and through obedience that joy is released and experienced in every aspect of my life.
Although my journey began with submission, I am happy to say that it has not ended there. The Lord has begun impressing upon me that my next step is to focus on loving my husband in a way that honors him and the Lord. I will admit that I am in the first steps of this journey so I have nothing to offer except an invitation to join me along the way. I have entitled this portion of my spiritual walk as "Love Lesson with My Lord."
Proverbs 31:10-12 says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life." What does this mean for us today? The Nelson Study Bible defines this as "wisdom in action." Let's pause here a moment. I realize that not all who may be reading this are wives. In fact, there may be some men reading this today. May we each keep in mind what God's Word promises us…"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Within our two focal verses, God is speaking to the heart, the character, the person of this woman. God's Word is directing the heart in the way in which it should go. When we are completely obedient to the roles, responsibilities and callings that the Lord ordained for each of us before the foundations of the world, we bring honor and glory to Him and in that obedience, we are blessed beyond measure.
For me, I pray that I will learn to love Glen in a way that truly honors him, encourages him, uplifts him, and helps him to become all that God has ordained for him to be. I do not want to be a weight around his neck that constantly drags him down or causes him to doubt or question himself. I am learning that my words, my actions, and my body language send very loud messages to him and he absorbs those very deeply. The Lord has allowed for us to have two boys and two girls in which to train and teach. My Friend, I can assure you children learn more from what they see us do than what they hear us say. As I stated earlier, I know too well the pains of a thousand regrets, I do not have a desire to add a thousand more to those!!
God has given each of us a specific role in this life and HE has ordained how we are to minister/serve within those roles. Spending time with Him daily in His Word will give us valuable insight into how HE desires for us to fill those roles. May each of us come before Him with a willing heart that desires to serve Him fully and without reservation. May we each be willing to learn love lessons from our Lord and to exemplify those lessons in our daily lives as we interact with those around us. May we each be examples of wisdom in action so that the Lord God will be glorified among the nations.
"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12)
Strong's:
Virtuous #02428 - chayil = speaks of excellence, moral worth, ability, and nobility, not just marital fidelity…the ideal of wisdom in action (Nelson Study Bible, p. 1076)
Worth #04377 - meker = value
Heart #03820 - leb = inner man, mind, will
Trust #0982 - batach = to have confidence, be confident
Does (do in KJV) #01580 = to deal bountifully with
Good #02896 - towb = (n.) a good thing, benefit, welfare
Life # 02416 - chay = sustenance
"To be a believer in God early in life--is to be saved from a thousand regrets! Such a man will never have to say that he carries in his bones--the sins of his youth" (Charles Spurgeon). My testimony is not one of early piety or obedience to the Lord and I know all too well the pain of a thousand regrets. Although I am not proud of my past, I can rejoice in portions of my testimony because they reflect God's incredible grace, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness, healing, and restoration. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; HE has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound…That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that HE may be glorified" (Isaiah 61:1&3b).
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah and what HE would offer to a world drowning in sin. My Friend, the Messiah did come and when HE did HE brought healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2)!!! His grace changes lives and it truly sets the captives free. There is nothing in this world that even begins to compare to His greatness. There is no possession that we can ever obtain that will satisfy to the very depths of our soul. In Him, there is nothing missing!! HE is completion! Praise You, Jesus.
I have shared portions of my testimony many times and I have shared how God began to change my heart toward my husband, Glen, about two years after we relocated to Kansas. Over the past eight years, our marriage has grown and developed into a wonderful, loving, joyful friendship. I can assure you it is not perfect, but it is a wonderful example of how God's power transforms lives, hearts, and attitudes.
My journey began with submission. In my rebellion, I had rejected God's design that commands a wife to be submissive toward her husband. I am truly ashamed to say that in our wedding vows, I asked the pastor to remove the "obedience" portion and he agreed. When our children watch our wedding video each year on our anniversary, my heart aches. Over the years, the Lord has blessed me with a church home where the women love and honor their husband in ways that glorify the Lord. I have learned that real joy is rooted and established within the pages of Scripture and through obedience that joy is released and experienced in every aspect of my life.
Although my journey began with submission, I am happy to say that it has not ended there. The Lord has begun impressing upon me that my next step is to focus on loving my husband in a way that honors him and the Lord. I will admit that I am in the first steps of this journey so I have nothing to offer except an invitation to join me along the way. I have entitled this portion of my spiritual walk as "Love Lesson with My Lord."
Proverbs 31:10-12 says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life." What does this mean for us today? The Nelson Study Bible defines this as "wisdom in action." Let's pause here a moment. I realize that not all who may be reading this are wives. In fact, there may be some men reading this today. May we each keep in mind what God's Word promises us…"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Within our two focal verses, God is speaking to the heart, the character, the person of this woman. God's Word is directing the heart in the way in which it should go. When we are completely obedient to the roles, responsibilities and callings that the Lord ordained for each of us before the foundations of the world, we bring honor and glory to Him and in that obedience, we are blessed beyond measure.
For me, I pray that I will learn to love Glen in a way that truly honors him, encourages him, uplifts him, and helps him to become all that God has ordained for him to be. I do not want to be a weight around his neck that constantly drags him down or causes him to doubt or question himself. I am learning that my words, my actions, and my body language send very loud messages to him and he absorbs those very deeply. The Lord has allowed for us to have two boys and two girls in which to train and teach. My Friend, I can assure you children learn more from what they see us do than what they hear us say. As I stated earlier, I know too well the pains of a thousand regrets, I do not have a desire to add a thousand more to those!!
God has given each of us a specific role in this life and HE has ordained how we are to minister/serve within those roles. Spending time with Him daily in His Word will give us valuable insight into how HE desires for us to fill those roles. May each of us come before Him with a willing heart that desires to serve Him fully and without reservation. May we each be willing to learn love lessons from our Lord and to exemplify those lessons in our daily lives as we interact with those around us. May we each be examples of wisdom in action so that the Lord God will be glorified among the nations.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #274
This Week's Focal Passage:
"Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!…" Ruth 2:20
Have you ever felt alone? Abandoned? Forgotten? Forsaken? I certainly have. Life is full of mountaintop and valley experiences. We all prefer the mountaintop moments, but valleys often follow them. Sometimes, those valleys are so far down, you feel as though you will never see the light of day again. All throughout Scripture, God gives us examples of these moments in the life of His children. One example is Job. We all know the story…Job had everything - a wife, many children, property, livestock and his health. But in a moment, all that changed.
Why does the story of Job stand out to us? All of us have these moments. We may not loose everything in one day, but we experience loss such as loved ones, jobs, homes, relationships, and/or health at times during our lives. The story of Job is such an encouragement to us because Job never lost faith in the Lord God. In fact, Job praised the Lord God and continued to love Him and testify of Him during the trials that the Lord Himself had allowed to be upon Job. "Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speak. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we no accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (Job 2:9-10). Often times, when things go in a direction we did not want or expect, we tend to blame God for not protecting us. We want a God who will work on our timetable and according to our desires.
The problem with that is that God will not be, as my pastor says, "anybody's puppet."
The Lord God is the Maker of the universe, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the GREAT I AM!! How dare any of us to demand anything from the Lord God. True faith and a sincere trust in God is exemplified when the adversities come and we are joyful through the trial. James 1:2 says "My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into varies trials." Joy in this verse is #5479 chara which means "glad, joyous." Does this mean that we are not to weep or pour our hearts out to the Lord God? Absolutely not!! God desires that we come boldly before His throne and pour our hearts out to Him. HE welcomes us with open arms (Hebrews 4:14-16). What God's Word is telling us is that we can be full of joy in the midst of the pain because God promises that when HE brings about difficulties, HE is accomplishing something wonderful in our hearts, minds, and souls. HE has an eternal purpose in mind!! "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing: (James 1:3-4).
Unfortunately, our flesh screams to be satisfied. We do not like pain, change, or a lack of control. From the beginning of time, pride and the desire to exalt oneself about the Lord God has penetrated our world. Lucifer, also known as Satan, was created to glorify the One True God, yet he chose to try to exalt himself above God. "For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne about the starts of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13). This very thing is what Satan used to tempt Eve. "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…" (Genesis 3:4). And this is exactly what Satan uses to tempt us to rebel against the Lord God today.
Reread our focal passage once more. "Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!…" (Ruth 2:20). Forsaken in this verse is #5800 'azab which means "to depart from, leave behind, abandon." Kindness in this verse is hesed which refers to the covenant love that God made with His people. The story of Ruth is such a precious reminder of our God and His loving kindness even in the midst of great loss and pain. Naomi left Bethlehem "full" in her eyes. She had a husband and two sons. When the Lord drew her back to Bethlehem, Naomi did have her daughter-in-law, Ruth, but she had lost her husband and both sons to death in Moab. The Lord God continually reminded Naomi of His faithfulness and His covenant love. In verse 20, we see Naomi's heart begin to soften and her focus begin to change. She no longer viewed her loss as the Lord's abandonment but she began to recognize the Lord God's faithfulness in His remembrance of her and His lovingly provisions for her every need.
My Friend, how do you view God when your circumstances are different than what you want or expect? Do you blame Him for not acting the way you desire or do you praise Him because you know, truly know, that His ways are perfect and that HE is working to accomplish His eternal purposes in you and through you? May we each bow before the throne of grace and ask the Lord God to dig deep into our hearts and reveal to us any thing in us that is dishonoring to Him. May we seek to know Him more and to have a right view of Him!! "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear…" (Hebrews 13:5-6)
"Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!…" Ruth 2:20
Have you ever felt alone? Abandoned? Forgotten? Forsaken? I certainly have. Life is full of mountaintop and valley experiences. We all prefer the mountaintop moments, but valleys often follow them. Sometimes, those valleys are so far down, you feel as though you will never see the light of day again. All throughout Scripture, God gives us examples of these moments in the life of His children. One example is Job. We all know the story…Job had everything - a wife, many children, property, livestock and his health. But in a moment, all that changed.
Why does the story of Job stand out to us? All of us have these moments. We may not loose everything in one day, but we experience loss such as loved ones, jobs, homes, relationships, and/or health at times during our lives. The story of Job is such an encouragement to us because Job never lost faith in the Lord God. In fact, Job praised the Lord God and continued to love Him and testify of Him during the trials that the Lord Himself had allowed to be upon Job. "Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speak. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we no accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (Job 2:9-10). Often times, when things go in a direction we did not want or expect, we tend to blame God for not protecting us. We want a God who will work on our timetable and according to our desires.
The problem with that is that God will not be, as my pastor says, "anybody's puppet."
The Lord God is the Maker of the universe, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the GREAT I AM!! How dare any of us to demand anything from the Lord God. True faith and a sincere trust in God is exemplified when the adversities come and we are joyful through the trial. James 1:2 says "My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into varies trials." Joy in this verse is #5479 chara which means "glad, joyous." Does this mean that we are not to weep or pour our hearts out to the Lord God? Absolutely not!! God desires that we come boldly before His throne and pour our hearts out to Him. HE welcomes us with open arms (Hebrews 4:14-16). What God's Word is telling us is that we can be full of joy in the midst of the pain because God promises that when HE brings about difficulties, HE is accomplishing something wonderful in our hearts, minds, and souls. HE has an eternal purpose in mind!! "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing: (James 1:3-4).
Unfortunately, our flesh screams to be satisfied. We do not like pain, change, or a lack of control. From the beginning of time, pride and the desire to exalt oneself about the Lord God has penetrated our world. Lucifer, also known as Satan, was created to glorify the One True God, yet he chose to try to exalt himself above God. "For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne about the starts of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13). This very thing is what Satan used to tempt Eve. "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…" (Genesis 3:4). And this is exactly what Satan uses to tempt us to rebel against the Lord God today.
Reread our focal passage once more. "Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!…" (Ruth 2:20). Forsaken in this verse is #5800 'azab which means "to depart from, leave behind, abandon." Kindness in this verse is hesed which refers to the covenant love that God made with His people. The story of Ruth is such a precious reminder of our God and His loving kindness even in the midst of great loss and pain. Naomi left Bethlehem "full" in her eyes. She had a husband and two sons. When the Lord drew her back to Bethlehem, Naomi did have her daughter-in-law, Ruth, but she had lost her husband and both sons to death in Moab. The Lord God continually reminded Naomi of His faithfulness and His covenant love. In verse 20, we see Naomi's heart begin to soften and her focus begin to change. She no longer viewed her loss as the Lord's abandonment but she began to recognize the Lord God's faithfulness in His remembrance of her and His lovingly provisions for her every need.
