Wednesday, October 31, 2018

"He Is Risen" Part 4


"He Is Risen"

Part 4
     

    
  
   Without relinquishing His divinity, the Lord Jesus Christ lived as a man, died as a man, and rose again as a man.

    "He is the Son of man" (John 5:27). 
    "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14).
    "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and his feet" (Luke 24:39-40).

    Our Lord is the God who became man, and the man who remains God.  His very being constitutes perhaps the greatest of all mysteries as infinite Deity and finite humanity somehow unite in one glorious Person.  He is the second Person of the eternal Trinity - "Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, o God, is forever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8).  He is also the "second man,"  the progenitor of a new race of the resurrected - "the firstborn from the dead" (I Corinthians 15:47; Colossians 1:18).  According to finite human understanding, the Lord Jesus should not even exist.  Solomon of old wondered how God could dwell in a temple made of earthly material.  "The Heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee" (II Chronicles 6:18).  What would the king have said had He known that the eternal Creator would somehow dwell in and as a man?  "Great is the mystery of godliness.  God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).

    Our present consideration leads us to focus on our Lord's resurrection in term of His humanity.  He possesses hands and feet as the risen Christ, albeit wounded hands and feet.  Our Savior bears the heart of the indentured servant of old, liberated from bondage in legal terms, but who in order to remain with his wife, declared "I will not go out free!" (Exodus 21:5). The Lord Jesus will forever be human - "I will not go out free!" - because His redeemed will forever be human.  He was raised from the dead as such, and He evermore lives as a man because we have no standing with God apart from union with the Christ who "ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Hebrews 7:25).  Thus, His resurrection means all the more when we realize that the Lord who partook of our flesh and blood was raised accordingly, and lives forevermore as the God who became man, and for our sakes, eternally remains man.

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

Weekly Memory Verse
   Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
(Ephesians 4:25)


     
  

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

"He Is Risen" Part 3

"He Is Risen"

Part 3

       

      
   The Apostle Paul taught that had the Lord Jesus Christ not arose from the dead, we would all be "yet in our sins" (I Corinthians 15:17).  Our justification depends not only on our Savior's death, but also on His resurrection.

    "Jesus our Lord... was raised again for our justification"(Romans 4:24-25).

    To be justified, or made righteous, means that we are what God made us to be.  Before Christ, we are "alienated from the life of God" (Ephesians 4:18).  After we believe, the Holy Spirit indwells us, thus birthing us into being "the habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22).  This was God's original purpose for humanity, that we might serve as the living temple of His involved and dynamic presence.  "I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Corinthians 6:16).  Adam's sin led to his own alienation, along with all his offspring.  "In Adam, all die" (I Corinthians 15:22).  Thus, we required the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus on our behalf, including the resurrection whereby He ascended to Heaven to send the Holy Spirit to indwell all who believe.

    "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you" (John 16:7).

    No resurrection, no ascension.  No ascension, no sending the Holy Spirit.  No Holy Spirit, no justification.  We would rather remain an empty and lifeless temple that failed to serve its intended purpose as the temple of God.  Our Lord arose from the dead, first to overcome sin and death. Then, He returned to Heaven in order to take His rightful place as Lord of creation.  Finally, from His throne of authority, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us with His presence and life.  We become in being and spiritual standing that which God made us to be, His habitation.  This is righteousness, or "the gift of righteousness" whereby we "reign in life by One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).  God raised His Son from the dead to raise us unto the rightness of being for which we exist… 

"Christ in you, the hope of glory."
(Colossians 1:27)
"Ye are risen with Him through faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead."
(Colossians 2:12)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
(Ephesians 4:25)


     
  

Monday, October 29, 2018

"He Is Risen" Part 2

"He Is Risen"

Part 2

       

     The same power that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead now resides in born again believers through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

     "What is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:19-20).

    "Mighty power" dwells within every believer for the purpose of enabling a life that honors our Lord and fosters faith and faithfulness.  However, just as our Lord was raised from the dead in a dark tomb far away from sight and sound, so the risen life of Christ frequently manifests in quiet and obscure ways we will miss if not expecting His working.  No human eyes witnessed the moment when the Prince of life returned to life after lying in death for three days.  Quite often, He will similarly reveal the power of His resurrection in the small matters of each day no one initially sees, including ourselves.  Looking back, however, we later see how He worked in us and in our lives to reveal that Christ is risen, and we are "risen with Him" (Colossians 2:12).

