Getting Close To Christ - Dec., '08 - Day 12

December 12, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 - 11 [see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!
9 Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


My Journal for Today: In today’s entry of Strength for Today, John MacArthur helps those, like myself, who pursue God through his devotional to see from God’s word (in the highlight passages from Phil. 2 above) that Christ’s humiliation in His incarnation, life, and death on the cross as well as His exaltation (see today’s passage) are very powerful and practical examples of God’s economy of justice. It’s really a straightforward formula; but it’s also an infinitely challenging message for all mankind to accept and implement. THE FORUMULA is that when one humbles himself, he will be exalted. Jesus was our earthly model of humility [Phil. 2: 6 – 8]; and in today’s passage [Phil. 2: 9 – 11] we read of Christ becoming our heavenly and perfect example of God’s exaltation out of His earthly and perfect humility.

MacArthur reminds me [us] that the Apostle Peter [in 1st Peter 1: 10 – 12] had pointed to Christ fulfilling the prophesies of the ancient Prophets concerning the Messiah. And the Author of Hebrews wrote of Christ [in Heb. 12: 2], “… Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” So, the Apostle Paul’s purpose in our passage from Phil. 2 was to illustrate, not only Christ’s humble emptying of His majesty in His Incarnation; but also to document His re-entry into heavenly glory as a result of His humiliation on the cross. So it’s worthy of repeating, … Christ, therefore, is not only our human example of humility, He is also our heavenly example of God glorifying anyone who is willing to humble himself and receive God’s Son as Lord and Savior.

That economy and balance of justice is also documented in James 4: 10, where we read, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” As I’ve documented before, that is the message that was also laid out by Solomon in Prov. 3: 34 and 1st Peter 5: 6 … that God gives His grace to the humble but resists the proud. So, Jesus was God’s model of His scale of justice; and His word repeats the lesson often. BUT, do we get it?!

Unfortunately, all too often I’ve had to learn the lesson of God’s economy with regard to humility the hard way. I know the lesson in my head; but my deceitful heart [see Jer. 17: 9] brings me often to a place where God has to teach me humility in the face of my pridefulness. I have to be brought low because I’ve chosen to exalt myself. When will I see - from the heart - that it’s so much better for me to CHOOSE to be humble and let God exalt me for being like Christ?

Just like Christ, one day as a believing Christian, I (and all Christians) will be lifted up to be with my (our) Lord in Heaven, … not because of anything I will do in humility, … but because of what Christ has already done for me (us). Oh how I (we) need to meditate on this at this time of year, especially letting this message encourage us in our trials. But as we do so in reading this, we can look forward this month to even more about our Lord; so, … yes, … stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: Blessed am I by Your exaltation, Lord. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - Dec., '08 - Day 11

December 11, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8 [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur begins his Strength for Today devotional on this date by reminding his readers (that’s me!) of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11: 33, writing (from the NASB), “Oh, the depth … of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” And Paul was agreeing with David, the Psalmist (in Ps. 36: 6) who wrote, “Your judgments (are like) the great deep.” And we also read God say, through the Prophet in Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 [NIV] , “ 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

When we consider the passage we’ve been studying this month in Philippians 2, certainly no human would have ever scripted God coming to mankind in the way His Incarnation unfolded from God’s plan. And even Christ’s Disciples had trouble recognizing their Messiah, even though they knew of the Old Testament prophesies and walking with Him as they saw Jesus fulfill so many of those prophesies.

Who would have thunk it ?! A babe, born in a manger, not a palace … a boy raised as a carpenter’s son, rather than as a powerful prince ... and the King of kings, living out his adult years with a ragtag group of itinerants, rather than leading an army against Rome in deliverance of God’s people. And yet, this was the wild and wondrous plan which God used to redeem mankind, culminating in the horror and humiliation Christ endured to shed His blood in atonement for Man’s sin.

As MacArthur states for this date, “God’s ways ARE unsearchable; His truths profound. And His plan to redeem us was accomplished by Christ’s humiliation.” As the kids would say today, “Go figure!” … However, for the one who does figure it out, or at least seeks it out (i.e., reasoning in faith from his/her heart), he/she will plumb God’s incredible plan for eternal life from the depths and treasures of the very mind of God [so beautifully summarized in John 3: 16].

That’s where one finds The Good News and gets a glimpse personally into the most incredible display of humility ever fashioned for us to follow. Yes, God’s heights are so incredibly high; but they must be scaled. They are so vastly deep; but they must be plumbed. That, to me, is the essence of any Advent season; and as we move on into this Christmas Season, there will be more; … so, again, stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: Too high and deep are Your ways, Lord; but I find them as I seek to know my Savior. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 10

December 10, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8b [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

My Journal for Today: As Christians, all of us aspire to grow in Christlikeness. In the Phil. 2 passage from which we’ve been studying this month, verse 5 says that our attitudes as Christians should be the same as that of our Lord. So, as individuals, and collectively as the Body of Christ, we should be doing all we can to capture and live with the attitude of Christ. And here in this wondrous passage, the Apostle Paul tells believers that the #1 attitude to which we ought to aspire is that of humility; and I’m here to tell you that this is one of the toughest lessons I have to learn as a disciple of our Lord.

You may already know that humility, along with meekness, are the only two adjectives Jesus ever used to describe Himself (see Matt. 11: 29); and we learn from passages like 1st Peter 5: 6 and James 4: 6, as well as Prov. 3: 34, that God honors humility by pouring His grace into those who humble themselves in obedience to God or His word. However, when it comes to the Phil. 2: 8 comparison test, all too often I come up short with my ego exhibiting pride, falling way short of the humility modeled so perfectly by my Savior.

And what a model of humility we have in Jesus, especially as He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies concerning His passion and death on the cross. He was totally humbled to the will of His Father by dying on “the tree,” the most ignominious and humiliating form of capital punishment ever devised by man, and one which was hated by the Jews (see Deut. 21: 22 - 23). During all of His unjust trials before His crucifixion, He spoke not a word; and we see our Lord totally surrendered to the will of His Heavenly Father … that He be would become the Lamb of God to save ME! Me, of all people; but that was our Lord’s humble mission in life, … to serve me and you and all who would receive His humble and graceful act of atonement … that we might have eternal life. Is that not THE model of humility?

And now, in His word, I read from the inspiration of His Spirit, that I am to have His humility (again Phil. 2: 5); and Christ’s own words from Luke 9: 23 with regard to discipleship ring in my heart/mind as well … that I am to deny my self … and follow Him. So, the lessons of life in this regard continue; and I will enter my thoughts here today, doing all I can to humble myself to my Lord and to others. It’s a daunting task; but it is one I must learn and live.

So, I (we) move on … and there’s more to come. Yes, you’re getting it by now; … stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: It is my humble prayer, Lord. Again I pray, Lord, help me to be humble! Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 9

December 9, 2008 … [You know ... yesterday they begin to call me 65 ... two days ago I was 64. I don't feel a year older. Oh well ... moving on!]

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8a [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/red] ... 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

My Journal for Today: The most important question anyone will ever confront and answer in this life is “Who is this Man, Jesus?” For years I was a fool and pretended the answer to that question was unimportant. But finally I came to recognize the ultimate importance of answering that question correctly; and I was brought to a place by God so that I could see Him for Whom He really was and is.

Today’s verse in the Phil. 2 passage (i.e., verse 8a), in the context of the verse immediately preceeding, i.e., verse 7, shows the degree to which Christ was willing to experience the humiliation of humanity to reveal His deity in a way that mankind could identify and see Who His is. But having been one of those blinded to His deity, I now wonder how mankind, including myself, could not see Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, … the Savior of all mankind. The “fools” of Christ’s day, even most of the ones who saw Him physically, saw only his “appearance” as a man. That word “appearance” in today’s verse is the Greek term “schema,” from which we get our word, “scheme.” It means the “outer form” of anything … that which we can see or perceive with our senses.