My Friend, how do you view God when your circumstances are different than what you want or expect? Do you blame Him for not acting the way you desire or do you praise Him because you know, truly know, that His ways are perfect and that HE is working to accomplish His eternal purposes in you and through you? May we each bow before the throne of grace and ask the Lord God to dig deep into our hearts and reveal to us any thing in us that is dishonoring to Him. May we seek to know Him more and to have a right view of Him!! "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear…" (Hebrews 13:5-6)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #273
This Week's Focal Passage:
"And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13 (NKJV)
Saturday, Glen and I had a few errands to run in the city. We were in a hurry, but one stop we needed to make was at the mall. As we rushed the children in, my mind was focused on getting the one item we had come for and then dashing off to the next errand. We got to the store of choice and headed inside. I busied myself finding what we needed and was ready to head to the register when I notice Corbyn becoming more and more uncomfortable. About that time, I heard Eden say, "Mommy, these pictures are gross!"
Glen and I both stopped and began to look around. We had never been inside this particular store before but we had heard in the past about some of their advertising. As we scanned the walls and tables, we were shocked. Glen told the children to look at the floor and took them out into the mall. By the time we got to the van, Corbyn was in tears. He said, "Mommy, I did not like that store and I never want to go in there again!"
Well, I don't need to tell you how horrible we felt!! Glen and I are their parents and we are to guard them against such images; however, we were the very ones who took them into a store that used sexual images to draw teenagers and young adults inside. (No, we were not at a lingerie store.) Glen apologized to the children and explained that those images are not what we need to put in our minds. They are desirable to the flesh; however, our spirit should be highly offended by such things. At that moment, the Lord God convicted my heart. There are so many lessons within that one trip to the mall for me, but the one I would like to share with you is this…As children of God, our spirits should be utterly offended by sin! Corbyn's heart was broken that he had seen such things and his spirit spoke LOUD and CLEAR to his conscience.
The question for me is "Why did I not stand in tears over the sin that hung on those walls?" The answer lies in the sin that I have allowed to creep into my life slowly but steadily. I am ashamed to say it, but I have not always guarded my heart, mind, and body. I have made choices in the past that allowed sin to inch its way into my life through TV, movies, unwise talk, and sinful choices in relationships, just to name a few. When I saw those images, I was shocked, but my heart was not broken nor was I moved to tears!! If Corbyn had not been so upset, I do not think I would have realized just how vile those pictures were. This is what happens to us, My Friend, when we allow just one ounce of sinful information/images to penetrate our hearts, minds and bodies. We begin to dumb down our awareness of the sin. We begin to accept that sin in our lives as just a "little thing" and we lose the ability to see sin for what it truly is…A total rebellious act against the One True Living God!!! Forgive us, Father!!
Our focal passage is Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" What a powerful picture!! Christ alone sits on the throne and HE is the Judge who will rightly judge our sins. Sin separates man from God and sin is what placed Christ Jesus on the cross. We live in a "Me-Centered" culture. By this, I mean, that our world today encourages us to be our own god, to live life in a way that centers around us and presses us to fulfill our fleshly desires on a consistent basis. Nothing is off limits…Live life to the fullest…If it feels good, do it…I may not be right for me, but if it is "right" for you, go ahead!!
My Friend, this is a dangerous way to live!! Our eternity is at stake!! God's Word says, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46:9) The nation Israel lived in rebellion against the Lord God and HE allowed them to be taken captive for many years. In that captivity, HE was with them and HE continually brought their hearts, minds, and souls back to a pure worship of Him, but in the midst of that captivity, there was much anguish. God loves us enough to do the very same thing!! HE will allow us to be taken captive by our own flesh and suffer greatly in order to draw us back to Himself. I love what Beth Moore says in her study of Daniel, "We are princesses (princes) but not in the kingdoms of this world." (p. 77)
Praise the Lord God who sits on the throne and DOES NOT ALLOW me to sit on the
throne!!! Our flesh is evil, wicked, and deadly. Left to ourselves, we would follow our flesh right into the very depths of Hell!! The Lord God calls His children back from the flames. HE creates in us an awareness of Him and HE allows us to turn from death and destruction and enter into His presence. There is none like Him and HE alone is worthy of all honor, worship, and praise. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, you are headed for an eternity of separation from the Lord God. Pause a moment, consider God's truths.
Our lives are truly not worth living if we do not live for Christ alone!! This may sound ridiculous to some ears, but consider this a moment. The world can offer many things. Those "things" are not always bad. For example, wealth, fame, popularity, material possessions, a beautiful house, the best car, successful careers, family, and friends. All those things are enjoyable and make life exciting. But remember, the average person lives about 70 years or so. Is 70 years of satisfying your flesh worth living all of eternity separated from the One True Living God? Is there anything on this earth that will matter once you stand before the Lord Jesus and give account of your life? When your knee bows and your mouth confesses, "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever," where will you be?
Our earthly life is but a vapor and our purpose is to live a life that honors and glorifies the Lord God. A life that points other to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, cleansing, healing, hope, peace, contentment, salvation, and lasting joy. At the foot of the cross, is where we meet the Lord God and HE gives us life eternal and that life will surpass anything we have ever hoped or imagined. Nothing of this earth will matter at all except those things done for the kingdom of heaven. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8) You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11) Amen!!
"And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13 (NKJV)
Saturday, Glen and I had a few errands to run in the city. We were in a hurry, but one stop we needed to make was at the mall. As we rushed the children in, my mind was focused on getting the one item we had come for and then dashing off to the next errand. We got to the store of choice and headed inside. I busied myself finding what we needed and was ready to head to the register when I notice Corbyn becoming more and more uncomfortable. About that time, I heard Eden say, "Mommy, these pictures are gross!"
Glen and I both stopped and began to look around. We had never been inside this particular store before but we had heard in the past about some of their advertising. As we scanned the walls and tables, we were shocked. Glen told the children to look at the floor and took them out into the mall. By the time we got to the van, Corbyn was in tears. He said, "Mommy, I did not like that store and I never want to go in there again!"
Well, I don't need to tell you how horrible we felt!! Glen and I are their parents and we are to guard them against such images; however, we were the very ones who took them into a store that used sexual images to draw teenagers and young adults inside. (No, we were not at a lingerie store.) Glen apologized to the children and explained that those images are not what we need to put in our minds. They are desirable to the flesh; however, our spirit should be highly offended by such things. At that moment, the Lord God convicted my heart. There are so many lessons within that one trip to the mall for me, but the one I would like to share with you is this…As children of God, our spirits should be utterly offended by sin! Corbyn's heart was broken that he had seen such things and his spirit spoke LOUD and CLEAR to his conscience.
The question for me is "Why did I not stand in tears over the sin that hung on those walls?" The answer lies in the sin that I have allowed to creep into my life slowly but steadily. I am ashamed to say it, but I have not always guarded my heart, mind, and body. I have made choices in the past that allowed sin to inch its way into my life through TV, movies, unwise talk, and sinful choices in relationships, just to name a few. When I saw those images, I was shocked, but my heart was not broken nor was I moved to tears!! If Corbyn had not been so upset, I do not think I would have realized just how vile those pictures were. This is what happens to us, My Friend, when we allow just one ounce of sinful information/images to penetrate our hearts, minds and bodies. We begin to dumb down our awareness of the sin. We begin to accept that sin in our lives as just a "little thing" and we lose the ability to see sin for what it truly is…A total rebellious act against the One True Living God!!! Forgive us, Father!!
Our focal passage is Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" What a powerful picture!! Christ alone sits on the throne and HE is the Judge who will rightly judge our sins. Sin separates man from God and sin is what placed Christ Jesus on the cross. We live in a "Me-Centered" culture. By this, I mean, that our world today encourages us to be our own god, to live life in a way that centers around us and presses us to fulfill our fleshly desires on a consistent basis. Nothing is off limits…Live life to the fullest…If it feels good, do it…I may not be right for me, but if it is "right" for you, go ahead!!
My Friend, this is a dangerous way to live!! Our eternity is at stake!! God's Word says, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46:9) The nation Israel lived in rebellion against the Lord God and HE allowed them to be taken captive for many years. In that captivity, HE was with them and HE continually brought their hearts, minds, and souls back to a pure worship of Him, but in the midst of that captivity, there was much anguish. God loves us enough to do the very same thing!! HE will allow us to be taken captive by our own flesh and suffer greatly in order to draw us back to Himself. I love what Beth Moore says in her study of Daniel, "We are princesses (princes) but not in the kingdoms of this world." (p. 77)
Praise the Lord God who sits on the throne and DOES NOT ALLOW me to sit on the
throne!!! Our flesh is evil, wicked, and deadly. Left to ourselves, we would follow our flesh right into the very depths of Hell!! The Lord God calls His children back from the flames. HE creates in us an awareness of Him and HE allows us to turn from death and destruction and enter into His presence. There is none like Him and HE alone is worthy of all honor, worship, and praise. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, you are headed for an eternity of separation from the Lord God. Pause a moment, consider God's truths.
Our lives are truly not worth living if we do not live for Christ alone!! This may sound ridiculous to some ears, but consider this a moment. The world can offer many things. Those "things" are not always bad. For example, wealth, fame, popularity, material possessions, a beautiful house, the best car, successful careers, family, and friends. All those things are enjoyable and make life exciting. But remember, the average person lives about 70 years or so. Is 70 years of satisfying your flesh worth living all of eternity separated from the One True Living God? Is there anything on this earth that will matter once you stand before the Lord Jesus and give account of your life? When your knee bows and your mouth confesses, "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever," where will you be?
Our earthly life is but a vapor and our purpose is to live a life that honors and glorifies the Lord God. A life that points other to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, cleansing, healing, hope, peace, contentment, salvation, and lasting joy. At the foot of the cross, is where we meet the Lord God and HE gives us life eternal and that life will surpass anything we have ever hoped or imagined. Nothing of this earth will matter at all except those things done for the kingdom of heaven. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8) You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11) Amen!!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #272
This Week's Focal Passage:
"So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" Ruth 2:10
I have had the privilege and the blessing of writing a study of the book of Ruth and leading the Ladies' Sunday school class through it over the past two months. Now, I do not say this to bring any attention to myself, I simply mention this because this devotion is a continuation of what I began writing about in a previous devotion. A few months ago, the Lord began convicting my heart that I was focusing more on preparing lessons for other people instead of studying His Word for my own personal life application and spiritual growth.
The Lord began to use Psalm 42:1 ("As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.") to draw me closer to Him. I began praying for the Lord to change my focus and to teach me through His Word. God graciously allowed me to prepare lessons to share with the ladies but this time my focus was not on "preparing to teach" but "preparing to LEARN." The insight that our ladies at church have, the depth of their own personal relationship with the Lord, and their willingness to be a vessel for the Lord to display His work has been such an enormous blessing to me and I have learned so much.
I love our focal passage. "So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10) Ruth had found favor in the eyes of Boaz and he allowed her to glean in his fields and invited her to join his women each day. He offered her provision and protection. Ruth was overwhelmed by Boaz's compassion, grace and mercy, and fell down before him in pure thanksgiving. Remember, Ruth was a foreigner and there were laws mandating that she be given any more than a few leftovers along the corners of the fields.
The book of Ruth is a precious story of faithfulness, love, and loyalty. Until our class began studying this book in-depth, I always thought the story was about Ruth. But as all the books of Scripture, the more we dig deep into the pages and the context, we see that the entire Word of God is about the Lord God. God's handprints are all over the life of Ruth and the faithfulness, love, and loyalty were not only displays of Ruth's character but the display of God's character! I love that about our God…HE is alive and active and we cannot help but see Him in all things when we look for Him. God graciously uses Ruth to teach each of us more about Him.
God's faithfulness is poured out upon His children. "…The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). God's desire for us is to walk in a right relationship with Him and to love Him, honor Him, glorify Him in all that we do, in all that we say, in all that we think, and in all that we love. As God's children, we are foreigners in this world. We have been placed here for "such a time as this." Nothing about you is by chance. God purposefully and specifically designed every fiber of your being, ordained every breath that you take, orchestrated every detail of your life, and calls you to glorify Him in unique ways.
How are you walking with the Lord? Are you walking by faith and trusting in Him to guide and direct each step? Or do you focus on the circumstances that surround you and out of fear try to determine the best path to take? God's will for you is to live by faith in Him alone and to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).
Ruth is a precious example of a life surrendered to the Lord God. Her surroundings, her circumstances, her mood, and/or her success did not determine her faith in the Lord God. Her faith was rooted and established in who God was, is and always will be. Her trust in Him rested solely upon His promises and her belief that HE was faithful. Ruth was able to display faithfulness, love, and loyalty because she had learned them from her Father and HE used her to display Himself to those around her.
