Passage of the Day: 1st John 3: 2 – 3 … 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
My Journal for Today: As a professed believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do you have a longing for His return as He, Himself promised in Scripture? Do you have a longing to be ready for His return (i.e., allowing the Holy Spirit to help you grow in His image of purity)? If you do, here is another strong criterion from God’s Spirit, through the Apostle John in today’s highlighted verse, that you have confidence in your salvation. That confidence comes from the hope we have, as faithful disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, as our passage for today delineates.
Think about it. It’s not “natural” for a human to hold on to a hope of something that is promised, but cannot be seen, touched, or sensed in the here-and-now. Therefore, it’s “supernatural” to have this hope in one’s heart; and that supernatural longing is one of the signal posts of our salvation. John MacArthur, in today’s devotional entry in Strength for Today, posits that this hope, giving us more assurance of our salvation, comes in three components …
First, it is a SAVING HOPE. The Apostle Paul comes behind John by writing that true Christians long to be set free from their bodies of death (i.e., sin nature) as we read in Romans 7: 22, waiting to be fully adopted as Christ’s heir (see Rom. 8: 23), and to be outfitted with a new resurrection body (see 1st Cor. 15: 49). Do you hope for that? I sure do; and God’s word is saying that that is a SAVING HOPE that all real Christians have.
Secondly, MacArthur posits that our hope is a SANCTIFYING HOPE, as read above in 1st John 3: 3. As true believers in Christ, our hope in Him drives us to be pure “just as He is pure.” The Apostle Paul also taught this the early church – and you and me by extension (see Titus 2: 11- 13) - that Christians are to deny our ungodliness and to live righteously. Any desire to do so, also being unnatural, is a sanctifying hope of our salvation.
And finally, MacArthur says that our hope is a SENSIBLE HOPE, because it leads to careful and upright living. Paul, again teaching to believers, pointed to this logical outcome of our faith in 2nd Thessalonians 3: 6 – 15 [please read this as linked for your study], with Christians exhorted to live productive, kingdom oriented lives. And when Christians do so just that, they experience the fruit of God’s Spirit in their lives (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23), which is certainly a confirming outcome to the hope we have in Christ.
So, when you find yourself longing for the hope that we have in Christ, praise God and thank Him for giving you yet another sign-post that your are one of His and than one day you will live with Him and be like Him in glory (see Phil. 3: 21).
My Prayer Today: You are my hope, Lord! Amen
Showing posts with label hopefulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hopefulness. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, May 08, 2011
May 8, 2011 … Trials’ Lessons: Confidence in Heaven
Passage of the Day: 1st Peter 1: 4 [in context of verses 3 – 5] … 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
My Journal for Today: In today’s passage from the Apostle Peter, we read of the great hope of heaven that we, who believe, have in Christ Jesus. However, all too often it is easy for a Christian to “forget” this heavenly hope when he/she is confronted by everyday trials, let alone some type of excruciating circumstance which tends to overwhelm our psyche.
In his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, John MacArthur paints an apt word picture to describe this phenomena of temporal distraction. He pictures us going up a steep mountain side on one of those slow trains with many seats available. As we traverse up the mountain, we can either choose to sit on the side of the train closest to the mountain and look out the windows at the dreariness of the mountainside; or we can choose to sit close to the window looking out into the beautiful view of the landscape and the sunshine away from the mountain. How often we Christians, when confronted with the choice of how to view life, choose to look at the dark side rather than looking upward and outward to the wondrous hope that lies heavenward.
To Christ’s small following of disciples in the upper room at the Passover meal shortly before His betrayal, Jesus related openly to the Twelve about His impending death. [see John 16: 19 – 22]
SCRIPTURE: John 16: 19 – 22 ... 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me'? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
But note above (in verse 20 – underlined), … even in the midst of speaking of the grief they would feel, He reassured them of the joy that would come in their realization of seeing Him risen again. But even with that reassurance, Peter still chose to look at the dark side in fear as he denied His Lord just a few hours later in the garden; and the remaining disciples bolted and ran in fear as well. All of them chose to be influenced by the darkness of the moment rather than to remember all those miracles they had seen Jesus perform and to remember His promises from right there in the upper room just a few hours before. Oh, how easy it is to allow our fears to turn our eyes away from the hope that is heavenward in Christ.
