Saturday, April 29, 2017

The Saturday Series - 12 - “The God of Detail”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(Friends:  Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto.  I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you.  Glen).


The Saturday Series - 12

"The God of Detail"     
  
   
    God intimately and intricately involves Himself in everything that exists.  

   "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?  Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?   If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10).
   

   To say that our Lord is the God of detail grossly understates the truth.  All things teem with His living and involved presence.  We can venture to no destination wherein our Lord is not actively engaged, "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3).  "God is… God is here… God is working" - these facts comprise the reality of all things, all places, all circumstances, situations, and conditions.  "God.. worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:3; 11).  Of course, we don't see the vast majority of His doings, nor are we constantly aware of His living presence.  "We walk by faith, not by sight" in our present existence (II Corinthians 5:7).  Thus, most of our Lord's reality goes unnoticed, whether by oversight or inability to perceive and understand.  The most godly among us see relatively little of the pervasive presence and working of God in His creation.

   We don't have to miss all, however.  The new birth grants to us new vision of God and His involvement in all things (John 3:3).  This includes our lives.  "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  As we walk by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit grants insight into many of God's doings.  Consistent reading of the Bible prepares us to see, and the fellowship of believers encourages and challenges us to remember that our Lord comprises the great fact and reality of our lives.  Nothing escapes His attention, nor can anything escape His presence and involvement.  He works in creation, in His trusting children, and in all things to fulfill His ultimate purpose of honoring and revealing His Son (Romans 1:20; Philippians 2:13; Proverbs 16:4).  He is the God of detail, the Father so interested in the things made by His Son that every aspect of creation serves as His place of presence and involvement.   This is truth and reality, overwhelming in its concept, but wonderfully blessed in its bestowal of peace to all who open their eyes to see and believe that God is… God is here… God is working."

"The whole earth is full of His glory."
(Isaiah 6:3)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
   

Friday, April 28, 2017

“The Essence of Worship”

"The Essence of Worship"             
     
   Over the years,  the song time in church services has become increasingly referred to as the "worship" portion of the meeting.   The Bible, however, teaches that while song can certainly be an expression of worship, it is not synonymous with it.  

   "All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name" (Psalm 66:4).

   The Psalmist reveals that a correlation can exist between worship and music.  It often does.  Still, worship and music are not one and the same thing.   The former transcends the latter by a large degree in importance and necessity.  Indeed, one can worship without singing, and one can sing without worshipping.  This does not minimize the blessing of song, nor does it imply disregard to the command, "Sing unto the Lord, o ye saints of His" (Psalm 30:4).  As one who leads the singing of thousands of hymns each year, I rejoice in the joy of musical expression to our Lord.  What a gift to our hearts, and as I frequently mention in song times, "Can you imagine a life without music?"  Indeed, those who lose their hearing in life all attest that one of the greatest difficulties experienced in such loss involves the absence of hearing song and singing.  Nevertheless, the truth remains that worship and music must not be viewed as synonymous.

   Worship, in its essence, should rather be defined in accordance with its first mention in Scripture.

   "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" (Genesis 22:5).

   No Biblical record exists of Abraham and Isaac singing as they ventured to the mount of sacrifice.  They rather journeyed for the purpose of trusting and obeying God.  This is worship in its bare essence, a devotion that sometimes involves music, but often does not.  Abraham and Isaac worshipped without singing.  The emotional extremity of the moment likely precluded such an expression.  Abraham obeyed God, Isaac did not struggle, and the Lord provided one of the most beautiful Biblical foreshadowings of God sacrificing Christ, and of Christ being "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phillipians 2:8).  Indeed, Calvary witnessed the greatest act of worship that has or will ever occur.  "Not My will, but Thine be done" said our Savior to His Father before journeying into the mount of sacrifice (Luke 22:42).  This is worship in its holy essence, which occurred with no record of song or singing.

