Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 9 … [NIV] … You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Romans 8: 9 … NASB … However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
My Journal for Today: In reading John MacArthur’s devotional for this date in Strength for Today, I agree with his contention that a Christian’s assurance of salvation is, in his words, “… essential to our Christian lives.” The Apostle Paul in today’s verse writes about the reality of how the Spirit of God, working in the heart of the Christ, causes one to be controlled by God [i.e., if that someone is surrendered, by faith, to God’s Spirit].
Think about it. If you have doubts about your salvation [i.e., whether or not you believe that you truly “belong to Christ” as Paul wrote], you are not going to see the world through eyes of assertive faith, … nor will you act (i.e., make choices) that are based upon your confidence in your relationship with Christ. The faithful one, however, … the one who truly BELIEVES he/she is saved, will move on that belief, KNOWING that God is in control of his/her life, which in the long-term picture of life will demonstrate (i.e., with the fruitfulness mentioned in Ga. 5: 22-23) his/her belief in his/her salvation and his/her “Christian” world view.
In today’s passage Paul writes of God’s Spirit “living” or “dwelling” in the true believer (i.e., the saved Christian). The Greek term for “to dwell” is “oikeo;” and it literally means to make a home or to take up residence. So, when one is truly saved, we have a new nature residing in our hearts, ever driving us, pulling us, edging us, drawing us toward a life in the Spirit rather than a life controlled by our sinful, deceitful, fleshly heart (see Jer. 17: 9 and John 3: 6). This being truth, Paul (in 2nd Cor. 13: 5) exhorts Christians to test ourselves to see if really have the Spirit of God’s Spirit dwelling in us.
To do this “test,” we could ask ourselves …
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>>> Do I see the fruit of the Spirit maturing in my life? (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23)
>>> Do I struggle against sin, desiring to be free of its influence? (see Rom. 7: 14 – 25; Gal. 5: 16 – 17)
>>> Do my attitudes and choices reflect a drive toward Godliness? (1st John 1: 6 – 10)
>>> Do I yearn for closeness/communion with God ? (1st John 1: 3)
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If, as you read these questions and meditate on the verses supporting them, you are mentally and with confidence nodding “YES” to any question about your salvation; … and God is telling you that He resides permanently in your soul (i.e., heart). In other words, my fellow Christian, YOU ARE SAVED by His grace (see Eph. 2: 8 -9).
Now, with that assurance of our salvation, we saved Christians must walk in the Spirit, surrendered to the One Who dwells in us, and live out our salvation unto God’s workmanship (see Eph. 2: 10). And when we do that, we will begin to see more and more fruit in our lives (again, Gal. 5: 22 – 23). So, I pray that you know that you know that you know that you know that you are saved.
My Prayer Today: I know You are in me, Lord; and I pray You dwell richly in my soul, precious Spirit! Amen
Showing posts with label breakthrough faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakthrough faith. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011 … Recognizing God’s Ownership
Passage of the Day: Psalm 24: 1 … The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; …
My Journal for Today: This will not be a long devotional entry today. The point is short and clear; and it’s made in today’s verse. The point: Godly and biblical stewardship begins and hinges upon the recognition that we, God’s creation, own NOTHING! It’s all God’s, pure and simple … for HIS use and HIS glory.
John MacArthur reminds his readers on this date in Strength for Today of the wonderful story of John Wesley, whom, upon hearing that his house had burned, replied, “No it hasn’t. I don’t own a house. The one I lived in belongs to the Lord.” Wesley recognized that God had given him that house and God would still provide for his needs.
This raises the questions … do we see God’s ownership and His providence in the way Wesley saw it? Or … do we take personal ownership of the stuff of life, which leads to personalized greed and the coveting of worldly things? … May I digress with the confession that all too often I seek to be the owner of “stuff” in my life; and because I feel that way, I seek to control that “stuff,” trying to protect MY [there I go again!] “stuff.” In my head I know the truth of today’s highlight scripture; but too often I don’t live it out – from the heart - in my life. How about you?
