"The Unholy Union"

"I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin" (James 1:14-15).

The Lord Jesus Christ and His servant James unite to reveal that the lust (desire) of the flesh must "conceive" before "it bringeth forth sin." It must unite in the heart with a partner, as it were, in order to produce attitudes, words, and deeds contrary to the will of God.

What is this partner? Our answer is found in the contrasting response that brings forth the fruit of obedience in us.

"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4).

"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).

"Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:25-26).

"They... through faith... wrought righteousness" (Hebrews 11:29; 33).

"I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).

It is through faith that God's leading and enabling are revealed in our practical experience. Accordingly, the opposite of faith must be a vital element in producing sin. Unbelief, united with the lust of fleshly desire, conceives sin and disobedience. Consider, for example, that we are tempted to bitterness toward another person. Knowing that "all bitterness" is to be put away from us, we are confronted with certain choices as to what to believe. First, the Bible plainly declares that God's way is perfect (Ephesians 4:31; II Samuel 22:31). Therefore, if He commands us to reject bitterness, we must believe that doing so is in our own best interest, as well as every one else involved in the matter. We must furthermore believe in our Lord's presence, willingness, and ability to enable our overcoming of the temptation. And we must believe that regardless of contrary emotions and thoughts that may be present in our sensibilities, or of past history, the desire of our innermost being, our Christ-inhabited "inward man," is to trust and obey God (Romans 7:22). By such faith, we "through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body" because the desire of our flesh can find no partner of unbelief in us (Romans 8:13).

Implicit in this truth is the fact that fleshly desire is not in and of itself sin. The Lord Jesus alluded to this in raising the issue of looking upon a woman to lust. The matter, He said, involves the heart, that is, the particular "look" our Lord referenced was more than a mere glance that led to the sensation of desire, but was rather the prolonged gaze whereby lust ultimately bore sin. Again, if we sin, fleshly desire has united with unbelief in a choice to turn away from the will of God. Our brains and bodies may tell us that it is good to look and lust. The Bible says that it is not. Our flesh may feel as if God is not with us, and His strength is not present within us. And it may seem that our deepest desire is to disobey our Lord. What, or who, will we believe? The answer will determine whether fleshly desire finds a mate by which sin is conceived, or is denied the union, leading to faithful obedience.

We were born again by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We are commanded to continue in the same dynamic. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6). Again, we "live by faith," that is, everything in our lives is to be faced by the trusting submission to the Lord Jesus whereby believing His Word puts to death the unholy union of fleshly desire and unbelief that produces sin. May God increasingly reveal Himself and His truth to us so that we may know Him so well that trusting Him is the norm of our existence. "The obedience of faith" will ensue, and the promise of the Apostle Paul will be more and more fulfilled in us...

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

(Galatians 5:16)

"The Unholy Union"

"I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin" (James 1:14-15).

The Lord Jesus Christ and His servant James unite to reveal that the lust (desire) of the flesh must "conceive" before "it bringeth forth sin." It must unite in the heart with a partner, as it were, in order to produce attitudes, words, and deeds contrary to the will of God.

What is this partner? Our answer is found in the contrasting response that brings forth the fruit of obedience in us.

"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4).

"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).

"Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:25-26).

"They... through faith... wrought righteousness" (Hebrews 11:29; 33).

"I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).

It is through faith that God's leading and enabling are revealed in our practical experience. Accordingly, the opposite of faith must be a vital element in producing sin. Unbelief, united with the lust of fleshly desire, conceives sin and disobedience. Consider, for example, that we are tempted to bitterness toward another person. Knowing that "all bitterness" is to be put away from us, we are confronted with certain choices as to what to believe. First, the Bible plainly declares that God's way is perfect (Ephesians 4:31; II Samuel 22:31). Therefore, if He commands us to reject bitterness, we must believe that doing so is in our own best interest, as well as every one else involved in the matter. We must furthermore believe in our Lord's presence, willingness, and ability to enable our overcoming of the temptation. And we must believe that regardless of contrary emotions and thoughts that may be present in our sensibilities, or of past history, the desire of our innermost being, our Christ-inhabited "inward man," is to trust and obey God (Romans 7:22). By such faith, we "through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body" because the desire of our flesh can find no partner of unbelief in us (Romans 8:13).

Implicit in this truth is the fact that fleshly desire is not in and of itself sin. The Lord Jesus alluded to this in raising the issue of looking upon a woman to lust. The matter, He said, involves the heart, that is, the particular "look" our Lord referenced was more than a mere glance that led to the sensation of desire, but was rather the prolonged gaze whereby lust ultimately bore sin. Again, if we sin, fleshly desire has united with unbelief in a choice to turn away from the will of God. Our brains and bodies may tell us that it is good to look and lust. The Bible says that it is not. Our flesh may feel as if God is not with us, and His strength is not present within us. And it may seem that our deepest desire is to disobey our Lord. What, or who, will we believe? The answer will determine whether fleshly desire finds a mate by which sin is conceived, or is denied the union, leading to faithful obedience.

We were born again by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We are commanded to continue in the same dynamic. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6). Again, we "live by faith," that is, everything in our lives is to be faced by the trusting submission to the Lord Jesus whereby believing His Word puts to death the unholy union of fleshly desire and unbelief that produces sin. May God increasingly reveal Himself and His truth to us so that we may know Him so well that trusting Him is the norm of our existence. "The obedience of faith" will ensue, and the promise of the Apostle Paul will be more and more fulfilled in us...