   I love music.  I sing it.  I play it.  I compose it.  But I do not mistake it for worship.  Certainly we can worship by singing, even as battered Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God in their prison (Acts 16:25).  However, we can also sing the finest hymns with the most seemingly ardent feelings of devotion, but not approach the true altar of worship.  As with Abraham and Isaac, worship involves God calling us to trust and obey Him at whatever cost by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes we will sing as we worship, and sometimes we won't.  Most importantly, let us never equate the essence of worship with anything other than God-enabled faith and faithfulness.

"And Jesus answered and said unto Him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
(Luke 4:8)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
   

Thursday, April 27, 2017

"The Number of the Stars"

"The Number of the Stars"            
     
   "He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:4-5).

   Astronomers estimate the number of stars in the universe to be nearly incalculable.  The count increases as the years go by and God's creation is discovered to be of much greater dimension.  However, vast as it may be and whatever the number of the stars, this we know - they all have names, and our Lord made every one of  them with specific reasons for their existence.

    This requires infinite understanding.  Regardless of creation's magnitude and complexity, it remains lesser than it's Creator.  Thus, the growing statistics regarding the universe results in a growing revelation of God's greatness:  "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).  Every advance in scientific knowledge further unveils our Lord's wonder, which makes the rejection of God by so many who discover Him in creation all the more tragic.  As A.W. Tozer wrote, "Modern man bows to examine the creation rather than worship the Creator."  We should actually do both since God's "invisible things" shine forth in "the things that are made."

    For the believer, our Lord's immeasurable greatness leads to opportunities for faith.  Nothing in our lives begins to outweigh God's ability to analyze and apply His infinite wisdom to deal with our challenges.  Of course, He works according to His wisdom regarding both the nature and timing of His supply, and we frequently find ourselves called to "wait on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).  Nevertheless, we can be sure of His greatness applied in the lives of all who trust Him.  His Word bears witness, and the vast number of worlds He made echoes the truth.  "His understanding is infinite," as revealed by the stars He named, and the perfection of His ways in our lives.

"He made the stars also."
(Genesis 1:16)
"The very hairs of your head are all numbered."
(Matthew 10:30)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
  

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

"The Overflowing Cup"

"The Overflowing Cup"           
     
   You've heard the old adage: some people view the cup as half full, and some as half empty.  Neither applies to born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

  "My cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5).

   Whatever our personality traits and disposition, our Heavenly Father calls us to overcome our natural inclinations by replacing them with the truth of His Word.  The Lord Jesus Christ promised abundant life to all who trust in Him (John 10:10).  Whether we experience such overflowing bounty depends on our chosen confidence in God and His truth.  The more we know our Lord, the more we experience the superlatives of grace so frequently affirmed in the Bible.

   "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20).
   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
   "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).
   "Things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (I Corinthians 3:22-23).
   "Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Peter 1:7-8).

   The list could go on and on regarding the overflowing cup of goodness provided to God's trusting children.  We cannot fully imagine the extent of such grace, nor can we ask in terms that match the provision God purposes to supply in Christ.  I rejoice in such truth because my natural disposition strongly tends toward the "cup half empty" perspective.  Earlier this morning, I thanked our Heavenly yet again for leading me to faith in His Son because I cannot imagine the depths of despair into which I would have plummeted without the Lord Jesus.  I still face the challenge of my natural tendencies, but the Holy Spirit continues His faithful work to remind me of the overflowing cup.  We do not always feel as if such Truth is true, and outward evidence may seem to belie the abundance of Christ.  Indeed, sometimes the cup seems not only half empty, but completely desolate and shattered on the floor.  We therefore "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  God's promise is certain, His provision abundant, and we must rejoice in His love that "passeth knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).

   Somewhere in this moment, some believer sees a cup that for all the world looks empty and even shattered.  The Spirit of God and the Word of God, however, proclaim that the cup overflows regardless of evidence, emotion, or natural disposition.  Perhaps through tears, that believer opens the eyes of the heart to see the the overflowing cup despite every appearance or feeling to the contrary.  Whatever our natural tendency, we overcome by faith in the grace of God that "much more abounds" (Romans 5:20).

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;  that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
(Titus 3:4-7)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

“Trails In My Heart”

"Trails In My Heart"            
     
   I think about him often, although I never really knew him.  He passed away when I was two, and my only memories of him may actually be things I heard about him from family members.

