Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 26: 21 [highlight verse in bold/underlined] … 21 Then Saul said [to David], "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly."
My Journal for Today: Can anyone, besides yours truly, identify with Saul’s pathetic pronouncement in today’s highlight verse/passage? In context we see that King Saul was chasing around after David due to his jealousy and ambition; and in a moment of lucidity, he saw what a fool he had been. Now we also know from history and scripture that it was only a momentary admission; because Saul went back to his foolish ways, which ultimately became his undoing – as will any pattern of habitual sin in the life of a believer. We all have our besetting patterns of sins – well, at least I do. I used to have a sexual sin stronghold in my life; and now I still waver in weakness with regard to gluttony; … perhaps, even though you’re a Christian, you have struggles like these too. I have Christian friends who deal with weaknesses in compulsive shopping, or other who have trouble whipping their tobacco addiction, or yet others who compulsively overeat like I do at times.
John MacArthur in today’s devotional from Strength for Today explores God’s command to Israel – and to us – in Deut. 32: 6, where Moses chides God’s people, “Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people?” And is not that still the case in our world today? But how/why do we still perpetuate such misunderstanding and foolishness – even though we have God’s word in the light of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification? Well, MacArthur postulates several points in answering this …
First, it is our DISBELIEF. We’re not that much different than the two Christians walking to Emmaus after the crucifixion, whom Jesus confronted on the road and lovingly brought them to the realization of His presence in their lives (see Luke 24). We sometimes just walk through life engulfed in our circumstances; and because of our “pity-party” mentality, we can’t see Christ in the events of our lives; and we get down on life in our blind selfishness.
Secondly, our DISOBEDIENCE marks us as fools. Paul questioned the Galatians (in Gal. 3: 3). He wrote in that verse, “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” So often, when we’re confronted by the issues/circumstances of life, we react in the flesh rather than respond in the Spirit; and when we do so, we are disobedient to God and deserving of the outcomes or our own foolishness. Maybe, in past devotionals, you’ve read me write, “We cannot fight the flesh in the flesh!”
Thirdly, as worldly fools we DESIRE the wrong things. This was documented by Paul to Timothy in 1st Tim. 6: 9 when he wrote, “People … fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” Christ gave us clear instruction where our desires must reside [see Matt. 6: 33]; and that is with God and not the world (see also 1st John 2: 15 – 16).
Finally, we see our foolishness as Christians in the DEMEANOR of our living, as we read in James 3: 13 – 17 (which we studied earlier this month; so, I’ll leave that to your own study – see any of my journal entries for 11/10-16). Unfortunately too many Christians fall prey to selfish worldly pursuits of wisdom/understanding rather than pursuing the mind of God through His word. We need to respond to Paul’s exhortation in Rom. 16: 19 when he wrote, “…I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”
If we can recognize these tendencies of mankind – even Christians like ourselves – to fall into patterns of disbelief, disobedience, selfish desires, and misdemeanor, with our Spirit-surrendered choices, we could avoid the outcomes of living for and/or in the flesh (documented in Gal. 5: 19 – 21) and become much more wise Christians who live to express the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22, 23).
My Prayer Today: Lead me, Lord; and I will walk where you walk. Amen
Showing posts with label Spiritual fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual fruit. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
November 16, 2011 … The Results of True Wisdom
Passage of the Day: James 3: 18 [highlight verse in bold/underlined] … 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been here studying the pursuit of WISDOM with me this month – i.e., true Godly understanding for living - we’ve used this passage from one of God’s authors, James, on the subject (i.e., James 3: 13 - 18). And in it, James makes the solid connection between Godly wisdom and doing good (i.e., righteous living). Yesterday we saw the very challenging list of attributes (from James 3: 13, 17) that one would expect to find in the mature Christian who ardently pursues Godly wisdom for righteous living.
However, in today’s tag verse (James 3: 18) we read the author using an agricultural word picture to help us realize that it is the Godly wise person who becomes God’s “peacemaker,” sowing the seeds of peace into his own life and reaping the harvest of righteousness. The Greek term for “peace” in this verse is “eirene” [pronounced eye-ray’-nay], which, in the Christian context, would refer to one whose inner being or soul has an deep assurance of salvation and a confidence before God of living for Him. If such a one – a God-surrendered maker of peace – sows such peace into every part of his life, the harvest will be a life of righteous living, which James outlined in the list we reviewed yesterday (again see James 13, 17).
Therefore, John MacArthur, in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, states the equation, “Where true wisdom exists, true righteousness follows,” which then, in turn, becomes the seed for even more righteousness. Again MacArthur: “It’s a continual cycle: one righteous act becomes the seed to grow another righteous act.” It’s like perennial plants which sow their own seeds for renewal and growth in the next growing season – and on and on they grow, producing the peace in a believer’s soul, which, in turn, produces more righteous fruit for God’s glory.
