Thursday, January 30, 2020

"What Do You Give?" (to the One who has everything?" Part 1 - Giving By Receiving

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


"What Do You Give (to the One who has everything?)"

Part 1 - Giving By Receiving

   What do you give to the person who has everything?  We wonder this during the Christmas season, or when pondering birthday presents for people who have the things in life they need, and give little indication of desiring other gifts we might bestow upon them.  Of course, it is not literally true that any human being has "everything."  There is One, however, of whom this can and must be said:

    "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).

    Technically speaking, we can give nothing to "the Possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:22).  Everything in creation belongs to its Maker and Sustainer.  How then can we give anything to our Heavenly Father since everything already belongs to Him?  The answer actually lies in His giving.  Scripture reveals a Lord so generous in disposition and dispensing that He must be viewed in terms of the most glorious and wondrous generosity.  God is the most cheerful of givers, even as the hymnwriter exulted, "Out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again."   This beautifully reflects the Apostle Paul's affirmation of our Lord's lavish bestowal, based on His loving generosity: "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

   What do we give to such a One?  We give our receiving.  By definition, God's infinite loving nature of unselfishness - "Charity seeketh not her own" - means that the only way utterly dependent creatures can please our generous Lord involves reception of the gifts He gives.  Consider this in the most obvious human terms.  If a loved one sacrifices time, effort, expense, and everything necessary to grace us with a gift, our receiving of their kindness blesses them no less than it blesses us.  Even more.  "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).  Our happiness, gratitude, and benefit grants a gift to our generous benefactor no less than their bestowal on us.  Amplify this a trillion-fold with God.  He possesses everything.  He loves to give.  Thus, our only way to respond involves giving to His heart the pleasure of giving to our hearts.

   In every day, we can bestow gifts on our Heavenly Father by receiving gifts from Him.  We can trust Him that "my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).  We can express heartfelt gratitude for Heartfelt lovingkindness and its ongoing gift of "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  We can give to the One who has everything.  Moreover, our proper reception of God's good gifts will not result in our being spoiled, self-centered brats.  As we frequently suggest in these messages, only our Heavenly Father can freely give in a manner that results in our becoming unselfish rather than egocentric narcissists (II Corinthians 3:18).  We more and more learn to love as we are more and more blessed by the love of God.  "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

    The capacity for faith built into us by our Lord constitutes our organ of reception, as it were.  Thus, as we trust Him for all things, we please Him by our reception, giving the only gift we can bestow on our Heavenly Father.  We also greatly honor Him as our reception transforms us into being the vehicle of His giving to others.  What do you give to the One who has everything?  We give our receiving, blessing His generous heart thereby, and blessing others as His gifts flow not only to us, but through us unto others.

"It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
(Luke 12:32)

Weekly Memory Verse
     And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(I Timothy 1:14)


   



























5821

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

"Obvious"

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


"Obvious"

   Sometimes the Lord is so obvious it makes it difficult to walk by faith. :):)

   We have experienced this in the last few days of grieving about the passing of our dear beagle Sparrow.  Things have happened that confirm our Lord's loving presence, involvement, and encouragement to the degree that the introductory statement above burst forth from my grateful heart and smiling lips.  "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart" (Psalm 34:18).  

    Of course, the norm of our present existence in a fallen world involves trusting the faithfulness of God's heart when we cannot see the working of His hand.  "We walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  Much of our lives involves the determination to see with our hearts the Light that "shineth in darkness" (John 1:5). The Spirit of God and the Word of God unite to lead us in response to our Savior's command: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  The Lord Jesus Christ Himself lived such a lifetime of walking by faith, viewing with His heart the glories of His Father's working and presence that could not be seen with the eyes.  "The Father loveth the Son and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth" (John 5:20).  He now leads us accordingly, and while we will not be as perfectly responsive to the Light of God as was the Lord Jesus, we can grow in our spiritual capacity to see wonders that lay hidden to our natural senses, but not to our heart.  "I will behold Thy face in righteousness" (Psalm 17:15).

    But then… but then sometimes our Heavenly Father makes Himself pretty obvious.  We see Light in the light, particularly in times when we present our hurting hearts to "the God of all comfort" (II Corinthians 1:3).  Our tears seem to clarify our vision.  The wounds of our hearts open new portals into which the glory of God shines.  Our hurts serve as the milieu of His help.  We still walk by faith, but as we trust Him in our challenges, our loving Savior meets us in ways we may not experience at other times.   God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  Our torn hearts beckon His tender heart, which rushes to bestow comforts and confirmations of the ancient, but abiding promise: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee" (Psalm 43:2).

