Monday, April 30, 2018

“Now Appearing”


(a repeat from 2009)
"Now Appearing"
   
     
   "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24).

    The writer of Hebrews provides one of the most thrilling truths in the Bible by proclaiming that the Lord Jesus Christ now appears before His Father for our benefit. The Apostles Paul confirms this intercessory office of Christ's priesthood that eternally maintains our standing and relationship with God.

   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

     Just as we could not birth ourselves spiritually to originate our relationship with God, neither do our own actions or merits maintain our place in His family. The Apostle Peter wrote that we "kept by the power of God," a truth confirmed by numerous Scriptural declarations regarding a salvation originated, continued, and completed by "the author and finisher of our faith" (I Peter 1:5; Hebrews 12:2).   For the born again believer in the Lord Jesus, the consideration of such grace  motivates us to respond in far greater love, faith, obedience, and consecration to God and others. Love begets love.  Thus, our Lord's perfect faithfulness to us stokes the hearth of devotion to God in us.  "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).  Yes, now appearing in the presence of God for us, the Lord Jesus bears our person and name in His heart, and on His hands and feet.  Let us appear also to give thanks, rejoice, and then go forth spiritually invigorated to declare with the Psalmist, "I will love Thee, o Lord my strength!" (Psalm 18:1).

"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."
(Hebrews 10:19-22)

Weekly Memory Verse
    Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
(Romans 5:18)
  

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Saturday Songs - 17 - "SomeOne So Beautiful"

Saturday Songs

-17-

"SomeOne So Beautiful"

   
    Friends: this is a new song, written several weeks ago.  I decided to go ahead and record it because I love the theme of seeing the Creator in His creation, and the realization that He must Himself, by definition, be more beautiful in heart, mind, creativity, and ability than any beauty He has made.  I hope you find it encouraging.  Glen




Friday, April 27, 2018

“Torn Tethers”

"Torn Tethers"

   
    With sin came loss, the loss of innocence, the loss of relationship, the loss of place, and the loss of God's presence.

    "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:23-24).

    Life will take much from us, sometimes inevitably, sometimes unnecessarily.  In many cases, great pain accompanies our farewell to things, opportunities, dreams, places, health, and most of all, people.  We will feel the void and emptiness that ensues, regardless of how well we know our Lord, or how decisively we trust and submit to Him.  The Lord Jesus Christ felt it on the cross of Calvary, His apostles testified to the sorrows of loss, and all the faithful saints of the ages and of the present would tell us that the Apostle Paul testified accurately when he confessed to being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (II Corinthians 6:10).  Loss wounds us, often deeply, as tethers are torn when things or people leave us.  

    I think of God Himself whenever this subject comes to heart and mind.  He knows loss in far greater measure than any human heart will ever comprehend.  His sacrifice was voluntary, as He sent His beloved Son away from Heaven and unto a world that not recognize Him.  Humanity would ultimately reject Him to the degree of nailing Him to a cross of shame, agony, forsakenness, and death.  Moreover, Calvary would render the Lord Jesus stripped bare of His Father and the Holy Spirit's presence:  "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).  The Father also willingly and for our sake lost His Son by laying upon Him "the iniquity of us all," and then smiting Him with the full fury of His wrath against unrighteousness (Isaiah 53:6).  What would such sacrifice feel like in the hearts of eternal Beings so united that Three were always One, and the One would always be Three?  We cannot know.  We can only be sure that the real pain of our losses cannot begin to span the measure of what it meant when loss - again, for our sakes - invaded and pervaded the being of God with unimaginable sorrow.