So, I guess it really depends on how much a believer like myself really desires to know the mind of God; because that’s where the seeds are procured. As James 1: 5 – 6 indicates, when a true Christian really pursues Godly wisdom with the expectation that God will provide it, he will receive such wisdom in abundance from God’s grace. And it is those seeds of understanding which, when planted into the life of a Christian, produce Godly living and His fruitfulness (again, see Gal. 5: 22 – 23). That’s why I must continually be reminding myself that my drive to know God and His will is at the heart of just how much fruitfulness I can expect to be harvested in my life.
Therefore, I ask myself, and you who might be following this thread of devotionals, “How much peace do I now have about my pursuit of Godly wisdom; and how much fruit is being reproduced from my life, … the life of one who desires to be God’s peacemaker?” And with that mirror in front of me, I will let God’s word guide me onward to be a wise and fruitful Christian.
My Prayer Today: Lord, let me sow Your seeds and reap Your fruit. Amen
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been here studying the pursuit of WISDOM with me this month – i.e., true Godly understanding for living - we’ve used this passage from one of God’s authors, James, on the subject (i.e., James 3: 13 - 18). And in it, James makes the solid connection between Godly wisdom and doing good (i.e., righteous living). Yesterday we saw the very challenging list of attributes (from James 3: 13, 17) that one would expect to find in the mature Christian who ardently pursues Godly wisdom for righteous living.
However, in today’s tag verse (James 3: 18) we read the author using an agricultural word picture to help us realize that it is the Godly wise person who becomes God’s “peacemaker,” sowing the seeds of peace into his own life and reaping the harvest of righteousness. The Greek term for “peace” in this verse is “eirene” [pronounced eye-ray’-nay], which, in the Christian context, would refer to one whose inner being or soul has an deep assurance of salvation and a confidence before God of living for Him. If such a one – a God-surrendered maker of peace – sows such peace into every part of his life, the harvest will be a life of righteous living, which James outlined in the list we reviewed yesterday (again see James 13, 17).
Therefore, John MacArthur, in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, states the equation, “Where true wisdom exists, true righteousness follows,” which then, in turn, becomes the seed for even more righteousness. Again MacArthur: “It’s a continual cycle: one righteous act becomes the seed to grow another righteous act.” It’s like perennial plants which sow their own seeds for renewal and growth in the next growing season – and on and on they grow, producing the peace in a believer’s soul, which, in turn, produces more righteous fruit for God’s glory.
So, I guess it really depends on how much a believer like myself really desires to know the mind of God; because that’s where the seeds are procured. As James 1: 5 – 6 indicates, when a true Christian really pursues Godly wisdom with the expectation that God will provide it, he will receive such wisdom in abundance from God’s grace. And it is those seeds of understanding which, when planted into the life of a Christian, produce Godly living and His fruitfulness (again, see Gal. 5: 22 – 23). That’s why I must continually be reminding myself that my drive to know God and His will is at the heart of just how much fruitfulness I can expect to be harvested in my life.
Therefore, I ask myself, and you who might be following this thread of devotionals, “How much peace do I now have about my pursuit of Godly wisdom; and how much fruit is being reproduced from my life, … the life of one who desires to be God’s peacemaker?” And with that mirror in front of me, I will let God’s word guide me onward to be a wise and fruitful Christian.
My Prayer Today: Lord, let me sow Your seeds and reap Your fruit. Amen
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November 13, 2011 … The Results of False Wisdom
Passage of the Day: James 3: 16 - 17 [highlight verses in bold/underlined] … 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
My Journal for Today: Okay, in the passage we’ve been considering for the last few days, James, the pragmatic half-brother of Jesus, from God’s inspiration for His Word, lays out our choice, as Christians, when it comes to pursuing “wisdom.” We can either choose worldly or human wisdom; or we can choose to pursue the wisdom of God.
Therefore, as James reveals in James 3: 16 - 17, today’s highlighted passage, there is truly a wise believer, from pursuing the mind of God – primarily from His Word – who has an attitude of humility and meekness and whose life is marked by Godly works (see James 3: 13). … OR, there is the one, non-believer or Christian, who pursues human and/or worldly wisdom, and whose attitude is marked by self-centeredness, one whose life produces disorder, chaos, or in the words of James, “… every evil practice.” So, when we look at our own attitudes, motives, and/or actions (especially our habit patterns), we ought to be able to determine whether we’re choosing to pursue the mind of God or use the patterns of our flesh or the world to glean wisdom in order to live our lives. And a discerning Christian, tempered by humility, also ought to be able to see Christian attitudes/actions, or lack thereof, in the lives of others. That discernment is also a reflection of Godly wisdom.
I would certainly say, without hesitation, that today’s world, even our daily news, is replete with evidence that the world’s pursuit of knowledge/understanding through science, worldly education, humanistic philosophies, and even some works-oriented religions, has in-fact produced the realm of chaos and evil that we see all around us. And that is what is prophesied by one of today’s highlighted verses (see James 3: 16 ).
However, when you find a Christian – a true born-again believer – in head-long pursuit of the mind and/or will of God, you will see a person whose life is marked by the fruit of the Spirit, most especially lit up by love, joy, and peace [which are also reflected in James 3: 17].