MacArthur very nicely summarizes where our hearts and minds should be focused, writing, “We should worship God as the owner of all things, thank Him for whatever He entrusts to us, and never allow our ‘possessions’ to be a cause to forget Him.” That was Kind David’s prayer when he said to God (in 1st Chron. 29: 11), “…everything in heaven and in earth is Yours.”
And that should be our attitude and continual prayer as well.
My Prayer Today: And that is my prayer this day, Lord; … it is all Yours! Amen
My Journal for Today: This will not be a long devotional entry today. The point is short and clear; and it’s made in today’s verse. The point: Godly and biblical stewardship begins and hinges upon the recognition that we, God’s creation, own NOTHING! It’s all God’s, pure and simple … for HIS use and HIS glory.
John MacArthur reminds his readers on this date in Strength for Today of the wonderful story of John Wesley, whom, upon hearing that his house had burned, replied, “No it hasn’t. I don’t own a house. The one I lived in belongs to the Lord.” Wesley recognized that God had given him that house and God would still provide for his needs.
This raises the questions … do we see God’s ownership and His providence in the way Wesley saw it? Or … do we take personal ownership of the stuff of life, which leads to personalized greed and the coveting of worldly things? … May I digress with the confession that all too often I seek to be the owner of “stuff” in my life; and because I feel that way, I seek to control that “stuff,” trying to protect MY [there I go again!] “stuff.” In my head I know the truth of today’s highlight scripture; but too often I don’t live it out – from the heart - in my life. How about you?
MacArthur very nicely summarizes where our hearts and minds should be focused, writing, “We should worship God as the owner of all things, thank Him for whatever He entrusts to us, and never allow our ‘possessions’ to be a cause to forget Him.” That was Kind David’s prayer when he said to God (in 1st Chron. 29: 11), “…everything in heaven and in earth is Yours.”
And that should be our attitude and continual prayer as well.
My Prayer Today: And that is my prayer this day, Lord; … it is all Yours! Amen
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011 … Endurance: Look to the Future
Passage of the Day [NIV]: 2nd Corinthians 4: 17 … 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary; but what is unseen is eternal.
Passage of the Day [NASB]: 2nd Corinthians 4: 17 … 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
My Journal for Today: Today, we look on the same passage as we did yesterday; but with a focus on verse 17 [bold and underlined]; and for a seeker’s benefit, I have taken the liberty to add the NASB version to the NIV in today’s study.
We see here that Paul is asking Christians to focus clearly on our future hope in Christ, which, he reminds believers, far outweighs any present (or past) trials we might endure (“momentary, light affliction” in the NASB – but which may not seem so “momentary” and “light” to those enduring the pain). It is interesting that Paul, having experienced so many near-death trials [see his description in 2nd Cor. 11: 21 – 28], refers to any afflictions we experience as being “light.” I don’t know whether I would have had that kind of attitude; but he is right. Anything I’m going through now is “light” compared with the affliction our Lord, Jesus, went through on the cross to secure my eternal glory.
The Apostle James (see James 1: 2) even wrote that we Christians should consider it all joy to endure such trials which confront us in Christ’s Name. But back to Paul’s exhortation in today’s passage, the temporary pain we experience from ANY temporal or corporal challenge is simply inconsequential when weighed against “the eternal weight of glory.”
In his devotional for this date from Strength for Today, John MacArthur evokes the same word picture referred to by Paul’s writing in today’s passage … that of the old balance scale used to measure the weight of any element. We’re asked, as believers, to see our lives on one side of that scale with the weight of any momentary earthly trial, which is weighed on the other side of the scales against the infinite eternal weight of being with Christ in glory. NO CONTEST!!!
The weight of any passing temporal pain we might have to endure or cross we may have to carry (see Luke 9: 23) is ALWAYS far outweighed by the cross Christ had to endure so that we could praise, serve, and glorify Him for eternity.
My Prayer Today: For You, my Lord, I must bear any weight. Amen
Passage of the Day [NASB]: 2nd Corinthians 4: 17 … 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
My Journal for Today: Today, we look on the same passage as we did yesterday; but with a focus on verse 17 [bold and underlined]; and for a seeker’s benefit, I have taken the liberty to add the NASB version to the NIV in today’s study.