    When loss entered human experience, our Creator had already purposed that the same reality would enter the Divine experience.  Scripture depicts the Lord Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).  Torn tethers characterize God's heart no less than our own, and actually, far more.  Far more.  Thus, during times of loss, we commit our hurting hearts to One who fully knows the pain we feel.  He knows.  He can also do something about it.  Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Comforter."  Paul affirmed our Lord as "the God of all comfort."  The writer of Hebrews declared the Lord Jesus to be our "merciful and faithful High Priest" whose throne of grace offers help "in time of need" (John 14:26; Hebrews 2:17; 4:16).  He is the Lord who chose to know loss in order be what we need Him to in be when the tethers of our hearts are torn.  We must believe this about Him because it is true, and because such awareness leads us to bring our hurting hearts to Him in time of loss.  Most importantly, we must know such Truth to be true because it reveals God's wondrous heart to us.  The Lord of love became the Lord of loss in order to save us from our sins, and to bind torn tethers based not only on the perfection of Divine wisdom, but also the mercy of Divine goodness.  He knows.  God knows loss, not only in principle, but in experience…

"He is… a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."
(Isaiah 53:3)

Weekly Memory Verse
     I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalm 116:9)

  

Thursday, April 26, 2018

“Most Faithful”

"Most Faithful"

   
    Suppose the Lord came to us one day and identified the most faithful believer on the planet.  Furthermore, He told us to inform the person of His evaluation.  How would he or she respond?

    "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (I Timothy 1:15).
    "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

    Our faithful brother or sister would instantly question whether we rightly heard the Lord.  His immediate response would be bewilderment, and then the confession of how undeservedly good God has been to him.  He would change the discussion, raising the matter of the Savior's faithfulness and keeping the focus thereupon.  In our minds, this would confirm that we heard the Lord rightly, and our visit with the most faithful believer would result in joyful remembrance of the Source of all trustworthiness and consistency.

    "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

    A faithful moon revolves around the earth, shining light in darkness and affecting tides and winds.  It did not make itself or the laws that govern its capacities to influence the earth.  Most vividly, it bears no light of its own, but rather absorbs and reflects the rays of the sun.  The faithful Christian lives in the same reality of dependence, but with the consciousness to realize the truth of our Lord's pronouncement to His disciples: "Without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).  Godly believers don't feel godly because they focus on the faithfulness of Another rather than their own.  Such a gaze upward, outward, and away results in growing absorption and reflection of Christ's character, nature and way.  The left hand often doesn't know what the right hand is doing because it gazes upon God's hand, and even more, upon His heart (Matthew 6:3; Psalm 89:13). "Faithful?" our brother or sister would say in response to our report of their Lord's evaluation.  "Oh yes, He is!"  Or as a beloved seminary professor once responded when asked at his retirement ceremony how he would like to be remembered.  "As a man," he said, "who had a glorious, faithful, and patient Lord."  If the moon were conscious, this would be its testimony.  We can be sure it is the testimony of that most faithful believer enthralled by a most faithful Christ.

"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)

Weekly Memory Verse
     I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalm 116:9)

  

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

“Strength, In Weakness”


"Strength, In Weakness"

   
    The history of the Apostle Paul recorded in the book of Acts, along with many passages from his epistles, might lead us to think that our brother of old was a naturally bold and assertive person.  Several passages of Scripture, however, indicate otherwise.

    "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (I Corinthians 2:3-4).
    "For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (II Corinthians 10:10).
    "Pray… 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).

    Had we met Paul on the street, we would likely never have guessed his calling in life.  Even after he began to speak of Christ, we might still not have been impressed.  Like his Lord, who came into the world with "no form or comeliness," and with "no beauty that we should desire Him," the Apostle seems to have been a classic example of what God told him: "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (Isaiah 53:2; II Corinthians 12:9).  Little wonder then that Paul confessed weakness, fear and trembling.  Moreover, his request for prayer regarding bold utterance indicates that timidity rather than temerity may have characterized Paul's disposition and personality.  Perhaps this explains in personal, as well as doctrinal terms, the Apostle's declaration to the Corinthians:  "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (I Corinthians 1:26-28).

    Human weakness serves as the seedbed for a bountiful harvest of Divine grace.  Our "I cannot" provides the vehicle for God'"I can."  We do well to make this personal to ourselves.  Where we seem the most unable likely serves as our Heavenly Father's primary scene of working in us to reveal an abundantly able Christ.  Natural gifts, while sometimes useful to God in consecrated vessels, may nevertheless detract from most brightly and vividly displaying our Lord'capacity to reveal strength in weakness.  A man now considered as one of God's most daring and intrepid servants was not viewed in such terms by others or himself during his own lifetime.  This is just as we would expect in those called by the Christ who Himself lived in such a manner that his own brothers did not know who He was (John 7:5).  Thus, we do well to also expect our Lord's present working to follow the pattern of strength revealed not in strength, but in weakness.

