“Perpetual Grace, Persistent Godliness”

      God finds no interest in creatures serving Him from a motive of mere servile duty and obligation.

    “Moreover, all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee: and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.  Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things” (Deuteronomy 28:45-47).

     Israel revealed its waywardness not only by their frequent disobedience, but also by “grit your teeth” acts of obedience that emanated not from a heart of grateful and joyous love.  The law under which the Jews lived could not produce such heartfelt devotion, and was actually given to reveal Israel’s need for the grace that births the faithfulness of love.

     “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith… Faith worketh by love” (Galatians 3:24; 5:6).

    The law did not fill the heart, but rather exposed its emptiness.  The grace and truth of the Lord Jesus grants to us a new heart, filled with His Spirit and His love.  “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5).  Thus, the born again believer possesses the potential and the power to “love, with a pure heart fervently” (I Peter 1:22).  We may not always do so, of course, and when we don’t, failure to avail ourselves of God’s grace always lies at the root of our neglect.  The writer of Hebrews states plainly states this truth: “Let us have grace, that we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

     The Apostle Paul begins all his epistles to believers with a blessing of grace to those who have already received grace: “Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7).  Why such apparent redundancy?  Because believers require an ongoing experience of grace in order to fulfill an ongoing walk of faith and faithfulness.  Only such bestowals and receptions stoke the fire that burns upon the hearth of our Christ-filled hearts.  “Joyfulness” and “gladness of heart” ensue as we walk in this Divine dynamic of perpetual grace leading to persistent godliness of heart, soul, mind and strength.

“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

(II Peter 3:18)

“With Him, Unto Him”

     We can all imagine scenarios in which it seems that we could not go on if certain things happened in our lives. 

    I write this in the hope that it will not lead to our pondering such possibilities, but rather that we consider the implication of succumbing to despairing notions of any type or measure.  We actually propose more about God than about ourselves when we embrace any possibility that things may approach us beyond our capacity to bear.

    By definition, born again believers have vouchsafed every moment of both time and eternity to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).

    We may not always live accordingly, but deep within our hearts, the Holy Spirit bears continual witness that whether life takes us to bright summits, dark valleys, or somewhere in between, our Lord will await us with the grace to survive, and even thrive.  Thus, when dark imaginings confront us, we must allow them to foster inquiries not about ourselves, but about our Lord.  “Is God true?  Is His Word true?  Will He be where I am going?  Will He go with me as I am going?   Is He so present in both blessing and difficulty that He can justifiably command that I “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice?” (Philippians 4:4).  Indeed, the question does not concern our strength, which will most assuredly not be enough.  No, the issue rather addresses God Himself.  Is He who He declares Himself to be?  Can He do what He promises to do?

     We know the answers, the blessed answers.  Our Heavenly Father has never disappointed anyone who has ever trusted in Him.  And He never will.  So, when “dark imaginings” approach with their portent and torment, we waste no time wondering about the possibility of our own faithfulness.  We rather cast ourselves into “the everlasting arms” that bear wounds of nails to assure us that the Lord Jesus will indeed be awaiting us wherever we are going, and He will go with us as we go (Deuteronomy 33:27).  The Psalmist declared that God’s faithfulness  “reacheth unto the clouds” because at Calvary, the Hands of that faithfulness stretched forth from a cross that proclaims until this hour that we go with Him as we go unto Him, wherever and whatever that may be (Psalm 36:5).  He will be there, and He will be enough, far more than enough for joy and peace to abide, and more importantly, for us to honor Him on summits, in valleys, and along level plains…

“I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:38-39)

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

(I Corinthians 10:13)

Unscrambled

It often concerns me that I tend to awake in the morning with thoughts as scrambled as the eggs I might have for breakfast. Rather than immediately think of the Lord, my mind ventures down paths of distraction and diversion. Too often, the words of the Psalmist fail to characterize my own initial experience of the day.

“As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

I have recently realized a major reason for my failure to behold, namely, my focus has been on my beholding rather than on God’s face and likeness. I’ve concerned myself far more with the response I should have than the One who inspires an early gaze Heavenward. By this, I do not mean to imply that my response is not important and necessary. Certainly it is. I am not a programmed robot, but rather a living person, free in Christ to seek or to not seek Him. However, what most (only) causes me to genuinely “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith?” (Hebrews 12:2). The answer is simply the remembrance and affirmation that He is looking unto me. “Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm 40:5).

We will not get far in our walk with God apart from the ongoing remembrance that the tributary of our faithfulness ever and always flows from the abundant source of His faithfulness. “ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High” (Psalm 46:4). Christ is the river; we who believe are the streams. I hope to awaken more and more to this joyful remembrance of His perfect devotion to me. I would ask for your prayers accordingly, and I will offer the same for you. As we do, our own devotion will unscramble in our hearts and minds, causing early receptions of the grace that leads to faith, worship, and an obedience born not of mere duty and obligation, but of loving gratitude, affection and wonder…

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19) “He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)