You see, Ruth prepared to LEARN not to teach yet the Lord God used her to teach all of us more about Himself. My Friend, we do not have to have a teaching title to be a teacher. Anytime we follow the Lord God and surrender our entire lives to Him, He uses us as examples to point others to Him and HE draws us closer to Himself as well. May each of us bow before the Lord God and allow Him to teach us how to dig deep into His Word. May we be well equipped to live in such a way that leads others to the cross where complete healing, complete forgiveness, and absolute love and acceptance await. All glory and honor and praise to our Lord in heaven!! Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you today. You are a gift to me and I appreciate you studying God's Word with me so very much!!
"So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" Ruth 2:10
I have had the privilege and the blessing of writing a study of the book of Ruth and leading the Ladies' Sunday school class through it over the past two months. Now, I do not say this to bring any attention to myself, I simply mention this because this devotion is a continuation of what I began writing about in a previous devotion. A few months ago, the Lord began convicting my heart that I was focusing more on preparing lessons for other people instead of studying His Word for my own personal life application and spiritual growth.
The Lord began to use Psalm 42:1 ("As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.") to draw me closer to Him. I began praying for the Lord to change my focus and to teach me through His Word. God graciously allowed me to prepare lessons to share with the ladies but this time my focus was not on "preparing to teach" but "preparing to LEARN." The insight that our ladies at church have, the depth of their own personal relationship with the Lord, and their willingness to be a vessel for the Lord to display His work has been such an enormous blessing to me and I have learned so much.
I love our focal passage. "So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10) Ruth had found favor in the eyes of Boaz and he allowed her to glean in his fields and invited her to join his women each day. He offered her provision and protection. Ruth was overwhelmed by Boaz's compassion, grace and mercy, and fell down before him in pure thanksgiving. Remember, Ruth was a foreigner and there were laws mandating that she be given any more than a few leftovers along the corners of the fields.
The book of Ruth is a precious story of faithfulness, love, and loyalty. Until our class began studying this book in-depth, I always thought the story was about Ruth. But as all the books of Scripture, the more we dig deep into the pages and the context, we see that the entire Word of God is about the Lord God. God's handprints are all over the life of Ruth and the faithfulness, love, and loyalty were not only displays of Ruth's character but the display of God's character! I love that about our God…HE is alive and active and we cannot help but see Him in all things when we look for Him. God graciously uses Ruth to teach each of us more about Him.
God's faithfulness is poured out upon His children. "…The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). God's desire for us is to walk in a right relationship with Him and to love Him, honor Him, glorify Him in all that we do, in all that we say, in all that we think, and in all that we love. As God's children, we are foreigners in this world. We have been placed here for "such a time as this." Nothing about you is by chance. God purposefully and specifically designed every fiber of your being, ordained every breath that you take, orchestrated every detail of your life, and calls you to glorify Him in unique ways.
How are you walking with the Lord? Are you walking by faith and trusting in Him to guide and direct each step? Or do you focus on the circumstances that surround you and out of fear try to determine the best path to take? God's will for you is to live by faith in Him alone and to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).
Ruth is a precious example of a life surrendered to the Lord God. Her surroundings, her circumstances, her mood, and/or her success did not determine her faith in the Lord God. Her faith was rooted and established in who God was, is and always will be. Her trust in Him rested solely upon His promises and her belief that HE was faithful. Ruth was able to display faithfulness, love, and loyalty because she had learned them from her Father and HE used her to display Himself to those around her.
You see, Ruth prepared to LEARN not to teach yet the Lord God used her to teach all of us more about Himself. My Friend, we do not have to have a teaching title to be a teacher. Anytime we follow the Lord God and surrender our entire lives to Him, He uses us as examples to point others to Him and HE draws us closer to Himself as well. May each of us bow before the Lord God and allow Him to teach us how to dig deep into His Word. May we be well equipped to live in such a way that leads others to the cross where complete healing, complete forgiveness, and absolute love and acceptance await. All glory and honor and praise to our Lord in heaven!! Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you today. You are a gift to me and I appreciate you studying God's Word with me so very much!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #271
This Week's Focal Passage:
"For thus says the LORD; Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe…'For I will restore health to you, And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD…" Jeremiah 30:12 & 17a
Let me begin by confessing something to you. I am an unclean woman who has been cleansed solely through and by the grace of God. When I speak/write to you, it is not as one who is above you or ahead of you or better than you in ANY way. It is because I have been forgiven much that I come to you and share with you so that God alone in glorified. If you ever read/hear something that touches your heart or turns you towards Christ Jesus, I assure you it is the Lord God working in you and has NOTHING to do with me. I am but a vessel of the Lord God and I am learning right along side of you.
Last week, we studied together about the woman at the well. We joined her there and allowed the Lord Jesus to speak to our hearts and reveal to us His unconditional love and His complete forgiveness that HE alone offers. Today, we meet once again at our well. This time, let's look deep within Scripture to study what God is teaching us about His healing that transforms severe, deep, and often fatal wounds that we have suffered due to our own sin of rebellion against Him. Turn to 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
My Friend, we MUST understand that Satan roams around us, seeking to devour us. Most often, he will not approach us with the promise of death and destruction. He approaches us and offers us something that our flesh desires - health, wealth, success, power, knowledge, love, attention, affection, status, etc. This is what Beth Moore has termed as "friendly captivity." Satan entices us with the promise of something that benefits us but keep in mind, friendly captivity NEVER remains FRIENDLY but it ALWAYS remains CAPTIVITY!!!
I have been in captivity and I can testify that I never saw it as captivity when I willingly entered into it. My flesh desired something and I followed the path that I thought would obtain that satisfaction. And I can tell you, My Friend, I never saw the bars surround me, the ceiling closing in over me, or the door locking behind me until I felt the pain of my consequences and realized I was trapped. There were years that I just sat in that cell because I felt that I had sinned against the Lord God and this was "what I deserved." I listened to the lies of the Enemy and believed that God would not rescue me because I did not deserve to be rescued. After all, I knew what God's Word said, but I rebelled anyway.
I fell deep into a pit of despair, destructive behaviors, and self-loathing. I hated myself so much, I could not look into the mirror without the desire to hurt myself. It was some of the darkest days in all my life. I began to "punish" myself with even more self-destructive behaviors because I believed that if I punished myself this would appease the Lord. HE would see I was sorry and somehow have pity on me. But all that did was deepen my despair and draw me deeper into captivity.
You see, God's Word tells us "If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). "When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm 32:3-5).
When we sin against the Lord God the only way out is through Him. His Word clearly outlines the steps to freedom and we must follow them exactly. I love what our pastor says, "The only way to God is on His terms!!" There is no other way. "For thus says the LORD; Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe…'For I will restore health to you, And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD…" (Jeremiah 30:12 & 17a) When we rebel against the Lord, we must confess that sin and REPENT of that sin. We must surrender our entire being to the Lord God and allow Him to reign in our lives as Lord. When we do that, God is faithful to forgive, heal, restore, renew, rebuild, and deliver us from any and ALL unrighteousness. Do not allow Satan to convince you that your sin is too vile, too wicked, too evil, or too often for the Lord Jesus' blood to cover, cleanse and remove.
Where are you today? Are you in captivity? Did you willingly walk into a trap that the Enemy set for you? Have you been in that prison longer than you can remember? Perhaps you are in so deep that you feel as though the Lord could not find you even if HE wanted too. God's Word promises us that "God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). "For HE made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
Has the Word of God spoken to your heart today? If so, how will you respond to the Lord God - the Most High? Will you run to Him and allow Him to heal you, cleanse you, and set you free from sin and self or will you remain right where you are and continue to allow the Enemy devour you? I pray that you will run to the Lord Jesus Christ…Let's meet at the foot of the cross and praise His name forever and ever!!
"For thus says the LORD; Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe…'For I will restore health to you, And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD…" Jeremiah 30:12 & 17a
Let me begin by confessing something to you. I am an unclean woman who has been cleansed solely through and by the grace of God. When I speak/write to you, it is not as one who is above you or ahead of you or better than you in ANY way. It is because I have been forgiven much that I come to you and share with you so that God alone in glorified. If you ever read/hear something that touches your heart or turns you towards Christ Jesus, I assure you it is the Lord God working in you and has NOTHING to do with me. I am but a vessel of the Lord God and I am learning right along side of you.
Last week, we studied together about the woman at the well. We joined her there and allowed the Lord Jesus to speak to our hearts and reveal to us His unconditional love and His complete forgiveness that HE alone offers. Today, we meet once again at our well. This time, let's look deep within Scripture to study what God is teaching us about His healing that transforms severe, deep, and often fatal wounds that we have suffered due to our own sin of rebellion against Him. Turn to 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
My Friend, we MUST understand that Satan roams around us, seeking to devour us. Most often, he will not approach us with the promise of death and destruction. He approaches us and offers us something that our flesh desires - health, wealth, success, power, knowledge, love, attention, affection, status, etc. This is what Beth Moore has termed as "friendly captivity." Satan entices us with the promise of something that benefits us but keep in mind, friendly captivity NEVER remains FRIENDLY but it ALWAYS remains CAPTIVITY!!!
I have been in captivity and I can testify that I never saw it as captivity when I willingly entered into it. My flesh desired something and I followed the path that I thought would obtain that satisfaction. And I can tell you, My Friend, I never saw the bars surround me, the ceiling closing in over me, or the door locking behind me until I felt the pain of my consequences and realized I was trapped. There were years that I just sat in that cell because I felt that I had sinned against the Lord God and this was "what I deserved." I listened to the lies of the Enemy and believed that God would not rescue me because I did not deserve to be rescued. After all, I knew what God's Word said, but I rebelled anyway.
I fell deep into a pit of despair, destructive behaviors, and self-loathing. I hated myself so much, I could not look into the mirror without the desire to hurt myself. It was some of the darkest days in all my life. I began to "punish" myself with even more self-destructive behaviors because I believed that if I punished myself this would appease the Lord. HE would see I was sorry and somehow have pity on me. But all that did was deepen my despair and draw me deeper into captivity.
You see, God's Word tells us "If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). "When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm 32:3-5).
When we sin against the Lord God the only way out is through Him. His Word clearly outlines the steps to freedom and we must follow them exactly. I love what our pastor says, "The only way to God is on His terms!!" There is no other way. "For thus says the LORD; Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe…'For I will restore health to you, And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD…" (Jeremiah 30:12 & 17a) When we rebel against the Lord, we must confess that sin and REPENT of that sin. We must surrender our entire being to the Lord God and allow Him to reign in our lives as Lord. When we do that, God is faithful to forgive, heal, restore, renew, rebuild, and deliver us from any and ALL unrighteousness. Do not allow Satan to convince you that your sin is too vile, too wicked, too evil, or too often for the Lord Jesus' blood to cover, cleanse and remove.
Where are you today? Are you in captivity? Did you willingly walk into a trap that the Enemy set for you? Have you been in that prison longer than you can remember? Perhaps you are in so deep that you feel as though the Lord could not find you even if HE wanted too. God's Word promises us that "God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). "For HE made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
Has the Word of God spoken to your heart today? If so, how will you respond to the Lord God - the Most High? Will you run to Him and allow Him to heal you, cleanse you, and set you free from sin and self or will you remain right where you are and continue to allow the Enemy devour you? I pray that you will run to the Lord Jesus Christ…Let's meet at the foot of the cross and praise His name forever and ever!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #270
This Week's Focal Passage:
"Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,'Give ME a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water." John 4:10
Have you ever had your heart shattered? Has someone you loved ever rejected you? Perhaps you have experienced the pain of being abandoned by a person or people you never thought would leave you. Maybe you have made decisions that lead to disappointment or despair. If so, you are not alone. Join me in looking deep into the pages of Scripture to see one young woman who experienced the same thing and how she overcame her circumstances and ended up with a brand new heart and a brand new life!!!
Some important background information: Samaritans were the remnants of the northern Jews who had been taken into captivity. They had intermarried thus the Jews believed they had corrupted their bloodline and were unclean people. The Jews hated the Samaritans and refused to interact with the Samaritans. As a result, the Samaritans hated the Jews. The Samaritans built an alternate temple on Mount Gerizim and rejected the Old Testament teaching except for a revised version of the first five books. Because of this, the Samaritans had a limited understanding of the God of Scripture.