In other words, as Christ walked the earth, even doing incredible miracles that only God could do, most of those around Him only chose to only see His “schema,” … His humanity; and most could not – or would not – see God in the God-Man. That even included the twelve chosen disciples who were closest to our Lord during His three years of earthly ministry. And, as I said above, I was that way for 39 years of my life. I would have been like those in John 6: 42 or 8: 48, rejecting Jesus for Whom He really was/is. Our human, selfish logic often only allows us to see the outer “schema” of a person, not being willing or able to see inside to perceive the real person – or in the case of Jesus, being blind to His deity. Though I must admit that it’s tough for me to see how his twelve disciples, who had seen Jesus feed thousands from a few fishes and loaves and who saw Him walk on water, could bolt and run when he was taken by the Romans and Jews to be crucified. But truth be told, had I been one of His inner circle, I probably would have been one of the cowards myself.

Take it from one who knows; … it’s so easy to humanize God or to rationalize His truth, rather than to deal with Christ or His word personally. Jesus and His truth demands that we accept Him for Whom He is … in faith. Jesus of Nazareth was/is God! And His Gospel is truth, the real message of the Advent Season in which we find ourselves at this time of the year! We must accept it and deal with it … from the inside out – totally – not just the outer skin.

I pray that we’ve all done that … but stay tuned … we will get to know this Jesus even further during the rest of this month. >>>

My Prayer Today: Lord Jesus, You are my King and my Lord! Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 8

December 8, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 7c [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Journal for Today: About today’s highlight phrase in Phil. 2: 7c, in his Strength for Today devotional on this date (BTW, my fleshly birthday), John MacArthur quotes from a book entitled Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge, who wrote, “The Scriptures teach that Christ had a … true body and a rational soul … a material body which in everything essential was like the bodies of ordinary men. ... He thought, reasoned and felt [as a man].” MacArthur totally agrees with Hodge, as do I. However, as MacArthur points out, Jesus was more than God in a body. He was The God-Man, born as a babe, Who developed into a man, and was a man Who experienced the effects of man’s fall into sin. No, He didn’t sin; but he experienced, as a human, the temptations and the effects of sin upon mankind. He suffered sorrow, pain, thirst, hunger, and yes, … even death, all of which resulted because of the sin of man in the garden.

And if you read and meditate on Hebrews 2: 14 – 17 below, you will see why He had to do all of this.

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Hebrews 2: 14 -17 … 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.
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No, Jesus, The Christ, didn’t sin; but He experienced, even with more intensity than man, the pain and anguish of temptation of sin out in the wilderness, confronting Satan (see Matt. 4 and/or Luke 4). And He experienced all of humanity as He walked the earth in his ministry years as well as in the Garden of Gethsemane, and, of course, on the cross. And as the passage from Hebrews above (and in Heb. 4: 17), we see that Jesus, the God-Man, becoming fully human allowed for Christ to become my High-Priest and my Savior. Yours too … if you have received and declared His saving grace by faith [see Rom. 10: 9 – 13]. Oh, right now, how I pray you have don’t that!

Without being fully man, but sinless, Christ could not have shed His perfect blood as the Lamb of God, for my (our) sin. So, we must remember and celebrate (at least in our Eucharist worship) Christ’s sacrifice of His spotless body and perfect blood so that He could be our Redeemer and we can have everlasting life in our faith in that very human, but God-ordained, sacrifice on my (our) behalf. And now we have a Savior, who has been re-coronated and re-glorified into the Godhead, … One Who intercedes for us as born-again believers … and One Who has sent His Spirit to minister to our every need.

Is that not good stuff! But there’s more! Stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: On my birthday, Lord, I declare, “HALLELUJAH!!” Oh, how you know the depths of my being as well as my gratitude for making my re-birthday possible. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 7

December 7, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 7b [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Philippians 2: 7b [NASB] … 7b …, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur ends his Strength For Today devotional on this date, while focusing on today’s verse, but also by quoting the words of Jesus in Matt. 20: 27, where our Lord said, “…whoever wants to be first must be your slave [or ‘bond servant].” And then MacArthur asks his readers if we, who call ourselves Christians, really pursue that model of Christlikeness by serving others in lowliness as we have also read in Phil. 2: 3 – 4.

Today’s highlighted verse (Phil. 2: 7b), uses the Greek term “morphe” when it refers to Jesus taking the “very nature” (or “form” in the NASB) of a bond servant. That, of course, is the Greek word which is the base from which comes our word “metamorphosis” or the more modern term “morph,” which refers to something changing its essence, from one form to another. And as we’ve been studying thus far this month, Christ did this by His “kenosis,” or by emptying Himself of His claims to Trinitarian majesty as He was incarnated into a babe and lived for 33 years, finally dying as the Lamb of God on a cross for all of us. So, as MacArthur points out, Christ, fully God, “morphed” into a servant to live His life as a man on earth; and we read Paul’s exhortation in Phil. 2: 5, that our attitude, as Christians, must MORPH from our basic sin nature to become that of Christlikeness as we aspire to live like Him. So, above all, the logic and truth of today’s verse would point us to become bond servants of God as was our Savior; and our servanthood to Christ, in our surrender to His Spirit, is our status as bond-slave to Him as we live our lives for His purposes.

Jesus was the ultimate servant, totally “bonded” to the will of His Heavenly Father and also to the needs of all of mankind as He ultimately served us by dying as the suffering servant that we might have eternal life (see John 3: 16). In fact over 700 years before Christ came among us, He was depicted as the One who would become almost unrecognizable on the cross, serving mankind [see Isaiah 52: 13 – 14]. What we’re reading in Phil. 2, is how Christ’s fulfillment of those prophesies plays out in the lives of those who come after Him … those who serve Him as His disciples; and in doing so, those who serve God’s Kingdom by serving others.

Christ’s servanthood is our model as we strive toward Christlikeness; and it again begs the question, “Are we, in fact, living out this mandate for servanthood?” I, for one, have far to go; but I’m bolstered by God’s promise (in Phil. 1: 6) that He is doing a work in me to shape me into His image – and this most certainly leads me to become more of a bond servant to His Spirit in this process.

But stay tuned; … there’s even more to come about our Servant and Lord.

My Prayer Today: Transform us, Lord, into Your likeness … as a true servant. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 6

December 6, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 7a [ NIV - see highlight passage in red/bold] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Philippians 2: 7a [NASB] … 7 but [Christ] emptied Himself, …

Philippians 2: 7a [NKJV & KJV] … 7 but made Himself of no reputation, …

Philippians 2: 7a [ESV] … 7 but [Christ] made Himself nothing, …

Philippians 2: 7a [The Message] … 7 When the time came, He set aside the privileges of deity …

My Journal for Today: Today I (we) return to the theological doctrine of Christ’s “kenosis,” by focusing on this one short phrase in Phil. 2: 7a; and when looking at a short phrase of Scripture like this sometimes, it helps to use tapestry of the Scripture weaved by looking at several versions of God’s word in the one passage. In this case I’ve provided four reputable/scholarly translations and Peterson’s popular rendering, The Message.

And as we began discussing this topic yesterday, we see the extent of Christ humility as He set aside – BY CHOICE – His infinitely powerful glory and His oneness in the Trinity to become a man. As we read in The Message version, Peterson says, “… He (Christ) set aside the privileges of deity.” And this is helpful in understanding that Christ did not set aside His deity. No, He voluntarily became human; and in doing so, He had to “empty Himself” of His majesty (that’s the Greek term “kenoo,” from which we get our theological term “kenosis.”)

