dailywalkinthelight

A Daily a Walk in the Light of God's Word

Archives for February 2018

God’s Word ETC.

The Light and Promise

 

This morning was an interesting morning of prayer and study.  I always start with prayer, but from there it is up in the air.  Today I fired up a sermon by Doctor Martin Lloyd-Jones on the pride of man.  While that was starting, I read a devotional regarding God’s Word.  The referenced verse was in Proverbs 30.

 

Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV)

5 Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words,

lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

I looked at this passage and just pondered the power of verse five.  “Every word of God proves true.” This passage is burned into my heart.  I do not question its validity.  I do not question any of God’s Word from the first word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation.  So, what does that mean about verse six?

It means I believe it as well.  “Do not add to his words.” 

Proverbs 30 is not the only place these two things are stated.  Looking at the links in my Bible I found verse five restated twice and verse six three times.

Every Word of God Proves True

This passage is restated twice in Psalms.

Psalms 12:6 (ESV)

6 The words of the LORD are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

Psalms 18:30 (ESV)

30 This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

If we doubt this how can we be certain about any of God’s Word?  How can we accept any teaching without questioning its veracity?  I thought about that for a long time meditating on verse six and listening to Doctor Lloyd-Jones discuss the same topic things started to come together for me.

Do Not Add to His Words

I read verse six several times.  I also looked at the linked verses:

Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (ESV)

32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

Revelation 22:18 (ESV)

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,

I have read these verses many times, and though I had not memorized these words I knew them and honestly, I tended to overlook them or take them for granted.  It one of those phrases that I knew to be true and subconsciously I did not need to focus on it, but God showed me this morning that I was wrong.

As I was pondering this verse and looking at the linked verse, I heard Doctor Lloyd-Jones begin specific discussion of pride and how it prevented faith, and that got my attention.

The Barrier of Pride and Selfishness

He first spoke of Jesus and how he never took credit for the things He did.  He gave all the Glory to God.  I thought a passage in Philippians 2 where Paul explained Jesus’ example of humility.

Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV)

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Then Paul defines the mind we should have in verses 3-5, and in verse 6-8 he explains what the willingness of Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

This is not always an easy step.  Christ’s example is hard for me to fathom. Paul cautions us to simply not be selfish and put others interests before our own, but sometimes that selfishness just kicks in.  I will hit a point where I want to be first.  Jesus never did that except to be the first to live without sin and to die for me.  That is humbling when I think of times I let selfishness or pride put myself first.

You Can’t Handle the Truth

The sermon took another turn as I listened.  Doctor Lloyd-Jones spoke of truth and pride and in came God and his pruning knife to convict me once again.  The good doctor brought up arguing over a point; it could be anything.  He posed the question asking are we searching for the truth or allowing our pride to prove our side of the argument is the correct side.

As I listened I just began to see all the times I had fought not for the truth, but to be right.  Even if the point I began with is true and right once I surrender to pride the truth no longer matters, and even if I “win” the argument the truth is lost.  No one wins, one simply relents, and decides it is not worth fighting over.

Selflessness

I listened a bit more to the sermon and paused it to read the Word several times.  I kept thinking of Paul’s passage above – Philippians 2: 1-8.  As I pondered that John 17 came to mind.  It is Jesus’ prayer.  He speaks of His mission to fulfill God’s plan for salvation and asks God for a blessing to protect his disciples.  But even in this prayer He never takes anything from God.  All Glory goes to Him.  I love this chapter.  I especially like how it begins.

John 17:1-5 (ESV)

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus assumes nothing.  He asks God.  He asked him to allow these things.  He only told God of His obedience and asked for his blessing.  What a powerful example.  He did not argue.  He did not doubt, and he did not question God.  He made only requests of Him.

Ask or Question

As I typed the words from verse 17 above the Holy Spirit hit me with this thought;  I suddenly saw this great divide between the word “ask” and “question.”  I know that as verbs both have different meanings, but I had not considered it before this moment. It is one of those things we know but do not think about.  But today the difference became clear with a verse from Matthew 18.

Matthew 18:3-4 (ESV)

3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus asked knowing God would not deny Him.  Neither does a little child when they make a request of their parents.  When they ask they know that it will be answered.  Little children do not question their parents they know who they are, and they trust them not for what they do but for who they are.  That is what God wants from us.