   I reference my earthly father, Glen C. Davis Sr.  He suffered a heart attack at 37 related to a congenital issue that challenged him for much of his life.  His passing greatly affected my life, and to this day, I have no doubt that my father's absence during my formative years bears influence.  I was blessed with a mother who made incredible sacrifices for me after my father died, and I have no complaints whatsoever about my childhood.  God has been amazingly good to me.  However, not having my father with me in those years left trails in my heart upon which I still sometimes travel.

   The main path involves relationship with my Heavenly Father.  I have no doubt whatsoever that He used the void left after my earthly father's passing to lead me to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when I was 18.  The details are unimportant as to how this occurred.  I'm just grateful that it happened.  And I see more clearly than ever that the emptiness I felt caused me to seek something - Someone - to fill it.  How grateful I am that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ occupied the void , and will forever remain with me as His gift of the most undeserved grace.  "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him" (Colossians 3:17).

   A thorn still pricks somewhere deep in my heart when I think of Glen C. Davis Sr.  I didn't really know him, but his influence remains in terms of both the little time I had with him, and the much time I've had without him.  That influence paved the most important trail in my heart, the one upon which my Heavenly Father traveled to make His way to me.  He is the Father I have known more, and who I need to know so much better.  So, when I think of my earthly father, I give thanks for him in the knowledge that both his presence and his absence remains one of the greatest influences of my life.  Our Heavenly Father works this way, weaving both the blessings and the challenges into His loving purposes.  What a Father He is, and how blessed are all the children in Christ with whom He will live forever.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
(James 1:17)
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."
(I John 3:1)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
   

Monday, April 24, 2017

"The Right Track"

"The Right Track"               
     
   Born again believers in the Lord Jesus remain in need for both confirmation and correction throughout our lifetime.

   "This is the way.  Walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21).
   "For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom He delighteth" (Proverbs 3:12).

   Our need for  knowing whether we are on the right track must lead to an ongoing prayerful discourse with our Heavenly Father.  We consistently approach Him with the request for His examination of our hearts, ways, and words.  David's well known request in the 139th Psalm provides the clearest Biblical expression of this humble acknowledgment  of our need: 

    "Search me, o God, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts.  See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).  

    David recognized his lack of self-awareness.  Only the Lord sees the quality of both our intentions and our actions to determine whether they fulfill the standard of His love in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must join the Psalmist in consistently requesting God's searching.  Our Lord will lead us to His Word, the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, and the directed thinking whereby we better determine spiritual authenticity.  The Apostle Paul referenced this subject in terms of "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5).  We do well to daily seek our Heavenly Father's searching of our thoughts, attitudes, words, and deeds.  He is perfectly faithful in confirming and correcting, and we must be increasingly faithful in requesting the examination.  We want to know when we are right, and while correction can be difficult, it also delivers us from dangers we may or may not realize await us.

   Other than God Himself, the most difficult person to truly know is ourselves.  "For that which I do, I allow (understand) not" admitted Paul (Romans 7:15).  We all must confess the same.  Acknowledging the challenge we face regarding the awareness of ourselves must lead us to the One who perfectly knows us.  "Thou God seest me" (Genesis Genesis 16:13).  Only thereby will we discover whether we travel upon the right track, or whether we need redirection.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
(Proverbs 14:12)
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)

Weekly Memory Verse 
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)
   
  

Saturday, April 22, 2017

"The Saturday Series" -11- "He Delighteth In Mercy"


(Friends:  Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto.  I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you.  Glen).


The Saturday Series - 11

"He Delighteth In Mercy"     
  
  
   
    God's merciful heart of willingness to forgive offers one of the most beautiful expressions of His nature, character, and way.

    "He delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18).

    God loves to bestow mercy, so much so that the Lord Jesus Christ declared, "Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:7).  In fact, our Heavenly Father so desires to forgive that He gave His beloved Son to a cross of shame, agony, forsakenness and death in order make possible the provision of mercy.  Thereby, at the greatest cost to Himself, He remained "just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).  God cannot simply forgive by determination.  He must remain faithful to Himself and His nature.  Thus, He executed the necessary wrath and judgment against the Lord Jesus so that He might execute the pardon of mercy toward us.  "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 5:20).