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

(Galatians 5:16)

"Sinless, No; Sin Less, Yes!"

It is not possible in our earthly lifetime that born again Christians can become sinless (I John 1:8). It is more than possible, however, that we can consistently sin less (I John 2:1).

The New Testament redounds with the fact of how profoundly changed born again believers are in the center of our being. We are inhabited by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, our "inward man" delights in the law of God, and "there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (Galatians 4:6; Romans 7:22-25; I Corinthians 10:13). We retain a "law of sin" in our earthly faculties inherited from Adam, of course, and we shall not be delivered from "the body of this death" until we are glorified in Heaven (Romans 7:23-24). However, we are more than enabled to overcome through Christ, even as Paul promised, "Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

Do we believe this? Or have our too frequent sins and failures discouraged us and caused us to resign ourselves to the notion that the Christian life involves little more than wearing out the path to I John 1:9 for the reception of constantly needed forgiveness and cleansing? Too many believers settle into a life of scandalously low expectation of genuine godliness and faithful obedience to our Lord. Memories of sin are allowed to lead to expectations of sin, and a horrid cycle of unbelief, disobedience, and discouragement is established. Again, nothing in the New Testament would have us believe that this is the life for which the Lord Jesus died and rose again. And nothing more dishonors our Lord than to ignore His vibrant presence and disbelieve His certain promise that "sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

Again, we argue not for the possibility of sinless perfection, but for a life wherein we sin less. Believers must continually illuminate, encourage, and challenge each other with the "exceeding great and precious promises" whereby the delight of our redeemed spirits becomes the realized practice of our souls and bodies (II Peter 1:4). We must remind each other that our Lord is among us, and even more, that "the power that worketh in us" is "exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). We must be humble, loving, and forgiving toward the fallen brother, but even as we seek to lift him up, we do so with encouragement that he need not stumble again. And we do all by shining the spotlight on "so great salvation," and so great a Savior (Hebrews 2:3). Just as we have been reconciled by His death, promised Paul, so shall we be "saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).

If this sounds impossible, the source of our problem is exposed. We are focusing on ourselves, our past experience, and our present sense of inability rather than on our Lord, His past experience, and His present assurance of enabling. The Christian life is to be lived "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," as opposed to looking to ourselves, the author and finisher of nothing (Hebrews 12:2). Of course, we do not ignore or deny the realities of our humanity, and if sin does in fact happen, we humbly, honestly, and without excuse agree with the Holy Spirit's conviction. We do not expect to sin, however, but rather live our lives in the Psalmist's affirmation, "My expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5). Again, such confidence will not result in our becoming sinless in this lifetime. But it will mean that we will sin less.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you:

for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
(Romans 6:11-14)

"The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free

from the law of sin and death."
(Romans 8:2)

"Our Need For Necessity"

(For my dear brother Dwayne, long since with our Lord, but still with us in heart)


One of the believer's greatest needs is necessity, that is, circumstances and conditions of challenge whereby our hearts are moved to trust God, and thus, to "glorify ye the Lord in the fires" (Isaiah 24:15).

As with Mishael, Meshach, and Azariah (the given Hebrew names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), had there been no oven, there would have been no revelation in the oven of the "form of the Fourth... like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25). We exist for such illumination as generated by the flames God allows in our lives, and if at some point we have prayed, "Lord, be glorified in me," we can be sure that our Father will orchestrate need for the purpose of revealing His supply of Christ.

Being a born again believer is no light matter. Earthly trials and tribulations that could have been avoided apart from faith and consecration come our way as the direct result of it. As with the Apostle Paul, "messengers of Satan" are sent to "buffet" us in order to keep us in proper place of humility from which God can be known in us, and through us (II Corinthians 12:7). Indeed, the wonderful office of the Holy Spirit as "Comforter" would never be known if we had no need for His balm, nor would our capacity for ministry exist (John 14:26). "God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (II Corinthians 1:3-4). We reveal to others the tender ministrations of God's Spirit only as we ourselves have needed and accessed them, and again, without the oven, no fourth Form.

We must accept the challenging, but blessed reality: we need necessity. "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word" (Psalm 119:67). The Psalmist's frank confession characterizes us all, doesn't it? As much as we would like a consistently faithful Christian life experienced in a beautiful garden on a scenic mountaintop, the fact of the matter is that no such reality presently exists. Discomfort, lack, pain, loss, heartache, and heartbreak are required if we are to know God in His fullness, and just as importantly, if we are to desire to know God in His fullness. Paul closes our consideration with a confession startling to some, but known by all who have been cast into the fiery ovens that cast warm and beautiful light upon our glorious Savior...

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak,

then am I strong."
(II Corinthians 12:10)

"No Mention?"

I recently picked up a book at the library by a popular author who wrote in an autobiographical manner about a particular period of his life.

He wrote about many things. Heritage, family, friendships, career, and the events and conditions that had shaped his life into its present form. I was struck by the fact, however, that he never mentioned God. Not that I expected him to do so (he made no reference to being a believer), but the thought occurred to me that I cannot imagine writing a personal history of life without any reference to He who is our life. Every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ would agree because amid the myriad aspects of our existence, the template and frame of reference is the living reality of God.