What about it? Is your life a light for Christ in this sin-darkened world? Are the fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5: 22 – 23] evident when others look at your life? Or when one sees our lives on display for the world to see, do any of the fruit of the flesh shine forth like a neon sign [see Gal. 5: 19 – 21]? If the latter is the case, perhaps we could be seeking our own way in life by pursuing the ways of our own deceitful hearts or by trying to selfishly find our knowledge or understanding in the world. When are we going to see that the truth of James 3: 13 – 18 demands that we seek our wisdom from God and God alone?
Yes, the probing inventory continues. Which type of wisdom will be our pursuit? I know that my heart is to find God’s way and His will through His word; but too often I revert to a pursuit of knowledge or wisdom with selfish motives. Oh, how I pray to avoid the latter and pursue the former.
My Prayer Today: Make mine Yours, Lord! Amen
My Journal for Today: Okay, in the passage we’ve been considering for the last few days, James, the pragmatic half-brother of Jesus, from God’s inspiration for His Word, lays out our choice, as Christians, when it comes to pursuing “wisdom.” We can either choose worldly or human wisdom; or we can choose to pursue the wisdom of God.
Therefore, as James reveals in James 3: 16 - 17, today’s highlighted passage, there is truly a wise believer, from pursuing the mind of God – primarily from His Word – who has an attitude of humility and meekness and whose life is marked by Godly works (see James 3: 13). … OR, there is the one, non-believer or Christian, who pursues human and/or worldly wisdom, and whose attitude is marked by self-centeredness, one whose life produces disorder, chaos, or in the words of James, “… every evil practice.” So, when we look at our own attitudes, motives, and/or actions (especially our habit patterns), we ought to be able to determine whether we’re choosing to pursue the mind of God or use the patterns of our flesh or the world to glean wisdom in order to live our lives. And a discerning Christian, tempered by humility, also ought to be able to see Christian attitudes/actions, or lack thereof, in the lives of others. That discernment is also a reflection of Godly wisdom.
I would certainly say, without hesitation, that today’s world, even our daily news, is replete with evidence that the world’s pursuit of knowledge/understanding through science, worldly education, humanistic philosophies, and even some works-oriented religions, has in-fact produced the realm of chaos and evil that we see all around us. And that is what is prophesied by one of today’s highlighted verses (see James 3: 16 ).
However, when you find a Christian – a true born-again believer – in head-long pursuit of the mind and/or will of God, you will see a person whose life is marked by the fruit of the Spirit, most especially lit up by love, joy, and peace [which are also reflected in James 3: 17].
What about it? Is your life a light for Christ in this sin-darkened world? Are the fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5: 22 – 23] evident when others look at your life? Or when one sees our lives on display for the world to see, do any of the fruit of the flesh shine forth like a neon sign [see Gal. 5: 19 – 21]? If the latter is the case, perhaps we could be seeking our own way in life by pursuing the ways of our own deceitful hearts or by trying to selfishly find our knowledge or understanding in the world. When are we going to see that the truth of James 3: 13 – 18 demands that we seek our wisdom from God and God alone?
Yes, the probing inventory continues. Which type of wisdom will be our pursuit? I know that my heart is to find God’s way and His will through His word; but too often I revert to a pursuit of knowledge or wisdom with selfish motives. Oh, how I pray to avoid the latter and pursue the former.
My Prayer Today: Make mine Yours, Lord! Amen
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October 23, 2011 … Joined to Christ
Passage of the Day: Romans 7: 4 … 4 So, my brothers, you also died to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
My Journal for Today: Extending the discussion of our union with Christ, Paul uses the marriage metaphor (see yesterday’s devotional and Romans 7: 1 – 4), representing our union with Christ. This is a common New Testament metaphor for our relationship with Jesus, the Bridegroom, Who died so that He could be reunited with His Bride (the Church) for eternity at the wedding feast of The Lamb. As you’ve no doubt read before, Paul also uses this metaphor powerfully in Ephesians 5: 22 – 33, as he discusses the Christian covenant marriage and instructs married Christians on how to pursue marriage as Christ pursued His relationship with His Bride. [See the Eph. 5 passage linked here.]
Our union, as converted, born-again Christians, is a forever union of the Bridegroom, Christ, with His Bride, the Church; and Paul is certainly right when he calls it (in Eph. 5: 32), “… a profound mystery.” But it is only through this covenant union with Christ that we, as Christians in His Body, the Church, can become fruitful for God (as seen in today’s verse as well as Jesus’ discussion in John 15: 1-16 - also linked here).
And Dr. MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, helps me and his readers understand what these spiritual fruit might be, … defined as ”any righteous act that glorifies God.” This can consist of Paul’s insightful list of Spirit-born attitudes/attributes in Galatians 5: 22 – 23. But, it can also include such things as praise to God (see Hebrews 13: 15), being God’s agent as He ushers souls into His kingdom (see Romans 1: 13), giving to those in need out of love for God (see Romans 15: 26 – 28), and/or righteous living (see Philippians 1: 11).
God always gets the glory when we live as His Bride. So, as we live as Christians, may we be the Bride of Christ, preparing ourselves for the wedding feast of our Bridegroom, the Lamb of God. (see John 14: 1 – 4 and Revelations 19: 7 – 9 – do PLEASE not pass over these verses without meditating on their meaning for your life!, especially that passage in Rev. 19 – to which I’ll link you here). This study has certainly touched me with conviction. Perhaps it will any reader here as well.