It may be a rather anemic word picture to describe this wondrous process of Christ’s kenosis; but it might be seen in human terms if Bill Gates disguised Himself in some way so as not to be recognized and decided to go in among the worker bees at Microsoft and work as a new programmer, setting aside his privileges as CEO. He would still be the CEO; but as long as he was not recognized as Bill Gates; and set aside his position, to practice the function of programmer, he could function as a Microsoft staff worker. However, at any time he desired he could step back into the role of CEO and become the Top Dog again.

Yes, I know that comparing Bill Gates to Jesus Christ is about as ludicrous as it gets; but I hope you see that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, chose to humble Himself, not being recognized as God in the flesh until He decided to begin to reveal the essence of His deity to His disciples and followers. And over time we see Christ, during His ministry walk on this earth, taking on some of the POSITIONhood of God as well as the PERSONhood as He followed the Father, utilized the power of His Spirit, and performed many miracles, doing things that a mere man could never imagine being done.

Jesus, becoming the Messiah and a man, gave up His independent authority in the Godhead, completely being submitted to the will of the Father and becoming a bond servant for mankind (see Phil. 2: 8 above and Matt. 26: 39). In this self-chosen position as bond servant, Jesus only exercised the power of His Deity when God, the Father, required it or when it was necessary, utilizing the power of the Holy Spirit to highlight Whom He was as the Son of God. We see this in reality (in Matt. 24: 36) when Jesus was not able to say when His second coming would occur, indicating that only God, the Father, knew that.

Not only did Jesus empty Himself of authority in the Godhead; but He also set aside His access to His personal riches (see 2nd Cor. 8: 9), becoming poor as a man so that mankind might become rich with Him forever in glory.

Finally, and this is the most touching of all losses Christ incurred in His kenosis; He left behind His favored and glorified relationship in the Trinity to become a man who would become hated, spat upon, and crucified. We read of this horrible voluntary loss in Christ’s words from the cross, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (see Matt. 27: 46) And all of that, He did for me (and for you).

No, I don’t think we will ever truly comprehend Christ’s loss as He emptied Himself; but because of it, we had the God-Man on earth to be written about in God’s word and so that we might be able to see more clearly than ever the character and person of God walking in our midst. And because of that, mankind can come to know Him in faith and to receive His saving grace for eternal life with Him. And to that all one can say is, “HALLELUJAH!!!”

But there’s more … stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: Lord, You emptied Yourself that I might be filled in You. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 5

December 5, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6 - 7 [see highlight passage in bold] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: In all of this discussion about Christ becoming a human – a man – it is important for Christians to understand that Christ did not lose any of His deity. Yes, as Jesus, The Christ, did empty Himself of His glorious POSITION in the Godhead for a season of earthly time. However, He lost none of the PERSON of God in the process. And so, rather than losing anything in the emptying process, Christ’s choice of manhood to fulfill the Old Covenant actually added humanity to his Godhood, the second Person of the Trinity.

In His discussion of this emptying by Christ in Strength for Today, John MacArthur, reminds or enlightens his readers that the incarnation of Christ required what is called “kenosis” in theology, which comes from the Greek verb “kenoo,” found in today’s text. When one reads the connecting phrase, “…but made Himself nothing …” in the NIV above, in the NASB it is translated, “…but emptied Himself;” and the term “emptied” is that Greek word, “kenoo,” which literally means “to empty or make void.”

It is difficult – well really, impossible - for my finite mind to fully comprehend the extent of Christ’s sacrifice in this process of voiding His claim to His glory and majesty in His incarnation while He became a human. But it is truth. He lost nothing of His Godhood; and we see that often in the New Testament account of His life and ministry. For example, we read [in Matt. 8, Mark 4, or Luke 8] where He calmed a raging storm with a simple command. How often do we read of Christ speaking or gesturing and bringing complete healing to people who had had lifelong physical or health maladies or even raising the dead to life? So, we know of Jesus’ full deity as was evidenced in Scripture. He was 100% God and 100% Man. However, to become man, Jesus had to lay aside [i.e., empty Himself of] His heaven-bound glorious majesty for that time on earth when he would carry out the will of the Father and fulfill all the prophesies for The Messiah … until the time when He was resurrected and ascended again into Heaven to be re-glorified and re-crowned in majesty by God, The Father, as the King of Kings for eternity.

To me this passage of Scripture (i.e., Phil. 2: 6 – 11) is the best Christmas story of all; and there is even more to it. … So, stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: How blessed I am that You, Lord, became a man … for me! Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 4

December 4, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6b [see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: Today we focus on the second phrase in Phil. 2: 6; and it’s truly a remarkable truth, … one which the religious leaders who opposed Jesus in His day could not understand. And here’s where I think I have some empathy for the Pharisees of Christ’s day. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I hope that I wouldn’t have been so prideful in my position that I would be willing to plot the death of this One Who claimed to be The Messiah. But if I had learned about the God of Abraham the way the Pharisees had, with all the religious training and traditions of the day, it probably would have been difficult, if not impossible for me to understand how this Jesus, the son of a simple carpenter in Nazareth, could claim to be One with Elohim/Jehovah, the God whom they worshipped as the One true God.

And so, how could we expect the people of Christ’s day to understand how He, the God-Man, would be willing to release Himself from the holdings of glory and His favored position as the 2nd Person of the Trinity? And then to carry this through to the conclusion where we see Him completely fulfilling every one of the Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament, … becoming one of us, being rejected by His own, being humiliated and than, being executed so that His shed blood could allow all who believe in Him as Savior/Lord, by His grace, to share in His glory forever. How could the people of Christ’s day accept this because it’s difficult for theologians of today to get their minds around that truth as well?

Can any who might read this grasp and believe this greatest Christmas story ever told, where God, The Son, willingly decided to release Himself from His glorified place in the God-Head and become a babe in a manger … to grow to manhood … and to march to the cross so that the greatest gift of all time would become our “Christ Mass,” … this wondrous time when we can celebrate the birth of our Savior? I don’t think I will ever truly understand the full implications of what The Son of God did for me; but His humble decision to be incarnated into humanity, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, His coronation, and His re-glorification have given me the picture I need to see of the One Whom I believe is Lord and Savior and the One Whom I know has given me eternal life.

It may be too much for my mind to grasp; but not my heart – which is His. I pray that you too have given, and are giving, your heart to Him, and I pray that you’re celebrating – in this Advent season – the truth of what we’re learning in Philippians 2 … how God Himself was willing to become one OF us so that we could become one WITH Him.

And we’ll see even more of Him tomorrow; so, stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to let go of my personal glory and to become a humble servant like You. Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December '08 - Day 3

December 3, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6a [see highlight passage in bold/red] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: Yes, here we are with the same short sub-verse, … Phil. 2: 6a. However, I hope that you’re disciplining yourself to read and meditate on the entire passage of Phil. 2: 5 – 11 each day with me while we’re in this passage of Scripture. Who knows? If we use that passage a lot this month [and we will], we might all get to know Jesus more closely than ever before. Is that not reason enough to be meditating daily on this passage for this month?

So, as we focus on Phil. 2: 6a again, we’re looking into the centerpiece of our beliefs as a Christian in this statement about the deity of Christ. You see, one cannot claim to be a disciple of Christ without holding faithfully to the core belief that Jesus was Whom He claimed to be … the ever existent God Himself. If one also goes to a verse like John 8: 58, we read Jesus clearly referring to Himself as the eternal “I AM,” which was the equivalent of the term God used to name Himself to Moses in Exodus 3: 14. And so, the unbelieving Jews, hearing Jesus proclaiming Himself to be God (in John 8: 58), immediately picked up stones to kill Jesus, whom they felt had committed unpardonable blasphemy. But as we know, Jesus somehow hid himself from them because it wasn’t His time to die.