We see here that Paul is asking Christians to focus clearly on our future hope in Christ, which, he reminds believers, far outweighs any present (or past) trials we might endure (“momentary, light affliction” in the NASB – but which may not seem so “momentary” and “light” to those enduring the pain). It is interesting that Paul, having experienced so many near-death trials [see his description in 2nd Cor. 11: 21 – 28], refers to any afflictions we experience as being “light.” I don’t know whether I would have had that kind of attitude; but he is right. Anything I’m going through now is “light” compared with the affliction our Lord, Jesus, went through on the cross to secure my eternal glory.
The Apostle James (see James 1: 2) even wrote that we Christians should consider it all joy to endure such trials which confront us in Christ’s Name. But back to Paul’s exhortation in today’s passage, the temporary pain we experience from ANY temporal or corporal challenge is simply inconsequential when weighed against “the eternal weight of glory.”
In his devotional for this date from Strength for Today, John MacArthur evokes the same word picture referred to by Paul’s writing in today’s passage … that of the old balance scale used to measure the weight of any element. We’re asked, as believers, to see our lives on one side of that scale with the weight of any momentary earthly trial, which is weighed on the other side of the scales against the infinite eternal weight of being with Christ in glory. NO CONTEST!!!
The weight of any passing temporal pain we might have to endure or cross we may have to carry (see Luke 9: 23) is ALWAYS far outweighed by the cross Christ had to endure so that we could praise, serve, and glorify Him for eternity.
My Prayer Today: For You, my Lord, I must bear any weight. Amen
Monday, November 01, 2010
2010 – November 1 – When There’s Reason to Doubt
Blogger's Note: In my quest to read through the Bible and blog my journal entries this year, I've been led by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, Dr. F. LaGard Smith, from the Old and into the New Testament. I'm on the backstretch, heading toward the tape of completing the entire Bible reading in 2010; and I hope that others who've read here with me get as much from God's truth as am I.
Study from God’s Word… Passages selected by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6 to illustrate Jesus’ claims, His miracles, and the doubts of some of the people, especially the religious leaders, as The Messiah traveled around Galilee in His 2nd year of ministry … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 14: 31 … NIV 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
My Journal for Today: Does anybody reading with me here identify with Peter besides yours truly? Peter, maybe more than any of the other inner core of Disciples, illustrates for me the challenge of choosing to believe and follow this man Jesus as the Son of God and our Messiah. And probably no historical account in the Gospel accounts illustrates Peter’s desire to pursue Jesus, believing in Him as the Son of God, in the midst of this disciple’s very human doubts, any more than this story of the disciples seeing Jesus walk on the water in the midst of the storm.
Are you like me (and I believe Peter as well), desiring desperately to believe in the truth of passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 and yet falling short of Jesus’ command of discipleship in Luke 9: 23? I don’t think any passage in the Bible illustrates this for me any better than the encounter the 12 Disciples had with Jesus in the boat out there in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, involving Peter’s confrontation with faith and doubt as he stepped out of the boat to pursue Jesus, yet sank into the water due to his doubt.
I’m sure, dear Christian, you’re not that much different from me, desiring desperately to believe in the truth of the Bible, as with the two passage I mentioned above (which I hope you’ve either memorized or have found and meditated upon here). Yet many of us - me certainly included - have very rational doubts, just as Peter did, stepping out of the boat and realizing that he was actually walking on water. We have very human doubts like wondering why God performs miracle healing with some and allows others to suffer and die in spite of their prayers for life. And why does God allow Satan to have the power he has in this world? And what’s up with evil seeming to flourish all around us?
Oh, how difficult it is to see that the concept of FAITH would be meaningless unless it is experienced in the context of DOUBT. Faith is not faith without doubt being doubt. But that truth doesn’t make it any easier for me to step out of the boat of my life and to attempt to walk on the waters of challenging circumstances day-by-day.
I desperately want to be like Peter and to be able to step out of the boat of my life when Jesus calls me out, saying ... “come on, Bill, ... follow Me!” I hear Him saying “follow Me” when I know what I should be eating and the empty, but good-tasting, calories I should be avoiding; and yet I sink in the waters of my own doubt when I take in those empty calories, pursuing selfish pleasure rather than following my Savior’s call to step out in faith.