   I often think of the Apostle Paul and Silas in a Philippian jail, their bodies bleeding, their freedom taken away, their feet shackeled, and their ministry seemingly ended (Acts 17:22-24).  Strangely, however, they did something that seems absurd in such conditions and circumstances.  "At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God" (Acts 17:25).  Of course, I understand the praying.  In times of trouble, God's trusting children do a lot of that.  However, the singing always captures my attention.  Why did they sing?  I can only think of one answer: somehow the Lord met them in their pain and imprisonment to the degree that their hearts burst forth in doxology rather than despair.  They had to sing, in response to the  "very present help" who met them.  He will meet us no less as we present our hurting hearts to Him, and yet another ancient promise of God's Word will ring in our hearts as our Lord makes Himself obvious…

"God my maker… giveth songs in the night."
(Job 35:10)

Weekly Memory Verse
     And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(I Timothy 1:14)


   



























5820

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

"The Calling"

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



"The Calling"

   When an ambassador ponders the duties of each new day, he views the calling in terms of representation, that is, he seeks to faithfully embody the nation for which he serves as an envoy.  His own opinions and reputation do not pave the path on which he will walk that day, but rather the positions of those who have called him to accurately reflect their views and values.

   "We are ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20).

   God graces His trusting children in the Lord Jesus Christ with the privileged responsibility of representing Him in all things, at all times, and in all places.  Our countenance, demeanor, attitude, words, and actions provide the tools whereby we seek to illuminate others with the light of His countenance, demeanor, attitude, words, and actions.  The calling begins in the home with our families, and then extends to our relationship with fellow believers, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and all who cross our paths each day.  We are lamps of the Light, commissioned and sent forth with the honored purpose of shining with the glory of Another.  "Ye shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15).

   The calling we consider blesses us with the greatest purpose and significance imaginable.  Our Father calls us to glimmer in the night sky of a dark world.  As we trust and submit to Him, we absorb and shine forth His light.  This involves every aspect of our life and being.  Indeed, even though my calling concerns the pulpit and the pen, as it were, I do not perceive these privileged duties as my primary service in life as an ambassador for the Lord Jesus.  I must rather first conduct my everyday life by the leading and enabling of the Holy Spirit in a manner that reflects well on Him.  "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).  The same is true of every believer.  Whatever our callings, the calling involves glorifying the Lord Jesus in "whatsoever," thus filling our moments with the most wondrous reason for existing and truly living.  "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23).

   A final thought.  As ambassadors for Christ, we always represent Him.  Having taken His name, we either reflect well on Him or poorly.  People either see in us the Lord Jesus as He is, or they see a misrepresentation.  Earthly ambassadors realize this.  Heavenly ambassadors must realize it far more.  We must not take our Lord's name in vain by portraying Him in a manner that gives a false impression of who He is, what He thinks, and how He promises to act.  Certainly this injects the most solemn seriousness into the subject at hand.  Doubtless we all have times when we do not shine with the true light that reveals our Lord as He is.  As I write these words, the realization of too many failures in this regard is almost overwhelming.  However, we serve a faithful and forgiving Father.  "There is forgiveness with Thee" (Psalm 130:4).  As believers, we get to start from where we are.  Thus, may we arise and go forth in this day with the determination to faithfully represent our Lord in all things, rejoicing in the calling, and realizing the seriousness of ever being the lamps of His light.

"Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy and Thy truth's sake."
(Psalm 115:1)

Weekly Memory Verse
     And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(I Timothy 1:14)


   



























5819

Monday, January 27, 2020

“It Shall Be Forever” (For Our Beloved Sparrow, My Literary Companion)

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

(Friends: I can count on one hand the times we have sent out more than one Orange Moon devotional a day during the past 21 years.  I think you will understand why I do so today when you read this.  Thanks for the prayers I know you will pray. Glen).



"It Shall Be Forever"

(For Our Beloved Sparrow, My Literary Companion)

        
     I am going to miss her so very much.

     We will say farewell to our beloved beagle Sparrow today.  She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure ten months ago, and while she has done well during that time through the care of an excellent veterinarian, our best efforts, and most of all, God's grace, the time had come to grant her a merciful departure.

    I have spent my lifetime with words, speaking them, writing them, praying them, and every now and then, even thinking a few of them.  If I had a thousand lifetimes, however, or even ten thousand, I could never begin to express how much Sparrow's departure hurts.  Those of you who have the book on prayer we wrote (Sparrow and I) may remember it was dedicated to "my literary companion, Sparrow."  We will publish another book later this year of which the same is true.  In thirteen years as well, Sparrow has been by my side for the writing of more than 4,000 Orange Moon devotionals.  Of course, I wrote before Sparrow.  But for the life of me, I find it hard to think about writing after her.  
    
