dailywalkinthelight

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

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

You know this morning I cannot tell you how my days started.  Sure, I can tell you that I had some coffee and I meditated on some things that I had read and listened to last night but beyond that, I did not move forward with any purpose.  I seemingly was just putting one thought in front of the other until I picked up my Bible, and found that it was open to Acts 2.

Pat and I participate in a small group about every other Sunday night, and we are moving slowly through Acts.  We are still in chapter one but at the end of it.  I picked up the Bible and read from the beginning of Chapter 2 and came to Peter’s Sermon that he delivered on that morning to a vast crowd of onlookers.

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

I read this sermon this morning and then just thought about it. Meditated on what happened that morning.

As he addressed the crowd, he cautioned them to listen and explained they were not drunk.  He did not begin with his words; he began with those of the prophet Joel.

Acts 2:14-16 (ESV)

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

He did not speak on his own authority.  He went to the power found only in the Word of God, and before he opened he cautioned them to listen; to “give ear to my words.” (vs 14).  Then he began his sermon with those words from the Scriptures.  The words of Joel.

As I read this, all I could think of is Christ’s words in Matthew when He warned of persecution.

Matthew 10

Jesus was preparing to send the 12 Apostles out to speak and proclaim as you go, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Matthew 10:7 (ESV).  He was giving them instruction.  He warned them that there would be persecution and He told them what to do then as well.

Matthew 10:19-20 (ESV)

19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

That passage ran through my head as I read the beginning of verse 15.  These had been ordinary simple men, until that morning.  Now they were no longer simple but filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:14-21

Peter begins verse 14 standing with the 11 and lifting up his voice addressing a crowd gathered around them.  Many had heard the ruckus, and many had been making fun of them as they heard them talking.  Now a rough looking fisherman as refined as a wooden cup carved out of a piece of driftwood stood to address them.  Many of these men had traveled from the far ends of the world, and I can imagine the trip was not inexpensive for them.  I imagine a crowd of wealthier men, and likely some scholars and they are all being called to order by a fisherman, and he is quoting Joel word for word.

As I ponder it a bit, I think it might be like a farmer in Bib Overalls standing on a wall during a break at a global warming symposium calling all these professors to order and quoting some revered righting they all know word for word.  I am thinking they would be set back a bit.

But Peter did that, and he did not do it on his own.  The Lord gave him the words.

 Acts 2:14-16 (ESV)

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

He spoke with boldness.  Not his words, but words given him by the Holy Spirit, and not from his strength or confidence but that given him by God.  The thing is when I read this passage, I can see the crowd hushed, and just the slightest tinge of fear come over them mixed with pride asking, “who is this man to speak to us like that.”  But not enough to overcome the fear.  So, they stand and listen.

Acts 2:16-21

Peter explains to them what they are witnessing.   The men are not drunk, but the prophecy of Joel is being fulfilled.  Think about that.  Can you imagine what is going through the minds of this crowd?  They know they have been hearing the message in their own tongue, but they must be struggling with how that is possible.  Then Peter opens with this passage.

Acts 2:16-21 (ESV)

 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

I can hear a faint murmur in the crowd and other hushing them as they try to hear.  So many things must be running through the minds of these folks, as Peter says it.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

I must believe that sentence hushed the crowd if only for a moment as Peter took another deep breath, and began with verse 22.

 Acts2:22-24

These verses had to cause those that stayed to shudder.  I am sure some turned to leave.  Some left, but some were drawn back as Peter spoke.

Acts 2:22-24 (ESV)

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

What powerful words Peter speaks.  I imagine the crowd now is stuck unable to turn away.  Like that movie that keeps us on the edge of our seat unable to imagine what might happen next, but this is different because by now they are beginning to understand Peter speaks of life and death, as he turns to the words of David from Psalm 16 in most of the next verses.

Acts 2:25-28

This Jesus that Peter spoke of these men had at least heard of his plight, and some probably had called for His crucifixion.  Peter finishes with Joel by telling them that God raised him from the dead and now he is speaking from the Psalms 16 of David

Acts 2:25-28 (ESV)

25 For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence

He went from there to verse 29 through 36.

Acts 2:29-36

In these verses, he makes it plain to them.

Acts 2:29-36 (ESV)

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

As I read this passage, I imagine now all who are left are silent and listening intently to the words of Peter.  I imagine him no longer using a raised voice but more a firm and direct voice more subdued delivering this serious message as to force people to strain to listen.  Then he stops, and there is this moment of confusion where no one wants to say anything until they know he is finished.  The next verse says it all.