Some in the ministry I’m called to lead (go to this link), when it comes to avoiding sexual sin in viewing pornography, sink desperately into their own pursuit of pleasure rather than walking on the waters of faith, being called out by God’s Spirit to avoid viewing such visual, but sinful, pleasures. Others fall prey to their own selfishness, knowing - like me - that you should avoid certain obsessive/compulsive sin, but our doubt in God’s ability to give us the strength we need to walk on water and avoid pleasure-driven sin, leads us to have the same doubts that Paul had when he wrote about himself in Romans 7: 14-23 [linked here]. And when we do what we don’t want to do, avoiding what we know we should do, we sink into the waters of doubt rather than walk above those stormy waters in faith.
Let’s not be too tough on Peter. But let’s all be like Peter as he kept pursuing a deeper and deeper relationship with Christ as he walked with Him in the hills of Galilee in those day as Jesus ultimately walked to the cross. Let’s all keep pursuing a deeper faith, doing all we can, in spite of our doubts, to come when Jesus calls us to come and to deny self and follow Him even though the storms of life and temptation rage around us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in spite of the winds of life blowing and the storms raging, help me to step out of the boat and come to You today. Amen
Study from God’s Word… Passages selected by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6 to illustrate Jesus’ claims, His miracles, and the doubts of some of the people, especially the religious leaders, as The Messiah traveled around Galilee in His 2nd year of ministry … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 14: 31 … NIV 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
My Journal for Today: Does anybody reading with me here identify with Peter besides yours truly? Peter, maybe more than any of the other inner core of Disciples, illustrates for me the challenge of choosing to believe and follow this man Jesus as the Son of God and our Messiah. And probably no historical account in the Gospel accounts illustrates Peter’s desire to pursue Jesus, believing in Him as the Son of God, in the midst of this disciple’s very human doubts, any more than this story of the disciples seeing Jesus walk on the water in the midst of the storm.
Are you like me (and I believe Peter as well), desiring desperately to believe in the truth of passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 and yet falling short of Jesus’ command of discipleship in Luke 9: 23? I don’t think any passage in the Bible illustrates this for me any better than the encounter the 12 Disciples had with Jesus in the boat out there in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, involving Peter’s confrontation with faith and doubt as he stepped out of the boat to pursue Jesus, yet sank into the water due to his doubt.
I’m sure, dear Christian, you’re not that much different from me, desiring desperately to believe in the truth of the Bible, as with the two passage I mentioned above (which I hope you’ve either memorized or have found and meditated upon here). Yet many of us - me certainly included - have very rational doubts, just as Peter did, stepping out of the boat and realizing that he was actually walking on water. We have very human doubts like wondering why God performs miracle healing with some and allows others to suffer and die in spite of their prayers for life. And why does God allow Satan to have the power he has in this world? And what’s up with evil seeming to flourish all around us?
Oh, how difficult it is to see that the concept of FAITH would be meaningless unless it is experienced in the context of DOUBT. Faith is not faith without doubt being doubt. But that truth doesn’t make it any easier for me to step out of the boat of my life and to attempt to walk on the waters of challenging circumstances day-by-day.
I desperately want to be like Peter and to be able to step out of the boat of my life when Jesus calls me out, saying ... “come on, Bill, ... follow Me!” I hear Him saying “follow Me” when I know what I should be eating and the empty, but good-tasting, calories I should be avoiding; and yet I sink in the waters of my own doubt when I take in those empty calories, pursuing selfish pleasure rather than following my Savior’s call to step out in faith.
Some in the ministry I’m called to lead (go to this link), when it comes to avoiding sexual sin in viewing pornography, sink desperately into their own pursuit of pleasure rather than walking on the waters of faith, being called out by God’s Spirit to avoid viewing such visual, but sinful, pleasures. Others fall prey to their own selfishness, knowing - like me - that you should avoid certain obsessive/compulsive sin, but our doubt in God’s ability to give us the strength we need to walk on water and avoid pleasure-driven sin, leads us to have the same doubts that Paul had when he wrote about himself in Romans 7: 14-23 [linked here]. And when we do what we don’t want to do, avoiding what we know we should do, we sink into the waters of doubt rather than walk above those stormy waters in faith.