Actually, everyone is confronted with the ultimate question: “Is Jesus Who He claimed to be?” And if we declare ourselves to be “Christian,” we must believe that Jesus is One Who existed before Abraham existed (again as He claimed John 5: 58 – 59). Historically it’s easy to see that there was an historical Jesus of Nazareth, the adopted son of a carpenter, Who was born in Bethlehem and Who was crucified on that hill called Golgotha. But to be a born-again Christian, we have to buy into His claims of being One with His Father … and that He truly was - and is - God.

When the Apostle Paul was charging one of his young protégés, Titus (see Titus 1: 9), reviewing the characteristics of Christian leadership, Paul said that a leader in the church (and really he’s speaking to all Christians as well) must hold fast and stand faithful to the teachings we are describing herein – that Jesus Christ was – and is – the ever existent God, … the great “I AM.” We must be willing and able to stand for Christ’s deity, even in the face of the historical fact of this Man who died so ignominiously in humiliation on the cross. So, as we read in Col. 1: 15 – 17 of Christ’s deity (also in Hebrews 1: 3), will we be defenders of the truth of Christ’s deity?

Now we have to ask ourselves, “Do we live up to the declaration of Romans 1: 16, which says, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ!’ ? “ I leave it to you to decide where you stand.

But, stay tuned … there’s more!

My Prayer Today: My dear Jesus, I stand with You as the Lord God! Amen

Getting Close To Christ - December 2008 - Day 2

December 2, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6a [see highlight passage in bold] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: When our first granddaughter, Sydney, was just under two years of age, she was sitting on my lap as I read her favorite book, which was a children’s Bible where there were illustrated depictions of various Bible stories/characters. Sydney’s mom, our daughter, and her dad had taken her through this book many times; and she could name the names of all the Bible characters in the book. I was so proud of our first, and rather precocious, grandbaby at the time.

Well, on this occasion, Sydney was naming all the characters as we came to each story page; and when we got to the first depiction of Jesus, Syd named Him “God.” Thinking that rather curious, especially after she had named all the other characters by their given names – even “Zacchaeus” – I asked her if the “God” character she had named had another name, … to which she replied matter-of-factly, “Well, PawPaw, it’s Jesus!” And, with my chest pounding with pride, I told her she was exactly right!

I use this story to illustrate that even a two year old can understand what the Apostle Paul was teaching in today’s highlighted text … that Jesus was, by His nature, God (see Phil. 2: 6a above). The NASB renders this phrase, “[Christ Jesus], Who, although He existed in the form of God.” And in today’s Strength for Today entry, John MacArthur explains that an even stricter wording from the Greek might be “Jesus, in His inalterable being, was God.” And that reality was what little Sydney, my two year old granddaughter had grasped, … something I didn’t fully understand until I was 39 years old, when the equality of Christ as God became evident to me.

Some of us are slower than others! ;)

This month, we are going to see more of Christ’s divine nature in my devotional entries which are led by John MacArthur’s study. However, as Christians we must first grasp and believe, as did little Sydney, that Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter’s apprentice, was and is God, fully expressing Himself and living in human form, being the full essence/character of God even as He walked this earth and most certainly as He lives now, having been resurrected to be rejoined with His Heavenly Father. And from that truth, all we see and learn about Jesus is God’s way of showing Himself to us in Christ’s humanity.

Stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: May You be praised, Lord, for becoming like me, yet without sin. Amen

Getting Close to Christ - December - Day 1

A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … December, 2008

December 1, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6 - 8 [see highlight passage in bold] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: As we come into the Advent season, a time where cultural consumerism and/or political activism often attempt to cancel “CHRIST” from Christmas, Paul’s teaching from today’s passage from Philippians 2 is one of my favorite CHRISTmas scriptural passages. In fact, in the mind of this humble Christian, Phil. 2: 5 – 11 is the most powerful Christmas story told in the Bible, with today’s focus from John MacArthur in Strength for Today being on Phil. 2: 6 – 8.

In the Spirit of this season, we, as Christians, are admonished by Paul in Phil. 2: 5 to be like Christ in attitude; and Jesus’ brother James (in James 4: 6, 10) and the Apostle Peter (in 1st Pet. 5: 6) both indicated that our attitudes as Christians would require Christlike humility before God, which would lift us up as Christ was lifted up by His Father [see Phil. 2: 9 above]. And when it comes to our following behind Christ’s attitude of humility, there is no better place to see our Model of humility than in Phil. 2: 5 – 11.

May I assume that any reader following along in this devotional entry shares my desire to be uplifted by God in our relationship with Christ? If that is not your desire, you need read no further; because I’m writing this with an intense desire to let this study in the month of December enhance my attitude of humility, which, I believe, will help me to have God’s grace poured out in abundance into my life. If that is your desire as well, I charge you to read on and to follow these entries on a day-by-day basis in December.

This month John MacArthur, if you’re also using Strength for Today as a devotional book, is going to help me (us) take a closer look at our Savior so that I (we) can see Whom I (we) should model my life [our lives] in His image. And first, we focus on Christ’s incredible humility, personified in His incarnation, where we see Him setting aside His glory in the God-Head to become a bond servant to His Father’s will, even unto death on a cross.

And so we begin our focus on Jesus this month (a study in “Christology”), continually doing a self inventory, framed in the exhortation of Phil. 2: 5 … questioning our attitudes to see whether our minds run parallel with that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. And right off the top, I come up short; because humility is one area where I already fall far short of THE MARK (Christ); and we’ll explore that shortcoming more in days to come.

Stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be humble, like You. Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 30

November 30, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 17 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

My Journal for Today: Well, here we are on this last day of November, closing out our discussion of the pursuit of Godly wisdom; and for the final time in our series, we return to the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to walk carefully in this evil world (Eph. 5: 15 – 16); and we’ve seen that he made this charge to help believers walk in a way that is worthy of our calling in Christ (see Eph. 4: 1). But today we focus on Paul’s tag line in verse Eph. 5: 17, which he added after verses 15 – 16; and that is the exhortation to avoid foolishness by understanding the will of God for our lives.

That’s actually a pretty heavy challenge. If I’m to be a wise Christian in this evil world, Paul is saying that I have to know and understand God’s will for my life. Well, how do I do that? And in this pursuit of God’s will, John MacArthur give us six signpost areas, which are biblically supported to help us know God’s will for our lives.

From God’s word and prompted by John MacArthur's study, which is documented in today's entry from Strength for Today, we know that it is God’s will that any Christian must be …

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>>> #1 … Be SAVED (1st Timothy 2: 3 – 4 and 2nd Peter 3: 9)
>>> #2 … Be SPIRIT FILLED (Ephesians 5: 17 – 18 – see above)
>>> #3 … Be SANCTIFIED (1st Thessalonians 4: 3 – 8)
>>> #4 … Be SUBMISSIVE (1st Peter 2: 13 – 15)
>>> #5 … Be SUFFERING FOR CHRIST (1st Peter 3: 17)
>>> #6 … Be SAYING THANKS (1st Thessalonians 5: 18)
----------------

According to MacArthur, if a Christian is all of these or recognizes his life in the context of these elements of the Christian experience, he is bound to be living a life which fulfills God’s will. He would also be in complete fulfillment of God’s command, through the Psalmist, to “… delight [ourselves] in the Lord,” (see Psalm 37: 4) which results in God’s wonderful promise to fulfill the heart of such a believer.