Imagine standing at the well in the middle of the day. You are alone, hot, and probably feeling like an outcast. The women of the city had already come for their water and visited together during their morning chore. You, however, were not permitted to join them because you were considered "unclean" because of your sorted past. This is where the woman at the well stood when Jesus approached her. Imagine her surprise when Jesus spoke to her. Her surprise was multifaceted. First, Jesus was a Jew and Jews NEVER spoke to Samaritans. Second, Jesus was a Jewish man and Jewish men never spoke to women in public not even their wives. Thirdly, Jesus asked her for a drink of water. This may not seem odd to us, but in that day, the Jews believed that the saliva of a Samaritan would infect the Jew and make him/her unclean. Yet, Jesus reached out to this young woman and initiated a conversation.
Because Jesus loved her and began speaking with her, HE was able to minister to the very heart of her issue - sin. This young woman needed a Savior and she needed internal cleansing. She needed a new heart - a heart that was surrendered to God. Her entire life she had sought love, acceptance, value, worth, and a purpose in men. Yet Scripture tells us that she was married five times and was now living with another man that she was not married too. God's Word always gives critical information and we must learn to dig deep so we do not miss anything God wants us to learn. Part of diving deep into Scripture is understanding the culture and customs of that time. In that day, women were not allowed to divorce her husband but the husband could at anytime divorce his wife. With that bit of information, we see another side to this young woman. She had loved five men and they had all rejected her. Now, she was with another man who would not marry her. Can you imagine the pain and brokenness this young woman must have experienced?!?! I certainly can! There are many different heartaches we can/will experience in our lifetime. Each one is painful and at times can be life altering.
One of my favorite chapters in Scripture is John 4. I have always been able to identify with the woman at the well and each time I study this passage I find a new way in which I relate to her. Allow me to share a personal story with you. My heart has been shattered twice in my life. Absolutely, I have felt pain and loss many times over my lifetime, but what I am referring to right now are two specific instances where my heart was so broken I truly never thought I would recover. Both times involved rejection, abandonment, humiliation, alienation, wrong choices and the loss of relationships that involved people I loved very deeply. The first time, my flesh screamed for relief and I sought that relief in and of this world. I did not turn to the Lord God but turned from Him because a part of me tried to blame God for allowing me to suffer. What I did not understand at that time was that God was allowing me to suffer the consequences of sin in order to restore me to Himself.
God's heart for me was never to suffer, but because I had rebelled against Him and His Word, HE allowed the pain into my life to draw me to Himself. Now, to our flesh, that sounds ridiculous. Some may even say, "Well, I have children and I would do anything to protect them from pain!" But, My Friend, we have to understand that God is holy and HE cannot accept sin in His children's lives. What I have learned is that because of His holiness, His love, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness, HE lovingly sifts those consequences through His hand and only allows what is absolutely necessary to draw our hearts back to Him.
Years later, my heart was shattered once again. This time, however, I chose to turn to the Lord God and seek Him in the midst of my pain. God used a number of our church family to minister to me in ways that truly pointed me to the cross. Through the pain, I was able to learn more about God's grace, mercy, unconditional love, and forgiveness. I have also experienced God in entirely new ways. HE is my friend who is ALWAYS faithful. HE is my refuge in the midst of any storm. HE is my foundation that stands firm even when the winds of the storm seek to destroy me. HE is my healer who gave me a brand new heart. God is truly my contentment. There is no one or nothing that satisfies my soul, my heart, my life like Jesus Christ. Just like the woman at the well, I stand amazed that Jesus Christ approached a sinner like me. I am in awe that HE initiated a conversation within my soul that lead to my salvation. I needed the water that HE offered to this young Samaritan woman and Jesus Himself has quenched the desire in me to seek the things of this world.
Where are you standing today, My Friend? Are you standing, or trying to stand, in the midst of sin and self? Is your heart shattered? Have you made one bad choice after another? Are you at the "end of your rope"? Do you feel that your past is so vile, so sinful, so rebellious that Christ Jesus would not love you, accept you, heal you, restore you, cleanse you, or forgive you? If so, you are believing a LIE!! God's Word promises us that Christ came to heal the broken hearted, to set people free from sin and self, to comfort those who mourn, to give hope to the hopeless, to trade our sorrows for His joy, to remove the spirit of despair and depression, and to restore us in Him (see Isaiah 61:1-4). Christ Jesus can and will rebuild what our sin and rebellion destroyed. HE is able to fully cleanse us and give us a new heart, a new mind, and make us new creations (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). My Friend, God is faithful and HE loves you with an eternal love. HE offers you healing, forgiveness, restoration, mercy, grace and unconditional love, but you must fall before Him and confess your sin. Pour your heart out to Him and do not hold anything back.
Confessing sin is the first step. The second step is repenting from those sins. Repentance means that you agree to turn away from your past and not participating in those sins again. God's grace will sustain you and enable you to be faithful to the Lord God. You cannot have the world and God. You must choose who/what you will serve. Christ is standing at your "well" offering you eternal life in Him. Will you receive it? "Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,'Give ME a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water." (John 4:10)
"Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,'Give ME a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water." John 4:10
Have you ever had your heart shattered? Has someone you loved ever rejected you? Perhaps you have experienced the pain of being abandoned by a person or people you never thought would leave you. Maybe you have made decisions that lead to disappointment or despair. If so, you are not alone. Join me in looking deep into the pages of Scripture to see one young woman who experienced the same thing and how she overcame her circumstances and ended up with a brand new heart and a brand new life!!!
Some important background information: Samaritans were the remnants of the northern Jews who had been taken into captivity. They had intermarried thus the Jews believed they had corrupted their bloodline and were unclean people. The Jews hated the Samaritans and refused to interact with the Samaritans. As a result, the Samaritans hated the Jews. The Samaritans built an alternate temple on Mount Gerizim and rejected the Old Testament teaching except for a revised version of the first five books. Because of this, the Samaritans had a limited understanding of the God of Scripture.
Imagine standing at the well in the middle of the day. You are alone, hot, and probably feeling like an outcast. The women of the city had already come for their water and visited together during their morning chore. You, however, were not permitted to join them because you were considered "unclean" because of your sorted past. This is where the woman at the well stood when Jesus approached her. Imagine her surprise when Jesus spoke to her. Her surprise was multifaceted. First, Jesus was a Jew and Jews NEVER spoke to Samaritans. Second, Jesus was a Jewish man and Jewish men never spoke to women in public not even their wives. Thirdly, Jesus asked her for a drink of water. This may not seem odd to us, but in that day, the Jews believed that the saliva of a Samaritan would infect the Jew and make him/her unclean. Yet, Jesus reached out to this young woman and initiated a conversation.
Because Jesus loved her and began speaking with her, HE was able to minister to the very heart of her issue - sin. This young woman needed a Savior and she needed internal cleansing. She needed a new heart - a heart that was surrendered to God. Her entire life she had sought love, acceptance, value, worth, and a purpose in men. Yet Scripture tells us that she was married five times and was now living with another man that she was not married too. God's Word always gives critical information and we must learn to dig deep so we do not miss anything God wants us to learn. Part of diving deep into Scripture is understanding the culture and customs of that time. In that day, women were not allowed to divorce her husband but the husband could at anytime divorce his wife. With that bit of information, we see another side to this young woman. She had loved five men and they had all rejected her. Now, she was with another man who would not marry her. Can you imagine the pain and brokenness this young woman must have experienced?!?! I certainly can! There are many different heartaches we can/will experience in our lifetime. Each one is painful and at times can be life altering.
One of my favorite chapters in Scripture is John 4. I have always been able to identify with the woman at the well and each time I study this passage I find a new way in which I relate to her. Allow me to share a personal story with you. My heart has been shattered twice in my life. Absolutely, I have felt pain and loss many times over my lifetime, but what I am referring to right now are two specific instances where my heart was so broken I truly never thought I would recover. Both times involved rejection, abandonment, humiliation, alienation, wrong choices and the loss of relationships that involved people I loved very deeply. The first time, my flesh screamed for relief and I sought that relief in and of this world. I did not turn to the Lord God but turned from Him because a part of me tried to blame God for allowing me to suffer. What I did not understand at that time was that God was allowing me to suffer the consequences of sin in order to restore me to Himself.
God's heart for me was never to suffer, but because I had rebelled against Him and His Word, HE allowed the pain into my life to draw me to Himself. Now, to our flesh, that sounds ridiculous. Some may even say, "Well, I have children and I would do anything to protect them from pain!" But, My Friend, we have to understand that God is holy and HE cannot accept sin in His children's lives. What I have learned is that because of His holiness, His love, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness, HE lovingly sifts those consequences through His hand and only allows what is absolutely necessary to draw our hearts back to Him.
Years later, my heart was shattered once again. This time, however, I chose to turn to the Lord God and seek Him in the midst of my pain. God used a number of our church family to minister to me in ways that truly pointed me to the cross. Through the pain, I was able to learn more about God's grace, mercy, unconditional love, and forgiveness. I have also experienced God in entirely new ways. HE is my friend who is ALWAYS faithful. HE is my refuge in the midst of any storm. HE is my foundation that stands firm even when the winds of the storm seek to destroy me. HE is my healer who gave me a brand new heart. God is truly my contentment. There is no one or nothing that satisfies my soul, my heart, my life like Jesus Christ. Just like the woman at the well, I stand amazed that Jesus Christ approached a sinner like me. I am in awe that HE initiated a conversation within my soul that lead to my salvation. I needed the water that HE offered to this young Samaritan woman and Jesus Himself has quenched the desire in me to seek the things of this world.
Where are you standing today, My Friend? Are you standing, or trying to stand, in the midst of sin and self? Is your heart shattered? Have you made one bad choice after another? Are you at the "end of your rope"? Do you feel that your past is so vile, so sinful, so rebellious that Christ Jesus would not love you, accept you, heal you, restore you, cleanse you, or forgive you? If so, you are believing a LIE!! God's Word promises us that Christ came to heal the broken hearted, to set people free from sin and self, to comfort those who mourn, to give hope to the hopeless, to trade our sorrows for His joy, to remove the spirit of despair and depression, and to restore us in Him (see Isaiah 61:1-4). Christ Jesus can and will rebuild what our sin and rebellion destroyed. HE is able to fully cleanse us and give us a new heart, a new mind, and make us new creations (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). My Friend, God is faithful and HE loves you with an eternal love. HE offers you healing, forgiveness, restoration, mercy, grace and unconditional love, but you must fall before Him and confess your sin. Pour your heart out to Him and do not hold anything back.
Confessing sin is the first step. The second step is repenting from those sins. Repentance means that you agree to turn away from your past and not participating in those sins again. God's grace will sustain you and enable you to be faithful to the Lord God. You cannot have the world and God. You must choose who/what you will serve. Christ is standing at your "well" offering you eternal life in Him. Will you receive it? "Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,'Give ME a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water." (John 4:10)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #269
This Week's Focal Passage:
"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God." Psalm 42:1
About two months ago, I was walking down the hall in church feeling very defeated and overwhelmed. I was silently crying out to the Lord asking Him what was happening within my soul. My mind could not comprehend how I could be studying, writing, preparing and sharing His Word with our Ladies' Sunday school class yet I was feeling a personal disconnect with God. It was about that time that a sweet friend, one of the most encouraging ladies I know, came walking down the hall. She stopped me and shared with me what God had taught her in a conference she had just attended. She said to me, "Michelle, I just have to tell you something that I learned this past week. The Lord showed me how I had been studying His Word and sharing it with other ladies but I was not using it as food for my own soul!"
WOW!! I cannot tell you how blown away I was by her testimony. She had no idea that what she had just shared was by God's design. HE used her to answer the very question I had just cried out to Him. You see, I had been so busy studying, researching, preparing, and gathering information that I thought would be helpful, useful, and applicable for those who would hear the lesson that I had failed to stop and sit at Christ's feet seeking what HE had for me to learn.
God began to do a mighty work in my heart that day. HE used our focal passage to draw me deeper into His Word, but this time, HE set my focus on my own spiritual growth. "Pants" in Psalm 42:1 is 'arag which means to long for. The deer not only longs for the water brooks because he enjoys the nice, cool water but he also longs for the water brooks because he needs the water to survive. As children of God, we must have a heart that longs for God. We cannot survive without Him. Not only does God provide for our physical needs but HE is the source of all spiritual fulfillment. Without God, we have nothing. Nothing this world offers will satisfy to the very depths of our soul. No matter what earthly gain we may have, our flesh will never be fulfilled and our lives will be wasted and dead.