   As I dug the grave today where we will lay Sparrow's body, I did a lot of praying, a lot of thinking, and then something which surprised me.  I became angry.  Not at God, no, not in the least. But I found myself expressing within my heart, "This is not right!  This is an aberration!  This is a horror!"  My inner outcry resulted from a thought that came to me as I performed my painful task.  Sparrow did nothing to deserve this!  But I did!  As did the entire human race, beginning with Adam.  It was his sin and our sins that made necessary God's right and righteous judgment on His creation.  "By one man death sin entered the world, and death by sin" (Romans 5:12).  Without death, we would have no hope for redemption because we would not realize our desperate spiritual and moral condition.  Indeed, a world wherein every creature suffers the ignominy of physical demise screams at us that we must have a Redeemer for our sins, and also bears witness to our culpability for the suffering of innumerable other creatures.

   This led, of course, to the far greater consideration of another innocent Party who suffered and died for our sins.  The Lamb of God knew sorrow, shame, forsakenness by both man and God, and death because of our sins.  Again, "not right!… aberration!… horror!"  Please don't misunderstand.  I am not questioning God's ways, or the perfection of what the Lord Jesus Christ did according to our Heavenly Father's eternal purpose.   I am not foolish enough to begin to understand how God's sovereignty and human freedom work together according to that purpose.  But I do know this: death is not God's ultimate intention for His creation.  Moreover, in the present era, He determines and allows death only because it is a necessary component whereby His purposes will ultimately be fulfilled.  This is true of even those who reject Him and will sadly experience what the Bible calls "the second death": "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Revelation 21:8; Ezekiel 33:11).  So, while we certainly trust God's perfect ways concerning death, I do not think it inappropriate to rail against this intruder in His creation.  Especially when we consider that our Dearest and Best, our blessed Lord Jesus, had to suffer the death we deserved and He did not.

   I try to never conjecture about God and His truth.  Perhaps the emotion of this time therefore leads to the license I am allowing myself for a final thought.  Every time scientists come up with a new measure of the universe, its dimension leaps to indescribably greater measure.  As believers of Scripture, we know that all things are God's things, and we also know that we live in a sin-damaged creation.  What if, therefore, the trillions of innocent creatures who have died on this planet due to no sin or fault of their own might one day be raised from death to again inhabit the new earth, or perhaps even the myriad number of worlds that exist in God's handiwork?  I do not know.  But I do recall this, from Ecclesiastes: "For I know that what God doeth, it shall be forever.  Nothing can be put to it, or anything taken from it" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Whether this speaks to my conjecture, I cannot say.  But knowing the beautiful heart of our Lord and Solomon's affirmation of "shall be forever" makes me wonder.

   This is the last Orange Moon Sparrow and I will write together.   A home vet will come soon arrive to bestow upon her a merciful departure.  She lays near my feet, sleeping (for which I am grateful).  My heart breaks to write these words.  But my heart rejoices in gratitude for these thirteen years with my "literary companion" who has been so much more to us, in so many ways.  And my heart is filled with hope because whatever the future holds for Sparrow and all of God's creation and creatures, this I know…

"As for God, His way is perfect."
(Samuel 22:31)
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?  And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father."
(Matthew 10:29)

Weekly Memory Verse
     And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(I Timothy 1:14)


   



























5818

"Being? Bearing!"

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

"Being?  Bearing!"

        
     The New Testament declares every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to be a spiritual temple of the love of God.

     "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).

    In our presently imperfect existence, we may or may not "walk in love" despite the presence of God's love in our hearts (Ephesians 5:2).   Many commands in the New Testament call us to "love one another," clearly implying the possibility of our not living in devotion to our Lord and others (I John 4:7).  Our experience sometimes confirms this fact.  How then can believers more consistently and increasingly experience the self sacrificial devotion to God and others that dwells within us through the Holy Spirit?