As John MacArthur also put it, “Nothing in life can (or should) take away from the wonderful promise of heaven’s glory as it was revealed by God, bought by Christ, and guaranteed by The Spirit (see Eph. 1: 11 – 14 - one of my favorite passages to return to when I’m down on life) …
SCRIPTURE: Eph. 1: 11 – 14 ... 11 In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of His glory.
I hope any and all who read here will truly grasp this … as I hope and pray I will. I’m no different that a Peter who bolts in fear from momentary challenges rather than standing in faith from the hope of heaven. As we traverse the mountain of life, we simply must develop the habit to view the panorama which is the heavenly hope we have in our Lord, Jesus Christ, no matter how scary the events in life become.
So, today, as you face life, which side of the train do you choose to sit?
My Prayer Today: Lord, You are my hope and my joy. Amen
BLOGGER’S PS: Can anybody reading here identify with what I’ve posted here today. If so, let me know either on Facebook or via email – willieb13@rocketmail.com ... wrb
My Journal for Today: In today’s passage from the Apostle Peter, we read of the great hope of heaven that we, who believe, have in Christ Jesus. However, all too often it is easy for a Christian to “forget” this heavenly hope when he/she is confronted by everyday trials, let alone some type of excruciating circumstance which tends to overwhelm our psyche.
In his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, John MacArthur paints an apt word picture to describe this phenomena of temporal distraction. He pictures us going up a steep mountain side on one of those slow trains with many seats available. As we traverse up the mountain, we can either choose to sit on the side of the train closest to the mountain and look out the windows at the dreariness of the mountainside; or we can choose to sit close to the window looking out into the beautiful view of the landscape and the sunshine away from the mountain. How often we Christians, when confronted with the choice of how to view life, choose to look at the dark side rather than looking upward and outward to the wondrous hope that lies heavenward.
To Christ’s small following of disciples in the upper room at the Passover meal shortly before His betrayal, Jesus related openly to the Twelve about His impending death. [see John 16: 19 – 22]
SCRIPTURE: John 16: 19 – 22 ... 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me'? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
But note above (in verse 20 – underlined), … even in the midst of speaking of the grief they would feel, He reassured them of the joy that would come in their realization of seeing Him risen again. But even with that reassurance, Peter still chose to look at the dark side in fear as he denied His Lord just a few hours later in the garden; and the remaining disciples bolted and ran in fear as well. All of them chose to be influenced by the darkness of the moment rather than to remember all those miracles they had seen Jesus perform and to remember His promises from right there in the upper room just a few hours before. Oh, how easy it is to allow our fears to turn our eyes away from the hope that is heavenward in Christ.
As John MacArthur also put it, “Nothing in life can (or should) take away from the wonderful promise of heaven’s glory as it was revealed by God, bought by Christ, and guaranteed by The Spirit (see Eph. 1: 11 – 14 - one of my favorite passages to return to when I’m down on life) …
SCRIPTURE: Eph. 1: 11 – 14 ... 11 In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of His glory.
I hope any and all who read here will truly grasp this … as I hope and pray I will. I’m no different that a Peter who bolts in fear from momentary challenges rather than standing in faith from the hope of heaven. As we traverse the mountain of life, we simply must develop the habit to view the panorama which is the heavenly hope we have in our Lord, Jesus Christ, no matter how scary the events in life become.
So, today, as you face life, which side of the train do you choose to sit?
My Prayer Today: Lord, You are my hope and my joy. Amen
BLOGGER’S PS: Can anybody reading here identify with what I’ve posted here today. If so, let me know either on Facebook or via email – willieb13@rocketmail.com ... wrb
Sunday, August 29, 2010
2010 – August 29 – From the Depths of Despair to the Heights of Hope
Study from God’s Word… Lamentations, Chapters 1 and 2 … Passage for Reflection: Lamentations 1: 20 … NIV [Jeremiah, singing the lament of “Jacob”] “See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.”