Let’s not be too tough on Peter. But let’s all be like Peter as he kept pursuing a deeper and deeper relationship with Christ as he walked with Him in the hills of Galilee in those day as Jesus ultimately walked to the cross. Let’s all keep pursuing a deeper faith, doing all we can, in spite of our doubts, to come when Jesus calls us to come and to deny self and follow Him even though the storms of life and temptation rage around us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in spite of the winds of life blowing and the storms raging, help me to step out of the boat and come to You today. Amen
Monday, July 12, 2010
2010 – July 12 – The Strength of Eternal Youth
Study from God’s Word… Isaiah, Chapter 40 and 41: 1 – 10 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 40: 29 – 31 … NIV 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
My Journal for Today: I think today’s highlight passage from Verses 29 – 31 of Chapter 40 of the book of Isaiah is one of the most beloved in all of the Old Testament for New Covenant believers, especially for us old dudes who languish in the realities of the aging process. As Dr. Smith alludes today in his devotional for this date, the aging process is inexorable, irreversible, and relentless. Many in history have sought the “fountain of youth;” but as today’s focus passage documents, there is only one eternal repository of youthful vigor and strength; and that is in the “fountain of faith” rather than some man-conceived “fountain of youth.” Certainly no vitamin, face cream, or man-made chemical will ever produce what is promised in today’s passage. No, … the eternal strength to “fly on wings like eagles” or to “run and not grow weary” will only be found when one comes to receive the saving grace offered by THE Messiah, … the One about Whom Isaiah prophesied to the remaining believers in Judah.
God’s people, at the time Isaiah is prophesying in history and the times he is speaking these words for today, were mostly taken into captivity; and the remainder would be shortly. And the kingship of Manasseh had erased any restoration that had taken place during the reign of his father, Hezekiah. So, God gives a message through Isaiah that the Covenant imparted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would one day be revisited and reprised in a coming Messiah, Who would come to reign eternally over God’s chosen people. And in this restoration – one for eternity – God’s people would have the eternal strength of Yahweh, giving them eternal life in Him.
And that, my friends, is the promise fulfilled in our New Covenant Messiah, the Lord, Jesus Christ, prophesied my many anointed Prophets during Isaiah’s times; and now come in the Person of God’s only Son, Jesus. And we now know that all who come to Him in faith, receiving the eternal life He gracefully offers, BY FAITH, will eternally “ … soar on wings like eagles; … run and not grow weary, [and] they will walk and not be faint.” That is my eternal hope in my Savior and Lord; and it is my prayer for all who read here, that the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah is your hope as well.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, … I know that one day I will live with You and walk in Your strength and even fly like an eagle with You. Amen
My Journal for Today: I think today’s highlight passage from Verses 29 – 31 of Chapter 40 of the book of Isaiah is one of the most beloved in all of the Old Testament for New Covenant believers, especially for us old dudes who languish in the realities of the aging process. As Dr. Smith alludes today in his devotional for this date, the aging process is inexorable, irreversible, and relentless. Many in history have sought the “fountain of youth;” but as today’s focus passage documents, there is only one eternal repository of youthful vigor and strength; and that is in the “fountain of faith” rather than some man-conceived “fountain of youth.” Certainly no vitamin, face cream, or man-made chemical will ever produce what is promised in today’s passage. No, … the eternal strength to “fly on wings like eagles” or to “run and not grow weary” will only be found when one comes to receive the saving grace offered by THE Messiah, … the One about Whom Isaiah prophesied to the remaining believers in Judah.
God’s people, at the time Isaiah is prophesying in history and the times he is speaking these words for today, were mostly taken into captivity; and the remainder would be shortly. And the kingship of Manasseh had erased any restoration that had taken place during the reign of his father, Hezekiah. So, God gives a message through Isaiah that the Covenant imparted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would one day be revisited and reprised in a coming Messiah, Who would come to reign eternally over God’s chosen people. And in this restoration – one for eternity – God’s people would have the eternal strength of Yahweh, giving them eternal life in Him.