    A primary ray of light can be found in our initial conversion.  "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).  That which happened in the beginning of our relationship with our Heavenly Father is meant to continue.  When we trusted the Lord Jesus, we realized that God offered in His Son the free gift of forgiveness for past sins and newness of life for the present and forevermore.  We acknowledged the impossibility of cleansing our own hands and heart.  In response to the Word of God and the Spirit of God, we trusted the Lord Jesus to be and do for us what we could never be and do for ourselves.  Indeed, we began the eternal journey of "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

    On this basis of grace, we then seek to "walk" in the same dynamic of "as ye have therefore received."  Rather than attempting to motivate and manufacture our own loving devotion to God and people, we determine to trust in our Savior's presence and working on our behalf.  Instead of seeking to be love, we bear love, the love of God.  We have no need to manufacture love for God and others in ourselves if we have trusted the Lord Jesus.  He rather privileges us to believe in His promised presence and working already resident within our hearts.  "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).   Thus, we love by faith, that is, we trust the Spirit of God to reveal our Lord's sublimely unselfish character, nature, and way in us.  "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  We play a genuine role in the matter as we freely respond to God's truth and submit ourselves to Him in the expectation of His faithful working.  However, as in our salvation, we discover the blessed grace whereby we serve as branches of the True Vine, the Lord Jesus, as opposed to attempting by our own devices to live and love.  Without Me, ye can do nothing… I can do all things things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (John 15:5; Philippians 4:19).

   In the Person of the indwelling Holy Spirit, God gave Himself to our hearts when we believed.  Thereby He enables us as we affirm His presence and working.  We find ourselves loving God and people in ways we could never begin to motivate and manufacture in ourselves.  Our Father could bestow upon us no greater grace than to lead us to love as He loves.  As we live looking unto the Author and Finisher, we will love by the bearing of His blessed presence in our hearts.

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
(I Timothy 1:14)

Weekly Memory Verse
     And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
(I Timothy 1:14)


   



























5817

Saturday, January 25, 2020

"Victors or Victims" "Part 2 - "For Us"

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

" Victors or Victims"

Part 2  - "For Us"

        
     Many Biblical trailheads offer entrance onto the pathways of our theology, that is, our knowledge of God and understanding of His truth.  The subject of this essay offers a primary passage whereby through Christ, we live as victors by viewing our Lord Biblically, rather than being stifled as victims of ignorance and error.  

    "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

    Every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must be sure that our Heavenly Father is "for us" in the best of times and the worst of times.  From being "alienated from the life of God" before salvation to being "accepted in the Beloved" after we believe, our place in the heart of God is secure both now and forevermore (Ephesians 4:18; 1:6).  Certainly this does not mean our Lord is for our unbelief and disobedience in times when we wander (I John 1:8).  No loving father supports destructive attitudes and actions in a cherished child.  Nor do good fathers spare necessary disciplinary action when necessary.  "Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth… He that spareth his rod hateth his son" (Hebrews 12:6; Proverbs 13:24).  However, nothing changes the eternally prevailing good will in our Heavenly Father toward His trusting children in Christ.  "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endureth forever" (Psalm 106:1).

   We do well to build an altar within our hearts whereupon we sacrifice any notion that contradicts God's fixed devotion to our best interests and well being.  He forever sees us as united to Christ and justified by the atoning work of our Savior.  "By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).  To the degree the Lord Jesus was forsaken on the cross of Calvary, believers are accepted in heart of God.  We must make this a matter of both principled doctrine and personal conviction.  "For us" must become "for me".  Our Savior paid too high a price to redeem us for any lesser response to the truth of "so great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3).  Moreover, in practical terms of walking with God, the awareness of His abiding devotion to us motivates and empowers growing devotion to Him.  "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).

    I am reminded of something my mother said to me on several occasions during my childhood.  "Glen, I always love you, but I don't always like you."  I knew exactly what she meant, and understood her reference to loving me, but to sometimes being less than pleased with my attitudes and actions.  While not a perfect illustration of God's sensibilities toward us, I do think my mother's honest admission speaks to our current consideration of being victors rather than victims of our theology.  "For us."  Few truths more establish confidence, conviction, and consecration to a devoted Father, and to our growing trustworthiness based on His perfect faithfulness to our well being.  

"God is for me."
(Psalm 56:9)



Weekly Memory Verse

    "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
(I Corinthians 3:16)



























5816

Friday, January 24, 2020

"Victors or Victims" Part 1 - Our Maker

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

" Victors or Victims"

Part 1 - Our Maker

        
     We are either victors or victims of our theology (knowledge and understanding of God). 

      "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

     How we think about God determines and influences everything in our lives.  First, if we believe "it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves," we humbly acknowledge our very existence as Divinely ordained (Psalm 100:3).  Believing ourselves to be the creations of a Creator enlightens our hearts with the realization that a Being of unspeakably marvelous artistic and technical capabilities designed and made us.  "The Psalmist declared…

      "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" (Psalm 139:14).  