This biblical and God-promised formula goes like this … the quest to know God yields >>> the loving desire to be obedient to God’s will, the pursuit of which results >>> the inner drive to obey and serve God to the utmost, surrendered to God’s Spirit; and the fulfillment of which yields the abundant blessing of fruitfulness from God’s grace [i.e., the fruit if the Spirit – see Gal. 5: 22, 23]. If you’ve read my teaching or exhortations enough, you may remember me quoting the chain of Christian discipleship, which goes … to know God is to love Him >>> to love Him is to obey Him >>> to obey Him is to serve Him >>> to serve Him is be blessed by Him. And so, does not this make pursuing the mind of God (i.e., knowing God and His will) the foremost goal for all Christians? I believe it does.

That’s what I’ve gotten from this month’s quest for Godly wisdom … that I am driven, by God’s prevenient and enabling grace, to know my Savior, to dig deeply into the treasure mines of God’s word (see Job 28), to find His will for my life (again primarily from His word), and to live out God’s way (i.e, always following Christ as He commanded in Luke 9: 23) in such a way that I can shine His light into this darkened world, glorifying my Father in Heaven (see Matt. 5: 16, which I would certainly hope you have memorized by now).

Is knowing God and His will for your life your primary goal in life? Is your life directed in such a way as to move in the direction we’ve discussed this month? If not, perhaps it would be productive to ask yourself, “Why not?!” And then maybe you could move to respond to God’s challenge from Paul in Ephesians 3: 13, resulting in a quest to know and understand the mind of God no matter what the challenges of life present. If you do, God’s promise and power awaits you [see Acts 1: 8]; and you will become a more powerful witness for our Lord in this world. That is certainly my desire and plan. I hope you join me.

My Prayer Today: I want to know you more today, Lord … and then even more tomorrow! Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 29

November 29, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 16 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: Yes, we return to Ephesians 5: 16 one more time! And I’ve learned that any time an accomplished and gifted teacher like John MacArthur repeats a biblical exposition like this, as he does in today’s Strength for Today devotional, one should take notice. And so, I hope you who read this and will join me in paying close attention to this entry.

According to MacArthur, the use of our time as Christians measures our willingness to live for self or for others. So, MacArthur returns to a focus on the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in today’s verse, indicating that believers should be “… making the most of our time (from the NASB translation).” If I were to paraphrase this portion of today’s verse, it would be, “making Christlike choices as we live our lives.” Such choices, in my humble estimation, reflect the degree to which we are living as wise Christians in answer to the question James asked on DAY ONE this month (from James 3: 13), “Who is wise and understanding among you (Christians)?”

Jesus, when he was teaching about how we invest the providence of our financial gain, said, “For where your treasure [or your time] is, there your heart will be also [Matt. 6: 21] .” The addition is mine; but Christ wants us to be willing to give our all for Him, not just our treasures, but also our time. However, through His grace, He only demands the first portion of our God-given providence (see Prov. 3: 9 – 10, Matt. 6: 33, and 2nd Cor. 9: 6 – 7). And our investment of time falls under these edicts of truth as well as would our treasure or our talents.

So, what are we doing with our time? When we have planning choices to make involving our time, do we think of God first? This morning when our feet hit the floor, did we choose to invest the first portion of our day with God; or did we invest that time thinking of selfish concerns or other worldly, frivolous matters?

Let’s reflect for a moment. Allow me to ask you these questions concerning the time investment choices in our lives …

--------------------------
>>> What did we do yesterday for our Lord or His Kingdom?
>>> What do I plan to do on this very day which will definitely glorify my Father in Heaven?
>>> What goals and plans do I have for tomorrow and beyond that reflect my love of God?
--------------------------

And a few more questions … How do the answers to those questions above help me measure my Godly wisdom? Am I wise enough to realize that I’m spending my time to get to know the mind of God and His will for my life? Am I accounting for my time in a way that reflects my understanding of God’s word and His plan for my life? How am I using my time to understand and internalize God’s word? Am I spending my time using the spiritual gift or gifts God has given me to reap eternal rewards in Heaven from the investment of the time God has given me in this life? As it directs in Matt. 6: 33, am I really seeking to invest my time FIRST for God and His righteous, or do I consider my own fleshly choices first as I plan my life?

These are hard questions which demand straight AND honest answers; because the answers will lead us to do what the Apostle Paul has exhorted in Ephesians 5: 16 … to make the most of every opportunity to serve our God.

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord … convict me … direct me … to live for You! Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 28

November 28, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Revelations 2: 4 – 5 … 4 Yet I hold this against you [i.e., the Church @ Ephesus]: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

My Journal for Today: Why don’t we (the Church in the USA) see it? The last few days we have read [in Ephesians 5: 15 – 16] how the Apostle Paul tried to wake up the Church in Ephesus about the evil influences of the world; and God, through John’s Revelation in today’s passage, warned the Ephesian Church to return to their first love, they having waned in their love of Christ [see also John’s warning in 1st John 2: 15 – 16]. But history tells us that the church at Ephesus did not heed God’s warning; and God, the Holy Spirit, apparently removed the lamp stand which God had planted there in Ephesus, … the church about which Paul instructed Timothy (in 1st and 2nd Timothy) as to leadership. Sadly there has not been a viable Christian church in Ephesus for some centuries now; and we in the U.S. should learn from those warnings and wake up to sense the urgency of what is happening in our midst today.

I totally agree with John MacArthur in his devotional for this date (from Strength for Today) that it may take a nationwide or worldwide persecution of Christ’s Church for the spark of revival to be lit for what appears (at least to this observer) to be a church who is slowly succumbing to the evils of the world. Actually we see these revival fires burning in China and in Africa today where Christianity is outlawed or under great oppression and where the first love of the church in these areas – i.e., their love of Christ – burns ever so brightly and is growing in intensity.

We need to take heed of Paul’s warning to Timothy and again to the Ephesians (see 2nd Tim. 3: 13 - 14) where he wrote, “… while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.” That church (i.e., at Ephesus) did not ultimately heed Paul’s warning through Timothy; and God lifted their lamp stand, their church dwindling into oblivion.

Therefore, if it takes evil growing in our midst to awaken us to God’s prescription for revival in 2nd Chronicles 7: 14, … well, bring it on; but … Lord have mercy on us!

My Prayer Today: Whatever it takes, Lord; wake up Your Church! Amen

My Thanksgiving List … 2008

Well, ... Let me tell you about my Thanksgiving Day project for this year. The other day on a Christian radio program, I heard a Christian teacher (I can't remember who) teaching about the quality of Christian gratitude; and he proposed an exercise to promote gratefulness. Here was the deal ...

Take a sheet of paper (or on your computer) and create two columns. Lable the first column: What I'm Thankful For. The second label with: What Life Would Be Like Without That... . In the first column write down short summary statements [bullet points] about what you're thankful for in your life. Then, in the second column, briefly write down what your life would be like if that element you just wrote in column #1 was not a part of your life. It's sort of like an exercise taken from the movie "It's A Wonderful Life."

Well, this week I did that excercise; and it was powerfully revealing and gratifying for me. I did it on a Microsoft Word Table, which allowed me to edit, add, and change during the week as I prayed and was quiet with God each day this week. And God showed up - BIGTIME - in this project, showing me what a great life I have ... in spite of the economic downturn ... the horrible stuff going on in the world ... a number of health challenges ... and well, you get the picture.

So, I post this today to challenge any reader to get alone with God - real solitude, I mean - and ask Him to illuminate for you what you have in this life for which you are truly grateful. Then meditate on each of these elements of your life and picture what life would be like without that thing. You will be blown away with THANKSGIVING (or whenever you do this task).