"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)

Weekly Memory Verse
     I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalm 116:9)

  

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

"Wonders Without Number"


"Wonders Without Number"

   
    Atomic and subatomic realities form the substance of every physical object in the universe.  All that can be seen, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted exists by particles and forces far beyond the awareness of our senses.  This reality vividly reflects the spiritual nature of God's creation.

    "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).
    
    "We walk by faith, not by sight" declared the Apostle Paul (II Corinthians 5:7).  While he meant this to express the spiritual nature of life in the Lord Jesus Christ, the same holds true in physical terms.  Billions of atoms form the next breath we breathe.  Again, we cannot see these infinitesimal realities.  We inhale and exhale nevertheless and thereby physically survive.  Thus, we live by faith regarding the most basic form and function of our existence.  Little wonder that Paul also wrote, "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).

    Our lives also spiritually teem with the pervasive presence and working of the God in whom we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  Most of His working, however, occurs in infinitesimal ways and means far beyond our capacities to comprehend.  If we could see all, we would be overwhelmed to the point of insanity by the transcendent glory of the God who "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).  As we frequently suggest, we can know some.  We can know more.  But we can never know all, nor even approach full awareness of the infinite working of the One whose "ways are past finding out" (Romans 11:33).

    Glance at any object presently in your field of vision, be it small or large.  Billions, trillions of objects and forces form the substance of the thing upon which you gaze.  In similar and even greater manner, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus works by the Holy Spirit in every situation, circumstance, and condition to fulfill His eternal purposes.  Every.  Or, again, "all things after the counsel of His own will."  This is truth.  This is reality.  This is life, the life of God present and involved in all things.  We see so very little.  However, it is enough to know that the Truth is true, and that while we may not know what our Lord is doing, we can always know that He is doing…

"He doeth great things past finding out, yea, and wonders without number."
(Job 9:10)

Weekly Memory Verse
     I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalm 116:9)

  

Monday, April 23, 2018

“Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else” (Saturday Songs - on Monday!)


Saturday (Monday!) Songs

-16-

(Friends: we didn't send out a Saturday Song due to time constraints.  However, one of our songs from years ago fits this essay, so we thought we'd include it.  It's based on Psalm 27, and has a brief instrumental prelude before the lyrics.  Thanks, Glen.)

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Saturday Songs - 15 - "Jesus, Holy One"


(We wrote, arranged, and recorded this song in the space of two weeks back in 2002, including it on a CD.  Haven't thought much about it since then, but it's another one Frances has always liked very much.  I hope you'll find it encouraging.  Glen).






Jesus, Holy One
Words and Music by Glen Davis

Jesus, Holy One, the Ancient of all days,
I look to You my Sovereign,
Show me of Thy Glory,
Cause that I might only trust Thee Lord of Heaven.
Then one day return and take me far away
Unto the home of our dear Father,
To praise His holy name together,
Forever.

Calvary, sad place,
 I think about the grace which flowed from your great sorrow.
For on that day so dark when perfect Love was marred,
You watched the pain and horror.
But now when human hearts remember You,
we fall unto our knees in gratitude
to praise His holy name together,
Forever.

Jesus, Holy One, the Ancient of all days,
I look to You my Sovereign,
Show me of Thy Glory,
Cause that I might only trust Thee Lord of Heaven.
Then one day return and take me far away
Unto the home of our dear Father,
To praise His holy name together,
Forever.



Friday, April 20, 2018

"Counterintuitive"


(Friends, for those of you unfamiliar with golf, or perhaps not a practitioner or proponent of the sport, my apologies.  I promise that the opening lines of this essay lead to a salient and important spiritual truth! :):)  Glen)


"Counterintuitive"

   
    "Feel isn't real."  This old golf adage speaks to the fact that what golfers think they're doing as they swing a club is sometimes not actually the case.  Golf is largely a counterintuitive sport.  Swing hard, hit short.  Swing easy, hit far.  Hit down, the ball goes up.  Hit up and the ball often goes down.  Many aspects of the game follow this pattern, making it a difficult skill to acquire and maintain.