"Some people live their lives as if they were all alone, gazing blindly down a dark and solitary road.
Listening every now and then for a voice to lead the way; hoping for a hand that won't betray...
hoping for a hand that won't betray."


Modern existence is largely secular in consciousness, although it remains spiritual in reality. All "live and move and have their being in God," and the most ardent atheist uses the breath his Creator provides to voice disbelief and rejection of the truth he cannot escape (Acts 17:28). The scoffer must live in God's universe, and I strongly suspect that the more passion he expresses, the more aware he is that "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (Acts 9:5). God's universe fights back, as it were, against the avowed enemies of faith, and if we could see through the atheist's bluster, a frightened uncertainty would display itself in the darkness of his heart.

Of even greater concern are those like the author previously mentioned, that is, people who seem to just ignore the primary fact of their existence, while perhaps even professing some form of faith and devotion (the author did mention attending a church, but in the most innocuous manner). Again, how does one write autobiographically without mentioning the Author of his or her biography? "Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8). The answer is, of course, blindness. How unseeing must the human heart be apart from Christ, or as He said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). This is the only explanation, and it is also an encouragement and challenge to believers that we live as the lights of the Lord Jesus that we are. A lost and dying world awaits to see, hear, touch, and know the truth that we are singularly equipped to convey. The Apostle Paul's request for prayer must become our request, and we close accordingly...

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,"
(Ephesians 6:18-19)

"Ye shine as lights in the world."
(Philippians 2:15)

"Christ, Completed"

In God's mind, and according to His eternal purposes, the Lord Jesus Christ is incomplete without His church.

"God... hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:17; 22-23).

It was said of the first man, Adam, that "it is not good that the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18). Eve was therefore created, requiring the wounding and healing of Adam for her to be formed. "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof" (Genesis 2:21). This foreshadowed and typified the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, from whom came forth the spiritual bride that comprises all born again believers in Him. We are "the fullness of Him" because God's eternal purpose in Christ determined that His Son should be spiritually united to Christians in a relationship wherein He is the Head, and we are the body.

"As the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that body, being one many, are one body, so also is Christ" (I Corinthians 12:12).

Note that the Head and the body are both referred to in the Apostle Paul's description of "Christ." We mean nothing heretical by this observation, and Paul was certainly not proposing that the Lord Jesus and the church are intrinsically the same. Nor is it that case that the Apostle meant to counter the Biblical declaration of God's perfect self sufficiency (Acts 17:25). He rather alluded to the intimacy and nearness of union between Christ and the church, as in human marriage wherein two parties become "one flesh," but remain distinct in their being and personhood (Ephesians 5:31). God Himself has ordained such union between our Lord and ourselves, and therefore views us as inseparable and incomplete without each other. We are "in Christ" spiritually, He is in us, and we must never view our Lord or ourselves apart from this wonderful truth of the most sublime grace. "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16).

"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). We may not always live accordingly, but nothing ever changes the fact of our spiritual union with the Lord Jesus. Grace has given to us a gift of such magnitude and proportion that it is difficult to conceive the wonder of it. Believing the truth, however, will increasingly change our lives as we realize the living presence of the One with whom we live both now and forever. "Reckon ye also yourselves to be... alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11). As I mentioned to a friend yesterday, "We are nothing without Him. But we are not without Him!" Again, if we have believed, Christ is in us, and we are in Him. Let us go forth to meet this day, this lifetime, and forevermore in the light of our being "complete in Him," and in the wonder of His being completed by us (Colossians 2:10).

"He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."

(I Corinthians 6:17)

"Made For Forever"

(A repeat from last year)

According to the unbelieving naturalist, the human race is doomed. Planets, solar systems and galaxies will all end in destruction according to naturalism, and the universe itself will not continue forever. Thus, humanity and its consciousness of things and of itself will one day cease to be, with no evidence that we ever existed, or anyone to mourn our passing.

It's a bleak scenario, especially since the longing for permanence is woven into the fabric of our being. "He hath set the world (eternity) in their hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Hebrew word for world in this passage is "owlam," and more literally means a duration that is everlasting. God made us as eternal beings, and the notion that we will not exist forever flies in the face of who and what we are. Naturalism is an aberration in the human heart, as is the philosophy of meaninglessness which springs forth from it.

It is intrinsic in us that we matter, and that we leave an everlasting imprint on the path of life whereupon we walk. This is logically impossible for a doomed race, and the Bible interjects its light into the darkness, declaring that we are not doomed. We are rather destined to glorify God, and believer and unbeliever alike can be sure that we will forever honor the Creator. The latter will do so in the hell of their own choosing, having rejected God, but nevertheless revealing the Divine love which must necessarily reject and banish all who jeopardize the sanctity of a creation that will one day perfectly dwell in righteousness (II Peter 3:13). Believers will glorify the Lord as our Redeemer, and as the One who is responsible for the light that eternally shines forth from us in innumerable displays of the infinite Christ. We will forever exist as His "vessels of mercy," and the yearning of our hearts for permanence and significance will carry us along on wave upon wave of joyful fulfillment (Romans 9:23).