Trust

God’s only desire is to be united with us and it was so strong that He was willing to give His Son’s life to pay for our sins.  He desires to knock down this wall of pride, doubt, and fear cultivated by the adversary and our rebellion and restore the love and trust that we had with God in the beginning.

In the beginning, the adversary has been filling our minds with doubts and fears.  Posing questions to us that cause doubt or fear.  Just read Genesis 3:1-7 and you can see the beginning of that process.

Holding on to Our Joy

As I worked through all these things this morning, I could not stop thinking about how blessed we are to have the Word of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit to bring us understanding.

The world is a place filled with darkness, but we have the light of risen Lord, Jesus Christ!  Yes, there are people in this world that hate the light and hate us for sharing it, but how can we hide the light of Jesus.  If we truly believe it cannot be contained.

As I think of all that Jesus endured for me how can I turn from it.  How can I be silent?  He suffered in a way that I cannot fathom and did not protest.  With a word, he could have stopped it all, but His love for me was so great that He was willing to pay that price.  He paid it all for us.  Just look at Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:4-6 (ESV)

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

The whole chapter just blows me away.  Isaiah foretells of Jesus sacrifice hundreds of years before it happens, and Jesus would not disobey.

Closing Thoughts

I look at all this, and the promise of Jesus and I am humbled.  God asked His Son to give His life as a sacrifice to pay for my sins because the debt had to be paid for us to be reunited.  Jesus knew this and did so willingly and was glorified and He gave us one final command and a means to accomplish it.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

He asked us to tell others what he has given us in His word.  It is the promise of eternal life.  Why would we not share it?  I like how Paul puts it in Romans.

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV)

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

But then comes the question that we need to answer.

Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Now I am not a preacher, but the Lord is telling us all to share the gospel.  It is the good news of salvation.  It is the path to peace and rest.  The only effective way for it to grow is to be shared.  If there were another way, God would have told us.

Sometimes we freeze up.  Sometimes we keep silent.  That is not what Jesus asked us to do.  He asked us to speak because, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:17).

Prayer

Father, please help me to always be bold in my faith and speak the Gospel to others without allowing my pride or fear to get in the way.  Lord, you are my strength and if you are with me who can stand against me. Thank you, father, for Your Word and the Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  I pray all this in Jesus name. Amen!

 

Hope, Love and Humility

Blue Sky

 

 

 

I recently received a note from a friend commenting on one of my blog posts.  He sent me a passage from Isaiah.  It dealt with a humble and contrite heart.

 

Isaiah 66:1-2 (ESV)

1 Thus says the Lord:

“Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool;

what is the house that you would build for me,

and what is the place of my rest?

2 All these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word.

What a powerful passage.  Of course, it was in keeping with what I had been studying and still is, but with it, I hit a dry spot in writing out my thoughts.  I am not sure what it was that happened.  I just was struggling with my thoughts, and then the killing in the Florida high school happened, and the anger that has followed has put me in a strange spot.

Where to Start

In the past six or seven days, I have continued to pray and meditate on the things going on in the world.  The thirteenth was my last post.  I tried to write something on the fifteenth, but I was stuck, but even though my writing seemed to dry up I continued to see verses and passages that affected me.  My friend’s recommendation seemed to be the foundational verse that the Lord kept reminding me of as the time passed. As I would read a verse in a devotional or a passage I was lead to read I would save them.  This morning’s writing has been a bit of a struggle, but it has been different, and I felt a need to share my thoughts.

A Humble and Contrite Heart

The first thing I did after reading Isaiah 66:2 was look up the definition of humble and contrite.  I felt pretty sure I knew the meaning, but I did not want to assume anything.  To me, one of the most amazing things about God is the precision of everything that he does.  Every direction he gives and every word he chooses to share is so specific that I want to make certain that I understand it correctly.  So, I prayerfully considered these two words and studied the definitions

Contrite was more than I had assumed. I thought broken, but the dictionary included, “feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.”

Humble was similar in that I assumed modesty, but the dictionary included, “having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.”