My Prayer Today: To God be the glory as Your Bride prepares her linens. Amen
My Journal for Today: Extending the discussion of our union with Christ, Paul uses the marriage metaphor (see yesterday’s devotional and Romans 7: 1 – 4), representing our union with Christ. This is a common New Testament metaphor for our relationship with Jesus, the Bridegroom, Who died so that He could be reunited with His Bride (the Church) for eternity at the wedding feast of The Lamb. As you’ve no doubt read before, Paul also uses this metaphor powerfully in Ephesians 5: 22 – 33, as he discusses the Christian covenant marriage and instructs married Christians on how to pursue marriage as Christ pursued His relationship with His Bride. [See the Eph. 5 passage linked here.]
Our union, as converted, born-again Christians, is a forever union of the Bridegroom, Christ, with His Bride, the Church; and Paul is certainly right when he calls it (in Eph. 5: 32), “… a profound mystery.” But it is only through this covenant union with Christ that we, as Christians in His Body, the Church, can become fruitful for God (as seen in today’s verse as well as Jesus’ discussion in John 15: 1-16 - also linked here).
And Dr. MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, helps me and his readers understand what these spiritual fruit might be, … defined as ”any righteous act that glorifies God.” This can consist of Paul’s insightful list of Spirit-born attitudes/attributes in Galatians 5: 22 – 23. But, it can also include such things as praise to God (see Hebrews 13: 15), being God’s agent as He ushers souls into His kingdom (see Romans 1: 13), giving to those in need out of love for God (see Romans 15: 26 – 28), and/or righteous living (see Philippians 1: 11).
God always gets the glory when we live as His Bride. So, as we live as Christians, may we be the Bride of Christ, preparing ourselves for the wedding feast of our Bridegroom, the Lamb of God. (see John 14: 1 – 4 and Revelations 19: 7 – 9 – do PLEASE not pass over these verses without meditating on their meaning for your life!, especially that passage in Rev. 19 – to which I’ll link you here). This study has certainly touched me with conviction. Perhaps it will any reader here as well.
My Prayer Today: To God be the glory as Your Bride prepares her linens. Amen
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
July 28, 2011 … Fruitfulness
Blogger's Note: Since we are traveling to Europe and likely will not be able to post my devotional journal tomorrow, I decided to do it and post it here on 7/27 so that I can remain accountable to my discipline in this very important devotional part of my life. ... wrb
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Passage of the Day: 2nd Peter 1: 8 (see bold text below) … 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities [see verses 5 – 7] in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Journal for Today: The Apostle Peter, in today’s verse and passage, is clearly trying to help converted believers to live a full and spiritually productive, i.e., FRUITFUL, life in Christ. And doing all I can to live up to this exhortation, I know, as do you, if you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, that living the fully surrendered Christian life is a most challenging proposition.
In reading Matt. 7: 15 – 20, Jesus taught that we can recognize the true from the false prophets or believers by the way they live their lives. As He said in verse 20, “… by their fruit you will recognize them.” And what are the fruit which we see blossoming to maturity on the tree of life in a true Christian? Well, we’ve already looked at Paul’s list of fruit (see Gal. 5: 22, 23) and Peter’s in today’s passage. And if you’ve associated with real-for-sure Christians, you may have seen these fruit manifest in those who boldly witness openly and often to non-believers. You may have seen Christians reaching out in mercy and love … even to the very unlovable or maybe even their enemies. And you may have seen these real-deal Christians giving much of their time, talents, and treasures to or through the local church without making a show of their giving.
Yes, these and other “fruit” of God’s Spirit are evident on the tree of life exhibited by true Christians. You will also see lives which go from the “bad fruit” mentioned by Jesus in Matt. 7, being transformed into the “good fruit,” living on the tree of a converted believer. Before I came to Christ, much “bad fruit” (which is described by Paul in Gal. 5: 19 – 21) grew openly on my tree of life; but when I came to surrender my life to God’s Spirit, God planted His fruit in and on me; and now God’s fruit grows for His glory and prayerfully for others to see Christ in me [see Matt. 5: 16 or Eph. 2: 10].
Does this mean that the fruit of the flesh is not still in my being? No, … such fruits could blossom in me IF I surrendered to my selfish sin-nature. But as long as I cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in my life by Godly choices [in faith], those Godly fruit will grow and become ever more apparent to any or all who see my tree of life growing in their midst. Prayerfully all of us who live the life of a Christian will remain in submission to God’s Spirit to allow Him to ripen and develop God’s fruit in our lives. To that end we live for Christ; and we know that we are saved by and for Him – i.e., more assurance of our salvation.
My Prayer Today: To live, dear Lord, is to live for You. Amen
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Passage of the Day: 2nd Peter 1: 8 (see bold text below) … 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities [see verses 5 – 7] in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Journal for Today: The Apostle Peter, in today’s verse and passage, is clearly trying to help converted believers to live a full and spiritually productive, i.e., FRUITFUL, life in Christ. And doing all I can to live up to this exhortation, I know, as do you, if you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, that living the fully surrendered Christian life is a most challenging proposition.