    Our calling is to believe that such Truth is true in the face of all contrary evidence, emotion, and experience.  Nothing changes the fact of Christ's presence in our hearts, nor the potential of His power in our hands and feet.  If we do not know the fact, however, or if we forget or disbelieve the promise of the Lord's risen life revealed in us, we may miss glories of His transcendent ability to overcome our challenges.  We are sons and daughters of the resurrection and of its risen Lord Jesus.  May we realize the truth of such overcoming grace, and increasingly believe that the power of the empty tomb applies not only to 2,000 years ago just outside Jerusalem, but to this day and the "tombs" of our lives that become opportunities to trust again and again that "He is risen."

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
(Ephesians 3:20-21)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
(Ephesians 4:25)


  

Friday, October 26, 2018

"He Is Risen" Part 1

"He Is Risen"

Part 1

       

     As I write this, I sit in the waiting room of a business.  I can see outside the window of the establishment to the parking lot of a dentist's office.  The sign of the office is barely visible, with the only readable words being "He is risen" (a Christian dentist, obviously).  

    The sign changes my plans for the coming week.  We will be unable to send out the messages for several days, beginning today.  I had intended to send repeats of devotionals from previous years during this time, but the words "He is risen" inspire a different course of action.  So, you'll receive new material during the week, all centered on the theme of the Christ who was dead, but is alive again and forevermore.

    "God raised Him from the dead" (Acts 13:30).

   Just as the words on the sign instantaneously changed my plans, the remembrance of our Lord's resurrection can transform any moment from despair to hope, darkness, to light, sorrow to joy, and death to life.  Indeed, regardless of what we may be experiencing in the present moment, the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus offers the power of its help and hope to every trusting heart.  Remembrance of a risen Christ leads to a revolutionized circumstance, that is, in the sense of how we perceive whatever blessing we enjoy, or challenge we face.  In blessing, we realize that had not the Lord Jesus died and arose, God could not justifiably bestow His goodness upon us in any manner whatsoever.  His sorrow purchased our joy.  In difficulty, we remember that our Savior overcame all things in His death and resurrection in order to provide Himself as the supply for whatever we need Him to be.  The empty tomb is not merely a void in a geographical location for Christians.  It rather provides the victory of God's love for every moment, including this moment.

    He is risen.  Angels announced the wondrous truth to brokenhearted disciples of old.  The Bible has declared it to believers through the centuries regarding every imaginable experience.  And the Holy Spirit proclaims the empty tomb to your heart and mine in this moment.  The Lord Jesus Christ was dead.  But He is risen, never to die again, and always to be everything we need in all things and at all times. Let us forevermore embrace the truth, beginning in this moment, be it a time of blessing or buffeting.  The tomb is empty.  The heavenly Throne is occupied.  Christ is alive and He is Lord.  He is risen.

"The Lord is risen indeed."
(Luke 24:34)

Weekly Memory Verse
   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(I John 4:9)


     
  
   

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Dear Orange Moon Friends

Dear Orange Moon Friends,

We will be unable to send out the messages during the coming week. As in the past, I will send the week's messages to you all at once, with each day designated in the title bar.

I'd like to mention that next Thursday on November 1 marks 20 years since we began writing and sending the messages. I had no idea when we began that we would still be enjoying this privilege and also the blessing of your friendship. Thank you so much, and I know how the Apostle Paul felt when he wrote, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now" (Philippians 1:4-5). I cannot imagine these years without all of you, and the example, encouragement, and challenge I receive from your walk with the Lord. It is indeed a privilege and a blessing.

Thanks,
Glen

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

"We"

(Friends, this is a repeat from 2003 that I think correlates to our message yesterday, "He Lives, We Live."  Thanks, Glen)


"We"

       

     "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). 