Are you crying out to God to create in you a heart that longs for Him? Are you seeking Him daily for your complete source of satisfaction and fulfillment? Are you allowing Him to cultivate a desire in you that glorifies Him and points others to the cross? You see, My Friends, we cannot teach what we do not know. We cannot give what we do not have. We cannot lead others to the cross when we are walking in a different direction. It is so easy to get distracted. We may begin with good intentions, but along the way, our flesh takes over and we begin to make our journey more about us than about the Lord God.
One example of this is found in Luke 10:38-42. Sisters, Martha and Mary, had opened their home to the Lord Jesus. Martha's heart was to prepare a warm, comfortable place for Him to enter and be refreshed. Scripture tells us, "…and a certain woman name Martha welcomed Him in to her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
We all have many roles in our lives and many people in our sphere of influence. If we want to accomplish the unique and specific purpose God has designed for us, we must make sure the "role" does not become our focus! Our hearts must be steadfast, rooted and established in God alone. Our primary purpose must be to sit at His feet and learn from Him so that we have something eternal to offer those HE has placed around us. No matter what our role in life may be, our purpose is the same - to glorify the Lord God. Take time this week to sit at Christ's feet and allow Him to evaluate your heart against the plumb line of Scripture. "One thing I have desired of the LORD, That I will seek; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And, to inquire in His temple." (Psalm 27:4)
"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God." Psalm 42:1
About two months ago, I was walking down the hall in church feeling very defeated and overwhelmed. I was silently crying out to the Lord asking Him what was happening within my soul. My mind could not comprehend how I could be studying, writing, preparing and sharing His Word with our Ladies' Sunday school class yet I was feeling a personal disconnect with God. It was about that time that a sweet friend, one of the most encouraging ladies I know, came walking down the hall. She stopped me and shared with me what God had taught her in a conference she had just attended. She said to me, "Michelle, I just have to tell you something that I learned this past week. The Lord showed me how I had been studying His Word and sharing it with other ladies but I was not using it as food for my own soul!"
WOW!! I cannot tell you how blown away I was by her testimony. She had no idea that what she had just shared was by God's design. HE used her to answer the very question I had just cried out to Him. You see, I had been so busy studying, researching, preparing, and gathering information that I thought would be helpful, useful, and applicable for those who would hear the lesson that I had failed to stop and sit at Christ's feet seeking what HE had for me to learn.
God began to do a mighty work in my heart that day. HE used our focal passage to draw me deeper into His Word, but this time, HE set my focus on my own spiritual growth. "Pants" in Psalm 42:1 is 'arag which means to long for. The deer not only longs for the water brooks because he enjoys the nice, cool water but he also longs for the water brooks because he needs the water to survive. As children of God, we must have a heart that longs for God. We cannot survive without Him. Not only does God provide for our physical needs but HE is the source of all spiritual fulfillment. Without God, we have nothing. Nothing this world offers will satisfy to the very depths of our soul. No matter what earthly gain we may have, our flesh will never be fulfilled and our lives will be wasted and dead.
Are you crying out to God to create in you a heart that longs for Him? Are you seeking Him daily for your complete source of satisfaction and fulfillment? Are you allowing Him to cultivate a desire in you that glorifies Him and points others to the cross? You see, My Friends, we cannot teach what we do not know. We cannot give what we do not have. We cannot lead others to the cross when we are walking in a different direction. It is so easy to get distracted. We may begin with good intentions, but along the way, our flesh takes over and we begin to make our journey more about us than about the Lord God.
One example of this is found in Luke 10:38-42. Sisters, Martha and Mary, had opened their home to the Lord Jesus. Martha's heart was to prepare a warm, comfortable place for Him to enter and be refreshed. Scripture tells us, "…and a certain woman name Martha welcomed Him in to her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
We all have many roles in our lives and many people in our sphere of influence. If we want to accomplish the unique and specific purpose God has designed for us, we must make sure the "role" does not become our focus! Our hearts must be steadfast, rooted and established in God alone. Our primary purpose must be to sit at His feet and learn from Him so that we have something eternal to offer those HE has placed around us. No matter what our role in life may be, our purpose is the same - to glorify the Lord God. Take time this week to sit at Christ's feet and allow Him to evaluate your heart against the plumb line of Scripture. "One thing I have desired of the LORD, That I will seek; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And, to inquire in His temple." (Psalm 27:4)
Friday, April 10, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #267
This Week's Focal Passage:
"Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John 2:19
Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to live in the days that Jesus walked the earth? Oh, to see the face of Jesus, to hear His voice, to see first hand the miracles/signs HE preformed, to witness the 5,000 being fed with just five small barley loaves and two small fish, to watch the thousands of people come to Him in genuine saving faith, to be there when HE died for sin, and to rejoice in complete awe when HE rose again!!!! My Friend, the pages of Scripture give us a complete account of those things and so much more. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
When we dive deep into the Word of God, we are never the same. "For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) This week is a precious week for all Christians. This is the week we celebrate our Passover (our protection). We have reason to rejoice because our Savior willingly died to pay our sin debt and set us free from the bondage of sin and self. "…just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that HE might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that HE might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27) The picture of Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb is priceless. Turn to Exodus 12:21-24:
"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when HE sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this things as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
Do you see our redemption mirrored in the above passage!?!? The Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians and they could not free themselves. We are in bondage to sin and self and there is nothing that we can do to set ourselves free. Jesus Christ is the Lamb by which we are redeemed. HE was crucified so that His blood would flow and that blood is the blood that cleanses all our unrighteousness. There is no other means by which we receive salvation. Man has always attempted to "get to" God through their own methods/ideologies/rituals/religion but God's Word is clear - if we want to "get to" God we must do so on His terms. "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Look once more at our focal passage. "Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). Our pastor has been walking us through the book of John. I love the way he explained this passage of Scripture. "When we read how Jesus came into the temple and cleared out the merchants and money changers, we tend to focus more on Jesus' righteous anger and how HE displayed that. What we really need to understand and focus on is WHY Jesus was so grieved by the sinful acts taking place within the temple."
"You see, the temple in that day was the center of worship. There were three specific festivals in which all Jewish males over the age of twelve were required to attend: Feast of Passover, Feast of Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14-19; Leviticus 23). The Feast of the Passover was the most important of the three because it was the remembrance of God's dramatic deliverance of His people from Egypt. The temple symbolized God's presence. The defaming of God's glory angered Jesus. God is to be glorified and taken seriously. Jesus will tolerate no less!!"
How does this apply to our lives today? Let's look at God's Word for the answer. "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God" (Romans 3:11). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17). "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
In the book of James, we are continually challenged to examine our faith in light of Truth. Why? Because Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And, then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:21-23) My Friend, there is only one way to heaven and that is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Many people know that Jesus is God's Son. Many people understand that God is Sovereign and HE alone controls all things. Many people do wonderful things and live a life that is selfless and giving. Many people tell others to pray and believe in God but that does not indicate genuine faith. Jesus tells us what genuine faith is - "doing the will of the Father".
God's will is not about a ritual or good deeds. God's will is that we respond to Him with a humble and repetitive heart. Only then, can we be redeemed. Knowing about God, doing good, and counseling other to do the same is our attempt at salvation. However, salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. Only HE can open our spiritual eyes and bring forth a true heart of repentance and humility. Repentance is not merely agreeing with God that we have "done bad things" but rather a true understanding that we are vile and wicked creatures who deserve nothing less than hell and damnation. Christ owes us nothing and we, in and of ourselves, can never achieve holiness. Christ loves us so much that HE gave up His own life that we can live.
When we bow before Him in true surrender, HE comes into the temple of our hearts and HE cleans out all the vile and wicked practices that are taking place. HE destroys our "temple" (our attempt to be godly) and HE alone becomes the Temple - the center of our worship. Nothing else will satisfy the wrath of God and nothing else will bring forth salvation and eternal life. If we are attempting to "get to" God in any other fashion, we are walking down the path of destruction that will only lead to spiritual death.
Beloved, take heed, God is serious about His glory. Take a moment this Resurrection weekend to bow before the Lord God and allow Him to search your heart and reveal to you anything that is contrary to His Word. Do not hesitate to allow Him to begin a transforming work in your life. HE loves you and His will for you is to be transformed into His image. If someone you know is walking along a path that is contrary in any way to God's Truth, PLEASE be bold enough to confront him/her in love and with the Truth. Keep in mind that we are the mere vessels God uses to proclaim truth to a dark and dying world. The eternal work is the job of the Holy Spirit. God calls His children to proclaim and HE completes His purposes. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…" (Matthew 28:19-20a)
"Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John 2:19
Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to live in the days that Jesus walked the earth? Oh, to see the face of Jesus, to hear His voice, to see first hand the miracles/signs HE preformed, to witness the 5,000 being fed with just five small barley loaves and two small fish, to watch the thousands of people come to Him in genuine saving faith, to be there when HE died for sin, and to rejoice in complete awe when HE rose again!!!! My Friend, the pages of Scripture give us a complete account of those things and so much more. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
When we dive deep into the Word of God, we are never the same. "For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) This week is a precious week for all Christians. This is the week we celebrate our Passover (our protection). We have reason to rejoice because our Savior willingly died to pay our sin debt and set us free from the bondage of sin and self. "…just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that HE might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that HE might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27) The picture of Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb is priceless. Turn to Exodus 12:21-24:
"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when HE sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this things as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
Do you see our redemption mirrored in the above passage!?!? The Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians and they could not free themselves. We are in bondage to sin and self and there is nothing that we can do to set ourselves free. Jesus Christ is the Lamb by which we are redeemed. HE was crucified so that His blood would flow and that blood is the blood that cleanses all our unrighteousness. There is no other means by which we receive salvation. Man has always attempted to "get to" God through their own methods/ideologies/rituals/religion but God's Word is clear - if we want to "get to" God we must do so on His terms. "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Look once more at our focal passage. "Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). Our pastor has been walking us through the book of John. I love the way he explained this passage of Scripture. "When we read how Jesus came into the temple and cleared out the merchants and money changers, we tend to focus more on Jesus' righteous anger and how HE displayed that. What we really need to understand and focus on is WHY Jesus was so grieved by the sinful acts taking place within the temple."
"You see, the temple in that day was the center of worship. There were three specific festivals in which all Jewish males over the age of twelve were required to attend: Feast of Passover, Feast of Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14-19; Leviticus 23). The Feast of the Passover was the most important of the three because it was the remembrance of God's dramatic deliverance of His people from Egypt. The temple symbolized God's presence. The defaming of God's glory angered Jesus. God is to be glorified and taken seriously. Jesus will tolerate no less!!"
How does this apply to our lives today? Let's look at God's Word for the answer. "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God" (Romans 3:11). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17). "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
In the book of James, we are continually challenged to examine our faith in light of Truth. Why? Because Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And, then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:21-23) My Friend, there is only one way to heaven and that is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Many people know that Jesus is God's Son. Many people understand that God is Sovereign and HE alone controls all things. Many people do wonderful things and live a life that is selfless and giving. Many people tell others to pray and believe in God but that does not indicate genuine faith. Jesus tells us what genuine faith is - "doing the will of the Father".
God's will is not about a ritual or good deeds. God's will is that we respond to Him with a humble and repetitive heart. Only then, can we be redeemed. Knowing about God, doing good, and counseling other to do the same is our attempt at salvation. However, salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. Only HE can open our spiritual eyes and bring forth a true heart of repentance and humility. Repentance is not merely agreeing with God that we have "done bad things" but rather a true understanding that we are vile and wicked creatures who deserve nothing less than hell and damnation. Christ owes us nothing and we, in and of ourselves, can never achieve holiness. Christ loves us so much that HE gave up His own life that we can live.
When we bow before Him in true surrender, HE comes into the temple of our hearts and HE cleans out all the vile and wicked practices that are taking place. HE destroys our "temple" (our attempt to be godly) and HE alone becomes the Temple - the center of our worship. Nothing else will satisfy the wrath of God and nothing else will bring forth salvation and eternal life. If we are attempting to "get to" God in any other fashion, we are walking down the path of destruction that will only lead to spiritual death.
Beloved, take heed, God is serious about His glory. Take a moment this Resurrection weekend to bow before the Lord God and allow Him to search your heart and reveal to you anything that is contrary to His Word. Do not hesitate to allow Him to begin a transforming work in your life. HE loves you and His will for you is to be transformed into His image. If someone you know is walking along a path that is contrary in any way to God's Truth, PLEASE be bold enough to confront him/her in love and with the Truth. Keep in mind that we are the mere vessels God uses to proclaim truth to a dark and dying world. The eternal work is the job of the Holy Spirit. God calls His children to proclaim and HE completes His purposes. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…" (Matthew 28:19-20a)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #266
This Week's Passage
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10
Have you ever felt afraid to stand before the Lord God and confess your sin? Perhaps you felt that HE would reject you or that HE would not forgive your sin because it was just too great, too vile, too often, or too obscene. I used to feel this way, My Friend. I once believed that I could not come before the Lord God and pour my heart out before Him because I was so wicked and HE would reject me. I thought that Jesus' blood was a silkscreen and it prevented the Lord God from seeing the "real" me. This lie, and I know it sounds odd, was so ingrained in my belief system that it prevented me from understanding truth and understanding the depth of God's love for me.