As I said throughout this dry spell this passage stayed on my heart even though I continued to study and as I did I compiled verses and passages that touched my heart each day and compiled them on this note that started my dry spell.

Philippians 2

I do not have a timeline for this.  I am just going to put out there how the Lord helped me piece it together this morning.  The first was Philippians 2:3-8.  This passage put Isaiah 66:1-2 in perspective for me.

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What a powerful example Paul shares with us in this.  Jesus WAS God, but He did come to earth claiming equity with God.  He gave all that up assuming the role of servant obedient to death on the cross.  I read that, and I cannot help but call back the Gospel of John

John 1:1-5 (ESV Strong’s)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John shows us who Jesus is and Paul explains the choice He made when He emptied Himself being born in the “likeness of man.”  And as a man living a pure and obedient life willingly sacrificing it for us all on a cross taking away the sin of the world.

What an awesome God we serve.  What a powerful example of love and humility we have in Jesus.  Yet we so often allow our pride to overrule our obedience to God.  The next passage that touched me was in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 12

The passage dealt with an infirmity that Paul suffered.  Paul explained that it was so difficult that he had gone to God pleading for relief three times.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (ESV)

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As I meditated on this passage, a Psalm I had saved from another day caught my eye, and it punched me in the chest once I read it.

Psalms 34:18-19 (ESV)

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

I looked at this passage and Paul’s witness and thought about both passages, and I saw a promise in the Psalm that was lived out in Paul when he accepted the Lord responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

I think of Paul and his many sufferings, and he draws attention to only this one and then this Psalm and the promise that the LORD is near to the broken-hearted.

I look at the example of Paul.  Jesus promised that he would suffer for the sake of His name, but He does not leave Paul.  He is faithful.

The thing is we must continue to trust in God because His timing may well be different than ours.  In verse 19 of the Psalm, He promises deliverance, but He does not set the time or method.  In Verse 10 of 2 Corinthians, 12 Paul accepts the sufficiency of God’s grace and relishes in the gift of strength that comes with his weakness.  He knows he is delivered regardless of his current circumstances.  That is the gift we all share if we will accept it.

From here I found myself in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2

As I looked at what God revealed to me in Philippians, I started thinking about the freedom that comes with the grace and promise that comes with these passages, but there is more than just the promise.  There is a change that occurred in me when God opened my eyes to what Jesus had done for me.  I like the way Paul explains it in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He saved me not by any work that I did but “through faith by grace” and he placed in me a desire of service to Him because I am “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that I may walk in them.” Just thinking of this takes my breath away and increases my hunger and desire for His Word and His way.

Further Reflection

I looked over the verses that God had laid on my heart this past week or so.

Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Psalms 37:23-24 (ESV)

23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,

when he delights in his way;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the LORD upholds his hand.

The first two that struck me spoke of how God was there for those who held fast to Him.  Those with contrite hearts and spirits; even if we fall or stumble he holds us up.  He does not abandon us he revives us.  No matter how broken we might feel he breathes life into us and I was reminded of Psalm 121

Psalms 121:2 (ESV)

2 My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

There is no time or no circumstance that we cannot find hope and strength in God’s Word.  NEVER will He deny us.  Sometimes it is difficult for me to grasp that fact but when that struggle comes, I turn to Romans 8.

Romans 8

I turn to chapter 8 in Romans and work myself to verses 26,  let go and trust God in all circumstances.

Romans 8:26-30 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Like this bunch of passages collected on this page, I did not know their purpose until this morning.  I had muddled through these past several days confounded by the anger in the world, but God had never left me or turned away.  He was there even if my mind was too cluttered to see, and I am so thankful for His patience.

Closing Thoughts

The last passages came in the middle of the week and kind of sum up where I was and how God lead me through the clutter and darkness.  The first is from Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:12 (ESV)

12 Hatred stirs up strife,

but love covers all offenses.

How true is this passage?  Hatred does stir up strife.  The evil in Florida showed the darkest of strife steaming from evil and hatred.  It will affect us all if we prevent love from entering our hearts.