And that, my friends, is the promise fulfilled in our New Covenant Messiah, the Lord, Jesus Christ, prophesied my many anointed Prophets during Isaiah’s times; and now come in the Person of God’s only Son, Jesus. And we now know that all who come to Him in faith, receiving the eternal life He gracefully offers, BY FAITH, will eternally “ … soar on wings like eagles; … run and not grow weary, [and] they will walk and not be faint.” That is my eternal hope in my Savior and Lord; and it is my prayer for all who read here, that the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah is your hope as well.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, … I know that one day I will live with You and walk in Your strength and even fly like an eagle with You. Amen
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
2010 – Day 5. Jan. 5 – Following God’s Call
Study from Genesis 12 – 14; Passage for Reflection: Genesis 12: 1 … NIV The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
My Journal for Today: F. LaGard Smith, my devotional Pastor this year and the Editor of The Daily Bible In Chronological Order [NIV], through which I’m reading this year, poses some interesting and challenging questions today.
• What does it mean to follow God’s call?
• Does God really lead people into disastrous conditions?
• How can we be sure we’re really following God and not our own selfish desires?
• By what means does God call His children?
• What gives … when we truly follow what we believe to be God and we’re disappointed?
But Smith is right that these questions become moot when we, like Abram, have no doubt that we’ve really sensed God’s calling. No, the question then becomes, “Are we willing to leave our comfort zone in life and just GO wherever and whenever God calls us to go?” Jesus in the NT has a challenging call on the lives of His disciples, when He says [in Luke 9: 23] If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me?” And if you have been an Abram and followed God, I’ll bet you’ve experienced and/or know that God seldom calls one into more comfort, more luxury, or a higher degree of “blessing” (at least how we worldly creatures would define “blessing”).
No, one of the things which tells us that a path in life is likely a Godly direction is whether one is being led, as was Abram, into an uncharted direction, requiring a test of our faith. If one is looking for God’s leaning, one of the first things we need to look for to determine if this is God’s direction in life is to see whether the direction requires more or less faith in God than the previous path or place. If it is the easy or wide road to follow, BEWARE; it is more likely that Satan or selfishness is doing the leading. If, on the other hand, the road is the narrow road, the one less traveled, and the one which is insecure or ultra-challenging, that is more likely the road God is testing you to travel. And if, in spite of the anxiety over that more challenging route, you pray and get a peace – that peace which surpasses all understanding - about that leaning or direction, (as instructed by Phil. 4: 6-7, which I hope you have memorized and use often in decision making) then, like Abram, you simply MUST pick up and go where God is leading You … whenever or wherever that might be.
Yeah! … This Christian discipleship business can be a bear, can’t it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I be ever sensitive to Your leading in my life; and then may I have the courage to deny self and follow You. Amen
My Journal for Today: F. LaGard Smith, my devotional Pastor this year and the Editor of The Daily Bible In Chronological Order [NIV], through which I’m reading this year, poses some interesting and challenging questions today.
• What does it mean to follow God’s call?
• Does God really lead people into disastrous conditions?
• How can we be sure we’re really following God and not our own selfish desires?
• By what means does God call His children?
• What gives … when we truly follow what we believe to be God and we’re disappointed?
But Smith is right that these questions become moot when we, like Abram, have no doubt that we’ve really sensed God’s calling. No, the question then becomes, “Are we willing to leave our comfort zone in life and just GO wherever and whenever God calls us to go?” Jesus in the NT has a challenging call on the lives of His disciples, when He says [in Luke 9: 23] If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me?” And if you have been an Abram and followed God, I’ll bet you’ve experienced and/or know that God seldom calls one into more comfort, more luxury, or a higher degree of “blessing” (at least how we worldly creatures would define “blessing”).
No, one of the things which tells us that a path in life is likely a Godly direction is whether one is being led, as was Abram, into an uncharted direction, requiring a test of our faith. If one is looking for God’s leaning, one of the first things we need to look for to determine if this is God’s direction in life is to see whether the direction requires more or less faith in God than the previous path or place. If it is the easy or wide road to follow, BEWARE; it is more likely that Satan or selfishness is doing the leading. If, on the other hand, the road is the narrow road, the one less traveled, and the one which is insecure or ultra-challenging, that is more likely the road God is testing you to travel. And if, in spite of the anxiety over that more challenging route, you pray and get a peace – that peace which surpasses all understanding - about that leaning or direction, (as instructed by Phil. 4: 6-7, which I hope you have memorized and use often in decision making) then, like Abram, you simply MUST pick up and go where God is leading You … whenever or wherever that might be.