  What a Heart, a heart of the most amazing wonder of gracious tendermercies!  The truth shines all the more brightly because it stands in such contrast to our merciless nature.  Left to ourselves, no trace of mercy would be found along the bloody pathways of human existence.  We do not naturally forgive.  We rather seek vengeance against even the smallest offense.  Only the merciful influence of the Lord Jesus in the world provides the concept that forgiveness rather then revenge should characterize our response to wrongs committed against us.  The Bible's revelation of Divine mercy illuminates the darkness, educating all regarding the superiority of pardon over vengeance.  The Holy Spirit bears witness, and our Lord also calls His trusting children in Christ to proclaim that "His tendermercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9).  Indeed, no character trait of Christ in us more reveals the reality and redemption of God than our bearing the merciful heart that comes naturally to God, but supernaturally to us.  "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).

   God loves to forgive.  He delights in mercy.  I've written and spoken those sentences hundreds of times over the years.  I've thought about them even more.  I always find my heart stilled by the contemplation, and then overwhelmed.  I feel that right now, and I hope you do.  No truth more reveals the goodness of God, and no light more illuminates the sublime beauty of His character, nature, and way.  At the greatest cost to Himself, the God of mercy made a way of mercy for us through the Lord Jesus.  How indeed He must love to forgive.  How He must delight in mercy.  And how He must love and delight in us.  "He delighteth in mercy."

"There is forgiveness with Thee."
(Psalm 130:4)
"For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee."
(Psalm 86:5)


Weekly Memory Verse

   Weekly Memory Verse

   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   
   
   



Friday, April 21, 2017

"I Know Me!"

"I Know Me!"             

    
   Many years ago, I spoke to a young man, a believer, about the indwelling power of Christ that enables born again believers to walk in faith and faithfulness.  The young man listened intently, nodded his head in agreement, but finally hung his head in exasperation.  "I know that what you're saying is true, Sir," he said.  "But I also know me!"

   No, he didn't.  I appreciated the man's honesty, and we've all felt the same sense of frustration he expressed.  However, the believing young man really didn't know himself.  He rather knew his flesh.
   
      "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Romans 8:9).  
      "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).  
       
   Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ births a "new man, created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).  The essence of our identity changes from fleshly to spiritual when we believe.  "With the mind, I myself serve the law of God" declared the Apostle Paul (Romans 7:25).  We are not who we used to be.  We retain our fleshly members and faculties, which can lead us to walk in ways contrary to God's will.    "The flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Galatians 5:17).  However, as Paul directly states, we are no longer "in the flesh."  We are rather enlivened spiritual beings inhabited by the Spirit of Christ.  "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (I Corinthians 6:17).  Our earthly members and faculties, inherited from Adam, remain a part of our being and can control us through ignorance and unbelief.  However, they can no longer be the "me" whom Scripture identifies as the essence of our being.  This "new creature" bears the nature of Christ because the Spirit of Christ dwells with and within our hearts.  This is who God sees us as being, and who He commands that we affirm as our "me."  "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11).

   Without realizing it, the young man had succumbed to a devilish lie that inevitably paralyzes consistency in walking with the Lord.  Just as salvation does not occur until we believe the truth about Christ and our sinful selves, so do the abundant fruits of salvation await our faith in Christ and His union with our redeemed and resurrected selves.  If we are not that "new man, created in righteousness and true holiness," we have no hope for faithfulness to God.  Moreover, we provide ourselves with excuses for sin and failure.  "I know me!" bemoaned the young man.  No, he didn't.  I hope he does now, and I surely sought to help him know himself, as God declares in His Word.  Many years later, I also find myself needing further growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and the awareness of myself as united to Him.  May the Lord illuminate us all in the glory of so great a Savior, both in the new birth, and in the "new man" born thereby.

"Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light."
(Ephesians 5:8)

Weekly Memory Verse
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   
 

Thursday, April 20, 2017

“The Redemption of the Heart”

"The Redemption of the Heart"         

   You've heard the old adage, "The only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history."  There's much truth in the thought, whether in personal, individual terms, or regarding the human race as a whole.  This reflects a plainly stated Biblical declaration:

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

   Humanity's great problem involves not the education of the mind, but rather the redemption of the heart.  This is not to minimize the value of learning.  "With all thy getting, get understanding" counseled Solomon (Proverbs 4:7).  However, we can fill our minds with facts, organize them into understanding, and still find ourselves groping in the darkness of repeating the same mistakes over and over again.  To truly live requires spiritual regeneration, reformation, and rebirth.  The Spirit of God must take residence within us for the purpose of initiating and executing an ongoing work of spiritual and moral change.  "Ye must be born again" declared the Lord Jesus (John 3:7).  Regarding our current consideration, emphasize the word "must."  Only the salvation of Christ makes possible our learning from history, that is, our transformational discovery of those paths that lead to life, and those that lead to death.  "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).

   The work of heart change involves progress and growth in our present lifetime rather than perfection.  Believers still sometimes repeat the same mistakes despite the active working of God's Spirit in our hearts.  We've all found ourselves coming to the Lord to yet again confess a sin that we've committed before.  No excuses.  We should have known better.  We should have learned.  But we do at times fall into the same pit that felled us in the past.  Thankfully, a merciful and patient Lord lifts us up yet again as we look to Him in repentance and confession.  "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1).  Moreover, He always works in us that we might learn from our history of both success and failure.  The progress may seem slow and sometimes even imperceptible.  It continues nevertheless as the Lord fulfills His promise: "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

   History teaches us.  We do well to illuminate our minds accordingly.  However, we do better to heed Solomon's command to "keep thy heart with all diligence."  This we accomplish by directing our hearts to the One who diligently works to change our innermost being into the likeness of His Son: "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).  Only God can change who and what we most deeply are.  The new birth began such grace.  The indwelling Holy Spirit continues the process, and we can be sure of His perfect faithfulness to help us learn from history, but even more, to execute the conforming of our hearts into the likeness of Christ.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He did foreknow, He did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
(Romans 8:28-29)

Weekly Memory Verse
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   
  
 

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

"I Will" Part 2

"I Will"             


Part 2        


     "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
 (Philippians 2:12-13)

    
   Do we believe the Apostle Paul's affirmation that our Lord works in His trusting children "to will and to do?"  How we answer this question influences whether or not we consistently experience the power of the Holy Spirit's moving within us to motivate and enable obedience to God.  

   We all feel and sense impulses and desires contrary to our Lord's will.  "The flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Galatians 5:17).  Moreover, we sometimes perceive little desire in our hearts for faith and faithfulness.  However, regardless of whether we feel, sense, or believe that our Lord works in us to will and to do, He faithfully fulfills His Word. "God… cannot lie" (Titus 1:2).  Our calling therefore involves believing the truth regardless of emotional or sensory perceptions.  God's doings for us and in us continue  whether or not we perceive or believe them.  He calls us to a life of willing to do His will.  He assures is that He will work in us accordingly.  We must affirm that the Holy Spirit is present and actively engaged in our hearts to fulfill His role of grace, and enable our role of faith.  

  Paul's declaration regarding God's working in us to will and do constitutes one of the most under believed promises of the Bible.  We tend to base our perception of desire on feelings and experience rather than on Truth.  Our spiritual enemies seek to discourage or keep us ignorant of our Lord's ongoing infusion of motivating power to do His will.  We overcome by faith, believing the Word of God in the face of all that may contradict.  Yes, in this moment and forevermore, the Spirit of God works in us to will and do of our Lord's good pleasure.  Whether we sense such working or not, the dynamic process of grace continues in accordance with God's perfect faithfulness.  Our Heavenly Father beckons us to believe, and thus to experience the fulfillment of His promise and presence in our Spirit-indwelt hearts.

"I delight in the law of God after the inward man...  ... So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God."
(Romans 7:22; 25)

Weekly Memory Verse
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

"I Will"

"I Will"                     


     It wasn't that long ago in Western culture that you could ask someone how he was feeling, and perhaps receive a noncommittal response.  "How am I feeling?  To be honest, I haven't had time to think about that.  But I'll tell you what.  If I have a chance after I make sure there will be food on the table today, I'll consider that and let you know!" 