      The truth that Christ lives in us and we live by Him presents an ongoing challenge of understanding and application.  We must increasingly discover God's role and our role in the relationship.  If we could presently engage in an audible discussion with our Heavenly Father, the consideration might proceed as follows:

       "Heavenly Father, this command of Your Word is beyond my abilities, I cannot fulfill it.  

       "Yes, I know, My child, you cannot."

       "Oh then, since You know my weakness, You will fulfill it for me.  Thank You, my Father!"

        "No, My child, I will not fulfill it for you."

        "But, Father, I cannot do it, I have no strength in myself equal to the task!"

        "Yes, My child, this is true."

        "So then, Father, You must do it for me!"

        "No, My child, I will not do it for you."

        "But Father, You're telling me to do something You acknowledge I cannot do, and that You won't do. 

        "This is true, My child.  You cannot and I will not."

        "But Father, how..."

        "Still yourself and listen, My child.  It is true that you cannot fulfill My will.  And it is also true that I will not fulfill it for you.  You cannot and I will not, but...

         "Yes, my Father?"

         "You cannot and I will not - but together we will!"

          "We will, my Father?"

          "Yes, we will, My child.  I will be the wisdom, the motivation, the power, the life, and most of all, the love that must fill and fragrance our every doing.  You will be the trusting recipient of all that I am and all that I do.  You will believe Me and by faith submit your whole being unto Me for My purposes and glory.  You will then live in the expectation of faith that prepares your heart to respond to My heart.   Yes, I will be the Vine and you will be the branch upon which I bear My choicest fruit.  Together, My child, we will."
       
      "Yes, my Father, we will."

       The presence of the Spirit of Christ in our trusting hearts draws us into a relationship with God wherein both the Divine and the human actively participate.  We are not robots in whom He merely programs responses and actions.  Our Heavenly Father spiritually births born again believers as living persons with whom He relates by revealing Himself and His truth.  Thereby He leads us to the conscious, decisive response of faith and devotion to Him.  The relationship is personal, and it is free in the sense that neither party coerces the other. "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek" (Psalm 27:8).  

      God is always first.  He ever calls, leads, draws, woos, and motivates.  We respond to His moving within us.  Our experience and application of the relationship proceeds in direct proportion to our faith, submission and the determination to know the Lord in a manner mutually pleasing to both Him and to us.  Yes, the Christian life is "we" - Christ lives in us and we live by Him.

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
(Philippians 2:12-13)
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)    
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (II Corinthians 4:7).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Weekly Memory Verse
   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(I John 4:9)


  

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

"He Lives, We Live"

"He Lives, We Live"

       

     Coupled with the Apostle Paul's affirmation that "Christ liveth in me," our memory verse for the week provides the clearest and most succinct New Testament revelation of life lived in, by, and through the Lord Jesus (Galatians 2:20).

    In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (I John 4:9).

    Christ lives in us so that we may live through Him.  Paul and John unite to reveal the truth of relationship with God whereby He provides His living and enabling presence in our hearts: "Ye are the temple of God…. the Spirit of God dwelleth in you"(I Corinthians 3:16).  We also play a role in the spiritual bond by trusting and submitting ourselves to our Lord in confidence that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).  Such blessed truth delivers us from the fleshly self effort and frustration of attempting to live as if all depends on us.   It also keeps us from the passivity of waiting on God to do that which He calls us to do.  He lives in us, but He does not do our living for us.  We rather do our living, but we perform all in full awareness and confidence that we "live through Him."  

    The aforementioned passage in Galatians illuminates our understanding in this vital matter.  First, Paul declares himself dead and gone.  "I am crucified with Christ."  He then returns, however.  "Nevertheless I live."  Paul leaves again.  "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."  Finally, the Apostle returns, this time to stay and to live, but to do so by Christ living in him, and he living by Christ.  "The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Herein we discover that "to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).  However, we also live by actively engaging ourselves in the relationship.  We trust God, yield ourselves unto Him as those alive from the dead, and go forth in confident expectation of His presence, guidance, and power.  "I can do… through Christ."