And though I'll not share it here, anyone who'd like to see what I'm thankful for, just email me @ billb13@bellsouth.net and I'll send you my list.

And may God bless you dearly, even with the Romans 8: 28 challenges of life ... <'BB><

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 27

November 27, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 16 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: In his devotional entry from Strength for Today on this date, John MacArthur returns to Ephesians 5: 16; and I believe he does so for emphasis to warn Christians, as we search to live lives wrapped in Godly wisdom, about our need for vigilance in this evil, sin-ridden world in which we live. However, though this is our living reality, this world, so wrapped in darkness, presents an ever present opportunity for the Christian to shine brightly in contrast to the darkness (see Matt. 5: 16), … to live a life worthy of our calling in Christ (see Eph. 4: 1-2), … and to do good for fellow believers and for the lost (see Gal. 6: 9 – 10), especially as we aspire to live as Christ lived (see Luke 4: 18), reaching out to make disciples of those He saves from the grips of Satan and the world (see Matt. 28: 19 – 20).

Now, if that doesn’t give Christians a purpose in life, what more could?

Certainly God must grieve at what man has made of His wondrous creation with Satan’s powerful assistance. However, we followers of God, the Son, … the Christ, … have the awesome opportunity and responsibility to put a smile on God’s face as we live circumspectly in Christ by simply following Him (see Eph. 5: 15 in the NKJV) as He commanded us (see Luke 9: 23), and prayerfully leading others to Him with our witness and our walk (see Acts 1: 8).

You know, I really do hope that others read this and get as fired up as I am [especially on this day in 2008, which turns out to be Thanksgiving day] about what we can do for our God in the face of all the evil surrounding us. And we can! We’re not given the responsibility to be in control or to change it all. That’s God’s business. No, all we need to do is do what Christ modeled or commanded and live our lives worthy of Him, following in His footsteps. That's our business! And the irony is, when we do that, we do change the world – and we do so for His glory.

My Prayer Today: In Your Name, Lord, I go forth! Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 26

November 26, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15 - 16 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: I don’t know about any of you who might be reading this, but this exhortation from the Apostle Paul to believers, being inspired by God, the Holy Spirit, is deeply convicting to me. As I’ve said this past month as we’ve dealt with the pursuit of Godly wisdom, I have to ask myself often if I’m “making the most of every opportunity” to live, as Eph. 4: 1 says, “… a life worthy of [my] calling …” as a Christian.

In the Book of Psalms, Moses is quoted as writing (in PS. 90: 12), “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” And therein lies the emphasis I believe the Apostle Paul was trying to capture in today’s verse. The phrase “to number” [in red above] is the Hebrew term, “manah,” which literally means "to account for.” And so Moses was saying that believers must make an accounting to God for the days God gives us to live for Him.

In our passage for today, the phrase “making the most of every opportunity” in the NIV is translated “making the most of your time” in the NASB. That term “time” in the Greek is the term “kairos,” not the normal term for time, which would be “chronos.” * The latter is the term for sequential time as we’d measure it with a clock. “Kairos,” however, means a certain period of time or “an era,” … for example, the time we are given on this earth. So, the Apostle Paul is saying that the time given to us by God needs to be maximized for God’s glory; and we must do this in the context of the evil days in which we live. Therefore, according to God’s word, from what we’ve studied here, Christians are charged to prudently pursue the wisdom, will, and ways of God, even as we’re bombarded by evil all around us, so that we can “carpe diem,” i.e., seize the day, for God’s glory.

How are we doing?

I ask myself from today’s time with God here this very morning, “How am I going to live this very day to know God more and to shine His light in this very evil world in which we live?” It’s a daunting task; but for the Lord Who saved me, it is a task which I must pursue with all I can muster. Besides, as 1st Cor. 10: 13 assures me, God will not allow me to be involved with anything which I cannot handle with Him faithfully by my side (also Heb. 13: 5 or Deut. 31: 6).

My Prayer Today: Lord, may my time today and all my tomorrows by for You. Amen

* Note: I hope the reader does not assume that I have first hand knowledge of Hebrew and/or Greek from my references to word studies from these languages in my devotionals. Hardly! However, often I find it helpful to use a Hebrew/Greek dictionary or reference to study the meanings of certain words or phrases. As the study in this devotional entry, it can give a closer look at the meanings intended by God from His word. And that study is well worth the investment of my time (or “chronos”). ;)

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 25

November 25, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15 - 16 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: Returning to Ephesians 5: 15 – 16 this morning, this month my devotional time with God, with John MacArthur as my biblical shepherd in Strength for Today, has focused on finding the mind of God (i.e., searching for Godly wisdom) and then applying that wisdom to my life in these perilous times in which we live as Christians. In Acts 20: 24, Paul is attributed by Luke to have written to Christians, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Note that Paul saw himself and other Christians to have a finite, God-led, course in life, and in the time he was given, Paul felt that his Christian witness to Christ’s gospel was of utmost importance. And that is why Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5 becomes so critical.

We live in a most challenging era of history; but 1st Century Christians felt that way as well. In all eras of time, human lives in this fallen world have been tinged by evil and social upheaval. So, in these perilous times in which God has allowed us to live, we must do all we can to find God’s will and make the most of our time, giving witness to the next life with Christ. And as we’ve come to understand this month, one of the keys to living a productive and fruitful Christian life is to know God’s will and way through His word.

If we are to follow Christ’s command [in Matt. 5: 16] and shine His light in the world for all to see our Father in Heaven, we must be able to say, at the end of our allotted time on this earth, that we have crowns of righteousness waiting for us in Heaven. So I have to ask myself, “Can I say the following, as Paul did to Timothy?” [see 2nd Tim. 4: 7 – 8] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

And I have found that it is WISE for me to do a periodic inventory of my values; and then to analyze seriously how I’m using my time to fulfill what God has for my life which will shine His light and glorify God. Are we all walking the worthy walk for Christ (see Eph. 4: 1 – 3)?

That is our challenge … today and always.

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be all I can be for You. Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 24

November 24, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: 1st Timothy 4: 8 [highlight verse in bold] … 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

My Journal for Today: Still focusing on how we can pursue Godly wisdom, applying an abiding understanding to God’s word, we come upon Paul’s very practical instruction to Timothy – and thereby to all believers – about the dangers involved in doing “good” at the expense of doing God’s “best.” It is one of Satan’s cleverest ploys to get non-believers so wrapped up in physical, social, and/or spiritual disciplines that are not bad, but they take that person’s focus completely away from the One, True God and His will for our lives. And similarly, many Christians fall prey to this ploy as well by investing untold hours in “good” things/activities, ignoring the Spirit-led disciplines of the faith which could bring them God’s “best” things in life.

That’s where Paul was going in his exhortation to Timothy, the younger man who was becoming the Pastor of the Church at Ephesus. Think about it. How many Christians have we seen get wrapped up in rigorous physical exercise programs and/or hobbies, not finding the time to participate with equal commitment in disciplines such as fasting, prayer, solitude, silence, and/or Bible memory or study? How many Christian deer hunters are willing to get up at 4:00am every morning of deer season to go hunting; but they are unwilling to get up at 6:00am every morning for a devotional time which could deepen their relationship with Christ? Deer hunting is not a bad thing (unless you’re a Bambi lover); but saying that “I just don’t have time for a quiet time in the morning” is a bad thing when we choose a discipline of deer hunting over a driving hunt for the mind of God.