In reading Matt. 7: 15 – 20, Jesus taught that we can recognize the true from the false prophets or believers by the way they live their lives. As He said in verse 20, “… by their fruit you will recognize them.” And what are the fruit which we see blossoming to maturity on the tree of life in a true Christian? Well, we’ve already looked at Paul’s list of fruit (see Gal. 5: 22, 23) and Peter’s in today’s passage. And if you’ve associated with real-for-sure Christians, you may have seen these fruit manifest in those who boldly witness openly and often to non-believers. You may have seen Christians reaching out in mercy and love … even to the very unlovable or maybe even their enemies. And you may have seen these real-deal Christians giving much of their time, talents, and treasures to or through the local church without making a show of their giving.
Yes, these and other “fruit” of God’s Spirit are evident on the tree of life exhibited by true Christians. You will also see lives which go from the “bad fruit” mentioned by Jesus in Matt. 7, being transformed into the “good fruit,” living on the tree of a converted believer. Before I came to Christ, much “bad fruit” (which is described by Paul in Gal. 5: 19 – 21) grew openly on my tree of life; but when I came to surrender my life to God’s Spirit, God planted His fruit in and on me; and now God’s fruit grows for His glory and prayerfully for others to see Christ in me [see Matt. 5: 16 or Eph. 2: 10].
Does this mean that the fruit of the flesh is not still in my being? No, … such fruits could blossom in me IF I surrendered to my selfish sin-nature. But as long as I cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in my life by Godly choices [in faith], those Godly fruit will grow and become ever more apparent to any or all who see my tree of life growing in their midst. Prayerfully all of us who live the life of a Christian will remain in submission to God’s Spirit to allow Him to ripen and develop God’s fruit in our lives. To that end we live for Christ; and we know that we are saved by and for Him – i.e., more assurance of our salvation.
My Prayer Today: To live, dear Lord, is to live for You. Amen
Sunday, July 03, 2011
July 3, 2011 … Peace WITH God
Passage of the Day: Romans 5: 1 … Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, …
My Journal for Today: As I read and meditate on this verse, I’m almost overwhelmed by the reality of this truth. Think of it! Any sinner, and we all fit into that category (see Rom. 3: 23), … yes, anyone, who has repented of his/her sin nature, believing in Christ as Savior/Lord (see Rom 10: 13), has made eternal peace WITH God. Now this is not to be confused with the “peace OF God,” which comes from God’s Spirit as a fruit of salvation and is found maturing in a deepening relationship with Christ (see Gal. 5: 22 and Phil. 4: 6 – 7), being available for Christians as we live our lives in surrender to our Savior.
No, this is the peace we make WITH God through our justification, which we attain in our faith, leading to salvation. Until we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Christ and are saved, we are at enmity with God because of our sin nature. But when we are saved, God grants us an eternal state of positional peace with the Godhead, which was accomplished by Christ in His finished work on the cross and our faith in Him as Savior/Lord. The blood of Christ and our belief in and receipt of its saving grace, allows us to be in a state of eternal peace with our Holy God.
Abraham made his peace with God and was made righteous before His God (see Gen. 15: 6). The Apostle Paul wrote all of Chapters 3 and 4 of Romans to show us that our salvation comes only by our faith in Christ and our reception of God’s saving grace; and that salvation has nothing to do with any works we might do to attain that grace (see also Eph. 2: 8, 9 and Titus 3: 5 – 6). So, the overwhelming message for me (and for all of us) is that we don’t have to put our hope/assurance in ourselves for salvation … but ONLY in Christ and His finished work on the cross (see Rom. 5: 1 – 11; 2nd Tim. 2: 13; and Heb. 10: 23). And I don’t know about you; but not having to depend on ME for my salvation gives infinitely more assurance in my salvation than I could ever have if I had to be something or do something to achieve eternal life and heaven’s rewards. Perhaps you will join me as you read this by saying, from your heart, “PRAISE GOD!!!”
So, my lesson and message today is that, by being saved and knowing it, I am no longer at enmity with God, even as I still retain a sin nature (see Rom. 8: 7 and Eph. 5: 6). I am reconciled and at peace with our God eternally; and I KNOW that my Lord ever and ever intercedes for me before the Father (see Heb. 7: 25); and He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me (see Heb. 13: 5). And you can (and should) know that as well when (and if) you have believed in the completed and perfect atoning act of Jesus Christ on the cross to save mankind.
Really, I would need no more assurance of my salvation that this – but there will be more as we delve into this topic further this month.
My Prayer Today: I am Yours, Lord !!! Amen
My Journal for Today: As I read and meditate on this verse, I’m almost overwhelmed by the reality of this truth. Think of it! Any sinner, and we all fit into that category (see Rom. 3: 23), … yes, anyone, who has repented of his/her sin nature, believing in Christ as Savior/Lord (see Rom 10: 13), has made eternal peace WITH God. Now this is not to be confused with the “peace OF God,” which comes from God’s Spirit as a fruit of salvation and is found maturing in a deepening relationship with Christ (see Gal. 5: 22 and Phil. 4: 6 – 7), being available for Christians as we live our lives in surrender to our Savior.