I know this may sound strange given that I thought I understand that Christ loved me and gave Himself for me, but I still struggled with the measure of God's love towards me. Through His Word, the Lord began to reveal my heart issue. The problem was that I have tried to define God's love by how much He blesses me or keeps me from suffering. I have also tried to define God's love according to my rationale, my understanding, my beliefs, my standards and my terms. I allowed my ignorance, rebellion, and disbelief to distort God's Word in my heart, mind, soul and life. I have not understood, until now, that God's love is rooted and established in Him.
You see, in our flesh, we are all unable to see truth. It is only by God's allowance that our eyes are opened and we are able to understand and comprehend Scripture and the truth that lies within the Word. God's Word says, "Cursed is the man who trust in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD…The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:5&9) "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You" (Psalm 69:5). "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:5). "…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me, with their whole heart" (Jeremiah 24:7).
The truth is I am wicked and vile. I have sinned against the Lord God. And so have you. On our own and in our sin, we have no hope, no salvation, no eternal future with the Lord God. But because God is glorified in saving sinners, HE provided a substitute for sin. HE sent His One and Only Son to become sin for me and for you and to die in our place. Christ's death for our sin was ordained before the foundation of the world and our salvation, our hope, our peace, our holiness, our relationship with the Lord God is all about what Christ did for us before we ever knew Him, loved Him, desired Him, longed for Him, or worshipped Him. My Friend, God gave Himself as a ransom for sin. HE willingly died on the cross and rose again to bridge the gap between our humanness and God's holiness. HE is offering complete forgiveness, complete healing, and an eternal relationship with the Lord God to those who believe. Please do not allow your flesh to convince you that Christ does not love you or that HE did not die to save you. There is nothing too great, too vile, too wicked or too much for His blood to cover, cleanse, remove and restore (Isaiah 61:1-4).
Our focal passage is one of the main passages the Lord has been using to deal with my heart in recent weeks. Look once more at 1 John 4:10"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Propitiation in this verse means "appeasement." I love the way John Piper defines propitiation in his book The Passion of Jesus Christ (aka Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die). John explains that "the meaning of the word "propitiation"…refers to the removal of God's wrath by providing a substitute. The substitute is provided by God himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God's wrath is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn" (p. 21). Take a moment to allow the Truth of 1 John 4:10 wash over you. Do you see what God is promising you and me?
God's Word explains the measure of God's love like this:
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
God is a holy God and He must judge sin. He knew that man would fall and that without Christ Jesus no one would ever have an intimate relationship with the One True Living God. We would all perish. John Piper explains that "If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice…We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of His wrath against us. But when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look at the suffering and death of Christ and say, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that HE loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sin" (The Passion of Jesus Christ, pp. 20 & 21). To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10
Have you ever felt afraid to stand before the Lord God and confess your sin? Perhaps you felt that HE would reject you or that HE would not forgive your sin because it was just too great, too vile, too often, or too obscene. I used to feel this way, My Friend. I once believed that I could not come before the Lord God and pour my heart out before Him because I was so wicked and HE would reject me. I thought that Jesus' blood was a silkscreen and it prevented the Lord God from seeing the "real" me. This lie, and I know it sounds odd, was so ingrained in my belief system that it prevented me from understanding truth and understanding the depth of God's love for me.
I know this may sound strange given that I thought I understand that Christ loved me and gave Himself for me, but I still struggled with the measure of God's love towards me. Through His Word, the Lord began to reveal my heart issue. The problem was that I have tried to define God's love by how much He blesses me or keeps me from suffering. I have also tried to define God's love according to my rationale, my understanding, my beliefs, my standards and my terms. I allowed my ignorance, rebellion, and disbelief to distort God's Word in my heart, mind, soul and life. I have not understood, until now, that God's love is rooted and established in Him.
You see, in our flesh, we are all unable to see truth. It is only by God's allowance that our eyes are opened and we are able to understand and comprehend Scripture and the truth that lies within the Word. God's Word says, "Cursed is the man who trust in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD…The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:5&9) "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You" (Psalm 69:5). "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:5). "…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me, with their whole heart" (Jeremiah 24:7).
The truth is I am wicked and vile. I have sinned against the Lord God. And so have you. On our own and in our sin, we have no hope, no salvation, no eternal future with the Lord God. But because God is glorified in saving sinners, HE provided a substitute for sin. HE sent His One and Only Son to become sin for me and for you and to die in our place. Christ's death for our sin was ordained before the foundation of the world and our salvation, our hope, our peace, our holiness, our relationship with the Lord God is all about what Christ did for us before we ever knew Him, loved Him, desired Him, longed for Him, or worshipped Him. My Friend, God gave Himself as a ransom for sin. HE willingly died on the cross and rose again to bridge the gap between our humanness and God's holiness. HE is offering complete forgiveness, complete healing, and an eternal relationship with the Lord God to those who believe. Please do not allow your flesh to convince you that Christ does not love you or that HE did not die to save you. There is nothing too great, too vile, too wicked or too much for His blood to cover, cleanse, remove and restore (Isaiah 61:1-4).
Our focal passage is one of the main passages the Lord has been using to deal with my heart in recent weeks. Look once more at 1 John 4:10"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Propitiation in this verse means "appeasement." I love the way John Piper defines propitiation in his book The Passion of Jesus Christ (aka Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die). John explains that "the meaning of the word "propitiation"…refers to the removal of God's wrath by providing a substitute. The substitute is provided by God himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God's wrath is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn" (p. 21). Take a moment to allow the Truth of 1 John 4:10 wash over you. Do you see what God is promising you and me?
God's Word explains the measure of God's love like this:
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
God is a holy God and He must judge sin. He knew that man would fall and that without Christ Jesus no one would ever have an intimate relationship with the One True Living God. We would all perish. John Piper explains that "If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice…We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of His wrath against us. But when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look at the suffering and death of Christ and say, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that HE loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sin" (The Passion of Jesus Christ, pp. 20 & 21). To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #265
This Week's Passage
"For HE satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)
Strong's:
Satisfies #7646 - saba = to be satisfied, sated, fulfilled, surfeited
Longing #8264 - shaqaq = thirsty
Hungry #7457 - ra'eb - 1c. figurative use = of failing strength
The past five weeks have been difficult for me both spiritually and emotionally. At first, I could not understand why my heart was so heavy and the tears flowed so easily. I am not depressed or unhappy with my life, husband, role, or responsibilities. I am able to function and accomplish what needs to be done. I enjoy my day, but I just felt this heaviness about me that I do not usually experience.
I began to question the Lord about this heaviness. I asked Him to reveal to me the issue and then to deal with it according to His Word. Now, I want to pause here a moment to give honor and glory to the Lord. You see, this is not my normal response to suffering of any kind - large or small. My flesh is very prideful and selfish so my normal response is to be angry that I am dealing with an issue and then I move from anger into my "fix it" mode where I begin to look for the quickest way to remove all the discomfort and return to "life uninterrupted!!" God is gracious and HE has allowed me to study the book of James during this time so my awareness of how HE expects His children to respond to all the trials and affliction in their life is heightened. His truth working in me has enabled me to respond in a way that glorifies Him.
Over the past several weeks, Glen and I have talked and prayed, I have sought counsel from a couple of godly women, and I have stayed in the Word of God seeking Him in the midst of this storm. God is good and HE has walked me through several areas of my heart that needed to be dealt with according to His Word. In fact, two weeks into this particular "storm" one of the ladies I was speaking with said, "Michelle, God has been teaching me that His Word is to be food for my soul!" At once, my heart leaped and I knew that statement somehow fit my situation. I did not know how it fit or what the Lord was trying to teach me, but my spirit agreed with that statement and I quickly wrote that down and began praying and asking the Lord to show me what HE wanted to teach me.
Over the next couple of weeks it became more clear to me. You see, I am an "extremist" (basically, I move from one extreme to the other with very little middle ground). In the past, when I have been given the opportunity to minister I did so with a sinful heart. Because the Lord is a gracious God, HE did not allow me to continue in ministry. HE removed me from that situation and began a long, often painful, yet very wonderful work in those areas of sin and pride. HE has also been dealing with the extremeness in my life. Three months ago, the Lord again opened the door for me to serve. HE gave me the privilege of preparing a Bible study for the ladies' Sunday school class at church. I became very focused on serving in a way that glorifies the Lord and not falling prey to my sinful flesh again in this area.
Over the past three months, my focus has been on preparing, teaching, and serving but I have neglected to allow God's Word to feed my soul. Praise the Lord HE allowed my soul to become heavy and allowed me wisdom to seek godly counsel during this time. Now please hear me say that I have certainly learned a great deal during my individual study and through the wonderful insight each lady brings to the discussion in class. My head knowledge about the Word of God has increased and I really do see things that I did not see before. My understanding of who God is and who I am is heightened; however, what I have been missing is taking time to really allow God's Word to become food for my soul!!
During the discussion last Sunday, we were discussing the commands for teachers in James 3. One lady pointed out that teachers need to be very careful when they teach because they cannot lead beyond the point they are spiritually. That is where I was headed. James continually challenges us to evaluate our faith against the plum line of Scripture. Christians cannot grow in their relationship with Christ if our focus is not on Christ. My Friend, where are you today? Take the Word of God and examine your own faith based on the truths of God's Word. Make sure your faith is in line with Scripture and measure what you say you believe against what you actually do and how you respond to trials in your life.
Read our focal passage once more: "For HE satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:9) God's Word is exactly what each of His children need every moment of every day. There is nothing that God's Word cannot satisfy. Our souls were created for an intimate relationship with Him and anything else dissatisfies the soul. Man is continually seeking to fill that emptiness within Him and God Himself fills us to the very core with all that HE is and all that HE has. An example of this is found in John 4:1-42. God's love, mercy, grace, and complete fulfillment is displayed in Christ Jesus' interaction with the precious Samaritan woman at the well.
Jesus sat beside the well where the Samaritan woman drew water each day. When she approached the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. This sparked a conversation between the two because it was very uncommon for a Jew to interact with a Samaritan. During their conversation, Jesus said to the woman, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water."(John 4:10). Jesus talked with the woman about her life and the sin that filled it. She listened and HE opened her eyes to see who HE was. She left Jesus and ran to proclaim Him to her city. Scripture says that many in her city believed. Why? "Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." (John 4:42).
Christ Jesus knew exactly what the Samaritan woman needed and what she was doing to try to satisfy the longing in her soul. Christ confronted her sin with Truth and HE allowed her to come to Him in complete surrender and acceptance. That is exactly what God is calling each of us to do. HE has opened up heaven to those who will believe and those who will call upon the name of Jesus in repentance, surrender and acceptance. There is nothing that you are doing, seeking, obtaining, or accomplishing that will satisfy to the very depth of your soul. Nothing will last forever except the Word of God. "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass, The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever…" (1 Peter 1:24-25a)
Where are you today, My Friend? This very moment, what is your focus? With what are you trying to satisfy yourself? In what are you basing your hope, your trust, your confidence, your purpose? If it is in anything besides Jesus Christ, you are wasting your time. Bow before the Lord God and allow Him to reveal to you any area that is not completely surrendered to Him. Allow Him to expose anything in your life that is hindering your walk with Him. If you are not a believer, call upon the name of Jesus and ask Him for mercy, grace, wisdom, insight and salvation. HE is faithful. HE is the God of heaven and earth. And HE alone is the source of complete satisfaction. Glory and honor to the only One who saves sinners from the wrath of God!!!!
"For HE satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)
Strong's:
Satisfies #7646 - saba = to be satisfied, sated, fulfilled, surfeited
Longing #8264 - shaqaq = thirsty
Hungry #7457 - ra'eb - 1c. figurative use = of failing strength
The past five weeks have been difficult for me both spiritually and emotionally. At first, I could not understand why my heart was so heavy and the tears flowed so easily. I am not depressed or unhappy with my life, husband, role, or responsibilities. I am able to function and accomplish what needs to be done. I enjoy my day, but I just felt this heaviness about me that I do not usually experience.