    Christ lives in us so that we may live through Him.  Once again, Paul illuminates our consideration of real relationship with God whereby He originates, maintains, and empowers us, and we respond in faith and enabled faithfulness.  We close with the Apostle's plain declaration of such grace, as received by faith

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
(Philippians 2:12-13)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Weekly Memory Verse
   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(I John 4:9)



"The Advocate"


"The Advocate"

       

     "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1).

     The atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ provided a secure salvation to all who trust Him, so much so that God "will not impute sin" to His sons and daughters united to the Savior (Romans 4:8).  Regarding the maintenance of unhindered fellowship and our walk with Him, however, we require the ongoing Heavenly ministry of the Savior who "ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Hebrews 7:25).  While there is never a necessity or excuse for believers to sin, we do at times distrust and disobey our Lord.  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8).  Sin stains our conscience, and stunts our capacity to realize and receive the grace of God for the life to which He calls us.  In such times, it is vital that we know the Scriptural truth of the Advocate said by the writer of Hebrews to "now appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews  9:24).  The Apostle John referred to our Mediator as "Jesus Christ the righteous."  No more telling description could reveal our Lord's Heavenly work on our behalf.

    "Christ is made unto us… righteousness" (I Corinthians 1:30).

     The same grace of the Lord Jesus that originated our salvation maintains our fellowship.  His righteousness is our hope, to the degree that His innate righteousness is now our imputed righteousness.  

    "He (Christ) is righteous… And therefore it was imputed to him (Abraham) for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (I John 2:29; Hebrews 4:22-25).

    That which began our righteous relationship with God maintains our righteous fellowship with Him, namely, the person and work of the Lord Jesus.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.  In times of faith and faithfulness, the power of Christ leads and enables us as we trust Him.  In times of failure, the presence of Christ as our Advocate at the right hand of God provides forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration as we trust Him.  We can no more work our way back into fellowship than we worked our way into salvation.  We rather "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).  Thereby, the remembrance and affirmation of our Savior's death for our sins and risen life for our salvation fosters the necessary repentance and faith whereby we "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:22).  

    We have an Advocate who now appears in the presence of God for us.  Thus, regardless of how far we have fallen, we do not have to remain fallen.  We must not remain fallen, but rather arise in God's promised forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration of fellowship as provided through "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 2:1).  "Get up!" the Spirit of God and the Word of God say to us when we have fallen.  "Look up!" declare the same Witnesses, directing our hearts to behold the crucified and risen Lord Jesus as the Mediator who ever lives to plead for us to the Father more than willing to respond to His Son's intercessions.  A secure salvation, and as needed, restored fellowship - these are the gifts of "so great salvation" provided by so great a Savior and so effectual an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous (Hebrews 2:3).

"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
(I Timothy 2:5)
"There is forgiveness with Thee."
(Psalm 130:4)
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Weekly Memory Verse
   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(I John 4:9)


  

Monday, October 22, 2018

“Unsearchable Riches”


"Unsearchable Riches"

       

     When first called to preach more than 40 years ago, I recall wondering how I would find enough sermon material to develop 3 messages a week (the number traditionally needed for the schedule of the church and denomination in which I was a member).  I now realize the problem is just the opposite, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures are so vast in their content and meaning that one wonders how to select a topic from so infinitely rich a resource.
  
    "Unto me is this grace given, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8).

     We never more than begin in this lifetime to know God and understand His truth.   We will know more in the next lifetime as we see our Lord "face to face" (I Corinthians 13:12).   By definition, however, we can never know all of an infinite and eternal Being whose being, nature, and way spans "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2).  We can know a little.  We can know more.  But we cannot know all.  Thus, the preacher, the writer, and the witness all have more to learn and communicate than we can ever fully comprehend.  "Unsearchable riches" of "this grace given" declared the Apostle Paul of such Divine glory.  We go forth with "things new and old" from the treasure chest of God and His truth, a prospect that should thrill our hearts as it prepares us to effectively communicate the spirit and truth of Christ to our world (Matthew 13:52).