   "I will take heed to my ways" (Psalm 39:1).

   Life primarily involves "I will" rather than "I feel."  This does not discount the fact or importance of emotional and physical sensation.  It matters how we feel, both to God and ourselves (and also to those who love us).  It just does not and cannot matter most.  Those whose actions flow from feeling rather than conviction will never achieve consistency regarding either peace in the heart, or performance with the hands.  This particularly applies to spiritual matters.  God grants many moments of gladness, and calls us to serve Him accordingly (Psalm 100:2).  However, the Christian life also involves feelings of sorrow and disturbance.  "My sorrow was stirred" (Psalm 39:2).  Our Heavenly Father calls us to trust and obey Him on both happy mountaintops and in sad valleys.  Thus, "I will" rather than "I feel" must always remain paramount in our determinations to honor, trust, and obey the Lord.

   "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).

  Note the Apostle Paul's clear affirmation of the truth we consider - "to will and to do."  Our doings are meant to flow from our willings, which themselves originate in the Holy Spirit's motivating work in our hearts.  By His presence and enabling, we can fulfill the will of God regardless of how we feel.  Some of the greatest experiences of true fulfillment occur when we join Paul in emphasizing choices of the heart rather than feelings of the emotions and body.  Our present existence in a fallen world demands that we must install "I will" as the governing influence of our doings, in response to God's gracious working in us.  Great peace awaits as we recognize and respond to this Truth that flows against the deceptions of modern culture, but with the designs of our Lord's eternal purpose in Christ.

"I will love Thee, o Lord my strength!"
(Psalm 18:1)

Weekly Memory Verse
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   
  
 

Monday, April 17, 2017

"What Music We Can Make!"

"What Music We Can Make!"        
        

     The standard of life and righteousness to which God calls us is "higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26).

    "Walk even as He walked" (I John 2:6).

    Upon the surface, such a calling seems absurdly beyond our capacities.  To walk as the Lord Jesus Christ walked?  Any consideration of His character, nature, and way according to the light of Scripture drives us to our knees in helplessness and hopelessness.  The quality of our Savior's life transcends our abilities to the utmost degree.  To think as He thought?  To speak as He spoke?  To act as He acted?  To self sacrificially love as He loved?  "Impossible!" we must all respond.  And we are right.  How can dust live up to the standard of the Divine?   Impossible, and yet

 The command nevertheless beckons - "Walk, even as He walked."  The answer to this seeming impossibility lies in the blessed truth that God calls us to live not in accordance with our own abilities and capacities, but rather by His.  "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10).  The Scottish author James Stewart beautifully illustrates this grace:

   ""For what Christ has done is to make us feel, at all the gateways of our nature, the pressure and bombardment of the infinite energies of a world unseen.  He has shown us how our little life, with unsearchable riches to draw upon, can be reinforced beyond all calculation.  I may not be able to fight down some evil thing.  But if Christ were here, He could.  So then, if Christ is in me, He can.  This transfusion of spirit and energy is really possible...  If Mozart were in you, what music you could make!  That cannot be.  But here is something that can: if Christ were in you, what a life you could live!  This is faith's logic.  God wants you to know that you can rise above the level of your limitations.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

   God does not call His children to make bricks without straw.  He rather inhabited us when we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, infusing us with "the infinite energies of a world unseen."  Do we believe this to be true?  Even a cursory reading of the New Testament demands that we affirm "the unsearchable riches of Christ" as the power for living this day (Ephesians 3:8).  Do we emotionally or physically feel the power of such enabling?  Have we heretofore always lived accordingly?  Do we naturally expect to walk in accordance with God's strength, as opposed to our own limited abilities?  Certainly we do not.  However, Scripture calls us to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  Regardless what happened in the past, how we feel in the present, or what the future looks like according to our natural perspective, our Heavenly Father calls us to believe that our Mozart, as it were, dwells within us to make the most beautiful music.  We cannot change the past, nor do we know what the future holds.  Through Christ, however, we can trust and submit to God today in the confidence that He will enable us to walk in the joy, peace, and power of His indwelling life.  