Psalms 2:4 (ESV)

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

We watch our leaders plan and define solutions to problems and tell us how to fix the world but refuse to turn to God.  If they do, they are ridiculed and scoffed.  Our only hope is in Jesus.  The only thing I can do is continue to turn my eyes to Him.  I will close with this last verse from James

James 4:7-8 (ESV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Prayer

Father thank you for your patience with me.  Thank you for Your Holy Word which offers the only solutions to the strife of this world.  Forgive us Lord for our selfish ways and thank you for the gift of repentance and grace. Open our hearts and minds to Your Word that our comfort may be found there.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

 

The Love of God

For several weeks, if not months, I have carried this thought about the “Love of God” and His desire that we show that same love to one another.  Almost every day, if not every day, it is part of my prayers and at least once a week it is something that I consider writing about, but God puts other things in front of me through His Word or a devotional that sets me on another path.  Today that path was not changed but encouraged.

As is so often the case, woke with these thoughts working in my brain.  The first thing I read this morning was an email that I get every day that spoke of the love of God and then a devotional. After that, I read several things that meshed with my thoughts that the Holy Spirit had been sharing with me for so long.  The one passage that started this thought so long ago was in the Gospel of John.

John 13

The passage that touched my heart was John 13: 34-35.  It was the new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples before he foretells Peter’s denial that will happen during Jesus’ mock trial and torture.

John 13:34-35 (ESV)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This passage is one that sticks with me always.  Jesus directed us to love one another, and this love takes effort sometimes.  Sometimes it is a small thing like saying hello in the morning.  Sometimes it is more.  But when I think about this passage I never consider love being done begrudgingly; that is a contradiction if there ever was one.  But you know sometimes we miss out on a blessing by sharing a bad start to the day instead of the love of Jesus, and too often it is with the ones closest to us.

Ephesians

As I think about this passage I end up in Ephesians first; specifically, chapter 2 and 4. Chapter two Paul shares the love of God, and when I consider this passage how can I not share that with my brothers and sisters in Christ first and then the world around me.

Ephesians 2:4-10 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God loved us so much that he gave His Son to take on the sin of the world and conquer death for us all if we will believe, repent and be baptized.  And he gave us His Word that we might learn what it means to walk in accordance with His will.   I love what Paul says at the beginning of Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Doesn’t that support the new commandment Jesus gave in John 13?  Aren’t those things part of what love is.  I looked for a definition of love and found it in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13

The passage that defines it is verses 4-7

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If we follow this definition of love won’t we be more effective in meeting the things that Paul encourages in Ephesians 4? But this thing love does not stop there for me I found a passage in 1 John that impacted me, and I was reminded of one of my favorites in 2 Peter.

1 John 4:7- 5:5

The passage in 1 John looks longer than it is.  The Heading in my ESV Bible translation is “God Is Love.”  I will not write out the whole thing here but provide a link here and encourage you to give it a look at Bible Gateway.  I am only going to pull out three passages.  First, beginning in verse 7.

1 John 4:7-10 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

I love this passage.  John reminds us that love is something that comes from God.  If we do not love, we do not know God.  The part that makes me shudder a bit is that if love comes from God, we do not define how it is applied, God does, and that takes me back to 1 Corinthians, and John 13 and I need to think about how I am applying this love.

John won’t let it go either.  He reminds me again in verse 19.

1 John 4:19 (ESV)

19 We love because he first loved us.

God gave love to us and then showed us how it was done to the point that we love because He loved us first.  I could not stop at the chapter break either.  I had to continue to the beginning of chapter 5.

1 John 5:1-2 (ESV)

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

This love that God has given us is like the fuel that drives our faith.  Just go back to Ephesians 2 and that love that God had for us was the reason he saved us even in our sin.  I think I could go on forever on this, but I will close with one more passage.

Closing Thoughts – 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13:4 has a definition of love.  In verses 1-3 it demonstrates the importance of love to our faith.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV)

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

I am a simple-minded guy.  Much of what I grew up with had a motor of some kind, and I wanted to make it go faster, so I put good stuff in it, but if I did not have Hi Octane fuel, it would not run right.  Sometimes you even need “racing gas.”

My faith is like that Hot Rod motor.  It gets more and more powerful as I put go fast stuff in it from God’s Word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I need High Octane Love to fuel that faith.  Because without it, “I gain nothing.”