    What prayers will we pray in this day that originate in the light of God's Word, and motivated by His Spirit?  What words will we utter to others of our Lord and His truth? What new or old insights of the Scriptures will grace our thoughts and considerations as our Heavenly Father illuminates our hearts amid the darkness of the fallen world in which we live?  A strong belief and conviction regarding the infinite nature of God and His Truth prepares us to expect the Light that "shineth in darkness" (John 1:5).  I misunderstood the "problem" long ago.  There's far too much to learn and communicate rather than not enough.  It will always be this way as our Lord ever beckons us to come further, dive deeper, and climb higher…

"The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
                                                 

Weekly Memory Verse
   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
(I John 4:9)

     
 

Friday, October 19, 2018

“Ought To Know”


"Ought To Know"

       

     God doesn't always explain His reasons for what He does.  Full understanding of our Lord's whys and wherefores transcends our ability to 

(a repeat from 2011)


"Someone To Thank"

       

     What if there was no one to thank?  The thought occurred to me several years ago when Frances and I sat on the shore of a beautiful lake in north Alabama.  The sun was shining, a gentle breeze wafted in the trees, birds sang, and the first cool air of the season brought its sweet blend of rest and invigoration.  It's hard to imagine a venue or circumstance that could bring a greater sense of blessing from the One who bestows "every good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:18).
 

    What if there was no one to thank?  The very heart would be stolen from moments of blessing.  We might still enjoy them in an emotional awareness of the pleasant and the enjoyable.  However, the only personal aspect of the experience would be the sharing of the moment with fellow human beings, either in being with them as it occurs, or in telling others later.  This is a nice thing to do, of course, and being with Frances made the blessing infinitely more joyful than it would have been without her.  I also enjoy telling you about it.
 

    Again, however, what if there was no one to thank?  If a mindless and heartless universe somehow brought us to that lake, that breeze, that sunlight, that togetherness, and that sense of goodness as merely a random occurrence of fate or chance, I wouldn't be writing these words.  Honestly, I wouldn't care enough to do so.  I have no interest in writing just for writing's sake, even about nice and pleasant things.  No, if there is no one to thank, there is little or nothing to report.  There are merely descriptions of random occurrences that will all too soon flee away as dry leaves in the whirlwind.
 

    There is someone to thank.  The Bible declares, "He giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  The old hymn echoes, "Out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again."  Our hearts know deeply within that the very existence of our capacity for gratitude presupposes the existence of Someone from whom we receive every good and perfect gift. I wouldn't want to exist if I didn't believe and know such Truth to be true.  I know you share this gratitude for the capacity to be grateful.  Oh yes, there is Someone to thank, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Life is not life unless we consistently recognize His gracious generosity, and our need to not only receive, but to realize and give thanks.
 

"Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever!"
(Psalm 30:12)

Weekly Memory Verse
    "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
(Psalm 104:33)

     
  
 .  We will all at times feel as did Agur, in the Proverbs...

    "Surely I am more brutish (stupid) than any man, and have not the understanding of a man" (Proverbs 30:2).

    Such honest acknowledgement of our limitations notwithstanding, we can all likely know more than we do of God's ways and His whys.  "Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).  Can any of us say that we have full devoted ourselves to knowing our Lord and His truth?  The Apostle Paul answered the question for us: "If any man knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (I Corinthians 8:2).  Paul informs us that we "ought to know" more than we do.  This includes every believer.  Thus, when our Heavenly Father works in a manner that challenges our comprehension, the issue may involve God's ways being greater than our mental capacity.  However, we may also need to acknowledge the possibility that we could understand if we had better availed ourselves of the tools and opportunities He provides to consistently grow in our knowledge of His ways.

    "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
    "He will teach us of His ways" (Isaiah 2:3).

    We cannot know all.  But we can consistently know more.  We must know more of God and His ways in order to avoid unnecessary consternation in times of challenge when our Lord's workings defy the understanding of the simple.  An open Bible, a prayerful heart, fellowship with like hearted believers, and expectation of God's involved presence in every aspect of our lives will prepare us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  We "ought to know" more than we do.  Today offers the possibility for significant advance in our understanding of God and His ways.  No excuse exists to not avail ourselves of Light offered and Light beheld by those who acknowledge that we could and should know more than we do.