The Apostle Paul’s instruction for Timothy should hit us all where we live. Are these God-inspired words leading us into a discipline that could help shape us for HIS purpose where He could bless us with more of HIS power to accomplish HIS plan? Could I give up one half of my morning jog to have more time in the morning with God in Bible study and/or prayer? Could I spend one half of my daily lunch time at work praying for a list of intercessory prayer partners? Could I prioritize more time to a ministry/mission project which uses my spiritual gifts more for God’s glory than the worldly projects which occupy a lot of my daily calendar?

What we choose to do is a reflection of our values [see Matt. 6: 21]. And I have to continually keep asking myself to re-evaluate my “to do” list based upon my biblically founded Christian values. Are the “main things” in my life the MAIN THINGS in God’s plan for my life? And I always seem to come back to questions evolving out of Luke 9: 23 …

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>>> Am I denying my own fleshly desires and serving within God’s plan for my life [see also Matt. 6: 33]?
>>> Am I carrying the crosses that Christ would lay at my feet rather than stepping around them to carry out tasks which I, personally, find important [see also Prov. 3: 5 – 6]?
>>> Am I really following the path that God has lain out for my life; or am I choosing the expedient, self-indulgent path which is wider and more traveled by others [again Prov. 3: 5 – 6]?
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When I respond honestly to what Paul was instructing Timothy in today’s verse, often I have to redo my event planning list to come into line with God’s plans rather than my own. And when I do that, I find that my Christian witness becomes more powerful and my life more meaningful – just as Paul desired for Timothy [see and memorize Acts 1: 8].

My Prayer Today: Build me, Lord, into a powerful witness to Your Name. Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 23

November 23, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 26: 21 [highlight verse in bold] … 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 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 you have struggles like these too.

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, 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.

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 study). 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 – 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 becoming 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

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 22

November 22, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15 [note terms in bold] – [NIV] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 …

Ephesians 5: 15 [note terms in bold] – [NASB] … 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, …

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur, in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, returns to Ephesians 5: 15 to emphasize the exhortation to Christians to “live carefully” in Christ. I’ve added the NASB version of today’s key verse above because it uses the translated term “walk,” which is another translation from the Greek, rather than “live,” as in the NIV. I like the term “walk” paired with “be very careful” because, as MacArthur alludes in his devotional, they can create the word picture of a soldier being so very careful as he clears a minefield.

I’ll return to this mental image; but focusing on the Greek, term “akribos,” which has been accurately rendered in the NIV for Eph. 5: 15, “to be very careful;” and it’s a term which means to be hyper-vigilant to what is going on around us in the world. The second key term in today’s verse is “paripateo” in the Greek; and it refers to our ”daily living or walk,” especially those habits or disciplines which comprise our habitual walk in the world. Using these terms together, Paul was saying to the Ephesians, and to us [paraphrased], “As you walk everyday in this world, walk with extreme care!”

And that’s why the mine-clearing soldier image is so apropos in this exhortation. Life, as we know it, truly is a minefield. And I’ve often asked this question of other Christians, “If you had to walk through a minefield, would you rather be first; or would you rather follow someone who knows exactly where every mine is placed?” The answer is a no-brainer, of course. And applied to Eph. 5: 15, Paul is saying that the wise Christian will do all he can to seek the perfect minefield walker; and that, my dear readers, is Jesus; and then we follow Him.

Christ commanded His disciples (in Matt. 16: 24, Mark 8: 34; and one which I probably quote more than any other in ministry, Luke 9: 23) to follow Him ever so closely by denying ourselves. Proverbs 3: 5 commands the believer to trust God’s way completely and not try to walk in life using our own ideas; and Prov. 3: 6 promises that if we do that, God will lead us carefully down His straight and narrow pathway of life.

To the world, a “careful walk” might mean using our head knowledge, gleaned from worldly education, science, or even from man-made religion, to avoid the dangerous circumstances of life. It might encourage the worldly warrior to take on the minefield alone by using modern technology or to follow religious positive thinking gurus to point out the mines of life; but the truth of such strategies would place us at the mercy of others who are simply trying to show us the way by man-created technologies or thought processes. When we follow the way of Prov. 3: 5 – 6 and/or Luke 9: 23, merely trusting and following Christ, we may not always avoid the dangers of life’s minefields; but we’ll always know that God will bring us through the right way! And I don’t know about you; but I’d much rather follow Jesus through life than risk doing it on my own.

My Prayer Today: Lead me, Lord, and I will walk where You walk. Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 21

November 21, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: 2nd Peter 3: 18 (highlight verse in bold) … 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

My Journal for Today: It is true … at the time of conversion for a Christian, with the indwelling of God’s Spirit, we are given, with the knowing of Christ, all that we will need (from God’s enabling grace) to allow us to grow into Christlikeness (see 2nd Peter 1: 3). However, in today’s passage/verse, Peter charges believers to grow beyond our initial conversion state of enablement as we grow to become more like Christ in all aspects of life.

And John MacArthur for this date in his Strength for Today devotionals indicates that growing in Christ is growing in Godly wisdom; and how could one disagree with that? Therefore, in the development of our wisdom quotient, MacArthur points us toward four steps …

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>>> WORSHIP – Worship is the life expression of the “fear of God,” which we know from Scripture (Prov. 9: 10) is the beginning of all wisdom. Therefore, our 24/7 lifestyle of worship becomes the breakthrough surrender to God’s Spirit and the avenue to the mind of God.

>>> PRAYER – James 1: 5 clearly says that God will provide us with His wisdom in abundance IF we are willing to ask for it with the expectation of His fulfillment of that promise. And prayer, of course, is the vehicle for us to ask God for His way/will.

>>> RECEIVE INSTRUCTION – There is Godly wisdom in the counsel or mentoring from others whom we know are more mature (i.e., wiser) in God’s ways than are we (see Prov. 8: 14 and 15: 22; as well as Col. 1: 28).

>>> STUDY SCRIPTURE – 2nd Timothy 2: 15 clearly charges that we, as Christians, be approved before God as we accurately handle His word [i.e., “the word of truth”].
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Therefore, as has been the case this month in our search for Godly wisdom, it’s another check up time!

First, AGAIN, we must ask ourselves, … just how serious are we to find God’s mind? And if we are serious, what are we doing about it (as outlined by this very practical list above)? As you can see above, God’s word supports every one of the above listed steps to seek out Godly wisdom; but those who find it difficult to break the inertia of embarking on this quest for Godly understanding usually find themselves giving excuses that allow them to stay in the pattern of self-driven patterns or worldly access to understanding.

Often I hear things like, …

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“I’m no Bible scholar and never will be.”

“I just don’t have time to … [you fill in the blank]!”

“The Bible is so difficult to understand.”

“I’m pretty wise in the ways of the world.”

“I can handle it (the tasks of life) on my own.”
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Well, all I can say is … if these or any other excuses are keeping any of us from growing in our understanding of God’s word, I’m afraid Satan has us totally conned and believing all that he would feed us to keep us away from knowing God more intimately. And to any of us who are in that position, I feel for what will result from our self-empowered ignorance or denial of God.

My Prayer Today: Fill me daily, God, with Your mind. … Amen

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 20

November 20, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15 [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur makes a rather startling claim as he once again discusses Ephesians 5: 15 in today’s Strength for Today devotional. He maintains, supported by such Scripture 1st Cor. 1: 3, and Col. 2: 3, as well as today’s passage, taken from Eph. 5: 1 – 16, that even the new, born-again believer has been endowed with enough wisdom to be able to fulfill the mandate of today’s verse/passage.

Ephesians 5: 1 – 14, which precedes today’s verse, [please read it!] is Paul’s forceful teaching that we must, as Christians, be imitators of God (i.e., Christ); and one verse in this passage is a linchpin verse for Battle Plan Ministry, the ministry into which God led me over 10 years ago. It is Eph. 5: 3; and it states: “But among you [i.e., Christians] there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.”