I do not want to hide it either.  I want to let that love out and share it like a Hot Rod with a strong motor.  It is not real loud exhaust, but you can tell that motor is strong by the rumble.  That kind of rumble that puts a smile on your face. It is hard to hold back if you have it.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for the love that you have shown me and taught me to use.  Father let me never waste it or hide it but let me share it openly with the world around me.  My relationship with you is always personal, but not private; help me share it every day! In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

 

My Hope

 

This morning I would like to talk about my hope.  The hope I have in Jesus Christ.  The strength and wisdom that comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  I try to share the challenges of life that I experience as well as the mountain tops, but I am not sure that I adequately share my hope, and that thought keeps weighing on me.  This morning I could ignore it no longer.

This morning it came in a devotional by Timothy Keller and a verse in Proverbs 14.

Proverbs 14:26 (ESV)

26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge.

Keller reminded me that before Christ Jesus I depended on my intellect, my Dad, other guys I respected or brute force experimenting to solve problems, but all these methods, though familiar, fall short, and they cannot prepare you for all the storms that may enter your life. Only God can do that, and I place my Hope in Him.

My Hope

My hope is in Christ Jesus.  Though for a moment I may slip back into the familiar the Holy Spirit patiently directs me back to my true hope. Sometimes it takes only a moment, and sometimes it may be a few days, but God is faithful and patient, and He has opened my eyes to so much.  He has opened His Word to me and my heart to accept things that I never saw.  Every day is something new.

When the adversary tries to use a circumstance in my life, it is not long before the Lord reminds me of

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

With that passage, I am reminded of all that Jesus did for me.  He died that I might live.  He took on my sin and the sin of all that I might be forgiven.  John 1:1-5 flashes in my head.

John 1:1-5 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

What joy there is in this.

Trust

The other thing that Keller talked about is the next level of trust in God.  This trust is different than trusting God to save.  It is trusting His plan even when I do not understand it.  This trust came to me about three years ago with the stroke.

Never in my life would I have believed that something that would take away my ability to work or to problem solve or ride a motorcycle or… would be a blessing.  But it has been. God showed me a level of grace that I could not fathom and drew me closer than I thought I could ever be to Him.  He showed me how to have true confidence in Him.

Yes, there are times that I fall back into what is familiar.  But those things fail me now.  Sure, I can write this blog, but that is at my own pace and with God to guide me at His pace.  When the furnace goes out, and I get thinking about a solution I simply get distracted and wound up instead of trusting God to bring me through it.  It is the truly little things in this world that are the easiest distraction because they are things that I, ruled over.  I, (as in 10 feet tall and bulletproof), took care of when an issue arose.

When I say I took care of the others may disagree because I was not much fun to be around until they were resolved.  To say I fretted over them was being kind. But God changed that using a stroke that I brought on with all that fretting to change my heart.

Romans 8

Though all that time he showed me the truth of Romans 8:28 and the fact that in trials we have two choices.  We can draw closer to God or turn from Him.  I am overwhelmed by how God worked through everything to change my heart.  He used the Word, my church family, friends, circumstances and my wife Pat to soften my heart so that when my stubbornness brought on this stroke, I turned to Him.   I see so much more in His Word now.  I love Romans 8:26-28

Romans 8:26-28 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

But not only that passage, but 23-25 as well.

Romans 8:23-25 (ESV)

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

That passage leads me back to Hope; hope and trust.

Reflections (Hope and Trust)

The gift that God has given us is so amazing.  He gave His Son to die for the sin of the world that we might live.  I love the way Paul explains it in Ephesians 2.  It is a short chapter, but it is so powerful.  He discusses grace through faith.

Faith in God’s promise.  I also like the way Peter explained it in his first sermon in Acts 2 just after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Our hope and faith rests in Christ Jesus.

Closing Thoughts

In closing, I am taken back to Romans 8 beginning in verse 31.

Romans 8:31-39 (ESV) “God’s Everlasting Love”

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is our fortress.  He is our hope.  If I can trust that he created this world, why would I not trust that he can see me through a financial issue or a furnace or car trouble? No, he does not want me to sit on my hands and wait.  He wants to act but pray for guidance and trust in Him in His Word and know that He is God, and His promise is true.

