“Reception and Responsibility”

"Reception and Responsibility"

    The genuine reception of God's freely given grace in the Lord Jesus Christ also bestows a keen sense of personal responsibility to God and people.

    "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches" (II Corinthians 11:28).

    Paul, the herald of God's free gift in the Lord Jesus, clearly affirmed the experience of such blessedness as the initiator and maintainer of a life that reflects the Savior's determination, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me" (John 9:4).  Reception leads to responsibility as the love of Christ for us becomes the love of Christ in us.  Those who accused the Apostle of preaching irresponsibility - "some affirm that we say, Let us do evil that good may come" - did not understand Paul or his message (Romans 3:8).  The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit accompanies God's forgiveness and assurance of eternal life with Him.  The Divine presence within our hearts spiritually changes who and what we are.  "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (II Corinthians 5:17).  Our Lord then works to progressively reveal the internal transformation in our attitude, words, and doings.  "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).  No legitimate experience of God exists that does not elicit the grace-wrought motivation to trust, serve, and obey our Heavenly Father.  With this comes also the determination to serve others.  We do not always live accordingly, but like Paul's "care of all the churches," every believer knows the Holy Spirit's moving upon our hearts to foster the aforementioned "keen sense of personal responsibility to God and people."  "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you" (II Corinthians 12:15).

    Reception and responsibility go hand in hand, heart in heart.  The Gift that changes the heart also challenges the feet to walk a path of devotion to God and others.  Upon meeting the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul asked two questions:  "Who art Thou, Lord?" and "What wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5-6).  Salvation results in service in all who receive the freest gift ever gift, which forms within us our Savior's attitude of "I must work the works."

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

(Hebrews 9:14)

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me."

(Isaiah 6:8)

Weekly Memory Verse

   Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 1:6)

"The Quality of Prayer"

"The Quality of Prayer"

    Enough?  Or well enough?  Regarding prayer, we must be sure to answer this question in accordance with God's truth and emphasis.

    "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us" (I John 5:14).

    "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7).

   At the end of our lives, the question will not revolve around quantity of fellowship with God, but rather the quality of how we walked with Him.  Of course, this is not to argue against consistent and regular prayer.  Through the Lord Jesus Christ, born again believers have 24/7 "access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:18).  We can pray anywhere and everywhere with much confidence as long as were make our approach with a humble, trusting heart submitted to the glory and will of God.  What a gift, and surely we desire to avail ourselves of conscious relationship with the One of whom the Psalmist declared, "In Thy presence is fullness of joy.  At Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

    Still, as with every aspect of the Christian life, we do well to attend to the matter of quality rather than quantity in our prayers.  To pray merely for prayer's sake is an empty exercise that does us no good, and may in fact do great harm.  How easily we deceive ourselves when performing apparently spiritual activities that may involve little more than "vain repetitions."  The God who "looketh on the heart" is not impressed by much speaking that does nor originate in His Spirit's working in our hearts, and our genuine response thereunto (I Samuel 16:7).  Thus, we must determine to pray well rather than much, as led by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  In many, this may lead to greater quantity of fellowship with our Heavenly Father as the blessing of reality bestows the quality of His glorious presence and working in our hearts.  However, some may find what seems to be a bit of paring down the abundance of words that in the past may have been uttered merely to satisfy themselves rather than please God.

    Prayer constitutes a sublime gift of grace in Christ wherein God bestows Himself to trusting hearts.  "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).  The Lord Jesus suffered and died to make possible relationship and fellowship with our Heavenly Father.  The last thing we want to do is trivialize the blessedness by viewing the gift according to fleshly and devilish parameters that bear no real spiritual substance.  Acknowledging our native tendencies in the matter, and then trusting our Lord to lead and enable us to pray well, goes far in establishing and maintaining the quality of prayer in both our hearts and the practice of walking with God in Truth.

"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

(James 5:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

   Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 1:6)

Dear Orange Moon Friends

Dear Orange Moon Friends,

Today begins our 20th year of sending out the Orange Moon devotionals. It's a bit hard to fathom, but it is easy to be grateful beyond words for your fellowship and friendship through the years. I cannot imagine what life would have been like without your example, encouragement, challenge, and testimony of the Lord Jesus and His wondrous grace. Please be sure as this day and a new year of writing and sending the messages begins, I have literally fallen to my knees in thanksgiving for you. You have all been and remain one of God's greatest gifts to my heart.

From His victory,
Glen