That is a high standard for any Christian to uphold, let alone one who has become wracked by habitual sexual sin. However, it is the mirror of truth because God is Holy; and we must aspire to be Holy, as He is Holy, … 24/7. Paul had no less that five separate exhortations in his New Testament epistles where he charged his fellow Christians to be Holy because of God’s holiness (see Rom. 12: 1, Eph. 1: 4, Col. 1: 22, 1st Thes. 4: 4, and 2nd Tim. 1: 9). And if that is not enough from God’s Spirit as the Author of Scripture, he was joined by Peter who quoted God from the Old Testament, Who commands His children to be Holy as He is Holy (see Lev. 11: 44, 19: 2, and 20: 7).

So, though we have been given free-will, if we are truly IN CHRIST, we are driven by God’s Spirit to make choices that pursue and aspire to absolute holiness. Christ commanded us to shine His light through our lives into the darkness of a sin-engulfed world so that others can see God, the Father, being lived out in our lives (see Matt. 5: 16); and that can only happen when we live in holiness, reflecting the Holy light of Christ.

And yes, I agree with Peter’s contention that all Christians, are endowed by God’s Spirit with all they need to live holy and blameless in God’s sight (see 2nd Pet. 1: 3 – 4). Theologically and spiritually that’s our positional righteousness in Christ. However, reality and experience has shown me that new or immature believers are more susceptible in their posture to the foolishness and schemes of the devil and his system in the world. They are more vulnerable in their own deceit-ridden hearts as well (by now you should know Jer. 17: 9), especially if that heart has been saturated for much of the life of that new believer by habitual sin.

But even a babe in Christ is more capable of resisting sinful living and making Christlike choices than any non-believer. And over time, if that immature believer intentionally chooses to follow God’s word, seeking His will and His way, he will become a stronger, wiser, more Christlike believer, shining Christ’s light more often and with more intensity into the darkness and glorifying his Father in Heaven as he does so.

So, we must continually ask ourselves if we are forever pursuing God’s mind, especially in the face of an increasingly confusing and foolish world which presses us on all sides to take our minds off of God’s will and His way. We must look at our choices and determine if they are choices to follow self or the Savior. And if those choices are more and more the latter, we are growing in Christlikeness and shining an ever brighter light into this world.

My Prayer Today: Fill me, God, daily with Your mind. Amen

A Prayer for God's Armament

I hope I can assume that as a Christian you agree that we're in a battle every day to protect our testimony and witness as Christians against our spiritual enemies, ... Satan, the world, and our own deceitful hearts [i.e., "flesh"]. This warfare is clearly laid out by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6: 10 - 13 [link provided].

For years now in my Christian discipleship I have had a morning preparation "ritual" of getting dressed for battle. I agree with the passage linked above that our battles are more spiritual than carnal; and I'm not strong enough, in and of myself, to do battle in Christ's Name. Satan is a powerful enemy ... much more powerful than I am in my own flesh. I recognize and believe the truth that, as a Christian, I have power from God which is far more powerful than Satan or his world (see 1John 4: 4). However, every day in battle against my spiritual foes, I need to wear God's full armor and to carry His sword of the Spirit and to take the high ground of prayer as God's word describes in Ephesians 6: 13 - 18.

That's why I come to God each morning, humbly praying and "dressing myself" (at least mentally and spiritually) for the day's battles ahead. ... Perhaps you are like me and need to get ready for battle each day. Well, if so, I've decided to formalize and write out my prayer for God's full armor. These may not be exactly the words I've been using for all these years as I get ready for my day ahead; but this prayer captures the essence of what I pray for as I get ready to do battle in Christ's Name.

So, I share this with any Christian warrior who desires to be stronger in spiritual warfare and wants to get ready to do battle daily. I hope this preparation of prayer helps you as it has for me ...

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A Prayer for God’s Full Armor
by ... Bill Berry

Heavenly Father, … Lord Jesus, … precious Holy Spirit; … I am here today as I am on other days, praying for a covering of Your full armor. As the Apostle taught believers in his letter to believers like me in Ephesus, we are in a battle to protect our witness as Christians every day; and the warfare is not carnal but spiritual; and my spirit needs the promise of your love, and strength, and of a sound mind, as you promised Timothy through Paul in 2nd Tim. 1: 7.

So, I come humbly this day to seek the covering of your full armor. Help me, Lord, to put on Your breastplate of righteousness, which protects the PURITY of my heart … to strap on the belt of truth, which girds me with INTEGRITY … to wear the sandals of the gospel of peace in order to walk into battle and stand with SURETY as I face my enemies … to be protected by my shield of faith, which gives me CERTAINTY as I stand with other warriors in Your Name … and to wear Your helmet of salvation to protect my SANITY, avoiding all fear as I go into battle this day.

And Lord, my Commander, I stand ready to do battle with the sword of Your Spirit, which is Your ever powerful and penetrating Word. I carry an ever ready, sharpened, and practiced sword of truth into battle; and as you used it in the wilderness against our common foe, I stand ready to wield its sharp blade of truth to bring down the strongholds of sin in my life or to help other warriors on the battlefields of life.

And I will also come, as I am now, to this high ground in prayer, humbly seeking Your grace, Lord. And it is only through Your grace that I can stand ready this day and empowered to do battle in Your Name. So, into my humbled heart, dear Lord, as you said to Your servant, Paul, in 2nd Cor. 12: 9, … pour your sufficient grace to give me Your strength to shore up my weaknesses.

Oh, Lord, how I desire to come from this high ground, wearing this armor into battle and carrying your powerful Sword … so that You might shine a light of victory into this darkened and war-weary world as I do battle in Your wondrous Name, … that Name above all names, Who is Jesus!

Amen

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And if you have used this prayer to help you get ready for battle, please let me know by contacting me via email @ billb13@bellsouth.net . And I pray that you will be strengthened in your spiritual battles for Christ ... <'BB><

Pursuing Godly Wisdom - November - Day 19

November 19, 2008 …

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15a [highlight verse in bold] … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: In today’s verse, the Apostle Paul cautions believers to be careful in our Christian walk and to be wise; and he likely makes this observation in the context of a previous exhortation to Christians in Ephesians 4: 1, where he wrote that Christians must “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

And John MacArthur helps me (us) see, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, that a “worthy” life or walk in Christ is one of humility (Ephesians 4: 1 – 3), unity with other believers (Eph. 4: 4 – 16), uniqueness and separation from the world (Eph. 4: 17 – 32), and one exhibiting Christ’s love (Eph. 5: 1 – 7) from the illumination of God’s Spirit (Eph. 5: 8 – 14); and all of this is living a life of Godly wisdom (see above in Eph. 5: 15 – 17), avoiding the foolishness of the world. And MacArthur is right when he says that such a walk is severely impeded, if not impossible, when Christians make worldly or self-centered choices, seeking to use the tools of worldly wisdom or relying on the wisdom generated from our own deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17: 9). MacArthur quotes Paul again, but from 2nd Timothy 3: 7 this time, indicating that the world cannot become Godly wise because it is “…always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.”

And the latter truth is why, according to the Apostle John (see 1st John 2: 15 – 16), we must separate ourselves in the love of God from the world’s way of thinking and living … so that we can take up the torch Jesus mandated for us as Christians to “… let (our) light shine before men that they may see (our) good works, …” [see Matt. 5: 16] and realize that the ways of God are the only ways worthy of pursuit as we live in this foolish world.

My Prayer Today: Shine, Jesus, shine through me! Amen