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). The universe will never end, although it will one day be purified and made qualitatively new (Psalm 104:5; Revelation 21:1). And we will never end, nor will our existence be without a meaning more profound and significant than we will ever fully understand. God made us for Himself, and for His glory, pleasure and the fulfillment of His will. Indeed, the Apostle Paul exulted that our Lord made and redeemed us in order to shower forth the inexhaustible riches of His kindness upon us (Ephesians 2:7). Those riches are "unsearchable," and thus the giving and receiving will never end (Ephesians 3:8). There is meaning in our life and existence, an eternal meaning which will fill this moment with "joy unspeakable and full of glory" as we open our eyes to see that we were made for forever (I Peter 1:8).

"We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

(II Corinthians 5:10)

"The Word Made Flesh"

God's spiritual doings often come to us in tangible expression and fulfillment.

"The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

One reason the Lord Jesus Christ was made flesh is because our humanity required a revelation of God in a manner we could perceive. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared (revealed) Him" (John 1:18). The same principle presently involves our Lord meeting us spiritually in ways and modes that may seem very earthly. Believers in the Lord Jesus are spiritual beings in the essence of our personhood. "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Romans 8:9). We nevertheless possess souls and bodies inherited from our original forefather Adam, who was "of the earth, earthy" (I Corinthians 15:47). We therefore require the Word to be made flesh, as it were, if we are to consistently perceive God's working in our lives.

For example, we might pray for God's promised provision. "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Certainly He might at times provide in an almost miraculous manner, bestowing on us provision that seems no less heavenly than the manna received by Israel. However, the norm of God's working involves us in the answer to such prayers. Perhaps He leads us to work more, or better. Or He grants wisdom whereby we adjust our stewardship of the things we have. He might simply enable us to think better, and analyze how we can more efficiently and effectively allocate our resources. Finally, He may cause us to be far more "content with such things as ye have," an answer that may often be the most blessed provision of all (Hebrews 13:5).

Such answers to prayer are intensely spiritual, but in "the Word made flesh" dynamic that comprises the very heart of God's eternal purpose in Christ. If we have eyes to see, we rejoice and give thanks, recognizing that our Heavenly Father honors us by involving us in the bestowal of His provision. He "worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure," and we "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12-13). Heaven and earth unite, as in the person of the Lord Jesus, and God is greatly revealed in both realms.

A man came in from the fields one evening, exhausted from the day's labors. With his family, also weary after a day's hard work, he prayed at dinner time, "Dear Father, how You have provided for us in this day! You gave to us life and breath and all things, and You enabled us with the wisdom and strength You provided to work hard in the fields and in the house for the bounty You so abundantly provide. We thank You for this, Father, and we thank You that the tiredness we feel is the vivid evidence that You honored us to be a part of Your supply in Christ. What a joy and privilege, dear Father, and we praise You that this day has so plainly revealed that "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Such is "the Word made flesh," in strength for our labors, and in a joyful heart that sees the Unseen in all things.

"The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead."
(Romans 1:20)

"Why Pray and Read the Bible?"

(Friends: this is a bit longer than usual. Thanks for your patience).

I recently heard a fine Bible teacher say, "Read your Bible and pray every day." I agree very much with the sentiment and content of this encouragement, and I personally seek to fulfill this endeavor.

However, the thought also occurs to me that it is possible to read our Bible and pray every day without the heart, motivation, and intent that makes spiritual activities genuine.


"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).


Why do we read the Bible and pray every day? If this question is not answered rightly, the exercise can actually deceive us into thinking we are relating to God when we are not. We must therefore consider both proper and improper motivations for seeking to personally commune with our Heavenly Father through His Word, and through the gift of prayer.

First, a mere sense of obligation and duty is not a good reason to read and pray. God has no interest in heartless obedience, as evidenced by a severe rebuke of Israel long ago: "Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things" (Deuteronomy 28:45; 47). "Serve the Lord with gladness" commanded the Psalmist, and believers are called to know "God, our exceeding joy" well enough that we approach Him with heartfelt sincerity (Psalm 43:4).

Our personal need for the Lord and His truth is also not a worthy enough reason to come to Him. Certainly we will avail ourselves to His supply as we read and pray, and God loves our requests and petitions. Such seeking also reveals that we are aware of our great need for trusting the Lord Jesus Christ in all things, a very good thing. However, merely coming to have our needs met can actually be the fruit of the flesh and its self-centered lust. God's abundant giving to us is based on far greater motivations and purposes than merely making us feel full and happy (although that is often the proper and joyful result). The glory of His Son and the blessing of others through us are far more His intent, and at the end of the day, far more the joy of our Christ-inhabited spirits.

Finally, we must be very careful that we do not read the Bible and pray for public display. Our communion with God is meant to be a very personal matter, and overmuch testimony and talk of "what God showed me in the Bible," or "God answered this or that prayer" is often a greater indication of desiring the praise of men than of true relationship with our Lord. The Pharisees were roundly chastened by the Lord Jesus for such unreality: "When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:5-6).

What are the proper motivations for reading the Bible and praying every day? One word answers this question (although the expressions and implications of the simplicity are infinite). Love. We read the Bible and pray because God loves us, and we love Him. "The prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8). Amazingly, our fellowship is a precious thing to our Heavenly Father, so much so that He gave His beloved Son to the cross of Calvary to make it possible. Understanding the wonder that we matter so much to God will birth within us a sense of belovedness that fuels our desire to bless the One who has so blessed us. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). Love begets love, and the more we understand the Bible's ongoing teaching of the love of God for us, the more we long to walk in the love of us for God.

