"Responders"

(Thanks to Larry V. for inspiration on this one)

      "What is truth?  Pilate asked the question in response to the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ: "For this cause came I into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37-38).

     Our interest in truth always proceeds in this order.  God initiates and we respond, either positively or negatively.  In Pilate's case, he chose the latter by quickly escaping the Lord's presence to communicate with others rather than confront the great issue at hand.  "And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said unto them, I find no fault in Him at all."  Pilate spoke truly, of course, but in reality, he chose distraction from Truth rather than personal devotion to the Lord of Truth.

    We live in an age of distraction wherein God continues to communicate His truth by His Spirit, His Word, His church, and His creation, but wherein diversions also abound that offer a route of avoiding that which most matters.  Born again believers in the Lord Jesus are not exempt from the temptation.  As a dear friend often suggests, "we must be sure to keep the first thing the first thing, and the main thing the main thing."  This sounds simple, but it actually presents us with perhaps the greatest challenge of our lives.  Especially in these days when our spiritual enemies have countless means of communicating falsehood, keeping God's truth as the first thing and the main thing requires consistent determination and focus.  

   Personally, I find the greatest motivation to maintain focus on the Lord Jesus and His Truth involves the awareness that, as with Pilate, God originates the consideration of the subject.  That is, my interest in Truth always involves response to God's interest in my knowing the Truth.  "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Psalm 27:8).  Nothing more motivates seeking the Lord than the realization of how earnestly and intently He seeks us.  No awareness better leads to personal communion with our Heavenly Father than the remembrance that "the prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8).  God made us as responders rather than originators.  He is the Alpha, the Beginning, and the Source of all things, and in the current consideration, of our devotion.  This does not absolve us of responsibility, no, not at all.  As responders, we must respond if the Truth is to have its proper and powerful place in our hearts.  Still, we must forever realize and affirm that any interest in Truth we may embrace exists because of our Father's interest in our knowing the Truth.  

    Long ago, a man asked perhaps the fundamental question of his existence in response to the Lord's declaration of His purpose to communicate reality.  "What is Truth?"   Sadly, Pilate ran from the answer.  May we rather run to the answer by gratefully appreciating our Savior's raising the issue in our hearts, and by responding with David, ""When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek."

"The Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.  And Samuel answered, Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." 

(I Samuel 3:10)

Weekly Memory Verse

   Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.'

(I Chronicles 16:8)

   

The Vastness and Simplicity of Prayer

    Prayer involves a subject too vast for our comprehension, while also being simple enough for our application.  

    "We know not what to pray for as we ought… By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Romans 8:26; Philippians 4:6).

    The vastness of prayer involves the fact that we commune with the infinite God in our praying.  Little wonder that the Apostle Paul declares our inadequacy regarding such communication.  What does one say to Another possessed of heart, mind, presence, and power beyond all imagining, particularly when one possesses nothing of the sort?  As my wife Frances recently mentioned, "If we physically encountered the presence of the Lord Jesus, we probably wouldn't be too wordy!"  Indeed, the Apostle John saw the risen Christ, and proceeded to fall before Him as dead (Revelation 1:17).  So much for wordy!  Thus, prayer presents a monumental challenge to us in the sense that God is God, and we are not.

    The Bible nevertheless calls us to pray, and to do so in confidence of Divine aid.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" declared Paul (Philippians 4:13).  Few callings more require "through Christ" as the enabling power, and we can be confident that the Holy Spirit leads and empowers us in prayer as we trust and submit to Him.  In fact, by definition, prayer involves the frank admission of our need as we ask our Lord to do that which we cannot do, or we seek His grace to enable the fulfillment of that which we can only do through Him.  This fosters a profound simplifying of our communication with God as we make our approach in the humility that, again, acknowledges God as God, and ourselves as not God.

 

    In practical terms, our primary sensibility as we seek the Lord involves the recognition of His perfect and infinite wisdom, while realizing our profound lack thereof.  "His understanding is infinite… We know not what to pray for as we ought" (Psalm 147:5).  We mainly ask the Lord to do in hearts, lives, circumstances, and situations that which He sees fit to accomplish rather than attempt to inform God based upon our own limited awareness and opinion.  This does not preclude praying about details.  It does, however, purify and refine our communion with the Lord.  It simplifies it actually, making prayer an accessible and manageable reality far more likely to be practiced because we view the gift in the God-centered terms of His indescribable greatness and our utter dependence.  

     "Son of man, can these bones live?" asked the Lord of His prophet regarding the valley of osseous death and decay.  A.W. Tozer suggested that Ezekiel's response was perhaps the wisest utterance ever offered by a fallen human being.  "Thou knowest, Lord!" (Ezekiel 37:1-3).  We do well to carry such a sensibility into our prayerful utterances.  In many cases, this may lead to fewer words in our prayers (not necessarily a bad thing).  It will, however, lead to much more heart as we pray in the light of God's reality, and our reality.  Indeed, prayer is too vast for even the best and brightest among us.  However, it is simple enough for the least and weakest among us, that is, for who pray in the the brilliant light of His glory and our dependence thereupon.

"Thou art God alone!"

(Psalm 86:10)

"We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."

(II Corinthians 1:9)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."

(II Thessalonians 2:16-17)

    

"So Great Salvation"

    "If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life… He is able to save them to the uttermost who come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 7:25).

    The Apostle Paul employs a bit of sanctified logic in order to encourage believers regarding their relationship with God.  Paul's argument suggests the simple truth that the Lord began our redemption when we were foes.  Does He not presently continue it in exponentially expanded measure now that we are family?  Moreover, the writer of Hebrews confirms such grace by His declaration that the Son of God "ever liveth" to intercede to a willing Father on our behalf.  Little wonder that Hebrews also proclaims the "so great salvation" of the Lord Jesus who originates and perpetuates the Divine work of grace in the hearts of all who believe (Hebrews 2:3).  This leads us back to the Apostle, who exulted, "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).  "So great salvation…"

    No truth more encourages us to continue walking with our Lord in times of faithfulness.  Moreover, no truth more inspires and challenges us to arise in times of unfaithfulness to avail ourselves of the benefits of our Savior's ongoing intercession.  On brightly lit summits and in dark pits, the Lord Jesus supplies the motivation and enabling that fosters faith and faithfulness.  We are "saved by His life," that is, the Spirit of Christ lives in us to empower obedience.  Christ also lives at the right hand of His Father in the heavenliness to seek Divine favor on our behalf, including forgiveness in times of disobedience.  The Holy Spirit bears witness to such grace by the Word He inspired, calling believers to "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).  Thus, we may continue to walk if we are walking, and we may arise to walk again if we have fallen.  "So great salvation…"

    Such blessed truth blesses us with the gift of no despair regarding our walk with the Lord.  However, it also challenges us with no excuses.  No justification whatsoever exists for born again believers to fail to live in consistent faithfulness to God.  The power of the Holy Spirit resides within us for obedience, the same power that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).  The intercession of the Lord Jesus makes possible quick restoration on occasions of disobedience.  Through Christ, we are family.  We are sons and daughters for whom God has made complete provision for every contingency.  Reconciled by His death… saved by His life.  "So great salvation…"

"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 wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

(Romans 5:1-2)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."

(II Thessalonians 2:16-17)