I began to question the Lord about this heaviness. I asked Him to reveal to me the issue and then to deal with it according to His Word. Now, I want to pause here a moment to give honor and glory to the Lord. You see, this is not my normal response to suffering of any kind - large or small. My flesh is very prideful and selfish so my normal response is to be angry that I am dealing with an issue and then I move from anger into my "fix it" mode where I begin to look for the quickest way to remove all the discomfort and return to "life uninterrupted!!" God is gracious and HE has allowed me to study the book of James during this time so my awareness of how HE expects His children to respond to all the trials and affliction in their life is heightened. His truth working in me has enabled me to respond in a way that glorifies Him.
Over the past several weeks, Glen and I have talked and prayed, I have sought counsel from a couple of godly women, and I have stayed in the Word of God seeking Him in the midst of this storm. God is good and HE has walked me through several areas of my heart that needed to be dealt with according to His Word. In fact, two weeks into this particular "storm" one of the ladies I was speaking with said, "Michelle, God has been teaching me that His Word is to be food for my soul!" At once, my heart leaped and I knew that statement somehow fit my situation. I did not know how it fit or what the Lord was trying to teach me, but my spirit agreed with that statement and I quickly wrote that down and began praying and asking the Lord to show me what HE wanted to teach me.
Over the next couple of weeks it became more clear to me. You see, I am an "extremist" (basically, I move from one extreme to the other with very little middle ground). In the past, when I have been given the opportunity to minister I did so with a sinful heart. Because the Lord is a gracious God, HE did not allow me to continue in ministry. HE removed me from that situation and began a long, often painful, yet very wonderful work in those areas of sin and pride. HE has also been dealing with the extremeness in my life. Three months ago, the Lord again opened the door for me to serve. HE gave me the privilege of preparing a Bible study for the ladies' Sunday school class at church. I became very focused on serving in a way that glorifies the Lord and not falling prey to my sinful flesh again in this area.
Over the past three months, my focus has been on preparing, teaching, and serving but I have neglected to allow God's Word to feed my soul. Praise the Lord HE allowed my soul to become heavy and allowed me wisdom to seek godly counsel during this time. Now please hear me say that I have certainly learned a great deal during my individual study and through the wonderful insight each lady brings to the discussion in class. My head knowledge about the Word of God has increased and I really do see things that I did not see before. My understanding of who God is and who I am is heightened; however, what I have been missing is taking time to really allow God's Word to become food for my soul!!
During the discussion last Sunday, we were discussing the commands for teachers in James 3. One lady pointed out that teachers need to be very careful when they teach because they cannot lead beyond the point they are spiritually. That is where I was headed. James continually challenges us to evaluate our faith against the plum line of Scripture. Christians cannot grow in their relationship with Christ if our focus is not on Christ. My Friend, where are you today? Take the Word of God and examine your own faith based on the truths of God's Word. Make sure your faith is in line with Scripture and measure what you say you believe against what you actually do and how you respond to trials in your life.
Read our focal passage once more: "For HE satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:9) God's Word is exactly what each of His children need every moment of every day. There is nothing that God's Word cannot satisfy. Our souls were created for an intimate relationship with Him and anything else dissatisfies the soul. Man is continually seeking to fill that emptiness within Him and God Himself fills us to the very core with all that HE is and all that HE has. An example of this is found in John 4:1-42. God's love, mercy, grace, and complete fulfillment is displayed in Christ Jesus' interaction with the precious Samaritan woman at the well.
Jesus sat beside the well where the Samaritan woman drew water each day. When she approached the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. This sparked a conversation between the two because it was very uncommon for a Jew to interact with a Samaritan. During their conversation, Jesus said to the woman, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and HE would have given you living water."(John 4:10). Jesus talked with the woman about her life and the sin that filled it. She listened and HE opened her eyes to see who HE was. She left Jesus and ran to proclaim Him to her city. Scripture says that many in her city believed. Why? "Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." (John 4:42).
Christ Jesus knew exactly what the Samaritan woman needed and what she was doing to try to satisfy the longing in her soul. Christ confronted her sin with Truth and HE allowed her to come to Him in complete surrender and acceptance. That is exactly what God is calling each of us to do. HE has opened up heaven to those who will believe and those who will call upon the name of Jesus in repentance, surrender and acceptance. There is nothing that you are doing, seeking, obtaining, or accomplishing that will satisfy to the very depth of your soul. Nothing will last forever except the Word of God. "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass, The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever…" (1 Peter 1:24-25a)
Where are you today, My Friend? This very moment, what is your focus? With what are you trying to satisfy yourself? In what are you basing your hope, your trust, your confidence, your purpose? If it is in anything besides Jesus Christ, you are wasting your time. Bow before the Lord God and allow Him to reveal to you any area that is not completely surrendered to Him. Allow Him to expose anything in your life that is hindering your walk with Him. If you are not a believer, call upon the name of Jesus and ask Him for mercy, grace, wisdom, insight and salvation. HE is faithful. HE is the God of heaven and earth. And HE alone is the source of complete satisfaction. Glory and honor to the only One who saves sinners from the wrath of God!!!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #264
This Week's Passage
"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality." James 2:1 (NKJV)
Strong's:
Faith #3982 - pistis- In the NT, conviction or belief respecting man's relationship with God and generally with the included idea of trust and holy favor born of faith and joined with it.
Partiality #4382 -prosopolepsia- 2a) the fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their
intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities
_
I must begin this devotion by stating that several of the insights found within this text has been gathered from the Bible study the Lord has called me to write as well as from the ladies' class in which the study is being taught. One of the wonderful blessings of writing this study is that I am able to share it with a group of sisters in Christ and they, in turn, bring so much to the discussion. I am learning so much from the wisdom God has given them as well as what HE is teaching me through the preparation of the lessons.
A few weeks ago, we came to our focal passage and we began the discussion with the obvious question: Do we love and live in such a way that shows partiality? Christ Jesus calls us to love the way HE loves - unconditionally and without partiality. But then another question was raised: Do we dress and act in such a way that places us in a position of receiving favoritism or partiality? God began a huge work in my own heart through the study of His Word in this area and I would like to share with you some of these truths from God's Word.
First, let's all begin by asking the Lord God to open our eyes so we can see His Word clearly. May HE give us each a heart that longs for His Truth and may we each allow that Truth to penetrate to the very core of our being. Lord God, please expose all our hidden sin and bring those areas of our lives to the surface. My Friend, we cannot truly be free if we are bound in any area. Fear can keep us bound in sin. Fear of embarrassment, fear of shame and humiliation, fear of rejection, fear of being exposed for who we really are can keep us from confessing and repenting. Even if we are not participating in a particular sin at this very moment, if we have committed any sin and not confessed and repented of that sin to the Lord God, we are still bound. God requires a pure heart before Him. HE never ignores or forgets unconfessed sin but His Word says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:8-10).
God's heart is for His children to be free from this sin, this world, and self. HE offered Himself so that we could live an abundant life in the midst of this fallen world (John 10:10). His desire is for us to stand on His Word and to proclaim Him to all the world. I love how our pastor put it last Sunday, "God could have chosen any method to display His glory, but HE chose to use mere men and women to be the voice for Him." Are you a voice, My Friend, or are you a stumbling block to those looking to you to point them to the cross? Father, may each of Your children be humbled before You and may we come to the place of complete surrender and true humility before Your throne. May You be glorified in us and through us and may others come to You because we have been faithful to lead them to the only place where freedom overflows - the foot of the cross.
Read our focal passage once more. "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality" (James 2:1).
"Christians are to be an exact representation of Christ Jesus our Lord. We are to love the way HE loves, walk the way HE walked, talk the way HE talked, and serve the way HE served. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, HE humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) I love this passage. It is such a challenge to me personally. I struggle with pride and my fleshly desires, but through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, I have the power in Him to overcome those selfish urges and be like Christ. My flesh wants to be satisfied and I have to die to self daily, sometimes moment by moment. Christ loves us with a love that is incomprehensible. HE who was God, became man, yet remaining fully God, lived on this earth in full surrender and obedience to the Father. That obedience required that HE put aside all HE had in glory and to die on the cross for vile and wicked men and women. I was one of those sinners and I am in awe that the Lord of lords, King of kings, the Great I AM would do such a thing for me!
Our focal passage tells us that we are to put aside partiality and love everyone equally. How do we do this? We must begin by seeing people the way God sees them. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that man looks at the outward appearance of a man, but God looks at the heart. Now, we cannot see the heart of man, but we can learn to see people through the eyes of Christ. Loving them and serving them no matter what their appearance or social economic status is. Let's pause here a moment. It is easy to say we do not judge others based on outward appearance or status, but is this really true? Take a moment and ask the Lord to reveal any sin of partiality in your own heart…" (A Journey Through James by Michelle Jones pages 63-64).
Another way to show partiality is to demand special treatment for ourselves. When we prepare ourselves in the morning, what is our motive? Do we dress in a certain way that brings attention to ourselves? Keep in mind, we do not have to dress immodestly to draw attention to ourselves. Heart issues drive our actions. When our hearts are pure, our actions are focused on glorifying the Lord Jesus and pointing others to Him. When our hearts are full of pride and self, our actions are directed toward pointing others to ourselves and our achievements and successes. God's Word gives several instructions on how we are to adorn ourselves. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging of the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Before I expand on this passage, let's make sure we keep this in context. Peter is addressing women and he is addressing them in the context of how they should behave toward their husbands. Peter is urging wives to dress and act in such a way that points their husbands to the Lord and if that husband is not a believer, her actions will lead him to the cross of Jesus Christ. I do think we can all gain valuable insight from this passage regardless of our marital status. The point Peter is making to these ladies is that people need to see more than us! Our looks, our thoughts, our status is not what glorifies the Lord. Yes, God made each of us differently and in the uniqueness His creativity is displayed. There is nothing wrong with God's children expressing themselves uniquely (within the context of Biblical commands), but nothing about us saves the lost from an eternity of separation from the Lord God.
We must understand that God has chosen to use us to display His glory and we are mere vessels for Him to speak to a lost and dying world. When we begin to look at ourselves and feel superior in any form, we have robbed the Lord of what is rightfully His - glory, praise, and attention. We must all be very careful not to become focused on self or on those who appear to have something that will enhance us - wealth, prestige, position, or connections. Let us never forget that Christ Jesus gave to us selflessly. HE became sin for us and died on the cross to save us from eternal destruction. May we never strive to place ourselves above the Most High or anyone HE has created. May our hearts be pure before Him and seek to give all glory, honor, praise, attention, and adoration to Him and Him alone.
How does God expect us to treat one another? Turn in your Bible to Leviticus 19:9-16. God's Word gives us several ways that we are to honor others above ourselves. Each one is geared toward helping others with a selfless heart and a Christ-like love. In Romans 15:1-6, we are instructed to love others through carrying one another's burdens, praying for and with one another and worshipping together in a way that edifies the body and honors the Lord. Let's conclude by reading together 1 John 4:12-13 & 16b "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and HE in us, because He has given us of His Spirit…God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."
"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality." James 2:1 (NKJV)
Strong's:
Faith #3982 - pistis- In the NT, conviction or belief respecting man's relationship with God and generally with the included idea of trust and holy favor born of faith and joined with it.
Partiality #4382 -prosopolepsia- 2a) the fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their
intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities
_
I must begin this devotion by stating that several of the insights found within this text has been gathered from the Bible study the Lord has called me to write as well as from the ladies' class in which the study is being taught. One of the wonderful blessings of writing this study is that I am able to share it with a group of sisters in Christ and they, in turn, bring so much to the discussion. I am learning so much from the wisdom God has given them as well as what HE is teaching me through the preparation of the lessons.
A few weeks ago, we came to our focal passage and we began the discussion with the obvious question: Do we love and live in such a way that shows partiality? Christ Jesus calls us to love the way HE loves - unconditionally and without partiality. But then another question was raised: Do we dress and act in such a way that places us in a position of receiving favoritism or partiality? God began a huge work in my own heart through the study of His Word in this area and I would like to share with you some of these truths from God's Word.
First, let's all begin by asking the Lord God to open our eyes so we can see His Word clearly. May HE give us each a heart that longs for His Truth and may we each allow that Truth to penetrate to the very core of our being. Lord God, please expose all our hidden sin and bring those areas of our lives to the surface. My Friend, we cannot truly be free if we are bound in any area. Fear can keep us bound in sin. Fear of embarrassment, fear of shame and humiliation, fear of rejection, fear of being exposed for who we really are can keep us from confessing and repenting. Even if we are not participating in a particular sin at this very moment, if we have committed any sin and not confessed and repented of that sin to the Lord God, we are still bound. God requires a pure heart before Him. HE never ignores or forgets unconfessed sin but His Word says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:8-10).