Acts 2:37-41

I imagine these people shaken to their core looking about to be sure that they are all still standing.  Verse 37 is so vivid an image for me as are the rest of the verses through 41.  I can imagine the crowd waiting for that one voice to ask the question of what to do and all praying the answer was one of hope.

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.

And Peter did not hold back he told them what they must do.  I found it curious that there were not any exclamation points in the text.  They were all level deliveries of what was needed.  It blows me away how the good news does not need the roar of a rushing wind or a great storm.  It simply needs a calm and confident voice.

Closing Thoughts

As I read these 30 or so verses, I found myself in the middle of it imagining how Peter and the 11 felt as they shared this good news and the 1000s listening as they heard it.  Peter started the whole thing by asking these men to listen to what he had to say because it was important.  He said it a couple of times.  I know the Holy Spirit gave Peter the words to speak, I must believe He also grabbed the attention of the crowd as well.

When we study the Word of God, and we pray for guidance it is not enough to speak or read; we too must listen.  That was driven home to me in a daily verse that I read first thing, and I want to include it in the close.  It is in Hebrew 2.

Hebrews 2:1 (ESV)

1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

We surely need to listen to what God reveals to us in His Word, or it is simply letters on a page, and like the seed cast on the hard ground, it will not take root.

Prayer

Father, thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word and the lessons in it.  Thank you for the gift of your indwelling Spirit who guides us and teaches us every moment of the day.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

 

Holy Spirit

God’s Plan

This morning I woke and I was well convinced that I was going to write about waiting; specifically waiting on the Lord.  We had a good discussion in a small group that we attend two Sunday evenings a month discussing the book of Acts, and we had had a good discussion, and part of it was on waiting.

After my prayers and normal wake up rituals, I was about to start writing when I came across a sermon in my email by Charles Spurgeon.  The title of the sermon was “Receiving the Holy Ghost.”  He originally gave the sermon July 13, 1884.

It was an interesting title, but I did not feel I had time to listen to it.  I had to get started with MY plan.  I cleaned out the rest of the mail and looked up a couple of scriptures, but the sermon kept on bugging me.  The Holy Spirit kept reminding me of it until I relented.  So I stopped and listened to this 45-minute sermon, which resulted in a topic change for today.  Maybe I will cover waiting another day…

Acts 19

Spurgeon began with Acts 19 when Paul went to Ephesus.

Acts 19:1 (ESV)

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

He found these disciples and met with them for a bit and asked them a question that surprised me a bit the first time I heard it, but I was more surprised by their answer.

Acts 19:2 (ESV)

2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

They professed to be believers but were not even aware of the Holy Spirit.  So hearing this Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus and gave them the Holy Spirit.

Reflections

Spurgeon went on to discuss the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us as Christians.  He spoke of our need for Him in our lives.  He went so far as to explain on those times when we feel empty of His presence ask God to be filled; filled to overflowing.  After all, doesn’t the Lord tell us to ask?

Matthew 7:7 (ESV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Mark 11:22-25 (ESV)

“Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke 11:9-10 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

John 15:7 (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Our Helper

I listened more to the sermon and began thinking of the scriptures where Christ talked of the “Helper”  and His departure.  So I searched my Bible for the references Jesus made, and I found so much in John that is where I focused.  Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit coming as a helper in Chapter 14 and 16.

John 14

I read chapter 14 and was taken by two passages about the Holy Spirit.  The first began in verse 15 and the second in 25.  As I read these I the impact is hard to describe.  I was both humbled and lifted up.

John 14:15-17 (ESV)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I struggle for words with this passage.  Verse 15 reminds me of when Jesus questioned Peter and asked him three times if he loved Him, but it is a bit different.  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Then comes the promise of the helper, (the Holy Spirit.)  Then the next passage.  It is almost a 1-2 punch.

John 14:25-28 (ESV)

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

This passage fills me with hope and joy.  We have this wonderful gift.  The Holy Spirit who dwells in us and we are not alone.  With Him, we have a peace and contentment that the world cannot know.  Jesus reminds us not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid, and I cannot do anything but rejoice because the Holy Spirit reveals to me an understanding that I could not reach on my own, and to say I am thankful seems so small when I think of how magnificent a gift He gives me.