The motivation is, of course, far more than simply emotional. It is deeply spiritual if properly grasped, and thus a matter of the most heartfelt conviction. We find ourselves enabled to make self-sacrificial choices as a matter of desire rather than obligation, and to commune with God because we increasingly realize that the heart of our being is God-centered and saturated. Indeed, conviction is a trait of true love that is often not considered enough, and leads to a trusting obedience that fills with the heart with a sensibility of rightness that may actually transcend emotion.

Finally, such motivation of love results in genuine desire to glorify and honor the Lord Jesus. Again, this does not mean that we often talk about our personal and private times of communion with Him. It rather involves the fact that relating to God changes us into His likeness. "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18). Moses came down from the mount with his face shining with the light of God (Exodus 34:29-35). In an ever greater spiritual expression, our character, nature, disposition, and actions will reflect the fact of the One with whom we most live our lives. "They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Honoring our Lord will be the natural result of time spent in His Word and prayer, and for the believer amazed by the love of God, and who desires to love Him in return, no greater result can be imagined.

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
(Psalm 16:11)

"Beyond the Dog"

When the wicked seek the harm of God's trusting sons and daughters in Christ, the greatest danger to us is that we will respond in a manner that puts us at odds with His nature, character, and will.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48).

Ever and always, the glory and will of God are paramount in our existence. All other considerations are secondary, including our perceived well being. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29). The truest "well being" of believers is to trust and obey God. Our attitude, motive, and outward response to attacks must first and foremost reflect response to God, as opposed to reaction to those who attack us. If we respond in kind, we forget or deny who the Lord Jesus was in His earthly lifetime, and who He now is in us as He dwells within us by His Spirit. "The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also... The sufferings of Christ abound in us" (John 15:20; II Corinthians 1:5).

When God lengthens the leash of our enemies to challenge us in whatever manner, we must look beyond the barking, snarling, teethbaring dog to the One whose tether ultimately controls the extent of our exposure. The Bible is filled with the enemies of God falling into their own traps when the Lord's people submit unto Him, and His way has not changed in our day. "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands... Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." (Psalm 9:16; I Peter 4:19). God's lengthening of the leash is always prelude to our enemies paving the way for greater glories and experience of our Lord's person, presence, power, and provision as we walk in His character and Scripturally prescribed response.

As have every generation of Christians, we are living in days when unbelievers are acting toward us in ways we should expect. They are being what they are. More importantly, however, God remains who He is, and we remain who we are in relationship to Him. We must act accordingly, again, responding first and foremost to our Heavenly Father rather than reacting to our enemies. He will keep our hearts safe in His care as we do, even as He may allow the outer courts of our being to be tossed in tempest. Any other response will place us at odds with Him, and we will find His loving chastening to be a far more formidable challenge than anything our enemies can foist upon us.

"For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."
(Hebrews 12:4)

"Fewer and Better"

"When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7).

The quality of our communion with God is more important than the quantity. Our prayers are to be "effectual," and thus directed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God (James 5:16). Mere prayer for prayer's sake is an empty exercise that may do more harm than good, tempting us to believe that our relating to God is real when it is actually little more than ritual.

A few words of genuine prayer are more consequential than millions uttered as rote and ritual, or as a means of convincing ourselves that we are fulfilling an obligation to God. Such motivation results in idle chatter that is as meaningless to God as it would be to any loved one who perceives our words to lack heart and substance. We are not heard for our "much speaking," but rather for our coming to God through the way He has made, the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit's working in us to produce authentic relationship with our Heavenly Father.

At the end of history, we may discover that very few prayed very much, and of those who prayed very much, very few prayed very well. One of the foundational Biblical truths of prayer is that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Romans 8:26). Humble confession of our weakness in the matter is therefore a primary understanding that leads and enables genuine communion with God. Trusting in the Holy Spirit's guidance is also vital, and then a great sense of awe and seriousness must govern our awareness that God calls us to living relationship with Him. Fewer and better words will likely be the fruit of such understanding, and a more consistent practice of approaching the throne of God in a manner more satisfying to Him, and to ourselves.

"The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much."
(James 5:16)

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us."
(I John 5:14)

"Forgiveness, In the Light of Calvary"

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels (hearts) of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Colossians 3:12-13).

When a fellow believer in the Lord Jesus Christ sins against us, we will have an initial human response to the offense. We will feel things emotionally and perhaps even physically, and it is not wrong that we do. God has made our humanity to respond to stimuli, both positively and negatively, and we establish a false standard of godliness if we believe that a stoic response to offenses is required of us. "Be ye angry, and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26).

What we do with the response is the great issue. Through faith and submission to God our discomfort becomes an opportunity to glorify Him and accomplish His will in a particularly blessed manner. Believers are "vessels of mercy," and the determination to act accordingly toward offenders reveals the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ in vivid display (Romans 9:23).

Such response is not human. Vengeance is the chosen way of the flesh, and the smiting of our offender's cheek rather than the turning of our own. How then do we "overcome evil with good?" (Romans 12:21). The answer begins with remembrance of truth, especially the truth of who our Lord is in the most foundational element of His relationship to us.

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13).

When a fellow believer sins against us, we do well to remember that the Lord Jesus died for the particular wrong directed toward us. God has already executed His wrath against our brother's offense by smiting and forsaking His Son on the cross of Calvary. No vengeance is left for us, but rather streams of mercy that flowed from the wounds of Calvary. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven, and remembrance of the price paid for both our sins and the sins of our brother is a powerfully motivating illumination. "Christ died for our sins" (I Corinthians 15:3).