Yeah! … This Christian discipleship business can be a bear, can’t it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I be ever sensitive to Your leading in my life; and then may I have the courage to deny self and follow You. Amen
Sunday, June 21, 2009
– Day 171.June 21 – Living Expectantly
2009 – Day 171.June 21 – Living Expectantly
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I read today’s highlight Scripture passage and Swindoll’s devotional entry and I’m convicted to the core. In today’s scenario we see a refreshing, almost childlike Elijah, filled with expectation and faith. He sees a small cloud on the horizon; and even after three plus years of drought, he just knows that God’s promised rains are coming.
Swindoll points to the faith of child, asking his readers if we’ve ever heard a child pray. They have such boundless faith, praying for wondrous things and expecting them to happen. So Swindoll asks, “Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible?” And to those questions, with conviction, I must say, “No, no, and no!” I’m afraid all too often I’m the cynical and overly serious type; and I have a tendency to look for a cloud in every silver lining rather than having the eyes of expectancy we see in Elijah.
All too often I’m a “glass have empty” kind of guy; and I need to loosen up, … to chill out, … and to lighten up. I need to expect God to be God and to move in ways that will cause mankind to see that they need a God Who will shake things up so that we need Him and to see that He’s our only hope … our only answer.
Right now, in these times, we’re in the midst of a financial drought; and it may, like the drought of Elijah’s day, last for a long time. But what I (we) need to be doing is to look off into the horizon and look for a small cloud which will bring God’s promised rains. God has promised that he will bring the rains of His providence and provide for His children. And now it’s time for me to expect that he’ll do just that.
Look, my friends. There’s a small cloud out there on the horizon. Do you see it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You said that you’ll never forsake me. You’ve said that You’re going ahead of me. You’ve said that You’ll meet all my needs. And on all counts, You have been there for me. You are showing me the way; and You have provided all I need (and more). And now I look expectantly ahead to what You are going to do to bring glory to Your Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I read today’s highlight Scripture passage and Swindoll’s devotional entry and I’m convicted to the core. In today’s scenario we see a refreshing, almost childlike Elijah, filled with expectation and faith. He sees a small cloud on the horizon; and even after three plus years of drought, he just knows that God’s promised rains are coming.
Swindoll points to the faith of child, asking his readers if we’ve ever heard a child pray. They have such boundless faith, praying for wondrous things and expecting them to happen. So Swindoll asks, “Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible?” And to those questions, with conviction, I must say, “No, no, and no!” I’m afraid all too often I’m the cynical and overly serious type; and I have a tendency to look for a cloud in every silver lining rather than having the eyes of expectancy we see in Elijah.
All too often I’m a “glass have empty” kind of guy; and I need to loosen up, … to chill out, … and to lighten up. I need to expect God to be God and to move in ways that will cause mankind to see that they need a God Who will shake things up so that we need Him and to see that He’s our only hope … our only answer.
Right now, in these times, we’re in the midst of a financial drought; and it may, like the drought of Elijah’s day, last for a long time. But what I (we) need to be doing is to look off into the horizon and look for a small cloud which will bring God’s promised rains. God has promised that he will bring the rains of His providence and provide for His children. And now it’s time for me to expect that he’ll do just that.
Look, my friends. There’s a small cloud out there on the horizon. Do you see it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You said that you’ll never forsake me. You’ve said that You’re going ahead of me. You’ve said that You’ll meet all my needs. And on all counts, You have been there for me. You are showing me the way; and You have provided all I need (and more). And now I look expectantly ahead to what You are going to do to bring glory to Your Name. Amen
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
2009 – Day 167.June 17 – No Doubt
2009 – Day 167.June 17 – No Doubt
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18 … Passage linked here …
My Journal for Today: This is the great story of Elijah’s coming out party. Three years of drought is a long time to be without water in a land which can be dry and barren anyway. And now, as we read in verse 1 of 1st Kings 18, God was going to show up – BIGTIME! Elijah gets the word of God he had been waiting for; and the Prophet heads to the court of Ahab.