John 16

While I am still trying to catch my breath, I went on to chapter 16 and read the passage where Jesus comforts the disciples.

John 16:6-7 (ESV)

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

It had to be heartbreaking for them to hear that Jesus was leaving.  The man they had followed for three years abandoning everything for was going away.  But He explained that He would send a Helper, and He can only come if Jesus leaves.

John 16:12-15 (ESV)

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Helper is the Spirit of Truth, and He will bring to them the things that they could not bear to hear from Jesus before He finished what He had come to do.  As I consider these passages my heart races and it is hard to keep my breath.

Reflections

As I consider these passages and the remainder of Spurgeon’s sermon I am left breathless but revitalized.   I am reminded of those moments when I look inward to myself rather than to Jesus.  Those moments when I feel alone because I have forgotten the gift I have in the Holy Spirit and look to my resources to resolve an issue.  I am reminded of that passage in Revelation 3

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

There is no reason I should become so self-absorbed that ignore the knocking on the door to my heart.  He is waiting there.  He is there to help me in all things and in all ways to grow closer to God.  To know God and to trust and depend on Him in all things.  This reminds me of Romans 8.

Romans 8

What a glorious God we serve.  What joy there is in growing closer to Him.  The last passage I want to refer to is in Romans 8:26-30

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.

What a wonderful passage.  In our weakness, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in prayer.  He knows what we need when we do not because He knows our heart.  What comfort there is in knowing this.

Closing Thoughts

I am always humbled how the Holy Spirit can affect my plans for the day if I listen.  I am sure the message I had settled on would have been fine, but it was not what He wanted to be shared today.

There was something Spurgeon said near the end of his sermon that I will have to paraphrase, but it has stuck with me this morning.  It is a picture of how we choose to live out our faith and whether we truly trust in the Holy Spirit and His help in our lives to draw us closer to God or not.  It shook me up a bit this morning and here is what I got out of it.

He that has just enough faith to save him may not have enough here to comfort him for the present.  He that is filled the Holy Spirit has enough for two heavens; one here and the one to come.

It does not mean life here is easy.  It means regardless of our circumstances we have a Helper to comfort us; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Prayer

Father thank you for all your provisions. Thank you, Lord, for all your promises.  Thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit to be with me in all circumstances and teach me those things I need when I need them that I may grow closer to you and my understanding may grow deeper.  Lord, I love you and Praise you in the name of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, Amen!

Reflections of the Midnight Rambler

The Light Breaking up the Fog of Life

It has been a different kind of week for me, or at least it seems so.  Today is also a different kind of post; it is more rambling thoughts

than a devotional. I have found myself doing a lot of reflecting, study and prayer but not as much writing.  I have copied and pasted a ton of scriptures to my digital notepad, that I use to compile my thoughts, but I have not been able to put anything together until this morning.  It came as I prayed.

As I prayed the Lord reminded me of changes, He has made in me.  The weight he lifted from me when he changed me from a creature of the night to one of the light.

The Great Lie

The adversary convinced me from the age of 15 to 52 that freedom existed in the dark.  After all, I worked during the day.  Work was full of rules and responsibilities.  I worked hard in a high-pressure job I needed a bit of “fun” when I got off work just to unwind a bit.  But I never saw the bondage of that life.

I worked hard to be the best to assure I could keep my job.  It did not matter how good I was there was always someone telling me I needed to do a little more to get ahead or just to stay even.  You needed the right car and the right house and lived in the right neighborhood.

I was chained to this life.  Work hard, play hard and push to be the “best.”  I never imagined I had gotten caught up in this lie. I simply was doing what everyone else did.

The hard part that I did not see was there were about three personalities in me.  I was the hard-working businessman who wore a suit till the dress code changed to business casual. The hardnosed tough guy that did not tolerate much from anyone and the biker that was the wilder side of me.

Coming to the Lord

Coming to know the Lord was sudden and really quite a shock.  It was not my intention.  I was literally just checking out a church after a funeral of an old friend.  Then BAM… I was smacked by the Holy Spirit.  Everything changed.  The road was not easy.  I am reminded of a passage in Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

That was me, but it seemed more violent.  I knew about the witnesses, but instead of simply laying down the sins down I was shaking some and others were like secured with Velcro or gorilla glue.  It was more difficult and took much longer than I expected to separate myself from some of those strongholds and sins, and even today if I let my guard down they will try to reconnect.