"Seek His face ever more."
(Psalm 105:4)                                                     

Weekly Memory Verse
    "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
(Psalm 104:33)

     

Thursday, October 18, 2018

"Someone To Thank"


(a repeat from 2011)


"Someone To Thank"

       

     What if there was no one to thank?  The thought occurred to me several years ago when Frances and I sat on the shore of a beautiful lake in north Alabama.  The sun was shining, a gentle breeze wafted in the trees, birds sang, and the first cool air of the season brought its sweet blend of rest and invigoration.  It's hard to imagine a venue or circumstance that could bring a greater sense of blessing from the One who bestows "every good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:18).

 

    What if there was no one to thank?  The very heart would be stolen from moments of blessing.  We might still enjoy them in an emotional awareness of the pleasant and the enjoyable.  However, the only personal aspect of the experience would be the sharing of the moment with fellow human beings, either in being with them as it occurs, or in telling others later.  This is a nice thing to do, of course, and being with Frances made the blessing infinitely more joyful than it would have been without her.  I also enjoy telling you about it.

 

    Again, however, what if there was no one to thank?  If a mindless and heartless universe somehow brought us to that lake, that breeze, that sunlight, that togetherness, and that sense of goodness as merely a random occurrence of fate or chance, I wouldn't be writing these words.  Honestly, I wouldn't care enough to do so.  I have no interest in writing just for writing's sake, even about nice and pleasant things.  No, if there is no one to thank, there is little or nothing to report.  There are merely descriptions of random occurrences that will all too soon flee away as dry leaves in the whirlwind.

 

    There is someone to thank.  The Bible declares, "He giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  The old hymn echoes, "Out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again."  Our hearts know deeply within that the very existence of our capacity for gratitude presupposes the existence of Someone from whom we receive every good and perfect gift. I wouldn't want to exist if I didn't believe and know such Truth to be true.  I know you share this gratitude for the capacity to be grateful.  Oh yes, there is Someone to thank, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Life is not life unless we consistently recognize His gracious generosity, and our need to not only receive, but to realize and give thanks.

 

"Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever!"
(Psalm 30:12)

Weekly Memory Verse
    "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
(Psalm 104:33)

     
  
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

“Directed Or Distracted?”

"Directed Or Distracted?"

       

     Distracted driving constitutes a real danger these days as smartphones beckon the attention of those who should be keeping their eyes on the road.  Automobiles become weaponized in the hands of those who forget how many deaths and injuries occur every year even when cars are driven carefully and safely.

    "Ye are turned away from the Lord" (Numbers 14:43).

    Distracted living involves an even more serious error of heart and mind.  Our spiritual enemies ever seek to divert our attention from the Life of our lives - "To live is Christ" - and to thwart our experience of God's presence and involvement (Philippians 1:21).  Life is busy and we must attend to the daily components necessary for survival and success.  Amid all, however, many choices present themselves to remember our Lord and respond to His glory and will.  I think of this sometimes when removing my cellphone from my pocket to glance at news headlines or perhaps consider some interesting Internet tidbit sent by someone for my consideration.  There is nothing necessarily wrong with doing so (except when driving!).  However, I would be less than honest if I did not confess that I sometimes miss opportunities to direct my focus to the Lord.  I have a Bible in my phone, wherein the words of God await.  The Holy Spirit indwells my heart to foster prayers that impact the eternity of myself and others.  And sometimes it is simply best to "think on these things," that is, to consider whether I am pondering life in terms either directed by God, or distracted by lesser things (Philippians 4:8).

    I have been guilty of distracted driving.  I have been far more guilty of distracted living.  Thank God for His mercy that has kept me from hurting others or myself by my carelessness on the roads.  I thank Him even more for His forgiveness and cleansing regarding the too many times I have turned away from the God, Truth, and reality that ever beckons my heart to join the prophet: "I will look for Him" (Isaiah 8:17).  Opportunities abound to seek our Lord, requiring choices to be made to look for Him, and to look away from distraction.  We can be sure the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to capture and secure our attention.  By His leading and enabling, may we make the choices to respond in the eternally beneficial devotion declared by the writer of Hebrews…

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
(Hebrews 12:2)
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are issues of life."
(Proverbs 4:23)

Weekly Memory Verse
    "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
(Psalm 104:33)