    In similar fashion, the Christian life consists of numerous counterintuitive aspects of grace and faith.  God sometimes seems far away.  He actually dwells within our hearts.  Prayers He answers may seem to bounce off the ceiling as we initially offer them.  Communicating His truth to others might appear fruitless, when actually our words deeply penetrate and influence the hearts of hearers.  Our Lord's hand may seem still when it is most active.  The list could go on regarding the ways of God that are "past finding out," but which we must affirm by faith (Romans 11:33).  Yes, feel is often not real regarding God's ways in our lives.  The same is true of appearance, as the Lord Jesus declared, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

    "We walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).

    Golf instructors often find it difficult to convince students to swing in a manner that defies their sense of what should be the proper motion and technique.  Of far greater consequence, believers in the Lord Jesus must learn to base truth and reality on the "Thus saith the Lord" of Scripture.  Our fleshly perceptions often flow against Biblical revelation - "the flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Galatians 5:17).  Thus, the Holy Spirit must teach us to swim against the current of feeling and appearance.  We must replace "it seems like" with reality, the reality of God's Word.  Indeed, feel often isn't real, not only in golf, but in the life of Christ presently administered in us by the Spirit and Word of God.  Realizing this fact of the counterintuitive prepares us to make the choices of faith that flow with the Truth and against the current of feeling and appearance.

"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
(II Corinthians 4:18)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
 (I Timothy 2:5)

  
    
    
   
   
    





Thursday, April 19, 2018

"Deep Roots"

"Deep Roots"

   
    I am currently digging up azalea bushes in our front yard.  Since our hometown is known as "the Azalea City," this might be considered sacrilege to some local folks.  However, Frances and I do not care for the shrub that blooms beautifully for two weeks, but then recedes into drab dullness for the remainder of the year.  We plan to replace the plants with hydrangeas, a favorite that reminds me of my paternal grandmother's beautiful garden.  Frances loves them also, so we're looking forward to blooms and beautiful foliage for years to come.

    I share this because the process of removing old azalea bushes presents a challenge.  Their roots run deep and cling tightly to the soil.  A shovel, hoe, and occasionally even an ax are required to free the bushes from their home.  Moreover, even when uprooted, pulling an old azalea bush rootball from the hole dug sometimes involves a strong rope and a truck with a secure bumper.  I've done that before, although in recent years I've found ways to manually remove the plants.  But it's not easy.  In similar manner, the spiritual process of growth in the Lord Jesus Christ also requires God's ongoing work of rooting out thought processes, attitudes, and perspectives cherished by our flesh, but displeasing to God and harmful to us.  "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" prayed King David, a man who well knew that carnality can run deep and cling tightly in even godly believers (Psalm 19:12).  Every Christian requires ongoing fellowship with the Lord for the purpose of uprooting the fleshly in order to replace it with the spiritual.

    "Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

    Change will be required until we leave the current earthly realm in which we seek to walk with God amid enemies, including our own internal challenges.  Like the Psalmist, we must seek the uprooting of "faults" that hinder our capacity to honor our Lord and minister to other people.  We require His working to fulfill the process, along with our faith and submission to the promise that "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).  I've thought about this in the last few days as deep and hidden roots secure plants I desire to remove.  How might the Lord be working to spiritually accomplish the same necessary removal and replacement?  The work continues by a faithful God who, as the saying goes, "loves us as we are, but also loves us too much to leave us the way we are."

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
(II Timothy 3:16)
"We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"
(Hebrews 12:9)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
 (I Timothy 2:5)

  

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

"Mr. Middleton"

"Mr. Middleton"

   
    My 9th grade science teacher left a legacy of God's grace in my heart, which leads me to echo the Apostle Paul in his expression of gratitude for the believers of Philippi:

    "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (Philippians 1:3).

    Mr Middleton was a good educator, and even more, a gracious person.  He was also a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, although even in those days, public school teachers were encouraged not to address religious matters.  He nevertheless exemplified Christ in his demeanor, attitude, words, and actions. I thus believe he had an effect on my conversion that occurred several months after my high school graduation.  Interestingly, our paths crossed again a number of years later when I worked for a bank of which Mr. Middleton was a customer.  We reconnected, and this time, we were free to share what was now our mutual faith in the Lord Jesus.  I saw him somewhat regularly for several years, until I left the bank.  Sadly, I haven't seen him since.