   Our Lord lives in us so that we may live through Him.  He is the standard of life, and the life of the standard.  What beautiful music we can therefore make, the music of walking in His faithfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is the Christian life, or rather the life of Christ as revealed in Christians who expect much of themselves because they realize they do not live by their own devices.  The Apostle Paul testified of such grace, and of "the most beautiful music" his Lord composed in him…

"By the grace of God I am what I am.  and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
(I Corinthians 15:10)

Weekly Memory Verse
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)
   
 

Saturday, April 15, 2017

The Saturday Series - 10- "Relentless"


(Friends:  Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto.  I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you.  Glen).


The Saturday Series - 10

"Relentless"     
  
  
   
  It's not a specifically recorded Bible word, but the word "relentless" accurately describes the Scriptural declaration of God's character, nature and way.

  God… worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:3; 11).

  The Word of God clearly reveals a present, active, and involved God in all things.  We see relatively little of His doings, including those He accomplishes on our behalf.  He does them nevertheless.  Nothing escapes His weaving of every thread into the tapestry of His eternal purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ.  "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" declared the Savior (John 5:17).  Yes They do.  Moreover, add the Holy Spirit's ongoing activity to the awareness of the universal participation of the Divine.  "The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein" (Psalm 111:2).

   Creation reveals the truth we consider.  "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Romans 1:20).  Modern science reveals a universe of mind boggling vastness and complexity, whether we ponder the seemingly boundless stretches of outer space, or the infinitesimal wonders of subatomic inner space.  Everything of the immense and the minuscule exists by the Christ who "upholds all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3).  Our Lord spoke in order to create.  He speaks in order to maintain.  All requires His active involvement on a scale beyond the collective imaging of every heart and mind in existence.  Or, we might suggest that God is relentless in His creation, which raises an even more blessed matter…

   …God is even more relentless in relationship, particularly in the love of Christ that births, nurtures, and will ultimately glorify every born again believer in the Lord Jesus.  "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).  Our Heavenly Father loves us with an everlasting love, the blessedness of which will forever grace our hearts and lives.  Nothing deters Him from such gracious and merciful devotion.  Indeed, in this moment, the most fallen believer finds himself no less cherished by God than in former days of faithfulness.  The Lord may be grieved and most unhappy with His erring child, and He may necessarily chasten.  But no lessening of love shadows the Lord's heart, or diverts His faithful determination to fulfill the "good work" in which we can be supremely confident.  God is relentless in all things, and He is most relentless in relationship, relentless in love.

   I love thinking of our Lord in this way, as described by this adjective.  Relentless.  This is who He is.  This is how He works.  And this is how we must perceive Him in the fulfillment of His purposes, and the loving devotion of His heart to His children.  This includes you and me, my dear brothers and sisters.  Relentless.  Or as the Apostle Paul exulted in his familiar and beloved affirmation...

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate to be conformed the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
(Romans 8:28-29)
"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well "
(Psalm 139:7-14)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3)
  

Friday, April 14, 2017

"Unto the Pure" Part 2

"Unto the Pure"        

Part 2              

"Unto the pure, all things are pure" (Titus 1:15).
  
  
   How do we better experience and respond to the Lord's all encompassing presence, involvement, and activity?  How does all life become the altar God purposes it to be?

   "The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth: (John 4:19-24).

    First, we must be confident in the truth that such  worship is possible.  The Lord Jesus, in His discourse with the woman at the well, plainly declared that devotion to God must not be viewed in the limited terms of mere religious place, practice, and observance.  Born again believers live in the "whatsoever" of worship - "Whatsoever ye do… do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).  We need not and must not wait for prayer times, Bible reading, church services, or obvious acts of ministry to view life in terms of response to God.  The grace of the Lord Jesus offers continual access into spiritual reality, making possible the sanctification of everyday life as no less an altar than overt acts of devotion.  Do we believe this?  About everything?  We must, in order to more fully avail ourselves of the salvation that affects every aspect of our existence.  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).