In all things, my Hope and Trust is in God.  I may falter, but God will not let me fall if I will always turn to Him prayerfully in His Word.

My heart is full, and my joy cannot be contained.  Jesus is my King and His Word lights my path.

Prayer

Father, today my prayer is a simple thank-you for all that you do every day.  I praise you and give thanks that through Your Word You allow me to draw close.  Forgive me on those days when I overlook your promise and fall back into old patterns.  Thank you for the gift of repentance and grace.  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen!

 

Focus??

This week has been a bit strange.  It has been a while since I have had a week like this when the focus was so difficult.  It may have been a couple of weeks.  It has just been difficult to focus.  I have not felt like myself.  It has been difficult to read and to focus enough on studying.  I have not even taken many photos.

Over the weekend I started feeling better but Tuesday the headaches that had been so bad after the stroke came back for a visit, and they can be a real distraction.  But this morning I just had to decide as to who was going to drive the bus – God or the distraction, and God was the easy choice.

The decision came following my prayers this morning.  I had neglected my reading because of this distraction, and I was not going to let that deter me this morning. I started with February 7 in Timothy Keller’s book, “God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life” and worked out of there this morning as I got caught up.

Proverbs 9:17-18

Keller’s book is a study in Proverbs.  The devotional for the seventh discussed the “Walking Dead” and quoted Proverbs 9:17-18

Proverbs 9:17-18 (ESV)

17 “Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18 But he does not know that the dead are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Keller struck a nerve with me in this devotional.  He went from this verse to Proverbs 4:10 and discussed the fact that our decisions regarding God are a matter of life and death.

Proverbs 4:10

Proverbs 4:10 as much as tells me that it is a matter of life and death.

 Proverbs 4:10 (ESV)

10 Hear, my son, and accept my words,

that the years of your life may be many.

Once I read this verse, I was stuck in Proverbs chapter 4. I sat for a time and “noodled” on this passage.  I also looked at the cross-reference to the passage.  One was Proverbs 3:2.  I read it, and I could not stop at just verse 2 but read through verse 4.

Proverbs 3:2-4 (ESV)

2 for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

As I considered all this I just was humbled and overwhelmed with thanksgiving.

Reflection

I thought about the life and death part of 4:10 and I meditated on 3:3 above talking about love and faithfulness and writing them on your heart and this calm settled in.  Peace and contentment that comes only from a growing relationship with God and His Word.  I like what Paul says in Romans 10.

Romans 10:8-12 (ESV)

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

This “Word” that Paul proclaims in Romans 10 is the same that God teaches us in Proverbs.  It is the same Word that John speaks of in John 1:1-5

John 1:1-5 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I was reminded that my relationship with Jesus is life.  The stronger the relationship with Jesus the richer my life.

Burden or Blessing

It is impossible to know what others face every day when they wake.  To list all the possible challenges would take more time and space than I have and would still not be complete.  I know this week I was miserable for several days, and as I reflect this morning, it is like sitting on the edge of a razor.  We can choose to be overcome or to overcome.  The first is the easiest.  We can do it all on our own.  The second seems more difficult.

We think to overcome we need some personal strength, will or conviction, but the truth is we need less.  We need only to surrender to Jesus our pain and our concerns.  There are none too heavy for him.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

That passage from Matthew fills me with the peace that can only come from God.  It is contentment that He showed me in His Word when I was low.  I did not want to have the health problems I have, but in these moments, God drew me to His Word.  In these dark places that I have found myself in since He draws me closer.  And with each challenge, He gives me strength answering my prayers through His Word.

Closing Thoughts

I hate all the physical issues that cause challenging days for me, especially when they get the best of me and I give into them.  But in the same breath, I know in those moments God is working on my faith and character, despite my stubbornness.  It is a shame that I cannot see that until I am on the back side of whatever caused me to falter.

In all that I am thankful for the good work that God is doing in me and His patience and grace that He shows me.

I am thankful for the teachings in his Word like Proverbs 4.  He reminds me to focus and be attentive.

Proverbs 4:20-21 (ESV)

20 My son, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Let them not escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

The Holy Spirit reminds us that the Word is life.

Proverbs 4:13 (ESV)

13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;

guard her, for she is your life.