     "Fearfully" speaks to our Lord's wondrous design, engineering, and repair expertise .  Pondering such brilliance and ability for even a few moments leads to awed and astonished fascination: "How can someone even exist who possesses such mind and prowess???"  Then "Wonderfully" steps into the light.  The Technician might have made a creation without color, or sound without melody, or fragrance without sweetness, or food without flavor, or objects without texture.  The Artist, of course, would not allow for such a universe dispossessed of beauty.  The worshipper overwhelmed by the Lord's ability thus finds himself sublimely enraptured by the art in God's heart.  "He hath made everything beautiful in His time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

   Of course, simply believing that God made us does not inevitably result in faith and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.  It does, however, prepare us for the possibility of salvation and a subsequent life of being victors of our theology.  Faith in being "fearfully and wonderfully made" bears great potential for us to also realize God's capacity to redeem us from the consequences of sin.  We are damaged people living in a damaged creation due to devilish rebellion and human unbelief.  Our Lord most certainly made us, but He did not make us as we are in our spiritual and moral imperfection.  Our freedom to either respond or rebel resulted in the present condition wherein our wondrous humanity sadly flows with the current of decay and death.  Believing that God made us paves a path in our hearts and minds to also trust that He can remake and redeem us from our sins.  He can, and He does in all who trust the Lord Jesus as God's deliverance from sin, death, and judgment.  Indeed, all who believe in God the Creator become victors of their theology when trusting in God the Redeemer…

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ."
(II Corinthians 2:14)


Weekly Memory Verse

    "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
(I Corinthians 3:16)

Next: The believer's theology





  






















5815

Thursday, January 23, 2020

"The Servants"

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

"The Servants"

        
     While discussing the nature of God recently, a man responded to thoughts I shared about our triune Lord by shaking his head: "It's the fool who tries to understand the Trinity!" 

    Certainly, an element of truth exists in the gentleman's resignation regarding the infinite mystery of three distinct Persons dwelling in and as one God.

    "The King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen" (I Timothy 6:15-16).

     Scripture nevertheless clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, declaring the fact of God's nature, while also illuminating the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  First, the Bible clearly identifies each of the three Personalities in the godhead as God.

     God the Father is God.  "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (II John 1:3).
     God the Son is God.  "Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, o God, is forever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8).
     God the Holy Spirit is God.  "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?  And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?  Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5:3

    Here we see not only the fact of three Persons existing as one God, but also Their co-equality (Scripture verifies the use of the plural pronoun regarding God - Genesis 1:26).  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in substance, being, and identity as God.   Further consideration of the Bible, however, also reveals a structure of authority as it exists in the triune God.   

     "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).
     "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirt, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26).
    "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me" (John 15:26).

    The Lord Jesus plainly states His subservience to the Father.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit clearly serves both the Father and the Son, as confirmed by His being "sent" by them (by definition, those sent serve the sender).  Thus, we see a beautiful expression of servanthood in the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  This also draws believers into the glory and humility of such wonder since the Son is our Lord, and the Spirit of God literally dwells within us.  Two glorious Persons of the godhead devoted to servitude bear direct relationship to us, granting access to the Father by our Savior's sacrifice and the Spirit's living presence within our hearts.  

    In God, and in all things, humility serves as the foundation of all authority and the exercise of leadership.  This brief glimpse into the triunity of God confirms the Bible's calling to be amazed by the wonder of who our Lord is.  It also illuminates our own servanthood as sons and daughters of God in Christ.  The Servant who redeemed us sent another Servant to indwell us.  Thereby we learn our privileged responsibility to serve in the light of the serving Son and the power of the serving Spirit.  Indeed, we might say that the Savior, the Spirit, and the saints comprise a trinity of servitude to the Father.  Moreover, it is important to note that we serve as members of family, namely, "the whole family in Heaven and earth" (Ephesians 3:15).  We are sons and daughters who serve, as opposed to hired servants (Galatians 4:7) 

   I agree with the gentleman in the sense that we can never fully understand God's nature (nor do we need to).  We can know more than we think, however, if we devote ourselves to the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit's guidance in our quest for knowing God.  The Bible exists as our Lord's self revelation.  "Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).  I will repeat my overly used maxim: We can know some.  We can know more.  But we can never know all.  This is more true about God Himself than any other subject.  The realization prepares our hearts for wonder, and for the discovery of what it means to be a servant in the light of our great, glorious, and triune Master.

"Call unto Me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."
(Jeremiah 33:3)


Weekly Memory Verse

    "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
(I Corinthians 3:16)





  






















5814