But note that in the intervening three years of the drought and famine, Elijah, even experiencing the same privation of the people, never wavered in his faith. This “man of God” was a true man of faith. And we see why God’s Spirit came upon this man who was to be God’s spokesperson in one of the great biblical confrontations between God’s goodness and man’s false and selfish beliefs.
As we read in this passage, God had set the stage for Elijah to show that the Prophet’s faithfulness was not misplaced. As Swindoll points out, any natural calamity has a tendency to bring mankind back into a seeking posture to find God’s will and His way. When God’s display of power in a hurricane or flood or earthquake or some other “natural” disaster comes upon man, he has a tendency to begin asking the “WHY” questions and seeking after answers. Therefore, what Elijah was about to show the court of Ahab’s soothsayers was being done in the context of God’s people seeking after the truth and most certainly seeking after relief from the drought of three years.
In my life, after years of brokenness and emotional pain, God brought me to a place where I was seeking after spiritual strength, recognizing that I needed some force beyond myself to deal with my inabilities and core weaknesses. And so, God set the table for me to come after Him, seeking after truth and THE WAY out of my pit of despair. And as with Elijah, God used a wondrous display of His moving in my life to break into my consciousness [long story for another time]. And on April 13th, 1983, God demonstrated clearly through a set of circumstances that His way was the only way for me to break free from my past patterns of habitual sin. And that’s what Elijah was all about, demonstrating God’s power to the court of Ahab.
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this has developed the realization, and preferably the deep and abiding faith, that God’s way is the only way. I pray that you have come to surrender to God’s Spirit, Who is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Because if you haven’t or you don’t, one day, like the court of Ahab, you will bow your knee to the God of the only way in life.
My Prayer for Today: You, Lord, are the only Way, … the only Truth, … and most certainly, … the only Life. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18 … Passage linked here …
My Journal for Today: This is the great story of Elijah’s coming out party. Three years of drought is a long time to be without water in a land which can be dry and barren anyway. And now, as we read in verse 1 of 1st Kings 18, God was going to show up – BIGTIME! Elijah gets the word of God he had been waiting for; and the Prophet heads to the court of Ahab.
But note that in the intervening three years of the drought and famine, Elijah, even experiencing the same privation of the people, never wavered in his faith. This “man of God” was a true man of faith. And we see why God’s Spirit came upon this man who was to be God’s spokesperson in one of the great biblical confrontations between God’s goodness and man’s false and selfish beliefs.
As we read in this passage, God had set the stage for Elijah to show that the Prophet’s faithfulness was not misplaced. As Swindoll points out, any natural calamity has a tendency to bring mankind back into a seeking posture to find God’s will and His way. When God’s display of power in a hurricane or flood or earthquake or some other “natural” disaster comes upon man, he has a tendency to begin asking the “WHY” questions and seeking after answers. Therefore, what Elijah was about to show the court of Ahab’s soothsayers was being done in the context of God’s people seeking after the truth and most certainly seeking after relief from the drought of three years.
In my life, after years of brokenness and emotional pain, God brought me to a place where I was seeking after spiritual strength, recognizing that I needed some force beyond myself to deal with my inabilities and core weaknesses. And so, God set the table for me to come after Him, seeking after truth and THE WAY out of my pit of despair. And as with Elijah, God used a wondrous display of His moving in my life to break into my consciousness [long story for another time]. And on April 13th, 1983, God demonstrated clearly through a set of circumstances that His way was the only way for me to break free from my past patterns of habitual sin. And that’s what Elijah was all about, demonstrating God’s power to the court of Ahab.
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this has developed the realization, and preferably the deep and abiding faith, that God’s way is the only way. I pray that you have come to surrender to God’s Spirit, Who is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Because if you haven’t or you don’t, one day, like the court of Ahab, you will bow your knee to the God of the only way in life.
My Prayer for Today: You, Lord, are the only Way, … the only Truth, … and most certainly, … the only Life. Amen
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