    He came to mind last night for the first time in years.  I don't recall what triggered the memory, but Mr. Middleton again graced my thoughts with recollections of being his student first, and then his brother in Christ.  In both, he exemplified the Lord Jesus and had an impact on my walk with the Lord.  There is nothing better you can say about a person, which led to my offering of thanksgiving and also the question of whether Mr. Middleton is still a resident of this present world.  I haven't found him on the Internet yet, so it make me wonder.  Regardless, I rejoice in the memory of a faithful brother, and will pray for he and his family "upon every remembrance" (of course, if he has departed the present world, he doesn't need my intercessions! :)  ). 

   We leave traces and tracks upon the hearts of all whom we encounter.  As one voice of old declared, "Every human being we meet is an immortal.  We either help or hinder them along the path to their eternal destiny."  Mr. Middleton helped.  Of that I have no doubt.  He served as a voice of Christ to me even when he could not openly communicate the Gospel.  He exemplified what another voice of old expressed, "Preach the Gospel wherever you go.  Use words when necessary."  I am grateful for my dear brother, and hope to cross paths with him again in this life to let him know.  But if not, I look forward to seeing him in the Heaven to which his life served as a signpost.  Again, you can say nothing better about a person…


"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
(Matthew 5:15-16)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
 (I Timothy 2:5)

  




Tuesday, April 17, 2018

"The Enigma"


"The Enigma"

   
    "Jesus Christ our Lord... was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4).

    The Lord Jesus Christ is the God who became man, and the man who remains God.  "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).  Thus, He occupies a being and existence unlike any other.  Eternity and time unite in Him.  Infinite power and humble limitation comprise His nature of Deity and humanity.  One ancient described the Savior as "the Beyond in the midst," joining the Apostle Paul in proclaiming the wonder of mystery regarding how such a One can even exist.  Christ Himself is an enigma.  The Bible unapologetically declares Him as such, never attempting to explain how a God who even "the Heaven of heavens cannot contain" somehow dwells within the boundaries of humanity (I Kings 8:27).  We must accept Him on such terms, realizing we can never begin to fully comprehend the One to whom we have entrusted our well being regarding both time and eternity.

   The importance of embracing the enigma involves the mystery not only of Christ's nature, but also of His working in the world.  He does not fully explain His doings any more than He fully explains His being.  He cannot.  Finite beings do not possess the capacity for understanding the ways of the Infinite.  We can know some.  We can know more.  But we can never know all.  We cannot even approach the threshold of complete comprehension regarding God and His ways.  Again, the very being of the Lord Jesus reveals such humbling reality.  We trust Him nevertheless, preparing us to also believe His truth when He works in our lives, the lives of others, and the world in ways that defy all comprehension and even imagination.  Indeed, Christians affirm a seeming impossibility: God dwells in and as a human being. "Emmanuel... God with us" (Matthew 1:23).  No other mystery compares.  No other enigma more drives us to our faces, even as it raises us to walk in trusting confidence.  We must therefore expect to frequently scratch our heads as God "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).  He does so by the Christ who, rightly considered, will do the same.  "Great is mystery of godliness…"

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord?  Or who hath been His counselor?"
(Romans 11:33-34)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
 (I Timothy 2:5)

  
    
    
   
  

Monday, April 16, 2018

"Life Beyond Life"

"Life Beyond Life"

   
    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ experience countless "resurrections" as we trust and submit to our risen Savior.

    "Christ died… but God raised Him from the  dead" (I Corinthians 15:3; Acts 15:30).
    "Ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12).
    "If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (enliven) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:10-11).

    The Lord Jesus lives in a Life beyond life, as it were.  As glorious as He was in His eternal past as God the Son, He now exists in even greater splendor as the risen Son of both God and man.  Our Savior trampled death under His nail-scarred feet as He exited the tomb to be forevermore exalted.  Moreover, His Spirit now lives in all who believe, imparting to us the presence and active involvement of Life beyond life.  "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).  Thus, we expect deaths as we walk with our Lord, that is, experiences of challenge, loss, and difficulty that seem to place us in jeopardy.  "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus."  Even more, however, we anticipate resurrections as God imparts Life beyond life in various ways and means that reveal the power of Christ's empty tomb.  "That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (II Corinthians 4:10).