This is only the first step in the process of forgiveness as taught by Scripture. It is vital, however, because it establishes the attitude of heart that will direct our steps of restoration and reconciliation. "Come, my brother, let us consider this matter in the light of Calvary, and in the suffering, forsakenness and death our Lord experienced for your sins and mine." Such determination goes far in softening the hearts of both offender and offended, and repentance and forgiveness become far more likely in both parties. Most importantly, the Lord Jesus is honored in an especially vivid way as the mercy of Calvary becomes the mercy of our hearts. Only He can accomplish such a wonder in us, and as we walk accordingly, it becomes more and more evident that "God is in you of a truth" (I Corinthians 14:25).

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
(Ephesians 4:32)

"Beautiful Heart"

"How great is His beauty!" (Zechariah 9:17).

The existence of beautiful things presupposes an even more beautiful Heart that made them. I think of this often when considering the wonders of creation, and the existence also of our capacity to appreciate them.

"God... giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (I Timothy 6:17). Our Creator is fully aware of the beauty of His person, nature, character, and way. He is glad to be who and what He is, so glad, in fact, that He created a race of angelic and human beings to experience the wonder of His goodness. This speaks even more of the beautiful Heart, that despite God's perfect fulfillment in and of Himself, He nevertheless desires the existence of other hearts to know and enjoy His glory.

Our direct experience of such glory is limited at present, as we "see through a glass, darkly" (I Corinthians 13:12). The trusting heart in the Lord Jesus Christ can nevertheless experience the beauty of God to the degree that our hearts are filled to overflow. "Joy unspeakable and full of glory" is how the Apostle Peter termed the ongoing response of those who know the Lord Jesus, and who live in expectation that every day promises the wonder of God to be revealed in countless ways (I Peter 1:8). A sunrise or a sunset, the smile of a loved one, an illumination of Scripture, the opportunity to self sacrificially love, remembrance of Calvary - all and infinitely more of such displays of the beautiful Heart grace us with the very reason for our creation. God made us to know Him as He is, and to inevitably be amazed by His wonder to the degree that we love Him and desire to "let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us" (Psalm 90:17).

Life in Christ is a gallery of sublime art, painted, sculpted, composed, and joyfully springing forth from a sublime Heart. It is meant to be admired, appreciated, and apprehended for the purposes of leading us ever onward into the love of God. He is the essential beauty of all things, and for the eye that will see, the mind that will consider, and the heart that will know and appreciate, a life of wonder is to be fully expected. This day offers the possibility, and let us not fail to anticipate that an exhibition of the beautiful Heart will be on display for our rapture and enjoyment. We shall not be disappointed.

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; 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)

"I will praise Thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works."

(Psalm 9:1)

"Known of God"

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:9).

In his question directed toward the Galatians believers tempted by legalism, the Apostle Paul reverses our normal way of viewing those who are related to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rather than, "Do we know the Lord?," Paul raises the more God-centered question, "Does the Lord know us?" Have we approached Him in a manner that assures His reception and acceptance of us? This is a far more consequential issue than our knowledge of Him, and we can only find the answer in accordance with the light and authority of Scripture.

"He hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).

Proper relationship to the Lord Jesus is the only way we can be sure that we are "known of God." We must be in Christ, that is, we must be spiritually united to Him and enrobed in His righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). There can be no trust in our own merit or works, and no notion that we can be received for any reason other than the truth that our Savior was rejected on the cross of Calvary for our sakes. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21) We come by faith, but even more, we come by the grace that provides relationship with God as the freest gift ever given.

Our Heavenly Father's standard of acceptance is His beloved Son. We must either be exactly like Him, or we must be so closely related to Him that His goodness is accounted as our own. The former contingency is impossible; the latter is the Gospel. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). Righteousness, the pristine righteousness of the Lord Jesus, is imputed to all who believe, fulfilling God's standard of acceptance and ushering us into a gift of grace beyond comprehension and description (Romans 4:22-25).

Salvation and subsequent relationship with God involves the awareness that unless He has made a way to Himself, there is no way. "I am the way" declared our Lord of grace (John 14:6). Christ's perfect life, atoning death, and high priestly ministry in the heavens assures all who come by Him that the Father's regard for us will be no less than it is for His beloved Son. "Known of God?" Without a trace of arrogance or audacity, the born again believer in the Lord Jesus affirms that he is received, accepted and regarded. And with a heart overwhelmed by the grace of God, he bows to give the most heartfelt thanks, and then he arises to live a life that honors the One who has so honored him.

"And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

(John 17:22-26)

24/7

There is no down time for born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor are there any times that are to be considered more spiritually important than others.

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain" (Galatians 4:9-11).

The Christian life is exactly that. It is a life. Every thought, word, and action will be accounted for in the day when our deeds are measured according to the standard of the person of the Lord Jesus.