With the prayerful study of the Word, he guides us through it.  What a blessing it is to have this message to draw from that we grow closer in a personal relationship with God.  His love and grace exceed my own ability to understand, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, He reveals what I need for each day if I will simply ask and obey.

Prayer

Father, thank you for this and every day.  Thank you for your patience and grace.  Holy Spirit I am thankful for your guidance through every step I take.  Though the body may falter, my spirit grows stronger in you every day, and I thank you in the name of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, Amen!

 

One Word

 

This morning I woke to some pretty cold temps outside.  I am thankful for a warm home.  After my prayers, I began reading Hebrews 3.

As I started into chapter 3, I was uplifted by the power of the first four verses.  It is amazing how everytime I read God’s Word I see something new.

Hebrews 3:1-4 (ESV)

1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

The writer speaks of the blessing of Moses and Jesus but sets the distinction between the two, setting Jesus above Moses.  I know we know that as believers, but I imagine that for Hebrews who knew the law of Moses from a young age, it was more challenging to get their heads around it.  But this morning that was not what caught my eye.  What caught my eye began in verse 5?

Hebrews 3: 5-6

The part of the verse that caught my eye was one word.  One simple word that forced me to reread verse 5 and 6 several times.

Hebrews 3:5-6 (ESV)

5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

It is a simple two letter word.  There is nothing special about it by itself, but in this context, it is a powerful word that goes far beyond its humble station.

Did you guess the word I am talking about?  It is used twice in verse 6, and that is where I took my u-turn to verse 5 and reread both verses several times.  The word is “we.”

Why is it So Special?

I have understood for years that, as a believer, my body is the residence of Jesus.  He is in my heart.  He guides and directs me if I listen and obey, but this passage added something to this idea for me.  The distinction between Moses and Jesus was made clear for the Hebrew audience.  Moses was a faithful servant and Christ Jesus a Son.

Verse 5 describes Moses, “5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later…” 

Jesus, on the other hand, was a Son and dwelled in the house.  “…6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

It has always been God’s intent to dwell with Jesus and us did it with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit while Moses could only speak of the promises to come.

We are His house if we will hold fast to our hope in Jesus.

Reflections

For me, this simple passage reminds me of the consistency of God.  His message never changes. He desires to reunite us with Him.  It reminds me of the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  I look at Joseph, and I see the story of salvation played out in his life.  He was rejected and rebuked, and in the end, he saved his family, and they thrived.

In Hebrews God reminds us that we who believe are the house of God we are his temple and if we hold fast to our hope we will be reunited with God, just as He promised through Moses in the desert when he promised rest for the people of God.  But in both cases, it requires a united faith in God and His promises.  They are everywhere if we will look and they are not hard for those who believe.

6:39 AM

1 Corinthians 3

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV)

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6

 1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV)

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

2 Corinthians 6

2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)

16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

Reflections on the Letters to the Corinthians

All three of these passages remind us that we are the temple of God.  We are not our own, but as a born-again believer, we belong to God.  I like how in 2 Corinthians 6 Paul reminds us that this promise is the same promise that God gave in Leviticus when in verse 16 he quotes from Leviticus 26:12

Leviticus 26:12 (ESV)

12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

It just reminds me of God’s faithfulness and His love for us; it spans the ages.

Ephesians 2

Then in the new covenant, the promises are united in the new covenant sanctified by Christ Jesus.  I like the way that Paul says it in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:17-22 (ESV)

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Through Jesus Christ, all who believe were united by one Spirit; both Jews and Gentiles.

Romans 6

In Romans 6 Paul reminds us all the wonder of this salvation is accomplished.

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We did not earn it.  It was given to us as a gift, and regardless of what we might endure, it is priceless and cannot be compared to the wonder of the indwelling spirit.

Closing Thoughts

It is amazing to me how the Holy Spirit can take one word and make it stand out so much to us that we may wander around the Bible seeking to understand the passage that this simple word suddenly changed for us.  Our God is an awesome God.

Prayer.

Father, thank you for opening my eyes to Your Word this morning.  Thank you for bringing emphasis to this simple two-letter word that caused me to seek a better understanding.  Father God I love you and praise you in the name of your blessed Son Jesus Christ, Amen!

 

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