No, this is the peace we make WITH God through our justification, which we attain in our faith, leading to salvation. Until we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Christ and are saved, we are at enmity with God because of our sin nature. But when we are saved, God grants us an eternal state of positional peace with the Godhead, which was accomplished by Christ in His finished work on the cross and our faith in Him as Savior/Lord. The blood of Christ and our belief in and receipt of its saving grace, allows us to be in a state of eternal peace with our Holy God.
Abraham made his peace with God and was made righteous before His God (see Gen. 15: 6). The Apostle Paul wrote all of Chapters 3 and 4 of Romans to show us that our salvation comes only by our faith in Christ and our reception of God’s saving grace; and that salvation has nothing to do with any works we might do to attain that grace (see also Eph. 2: 8, 9 and Titus 3: 5 – 6). So, the overwhelming message for me (and for all of us) is that we don’t have to put our hope/assurance in ourselves for salvation … but ONLY in Christ and His finished work on the cross (see Rom. 5: 1 – 11; 2nd Tim. 2: 13; and Heb. 10: 23). And I don’t know about you; but not having to depend on ME for my salvation gives infinitely more assurance in my salvation than I could ever have if I had to be something or do something to achieve eternal life and heaven’s rewards. Perhaps you will join me as you read this by saying, from your heart, “PRAISE GOD!!!”
So, my lesson and message today is that, by being saved and knowing it, I am no longer at enmity with God, even as I still retain a sin nature (see Rom. 8: 7 and Eph. 5: 6). I am reconciled and at peace with our God eternally; and I KNOW that my Lord ever and ever intercedes for me before the Father (see Heb. 7: 25); and He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me (see Heb. 13: 5). And you can (and should) know that as well when (and if) you have believed in the completed and perfect atoning act of Jesus Christ on the cross to save mankind.
Really, I would need no more assurance of my salvation that this – but there will be more as we delve into this topic further this month.
My Prayer Today: I am Yours, Lord !!! Amen
Saturday, November 20, 2010
2010 – November 20 – The Presence of God’s Spirit
Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 1 & 2 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 2: 38 … NIV Peter replied, “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.
My Journal for Today: And now my guided tour (by the Bible editing and devotional authorship of Dr. LaGard Smith) in the New Testament continues as I’m led to begin reading in the book we know of as The Acts of the Apostles, which begins with that astounding sermon delivered by Peter to thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the traditional Jewish feast known as Pentecost, which takes place annually on the Hebrew calendar 50 days after Passover.
And after Peter preached his evangelically powerful sermon about repentance in Christ, well over 3000 men (and probably man thousand women and of-age children) were brought into the kingdom of God as new, born-again Christians that day. This was the launching of what we now know of as “The Church;” and in today’s excerpt from Peter’s sermon, we read of Peter’s “altar call,” (if you will) with a declaration that these Jews repent and receive the indwelling of God’s Spirit, which had been promised by Jesus Himself before He ascended to heaven. And as we’ve just referenced, thousands did exactly that on Pentecost; and what followed was a miraculous exhibit of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from these newly indwelt believers, many of whom even had a new, Spirit-led, gift of being able to speak in tongues with others who could interpret that gift for those who were not so gifted. But all of these new believers had been given various spiritual gifts which benefitted the new community of so-called (later) “Christians,” which we now know of as “the Church.” And all of these new, born-again believers were endowed with fruit of God’s Spirit, which Apostle Paul would later list in his letter to the church of Galatia [see Gal. 5: 22-23], to include love, joy, peace and other attributes which demonstrated that these new believers were changed – i.e., transformed – people, enabled by God’s Spirit to live, love, and interact in ways non-believers could not.
And Dr. Smith today, uses a word picture of this transformation process being like Jesus, with righteous intent, coming in and radically cleansing the Temple, as He did on at least two recorded occasions in the Gospel accounts [the 1st account in John 2 and the second documented in Matt 21 and Mark 11]. Jesus came in to a corrupted Temple; and as we know, cleaned it out so that the Temple would honor God’s presence as His house of worship. And this becomes a picture of what God, the Holy Spirit, does in the corrupted and sin-ridden temple, we know of as our body or “heart,” indwelling us with His grace and, over time, cleaning out the temple God has given us (our bodies) where He can dwell and be in a place of residence which glorifies God. The later Apostle Paul would also write about this to the Church in Corinth, when he asked the believers there (see 1st Cor. 6: 19-20), “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Dr. Smith, as he usually does, challenges his readers with a question at the end of his devotional entry, which today he calls a “purifying question.” He writes, ”If I truly wish to have the presence of God in my life, have I allowed my temple to be washed and filled?” I hope and pray all of us, here, either writing or reading this day, can answer that challenging question with an unqualified “YES!” Because, …only those who are truly born-again and surrendered to God’s Spirit in their lives will be able to do so.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, please, … PLEASE … purge my “temple” of anything unclean so that my heart may glorify You. Amen
My Journal for Today: And now my guided tour (by the Bible editing and devotional authorship of Dr. LaGard Smith) in the New Testament continues as I’m led to begin reading in the book we know of as The Acts of the Apostles, which begins with that astounding sermon delivered by Peter to thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the traditional Jewish feast known as Pentecost, which takes place annually on the Hebrew calendar 50 days after Passover.