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:12)

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (II Corinthians 10:4:5)

"I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (I Corinthians 3:13-15)

If these passages do not disturb us, we are not reading them carefully enough. The fact that every thought, word, and deed will be judged presents to us a sobering reality. 24/7. All day. Every day. A life, and a lifetime. The Lord Jesus did not give all, nor was He tortured to death and forsaken by God and man to redeem us for merely Sunday mornings, or for special times and seasons. He rather died to make possible a quality of existence wherein we honor God by living always in a manner faithful to His glory and will. We will perfectly fulfill this standard in Heaven after being glorified. On earth, we will not achieve perfection while still living amid the world, the devil, and the flesh. However, we can experience an increasing consistency in faithful obedience as we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." (II Peter 3:18)

24/7. All day. Every day. A life, and a lifetime. Lest we be discouraged by the daunting challenge of this truth, let us remember that the leading, motivation, and power of full-time godliness is of God, and not ourselves. Indeed, we will crash on the rocks of carnality if we believe that we must produce this life ourselves. "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works... it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13). Every godly thought, word, and action of righteousness expressed by us is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He is the life, the strength, and the dynamic motivator of all goodness in us. In that day when the lives of believers are judged, and "every man shall have praise of God," we shall give all glory to our Lord (I Corinthians 4:5). "You were the reason, Lord," we shall exclaim, "You were the life, the power, the wisdom, the motivation, and the love! All glory to God!"

Our Lord is the power of all goodness revealed in us. However, it is also true that we are called to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" by the enabling of His life, power, wisdom, motivation, and love (Philippians 2:12). Godliness does not just happen in believers because our Heavenly Father has called us to a real and freely exercised relationship with Himself. We must respond to Him, and keep ourselves in the environment, as it were, of His reality. "Keep yourselves in the love of God" commanded Jude (Jude 1:21). Our Lord has formed a sublime freedom in our hearts whereby we may or may not trust and obey Him. The use or misuse of this freedom is always ours to determine, or as the Lord Jesus declared, "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." (Luke 12:48)

24/7. All day. Every day. A life, and a lifetime. This truth drives us to our knees, and to our faces in the realization of wasted time and opportunity to know, love, trust, and obey God. But it also raises us up in hope because implicit in the challenge is the glorious truth of a 24/7, all day, everyday, life and lifetime God. If He calls us to such a total consecration of ourselves to Him, it is because of the total consecration of Himself to us. Our Lord is with us and within us always if we have believed, and His power works in us "exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). There is no more joyous thought, and we face the challenge of 24/7 godliness by remembering the promise of our Lord's 24/7 involvement and investment in us...

"He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

(Philippians 1:6)

"The Issue of the Moment"

(Frances wrote the following for her blog,and you will be greatly blessed by it.)

There are many issues that pull and tug at our heart and mind in any given moment. When I look at the news or glance at the paper, I am tempted to be drawn into some of those issues. . . politics, the economy, education, the future of health care. . . So many things call out for our attention, for our dedication, for our passion.

I told my husband today about something I had observed on the television at work. I said "I wish I had a political blog, I'd be writing about that for sure." But that is better left for those who do it much better than I could ever hope to do. It is an issue that is better for me to not delve too deeply into, or I might fall into the abyss and never find my way out.

It reminds me of something I heard a preacher say last week, "There are many issues in our lives today, but there is only one issue for us in this moment. Are we trusting and obeying the Lord in this moment of our lives, that is the issue."

Regardless of the state of economy, whether my bills are paid or are due; regardless of the state of the nation, whether my candidate is in power or not - there is only one question for me. Am I trusting and obeying the Lord in this moment?

Regardless of the state of my health, whether I am in excellent health, or facing a catastrophic illness; regardless of the state of my family, whether it is intact and loving, or torn apart and ravaged --- there is only one question for me. Am I trusting and obeying the Lord in this moment?

If the answer is no, then I can expect no peace, no love, no joy from any sector of my life, because lasting peace and joy and love comes only from trusting and obeying the Lord.

If the answer is yes, then I can know the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I can be filled with the "joy unspeakable and full of glory" and I can rest in the "love of Christ, which passeth knowledge".

So, for this moment and every moment, no matter what the pain that wraps itself around our hearts, no matter what the fear that temps to wrestle with our minds, no matter what the loneliness that tries to sear the depths of our souls, there is only one issue. Am I trusting and obeying the Lord in this moment?

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken;

cast down, but not destroyed"

2 Corinthians 4:8,9

"And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee:

for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, t

hat the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,

in reproaches, in necessities,

in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:

for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 9,10

"We Can Come"

A friend and I have been discussing recently the importance of confidence in God, and also, confidence in our relationship with God.

The former truth is axiomatic in our understanding of Biblical truth. Confidence in our Lord's perfect faithfulness is the heartbeat of our response to His grace and truth. Scripture continually affirms that growing trust in our Heavenly Father energizes us to relate to Him more consistently, and thus to bear the fruit of the Spirit as the holy result. "He that believeth on Me, as the Scriptures hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

Confidence in our relationship with God, on the other hand, is not something we consider as often. It is a vital component nevertheless because regardless of how present, willing, and able we believe our Lord to be, we will not regularly approach Him if we perceive ourselves to be spiritually inept or unqualified. Failure to approach means failure to access the promises and power of God, leading to more and more failure and lukewarmness, and thus perpetuating a sad spiritual cycle of joyless inconsistency.

The relationship with God given to born again believers in the Lord Jesus is far more available to our access and experience than we usually realize. This is because our spiritual success is far more contingent on His faithfulness than on our own. We are "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works," and while our response to His working is real and free and necessary, it is always the fruit of growing awareness and understanding of His devotion (Ephesians 2:10). "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). This blessed dynamic of God capturing our heart by unveiling to us His own is the motivating illumination whereby "we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18).