   Believers live not for victory, but from victory, the triumph of the empty tomb.  The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, while a blessed historical reality, must be viewed in terms of it significance and application to this day.  We require such administration of Life beyond life for the very living of our lives, even as the Apostle Paul revealed or bodies to be "dead because of sin."  That is, we possess no inherent capacity for even the smallest act of faith and faithfulness to God.  He must enliven our human faculties to trust and obey Him by the enabling of His Son's risen life.  This He does, and this we must believe as we face the challenges of navigating the path of righteousness in a fallen world.  The empty tomb we embraced to be born again is the empty tomb to which we must presently look in order to live from our spiritual birthing in Christ.  The same risen Lord Jesus who raised us from spiritual death now administers such overcoming grace by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Indeed, you and I will require resurrection, Life beyond life, for this day.  Our Savior will supply it, and we will experience it as we continually exercise the same faith that began our everlasting life in the risen Christ…

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him."
(Romans 10:9; Colossians 2:6)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
 (I Timothy 2:5)

Friday, April 13, 2018

“Dual Supremacy”

(Friends, I believe the theme of this particular message concerns perhaps the most important understanding we can embrace as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.  Thanks, Glen).


"Dual Supremacy"

   
    Truth involves emphasis, particularly regarding two primary realities that must form our understanding and convictions.

    "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence" (John 1:1; Colossians 1:18).

    "Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name… Thy Word is truth" (Psalm 138:2; John 17:17).

   We must exalt the Word of God, that is,  the living Word, the Lord Jesus, and the written Word, the Bible.  This is why our Lord called us to "worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).  God calls us to know Him in personal terms, as revealed to and within us by the Holy Spirit.  "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16).  We must also know Him in doctrinal and propositional terms, as proclaimed by the Scriptures.  "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).  Failure in either devotion to Christ or the Bible inevitably results in weakness regarding our relationship with God and subsequent walk in faith and faithfulness.  We must know Him and His Word in order to accurately and adequately worship the Lord, as enabled by the Holy Spirit's indwelling and instructing presence. 

   Maintaining the supremacy of both the living and written Word constitutes the greatest challenge we face in our walk with the Lord.  The Savior preeminent and the Scriptures paramount - we can measure devotion to God in ourselves and others by these dual parameters.  Indeed, a proper focus on the Lord Jesus will inevitably lead us to the Scriptures.  The Scriptures rightly received and interpreted will lead us to exalt the Lord Jesus.  Such emphasis not only serves as a barometer of our own walk with the Lord, but as a necessary lens through which we view communicators of Christ and the Word.  Any preacher, teacher, or writer who does not affix and maintain devotion to the preeminence of the person and work of the Lord Jesus must be avoided.  Moreover, any preacher, teacher, or writer who references Christ apart from the authority and doctrine of Scripture must also be given wide berth.  "In Thy light shall we see light" declared David (Psalm 36:9).  We see the light of Christ in the Bible, and we comprehend the Bible in the light of Christ.  The living Word.  The written Word.  The Word in all its glory, His glory, and the glory of God.  The dual supremacy of the living Lord Jesus and the light of the Bible must form and inform our concept of Truth and a life lived according to God's eternal purpose in Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures that exist to glorify and reveal the Son.

"Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me."
(John 5:39)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "In Him we live and move and have our being."
(Acts 17:28)
    
  

Thursday, April 12, 2018

"Access"

"Access"

   
    Availing ourselves of God's accessibility constitutes the heart of walking by faith.

    "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace whereby we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

    Through Christ, born again believers "stand" in God's undeserved favor.  Such a place with Him means we can view every situation, circumstance, and condition with confidence, or in the Apostle Paul's terms, "hope of the glory of God."  We must access such grace, however, by viewing not only the blessings of life in terms of the Lord's goodness, but also our challenges.

    "We glory in tribulations also, knowing that patience worketh experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:4-5).