And after Peter preached his evangelically powerful sermon about repentance in Christ, well over 3000 men (and probably man thousand women and of-age children) were brought into the kingdom of God as new, born-again Christians that day. This was the launching of what we now know of as “The Church;” and in today’s excerpt from Peter’s sermon, we read of Peter’s “altar call,” (if you will) with a declaration that these Jews repent and receive the indwelling of God’s Spirit, which had been promised by Jesus Himself before He ascended to heaven. And as we’ve just referenced, thousands did exactly that on Pentecost; and what followed was a miraculous exhibit of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from these newly indwelt believers, many of whom even had a new, Spirit-led, gift of being able to speak in tongues with others who could interpret that gift for those who were not so gifted. But all of these new believers had been given various spiritual gifts which benefitted the new community of so-called (later) “Christians,” which we now know of as “the Church.” And all of these new, born-again believers were endowed with fruit of God’s Spirit, which Apostle Paul would later list in his letter to the church of Galatia [see Gal. 5: 22-23], to include love, joy, peace and other attributes which demonstrated that these new believers were changed – i.e., transformed – people, enabled by God’s Spirit to live, love, and interact in ways non-believers could not.
And Dr. Smith today, uses a word picture of this transformation process being like Jesus, with righteous intent, coming in and radically cleansing the Temple, as He did on at least two recorded occasions in the Gospel accounts [the 1st account in John 2 and the second documented in Matt 21 and Mark 11]. Jesus came in to a corrupted Temple; and as we know, cleaned it out so that the Temple would honor God’s presence as His house of worship. And this becomes a picture of what God, the Holy Spirit, does in the corrupted and sin-ridden temple, we know of as our body or “heart,” indwelling us with His grace and, over time, cleaning out the temple God has given us (our bodies) where He can dwell and be in a place of residence which glorifies God. The later Apostle Paul would also write about this to the Church in Corinth, when he asked the believers there (see 1st Cor. 6: 19-20), “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Dr. Smith, as he usually does, challenges his readers with a question at the end of his devotional entry, which today he calls a “purifying question.” He writes, ”If I truly wish to have the presence of God in my life, have I allowed my temple to be washed and filled?” I hope and pray all of us, here, either writing or reading this day, can answer that challenging question with an unqualified “YES!” Because, …only those who are truly born-again and surrendered to God’s Spirit in their lives will be able to do so.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, please, … PLEASE … purge my “temple” of anything unclean so that my heart may glorify You. Amen
Thursday, May 20, 2010
2010 – May 20 – The Virtue of Patience
Blogger’s Note: For those who expect my devotional journal entry to be posted relatively early in the morning, I am tardy today, having awakened with some sort of malaise and physical malady – undetermined at this time – general achiness, feeling almost febrile with no fever, a lot of sinus drainage and coughing up mucous from lungs. UGH!!! So, please forgive my late entry; and understand that my mind is not quite as focused on being with God today as it might be generally. But nonetheless I feel grateful to be here with my God; and I know He has something for me today as He does everyday. So, I will do my best to seek His mind and convey it here as best I can.
Study from God’s Word…Many Proverbs listed in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Proverbs 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, and 29, ordered by topics by the Editor, including Self control, Rashness, Temper/Patience, Drunkenness/Gluttony, Adultery, and Prostitution …Passage for Reflection: Proverbs 14: 29 … NIV A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
My Journal for Today: Have you ever, as an adult, had a temper tantrum or some explosion of temperament where you said or did something really embarrassing or stupid? If you answered “No” to that, you are a rare individual; and I’d like to tap into your sense of self control.
Personally, I explode with my temper every now and then; but it’s interesting to reflect on this because I’m not one who lets it be known to the public. No, I have my temper tantrums only in the presence of my wife, the one whom I declare to love the most on this earth. I’ve even put my fist through a wall once. I’ve broken things in her presence; and always my anger is directed towards my own stupidity or some circumstance which is out of my control; and I’ve never hit or directed my anger at anyone else. For example, I’ll bang on the steering wheel of the car when traffic patterns anger me in my wife’s presence. Interestingly, I never do that when I’m alone or with others in the car – only when Elly is in the car. And another interesting pattern about my degree of emotional self control. I never – and I mean NEVER – get angry when circumstances involve other people. I seem to have great patience with other people but can – and often do - fly off the handle very easily – but once again, in my wife’s presence only. And looking back on these situations, the circumstances are always so trivial.
So, what’s that all about? Maybe you have a pattern of emotional explosiveness that is like mine … or maybe one that is very different. My wife finds it very easy to get mad at other people; but almost never gets angry and loses control in the face of tough external circumstances. Maybe you’re more like Elly than like me. Perhaps you have your own pattern of emotional volcanic eruptions. But then again, maybe you’re the rare one who is very self-controlled and extremely patient in all circumstances.