God's heart is for His children to be free from this sin, this world, and self. HE offered Himself so that we could live an abundant life in the midst of this fallen world (John 10:10). His desire is for us to stand on His Word and to proclaim Him to all the world. I love how our pastor put it last Sunday, "God could have chosen any method to display His glory, but HE chose to use mere men and women to be the voice for Him." Are you a voice, My Friend, or are you a stumbling block to those looking to you to point them to the cross? Father, may each of Your children be humbled before You and may we come to the place of complete surrender and true humility before Your throne. May You be glorified in us and through us and may others come to You because we have been faithful to lead them to the only place where freedom overflows - the foot of the cross.
Read our focal passage once more. "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality" (James 2:1).
"Christians are to be an exact representation of Christ Jesus our Lord. We are to love the way HE loves, walk the way HE walked, talk the way HE talked, and serve the way HE served. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, HE humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) I love this passage. It is such a challenge to me personally. I struggle with pride and my fleshly desires, but through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, I have the power in Him to overcome those selfish urges and be like Christ. My flesh wants to be satisfied and I have to die to self daily, sometimes moment by moment. Christ loves us with a love that is incomprehensible. HE who was God, became man, yet remaining fully God, lived on this earth in full surrender and obedience to the Father. That obedience required that HE put aside all HE had in glory and to die on the cross for vile and wicked men and women. I was one of those sinners and I am in awe that the Lord of lords, King of kings, the Great I AM would do such a thing for me!
Our focal passage tells us that we are to put aside partiality and love everyone equally. How do we do this? We must begin by seeing people the way God sees them. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that man looks at the outward appearance of a man, but God looks at the heart. Now, we cannot see the heart of man, but we can learn to see people through the eyes of Christ. Loving them and serving them no matter what their appearance or social economic status is. Let's pause here a moment. It is easy to say we do not judge others based on outward appearance or status, but is this really true? Take a moment and ask the Lord to reveal any sin of partiality in your own heart…" (A Journey Through James by Michelle Jones pages 63-64).
Another way to show partiality is to demand special treatment for ourselves. When we prepare ourselves in the morning, what is our motive? Do we dress in a certain way that brings attention to ourselves? Keep in mind, we do not have to dress immodestly to draw attention to ourselves. Heart issues drive our actions. When our hearts are pure, our actions are focused on glorifying the Lord Jesus and pointing others to Him. When our hearts are full of pride and self, our actions are directed toward pointing others to ourselves and our achievements and successes. God's Word gives several instructions on how we are to adorn ourselves. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging of the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Before I expand on this passage, let's make sure we keep this in context. Peter is addressing women and he is addressing them in the context of how they should behave toward their husbands. Peter is urging wives to dress and act in such a way that points their husbands to the Lord and if that husband is not a believer, her actions will lead him to the cross of Jesus Christ. I do think we can all gain valuable insight from this passage regardless of our marital status. The point Peter is making to these ladies is that people need to see more than us! Our looks, our thoughts, our status is not what glorifies the Lord. Yes, God made each of us differently and in the uniqueness His creativity is displayed. There is nothing wrong with God's children expressing themselves uniquely (within the context of Biblical commands), but nothing about us saves the lost from an eternity of separation from the Lord God.
We must understand that God has chosen to use us to display His glory and we are mere vessels for Him to speak to a lost and dying world. When we begin to look at ourselves and feel superior in any form, we have robbed the Lord of what is rightfully His - glory, praise, and attention. We must all be very careful not to become focused on self or on those who appear to have something that will enhance us - wealth, prestige, position, or connections. Let us never forget that Christ Jesus gave to us selflessly. HE became sin for us and died on the cross to save us from eternal destruction. May we never strive to place ourselves above the Most High or anyone HE has created. May our hearts be pure before Him and seek to give all glory, honor, praise, attention, and adoration to Him and Him alone.
How does God expect us to treat one another? Turn in your Bible to Leviticus 19:9-16. God's Word gives us several ways that we are to honor others above ourselves. Each one is geared toward helping others with a selfless heart and a Christ-like love. In Romans 15:1-6, we are instructed to love others through carrying one another's burdens, praying for and with one another and worshipping together in a way that edifies the body and honors the Lord. Let's conclude by reading together 1 John 4:12-13 & 16b "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and HE in us, because He has given us of His Spirit…God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday Morning Devotion #263
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Strong's:
True #227 - alethes = loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful
Honest #4586 - semnos = venerable, reverend
Just #1342 - dikaios = righteous, observing divine laws
Pure #53 - hagnos = pure from carnality, chaste, modest
Lovely #4375 - prosphiles = acceptable, pleasing
Good #2163 - euphemos = speaking well
Virtue #703 - arcte = virtuous course of thought, feeling and action
Praise #1868 - epaines = approbation
Think #3049 - logizomai - to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over
This past week, I struggled with these truths. In my thought life, I gave in to the temptation to begin doubting what God was doing in my life and I allowed my flesh and Satan to paint a very disturbing picture in my mind. I dwelt upon those lies and I began to believe them. I have to say that I am amazed at how quickly my thoughts turned to doubt and doubt to fear and fear to anger and anger to depression. Before I knew it, I was heavy-hearted and wanting to run away from something that I know the Lord has ordained in my life.
I allowed fear to take root and I allowed myself to believe the only way that I could honor the Lord was through putting aside a ministry and walling myself off from serving. Needless to say, that was ridiculous because God is not honored when His children do not live for Him and glorify Him through ministering to one another. But the first couple of days this week, I felt a war within my soul and I am so thankful that God continued to speak to me through His Word. Through tears, I cried out to the Lord to be glorified through my life and to teach me whatever HE has for me to learn through this trial. God is faithful and HE did just that.
My Friend, are you in the middle of a trial today? Are you hurting and needing comfort and peace? Are you confused, angry, bitter, fearful, anxious and/or depressed? God's Word has the answer to any and all your needs. God promises us in His Word that "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Jesus Himself said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b). God loves you with an everlasting love and HE cares about every detail of your life. There is nothing too small or too big for Him to handle. God holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand and by His Word all things are sustained. HE placed each and every star in its place and nothing escapes His notice (Hebrews 4:13). When His children hurt, HE hurts. When His children cry, HE cries. When we call out to Him, HE hears and HE answers when our hearts are pure before Him (Psalm 34:15 & Jeremiah 29:13). HE uses each and every event in our lives to shape, mold, and transform us into His image (Romans 8:28). And HE alone is our salvation, peace, comfort, hope, and reward. HE is our ALL!!
Look once more at our focal passage. "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8 ) What does this mean? How are we to meditate upon such things when our hearts are hurting and our flesh does not want to study God's Word? My Friend, we each must make a choice. We either choose to listen to the sounds of the storm or to listen to the voice of Truth found in the pages of Scripture. When you are hurting, fearful, angry, depressed, cry out to the Lord and ask Him to create in you a clean heart. A heart that longs for Him and Him alone. A heart that will obey Him even when our flesh screams otherwise. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Let's look at Philippians 4:8 in greater detail. God's Word is instructing us to think upon certain things. First, we should note that think in this verse means "to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over." Basically, think "signifies making these things the subjects of your thoughtful consideration or to carefully reflect on them" (Vines, on-line). Second, when we find ourselves tempted to dwell upon something, may we first ask ourselves these questions: Do my thoughts honor the Lord? Are the thoughts surrounding things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy? If so, Paul says we should think upon them, if not, we are to reject them.
Why is this important for us to understand? Because our thought life is a powerful thing. Let's look at the preceding verse, Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The study Bible I am using explains that "will guard" implies that the mind is in a battle zone and needs to be "protected by a military guard." Since the purpose of such a guard in a wartime situation is either to prevent a hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping, the peace of God operates in the same way: to protect the mind from external corrupting influences and to keep it focused on God's truth" (p. 2005). In order to guard our hearts and minds from a destructive thought life, we must stay on our faces before the Lord and meditate upon His Word. We cannot allow ourselves to be lead around by our emotions. Our emotions will mislead us, but Scripture will never lead us into death but it delivers us from bondage and sets us free in Christ Jesus our Lord (John 8:32).
May this week be a new beginning for each of us. May we commit our lives to the Lord and to meditating upon His Word. May His grace be evident in our lives and His glory be fulfilled in each of us. God is good and worthy of our praise. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, "Rejoice"!" (Philippians 4:4)
Strong's:
True #227 - alethes = loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful
Honest #4586 - semnos = venerable, reverend
Just #1342 - dikaios = righteous, observing divine laws
Pure #53 - hagnos = pure from carnality, chaste, modest
Lovely #4375 - prosphiles = acceptable, pleasing
Good #2163 - euphemos = speaking well
Virtue #703 - arcte = virtuous course of thought, feeling and action
Praise #1868 - epaines = approbation
Think #3049 - logizomai - to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over
This past week, I struggled with these truths. In my thought life, I gave in to the temptation to begin doubting what God was doing in my life and I allowed my flesh and Satan to paint a very disturbing picture in my mind. I dwelt upon those lies and I began to believe them. I have to say that I am amazed at how quickly my thoughts turned to doubt and doubt to fear and fear to anger and anger to depression. Before I knew it, I was heavy-hearted and wanting to run away from something that I know the Lord has ordained in my life.
I allowed fear to take root and I allowed myself to believe the only way that I could honor the Lord was through putting aside a ministry and walling myself off from serving. Needless to say, that was ridiculous because God is not honored when His children do not live for Him and glorify Him through ministering to one another. But the first couple of days this week, I felt a war within my soul and I am so thankful that God continued to speak to me through His Word. Through tears, I cried out to the Lord to be glorified through my life and to teach me whatever HE has for me to learn through this trial. God is faithful and HE did just that.
My Friend, are you in the middle of a trial today? Are you hurting and needing comfort and peace? Are you confused, angry, bitter, fearful, anxious and/or depressed? God's Word has the answer to any and all your needs. God promises us in His Word that "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Jesus Himself said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b). God loves you with an everlasting love and HE cares about every detail of your life. There is nothing too small or too big for Him to handle. God holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand and by His Word all things are sustained. HE placed each and every star in its place and nothing escapes His notice (Hebrews 4:13). When His children hurt, HE hurts. When His children cry, HE cries. When we call out to Him, HE hears and HE answers when our hearts are pure before Him (Psalm 34:15 & Jeremiah 29:13). HE uses each and every event in our lives to shape, mold, and transform us into His image (Romans 8:28). And HE alone is our salvation, peace, comfort, hope, and reward. HE is our ALL!!
Look once more at our focal passage. "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8 ) What does this mean? How are we to meditate upon such things when our hearts are hurting and our flesh does not want to study God's Word? My Friend, we each must make a choice. We either choose to listen to the sounds of the storm or to listen to the voice of Truth found in the pages of Scripture. When you are hurting, fearful, angry, depressed, cry out to the Lord and ask Him to create in you a clean heart. A heart that longs for Him and Him alone. A heart that will obey Him even when our flesh screams otherwise. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Let's look at Philippians 4:8 in greater detail. God's Word is instructing us to think upon certain things. First, we should note that think in this verse means "to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over." Basically, think "signifies making these things the subjects of your thoughtful consideration or to carefully reflect on them" (Vines, on-line). Second, when we find ourselves tempted to dwell upon something, may we first ask ourselves these questions: Do my thoughts honor the Lord? Are the thoughts surrounding things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy? If so, Paul says we should think upon them, if not, we are to reject them.
Why is this important for us to understand? Because our thought life is a powerful thing. Let's look at the preceding verse, Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The study Bible I am using explains that "will guard" implies that the mind is in a battle zone and needs to be "protected by a military guard." Since the purpose of such a guard in a wartime situation is either to prevent a hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping, the peace of God operates in the same way: to protect the mind from external corrupting influences and to keep it focused on God's truth" (p. 2005). In order to guard our hearts and minds from a destructive thought life, we must stay on our faces before the Lord and meditate upon His Word. We cannot allow ourselves to be lead around by our emotions. Our emotions will mislead us, but Scripture will never lead us into death but it delivers us from bondage and sets us free in Christ Jesus our Lord (John 8:32).
May this week be a new beginning for each of us. May we commit our lives to the Lord and to meditating upon His Word. May His grace be evident in our lives and His glory be fulfilled in each of us. God is good and worthy of our praise. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, "Rejoice"!" (Philippians 4:4)
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