The Great Truth

Over time I came to realize that the chains and rules the world claims exist in the church and a relationship with God are just not true.  The truth is that once you surrender to God and turn over your life to Him, the chains “of the world” fall away.  There are still difficult moments because the adversary will try to win you back.  Just look at what Peter had to say about it.

1 Peter 5:8-11 (ESV)

 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I love this passage.  Peter reminds us that the adversary will always pursue us, but we need to realize he does the same to all Christians and we are not alone in our struggles or suffering.  God is with us always, and that darkness cannot overcome the light of God!

The Most Important Truth

The most important truth I have been able to grasp is the truth I find in God’s Word.  I can read books and commentaries and there is good stuff in them, but God’s Word is the absolute truth that surpasses all.  I like what Paul said to the Galatians

Galatians 1:11-12 (ESV)

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Paul knew the old testament, and Jesus taught him the Gospel; the new covenant.  The more I understand God’s Word, the more certain I am that it is all true, and it did not come from man but is the inspired Word of God, and that leads me to my final point.

Biblical Literacy

In the past few weeks, I have been listening to a guy, Todd Friel on YouTube.  His program is called Wretched Radio.  I clicked on it because he had John MacArthur in the shot with him and I thought this was one of those guys that would try to slam Christianity, but instead he is more a loud street evangelist. He is kind of like Ray Comfort or Kirk Cameron only a little louder.

I began listening, and it is like the car wreck you cannot turn away from.  This guy quotes God’s Word and speaks the truth clearly on college campuses in different parts of the country.  He also went to some fairs.  He sets up an open mike, and he preaches, and anyone can approach the mike and address him.  He does not confront anyone.  The car wreck is not his style of preaching. The car wreck that breaks my heart is the number of people that profess to be Christian yet get mad at him for speaking the truth.  Some are college students and some of them are older but they all get angry with him.

The part that floors me is that most if not all the Christians that come forward profess that there are multiple ways to Heaven and the God they worship is a loving God that would not send “good people” to hell. They claim the preacher is judgmental and harsh.  But I have heard harsh and judgmental, and I do not hear it in his approach.  Mostly he asks questions, and when it comes down to it, the people he speaks with refuse to accept the absolute truth. They call it judgmental.

They do not know the Word. They no longer accept the truth announced by Jesus in John 14:

John 14:6 (ESV)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Reflection

I think about the time when Christ lived.  I think of how few were really drawn to the truth, and I look at that last day when Christ and Barabbas stood before the crowd, and Pilate offered to release one, and the crowd chose Barabbas.  I like Marks description of him.

Mark 15:6-7 (ESV)

6 Now at the feast, he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

Just let that description soak in for a moment.  I had read this passage hundreds of times but a friend shared a video with me and I saw something I had not seen before.  What was it that I saw?  I saw that I was Barabbas.  Yes, Barabbas was a representation of me!

He was a murderer, a liar, and part of the insurrection, and so am I, so are we all.  We all know the Sermon on the Mount in Chapter 5 of Matthew.  As I consider that sermon and imagine Christ on one side and Barabbas on the other the crowd was calling for me to be freed. The crowd was calling for themselves to be freed, and Jesus stood willing to set us free by shedding His blood on the cross.

In a few hours, Jesus would speak from the cross; 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34a) And when you think about it that statement from Jesus was so true.  We asked that He die this horrible death and in so doing He overcame death for all who believe in Him.

Closing Thoughts

I run over all these things in my head this morning, and I am humbled.  God so wants a relationship with all that believes, but I fear that not all that claim to believe are willing or hungry.  They get that God is a loving God but do not realize the depth of His commitment and what he desires of us.  It is not about rules and regulations it is about love and compassion.  Not just His, but ours as well.  We cannot really know Him with a weekly fix or a few minutes in a devotional and a prayer.  I think of Ephesians 2.

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.

I read this passage a lot and this morning verse 10 hit me hard considering the folks who got angry with the evangelist.  They all know the first part of this passage, but when it comes to verse 10, they skim over it.  But I realized this morning how profound that little verse is.