I do know, though, that I’m more self controlled now as a Christian than I was as a non-Christian years ago; and that degree of emotional self control is also likely tempered by the fact that I’m older, and hopefully wise,r than I was years ago. Certainly we know that our kids and grandkids cannot be expected to have the same degree of patience in handling the world as do their parents or grandparents. So, we would hope that we all grow into more patience. But we can know, as Christians, that God has given all believers His Spirit-imparted fruit of patience (see Gal. 5: 22-23). And that fruit will only mature and become sweeter in the life of a Christian who is in surrender mode to God’s Spirit, letting God impart his enabling grace to help us meet the circumstances of life. That is what we read and get from passages like 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9.
And so, taking all of this into account, I can expect for God to give me the empowering grace of patience I need to handle tough circumstances in life, IF – and that depends on my attitude – I humble myself, seek and receive God’s grace to cover my weakness of impatience. I believe the fruit of patience is growing and maturing in my life. I just need to have the patience to let God shape that fruit into me to the point that He is glorified by that fruit becoming more evident in my demeanor. Yes, that’s a paradox. I become patient by choosing to be patient; and I become more impatient to the degree that I’m impatient. It’s like answering the question: How does one become spontaneous voluntarily? And the answer is … one becomes spontaneous by being more and more intentional.
So, how do we become more patient? ANSWER: We become more patient by choosing to be patient. And so, I now pray for patience … knowing that God loves for me to be patient; and also knowing that He may put me through trials of circumstantial fire to purge the impatience from my soul. BUT … wanting to be more patient, that will be my prayer today.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be more patient; but be merciful and ever patient with Your impatient child in the process of maturing me in this fruitfulness. Amen
Study from God’s Word…Many Proverbs listed in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Proverbs 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, and 29, ordered by topics by the Editor, including Self control, Rashness, Temper/Patience, Drunkenness/Gluttony, Adultery, and Prostitution …Passage for Reflection: Proverbs 14: 29 … NIV A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
My Journal for Today: Have you ever, as an adult, had a temper tantrum or some explosion of temperament where you said or did something really embarrassing or stupid? If you answered “No” to that, you are a rare individual; and I’d like to tap into your sense of self control.
Personally, I explode with my temper every now and then; but it’s interesting to reflect on this because I’m not one who lets it be known to the public. No, I have my temper tantrums only in the presence of my wife, the one whom I declare to love the most on this earth. I’ve even put my fist through a wall once. I’ve broken things in her presence; and always my anger is directed towards my own stupidity or some circumstance which is out of my control; and I’ve never hit or directed my anger at anyone else. For example, I’ll bang on the steering wheel of the car when traffic patterns anger me in my wife’s presence. Interestingly, I never do that when I’m alone or with others in the car – only when Elly is in the car. And another interesting pattern about my degree of emotional self control. I never – and I mean NEVER – get angry when circumstances involve other people. I seem to have great patience with other people but can – and often do - fly off the handle very easily – but once again, in my wife’s presence only. And looking back on these situations, the circumstances are always so trivial.
So, what’s that all about? Maybe you have a pattern of emotional explosiveness that is like mine … or maybe one that is very different. My wife finds it very easy to get mad at other people; but almost never gets angry and loses control in the face of tough external circumstances. Maybe you’re more like Elly than like me. Perhaps you have your own pattern of emotional volcanic eruptions. But then again, maybe you’re the rare one who is very self-controlled and extremely patient in all circumstances.
I do know, though, that I’m more self controlled now as a Christian than I was as a non-Christian years ago; and that degree of emotional self control is also likely tempered by the fact that I’m older, and hopefully wise,r than I was years ago. Certainly we know that our kids and grandkids cannot be expected to have the same degree of patience in handling the world as do their parents or grandparents. So, we would hope that we all grow into more patience. But we can know, as Christians, that God has given all believers His Spirit-imparted fruit of patience (see Gal. 5: 22-23). And that fruit will only mature and become sweeter in the life of a Christian who is in surrender mode to God’s Spirit, letting God impart his enabling grace to help us meet the circumstances of life. That is what we read and get from passages like 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9.
And so, taking all of this into account, I can expect for God to give me the empowering grace of patience I need to handle tough circumstances in life, IF – and that depends on my attitude – I humble myself, seek and receive God’s grace to cover my weakness of impatience. I believe the fruit of patience is growing and maturing in my life. I just need to have the patience to let God shape that fruit into me to the point that He is glorified by that fruit becoming more evident in my demeanor. Yes, that’s a paradox. I become patient by choosing to be patient; and I become more impatient to the degree that I’m impatient. It’s like answering the question: How does one become spontaneous voluntarily? And the answer is … one becomes spontaneous by being more and more intentional.
So, how do we become more patient? ANSWER: We become more patient by choosing to be patient. And so, I now pray for patience … knowing that God loves for me to be patient; and also knowing that He may put me through trials of circumstantial fire to purge the impatience from my soul. BUT … wanting to be more patient, that will be my prayer today.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be more patient; but be merciful and ever patient with Your impatient child in the process of maturing me in this fruitfulness. Amen
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