   Upon this basis of confidence, we them must build conviction, the conviction of faith, in our hearts.  While emotional and sensory experience sometimes characterizes our walk with the Lord, most of life involves the calling to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  We seek to know God in His Word, as illuminated by His Holy Spirit, enhanced by fellowship with other believers, and the seizing of opportunities for faith in the everyday matters of life.  Sometimes this involves the simple acknowledgement of God's presence and activity, even we do not feel or sense His reality.  Actually, it frequently involves such conviction.  We presently "see through a glass darkly" (I Corinthians 13:12).  Seeing life as an altar therefore involves a great deal of not seeing, but of believing nevertheless.  The more we avail ourselves of the opportunities life affords for such confidence of conviction rather than feeling or sensation, the more a greater and deeper experience of a God-persuaded heart governs our lives.

   Finally, we consecrate ourselves to such worship in response to God's Truth.  This day calls us to such devotion, that is, to viewing all of life as an altar whereupon we sacrifice ignorance of God for acknowledgement of God.  He is present and accounted for in all things to those who realize and respond to the grace of our Lord's all encompassing salvation.  Such devotion involves a process rather than perfection in our present existence.  "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  We will sometimes find ourselves as did Jacob at Bethel: "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!" (Genesis 28:16).  However, we can more and more realize the wonder of worship as known along the dusty, everyday paths of life as we find it.  Or rather, life as we find God along those pathways, present in all things, and accounted for as we consecrate ourselves to the altar that lies before us always, and in this moment.

"I will look for Him."
(Isaiah 8:17)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3)
  
  

Thursday, April 13, 2017

"Unto the Pure"

"Unto the Pure"                      
  
   We tend to compartmentalize our lives, particularly regarding the spiritual and the natural.  Our Heavenly Father instead calls us to realize that no real difference exists between the sacred and secular.

   "Unto the pure, all things are pure" (Titus 1:15).

   The Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ most reveals the union of Heavenly and earthly things.  "Great is the mystery of the Gospel.  God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).  In our Savior, we see the wonder of God's eternal purposes whereby He synthesizes the seen and the unseen.  Our Lord had to become human in order to redeem us, and to spiritually rebirth us as human beings inhabited by the living God.  "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Romans 8:9).  Believers are spiritual in identity and nature, while retaining our natural components and faculties.  Like our Lord, we exist in terms of both Heavenly and earthly realities.

   The effect of such truth in our lives involves the ongoing process of uniting the sacred and the secular in our hearts, minds, and lives.

   "Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).
   "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23).
   "We live unto the Lord" (Romans 14:8).

   The Apostle Paul's command that we "eat or drink" to the glory of God should thrill our hearts.  The seemingly ordinary act of consuming food and drink provides opportunity to glorify the Lord Jesus.  This means we can experience His reality in all things rather than viewing some things as spiritual and others as earthly.  For example, do we view prayer as more spiritual than washing dishes?  If so, we have not realized the altar that lies before us in the sink.  We can know, trust, honor, and obey the Lord in all things (excepting sin, obviously).  Salvation in Christ unites the spiritual and the natural, as expressed in His incarnation.  Our Savior destroyed the notion that place, circumstance, ritual, or religious exercise offer more opportunity to know and love God than other aspects of life.  Again, "unto the pure, all things are pure."

   I haven't written this well enough to communicate the enormity of the truth we presently consider together.  God offers Himself to us in "whatsoever ye do."  As we seek to walk with Him in faith and faithfulness, we live unto Him regardless of whether our activities seem overtly spiritual.  Such truth, believed, assimilated, and embraced, will progressively change everything in our lives.  Everything.  An altar lies before us in all things, a spiritual place of grace that presents its opportunity for devotion in every moment.  We'll miss much of the possibility, as we already have.  But we do not have to miss all.  Nor do we have to miss as much as we have in the past.  The destruction of the compartments of our lives enables us to increasingly live as if our Lord is present, involved, and active in all things.  Because He is.  

"The whole earth is full of His glory."
(Isaiah 6:3)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3)