See, if I do not know God’s Word well enough to understand the evangelist or have an answer like Peter directed how can I know these good works that God has prepared for me.  What I am stuck with is being? A “good person” doing “good things” that I come up with on my own? It is hard to be the faithful servant.  It is difficult to say I hunger to know all he can about the God who loved me so much that He died a horrible death that I could be reunited with him in eternal life. It seems a contradiction if I do not spend time with Him in His Word and prayer.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for this day.  Thank you for the gift of your Holy Word and the Holy Spirit to guide me through its pages.  Lord let me never grow tired of its lesson and always thirst to grow closer to you that I may grow to know you better every day.  Help me, Father, that I might have those answers Peter spoke of in his letter, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

 

The Truth Will Set You Free

Beauty of God’s Plan

This morning I bounced around a bit as I woke.  I read some of my devotionals – Tozer, Chan, Chambers and mixed in with that God’s Word and the first passage that struck me this morning was John 8:31-32 which speaks to the truth setting you free.

John 8:31-32 (ESV)

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

You must abide in God’s Word to know the truth, but with that truth, you are set free; but free from what.

Well if you go just a bit further in John 8 Jesus tells us.

John 8:34-36 (ESV)

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

As I continued studying and praying this morning things just seemed to open for me.  I went from the Word to “The Book of Mysteries,” by Jonathan Chan and read day 17.  I had not looked at it in a few days but I was just compelled to give it a look and the title of day 17 was “How to Alter Your Past.”

How to Alter Your Past

The author uses the example of soaking a white cord in the red die for several days to assure that every fiber is exposed to the red dye.  He then asks how you might turn it back to white as snow and the answer was that he could not.  The only way to return it to white is to change the past, and no one here can do that.  Like the cord, sin is described as scarlet red, and they cannot change they are sins because they are done and part of the past.  The only one who can change the past is God.  By the blood of Christ, he removes the stain of sin.

Reflection

I thought about that devotional and several scriptures that were referenced with it.  The first was Isaiah 1:18

Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Then there was 2 Corinthians 5:21.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And finally, 1 John 1:8-9

1 John 1:8-9 (ESV)

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I look at these passages, and I am so thankful.  I consider my reckless life I lived, and I am thankful for His grace and mercy and the gift of repentance as well.  I think of my past, and I am glad that I can still visit, but I no longer am a resident.

Memories

It made me think of those not so distant days when I first came to the Lord. I could still ride that big ole scooter of mine with the ape hangers and loud pipes, and I would tell Pat, my wife I was going to follow the headlight around for a while.  I would pull out on the road and just roll.

I would set the big twin on about 60-65, and she would just sing with a low rumble that always set me at ease, and I would pray.

Me and that bike knew each other well, and I knew while I was praying God was with me and I just rumbled down the road hashing over my rebellious past.

I would just dump my bucket to God.  Before long I found myself singing this song.  I still sing it sometimes, and I am listening to it as I write this section.  It is by “Big Daddy Weave.”

“Redeemed”

As that old scooter kept time rumblin’ down the back roads, these lyrics ran through my head.  It would start slow, and it was not always in the writing flow, but it always seemed to start with the first verse, and sometimes I was not even conscious of it.

“Seems like all I can see was the struggle

Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past

Bound up in shackles of all my failures

Wondering how long is this gonna last

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son

Stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

Before long I would realize I was singing the chorus repeatedly and this weight would lift, and I would almost feel like I was flying, (might have been going a bit fast on the bike but I mean getting air).

“I am redeemed, You set me free.”

I did not sing the whole chorus.  Just this one line over and over.  I knew whatever I had struggled with was forgiven and I was redeemed.    He had turned that crimson stain white as snow, and it was no more.

2 Corinthians 5:21

I am brought back to this verse in 2Corinthians.  I do not know how but I am elated and humbled in the same moment.  I am facing down yet prepared for flight.  What an awesome God we serve.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As I read this, I am drawn to Philippians 2.

Philippians 2:5-9 (ESV)

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. 9

Closing Thoughts

As I pray my way through this writing this morning I am overcome by the love of God.  What I read this morning is not new to me.  I have read it before, but His Word is alive, and it kindles in me a fire that is the Holy Spirit in me.  I am humbled to tears and filled with joy that I cannot contain.  I have been set free.

Prayer

Father, thank you.  It seems so small this phrase, thank you, but you know how big it is in my heart. All other words are small compared to it.  Lord this morning I pray that your Word might spread like a raging fire in a heavy wind and ignite a fire in us all.  Lord, I pray that you might place people in our paths that need to hear your Gospel and I pray you fill our hearts with the words to share what they need.  In Jesus name, I pray Amen!

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