    The current of life flows not by what happens to us, but rather by how we respond.  If we view our blessings in the realization of their Source and consistently express grateful appreciation, the sweetness of Christ will grace our spirits.  If we view our challenges as determined or allowed by God for His glory, our benefit, and opportunity to minister to others, the sustenance of Christ will again grace our spirits.  Life, as defined by God, is internal.  "To live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).  This does not preclude the significance and impact of external happenings.  We must deal with the matters of existence as they come to us.  Escape is not an option.  However, as those abundantly inhabited by the love of God, access to Him and His grace awaits us in every blessing and difficulty.  Be it appreciative thanksgiving for the pleasant, or affirmative trust in the  painful, there is always something internal to do as we live our lives in Christ.  We access grace, consciously stand thereby, and subsequently rejoice in the expectation that God's goodness awaits us in all things.  "I will be with thee" is the promise to His redeemed (Genesis 26:3).  "I will trust in Thee" must be our response (Psalm 55:23).

   Grace is always available to believers.  Access through Christ beckons that we direct our hearts toward God and the hope He offers.  The way, the internal way of the heart, is not easy.  Remembering and affirming our Lord's truth challenges all of us.  Thus, we must remind and encourage one another to make the choices of faith and submission that ensure peace, whether in times of the pleasant or the painful.  God's abundance is available.  Entree is granted through Christ.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us to reveal the Lord's love.  Escape is not an option.  Access is, "access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  

"Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and to find grace to help in time of need."
(Hebrews 4:16)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "In Him we live and move and have our being."
(Acts 17:28)
    

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

"The Heart That Does Not Wander"


"The Heart That Does Not Wander"

   
    The man often referred to as "the prodigal son" did not know a vitally important truth that would have prevented the disastrous outcome that led him to poverty and near despair.  Indeed, his wandering heart failed know that his father's heart did not wander.

    "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants" (Luke 15:11-19).

    The man did not realize the measure and degree of his father's goodness.  If he had, he would never have left his father, regardless of the temptation of "riotous living."  A solid conviction regarding his father would have affected the man's attitude and behavior in the realization of the foolishness of fleeing from the plenty of his parent's presence and provision.  Moreover, the son's response when inevitable disaster occurred confirms his ignorance regarding the father's character.  He seems to have had no idea regarding the loving welcome that would greet him as a returning son rather than a retained servant.  "I'll go back to be hired" said the broken man to himself.  He returned, however, to be family yet again.  His merciful and wonderful father raced to meet him, along with the bounty of the best robe, a ring, shoes, and joyous celebration.  Most of all, "My son was dead and is alive again!  He was lost and is found!" (Luke 15:24).

    "My son."  I often wonder what the sound of those words meant in the heart of the young man when they reached his ears, and even more, his heart.  I suspect that for perhaps the first time in his life, the realization of his father's goodness must have filled and thrilled his soul.  Of course, he could and should have known sooner.  Inexcusable ignorance characterized the first portion of his life.  We can suspect, however, that enthralled wonder accompanied the man for the rest of his days, wonder regarding the character and nature of his amazing father.  "My son…."

    "O how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19).

    Forever will not be long enough to plumb the depths, ascend to the heights, or span the measure of our Lord's infinite goodness.  Eternity will beckon us to dive deeper, climb higher, and venture ever further in the eternal quest to discover the winsome wonder of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Triune goodness indeed beckons us to glories beyond imagining, including the invitation in this day to realize and remember the God who so desires to be our Father in a manner that fills both His heart and our own.  The growing realization of His character and nature, as revealed by the Word of God, the Spirit of God, the church of God, and the creation of God, will keep us at home, so to speak.  And if we do wander, the awareness of our Christ-secured permanency of being "dear children" will make our return far more likely and timely (Ephesians 5:1).  "My son…"  The words surely echoed for a lifetime in the heart of a young man who strayed, only to discover thereby the heart that did not wander, the heart of his wondrous father.  Eternity awaits for even greater echoes in our hearts, the strains of wonder regarding the Heart that does not wander.

"The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance."
(Romans 2:4)

Weekly Memory Verse
   "In Him we live and move and have our being."
(Acts 17:28)