Such truth ever beckons us to the throne of grace, and then sends us forth renewed, cleansed, energized, and changed. Sins are forgiven if we come in faith and the acknowledgement of our unbelief and disobdience. Discouragement dissolves as the willingness and enabling of God shine forth to assure that He is "for us" (Romans 8:31). We are changed into His likeness by beholding His likeness. And the more we come, the more we realize that we can come so long as we approach through the merits not of ourselves, but of the person and work of the Lord Jesus. We grow in confidence concerning our Christ-enabled access and freely given relationship with God, and a wonderful cycle of joyful consistency is established.

The New Testament redounds with glories our Lord declares He has already done for us and within us. As the Apostle Paul prayed for Philemon, the more we acknowledge "every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus," the more effectual our fellowship with God will become in our everyday lives (Philemon 1:6). Confidence in Him, and confidence in the relationship with Him established by His grace in the Lord Jesus - both blessed truths pave the path to the throne of God, and from the throne of God. Let us rejoice in both, and behold both paths becoming well worn as the days of our lives are more and more lived in the freely given and maintained gift of relationship with our blessed Lord.

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

(II Peter 1:3)

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

(Hebrews 10:19-22)

"The Will of God, Then and Now"

"The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens;

and His kingdom ruleth over all"

(Psalm 103:19).

"After this manner therefore, pray ye...

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven"

(Matthew 6:10).

We are awaiting the day when the will of God is accomplished on earth as it is in Heaven.

In the heavens, God's throne is fully established, and "His kingdom ruleth over all." On earth, however, the wicked and the righteous are allowed to disobey the will of God. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to pray that the will of God will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.

Such praying has both immediate and long term implications. In the ultimate sense, we are longing for that time when righteousness shall cover the earth, and sin will be no more. Born again believers look to the establishment of our Lord's reign as we pray "Thy kingdom come," recognizing that in the mystery and perfection of His way, God allows much at the present time that contradicts His character, nature, and will. This will not be the case in eternity, when every knee shall have bowed to the Son of God, and every tongue will have confessed that He is Lord (Philippians 2:11).

The immediate application concerns the will of God today, as effected in our own lives, and the lives of those to whom we minister. Are we earnestly praying and trusting God in this very hour that the Holy Spirit will enable us to obey God? And are we seeking His enabling to lead others to do the same? There is no greater issue in our lives, and in the absolute sense, there is no other issue. Faith and obedience are paramount because they are the chief expressions of fulfilling the first and great command - "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37).

We can and should pray for that day when God's will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. However, we can effect His will right now through the power of the Holy Spirit concerning the piece of earth that is our humanity. We can acknowledge that our bodies belong to God for the fulfillment of His will (Romans 12:1-2). We can through the Spirit put to death the fleshly impulses that lead to unbelief and disobedience (Romans 8:13). We can keep our bodies under submission to the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul declared of his own (I Corinthians 9:27). And we can rejoice that obedience to God is the delight of our redeemed hearts because the Spirit of the Lord Jesus now dwells within us (Romans 7:22). We can obey God by His enabling, and know that in every act of faithful obedience, we are foreshadowing a glory to come in which we shall perfectly "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father" (Matthew 13:43).

"Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:

a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;

therefore God, even Thy God,

hath anointed Thee

with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
(Hebrews 1:8-9)

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:

but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him;

for we shall see Him as he is."
(I John 3:2)

"As Christ Forgave"

"As Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Colossians 3:13).

No command of the New Testament more reveals our need for the enabling power of God than our calling to forgive others as the Lord Jesus Christ forgave us.

"Without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).

When a born again Christian believer feels that he cannot forgive an offender, he reveals a deeper truth about himself. He is looking to his earthly humanity for the willingness and strength to bestow mercy rather than to the Spirit of God. Such misdirected focus always assures failure because, according to the Apostle Paul, "in my flesh dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18). We possess no inherent human capacity for any fulfillment of the will of God, a truth that particularly hits home as we seek to forgive as did the Lord Jesus. Vengeance rather than mercy is the way of the flesh, and the holy path of forgiveness commands that we talk our shoes off because we cannot in and of ourselves walk in this blessed way.

We can, however, through the presence and power of the Spirit of Christ, who "worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). The calling to forgive is the calling to trust God, as is every command of Scripture. The acknowledgment of our native weakness prepares us to affirm His native power, and amazingly, to confess with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 2:13). "I cannot!... I can, through Christ!" - this is the dynamic transaction of trust whereby we are governed not by the inability of our flesh, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, no challenge will more reveal our need for such acknowledgment than the matter of forgiveness, and perhaps in your experience and mine just now, the calling rings within our hearts.

Even more rings the assurance. If we have believed, our quickened spirits have become the scene of the presence and dynamic working of the Spirit of the forgiving Lord Jesus. "I am thy God, I will strengthen thee" (Isaiah 41:10). Our Lord is with us and within us to reveal the same literal delight for mercy that rules His blessed heart (Micah 7:18; Romans 7:22). The first step of forgiveness is to believe this blessed Gospel truth, and then to be amazed as we find ourselves bestowing mercy rather than vengeance by an enabling power that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt is not of ourselves.

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
(Ephesians 3:20)