My Journal for Today: As I read Jeremiah’s lamentation, I feel great empathy. I was once like Israel or Judah, ignoring my God and falling prey to my own selfish sinfulness. And I became captive to the consequences of my sin. Also like Israel and Judah, it took a cataclysm of brokenness for me to realize that I had to bring my brokenness to God and surrender to His will, living His way, and following His word.
And now, perhaps like Jeremiah, I see clearly the waste that comes from choosing to ignore God in disobedience; and I grieve, not only for all the years I lost, living in my own sinfulness; but I grieve for others whom I know will have to be broken to the core of their being before they realize the ramifications of their own personal disobedience. I feel some of the same grief Jeremiah must’ve felt, seeing God’s children languishing in the consequences of their sin and having to come to the place of confession and cleansing before their God.
But even though I identify with the grieve expressed in Lamentations, I have come to know and proclaim the hope and victory one can have when he’s willing to surrender self to the Savior and receive the free saving and sanctifying grace offered by our Messiah, Jesus Christ. From the depths of despair, any believer in Jesus Christ can be – and will be – lifted to the heights of hope if he (or she) is able to die to self and follow Jesus (see Luke 9: 23 and 1st John 1: 9). Taking our crosses to the foot of His is the only way to shed the grief of our past and to live in the hope of His future.
And no more need be said as the remedy of the grief expressed by Jeremiah than to look to The Messiah.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, You are the hope … and the only hope. Amen
My Journal for Today: As I read Jeremiah’s lamentation, I feel great empathy. I was once like Israel or Judah, ignoring my God and falling prey to my own selfish sinfulness. And I became captive to the consequences of my sin. Also like Israel and Judah, it took a cataclysm of brokenness for me to realize that I had to bring my brokenness to God and surrender to His will, living His way, and following His word.
And now, perhaps like Jeremiah, I see clearly the waste that comes from choosing to ignore God in disobedience; and I grieve, not only for all the years I lost, living in my own sinfulness; but I grieve for others whom I know will have to be broken to the core of their being before they realize the ramifications of their own personal disobedience. I feel some of the same grief Jeremiah must’ve felt, seeing God’s children languishing in the consequences of their sin and having to come to the place of confession and cleansing before their God.
But even though I identify with the grieve expressed in Lamentations, I have come to know and proclaim the hope and victory one can have when he’s willing to surrender self to the Savior and receive the free saving and sanctifying grace offered by our Messiah, Jesus Christ. From the depths of despair, any believer in Jesus Christ can be – and will be – lifted to the heights of hope if he (or she) is able to die to self and follow Jesus (see Luke 9: 23 and 1st John 1: 9). Taking our crosses to the foot of His is the only way to shed the grief of our past and to live in the hope of His future.
And no more need be said as the remedy of the grief expressed by Jeremiah than to look to The Messiah.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, You are the hope … and the only hope. Amen
Sunday, August 22, 2010
2010 – August 22 – I Live in Hope !!
Study from God’s Word… Jer. 21: 1-14; Jer. 22: 1-9; Jer. 34: 1-7; Jer. 32: 1-44; Jer. 33: 1-11 … Passage for Reflection: Jeremiah 32: 25 … NIV [Jeremiah’s lament and declaration to God concerning God allowing Babylon to lay siege to Jerusalem and Judah] 24 "See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city [i.e., Jerusalem]. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What You said has happened, as You now see. 25 And though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you, O Sovereign LORD, say to me, 'Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.' "
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith today reminds me of expressions of exasperation like the one in our highlight passage for today. We know these expressions, such as “when pigs fly,” or “when hell freezes over,” or “no way, man!” All are proclamations of hopelessness; and in our past – or maybe even right now – we’ve had times or circumstances when we might have cried out in desperation and hopelessness.
There was a time in my life, when I had lived over 25 years thinking that I could not be rid of my weaknesses in the area of sexual sin. I felt that I was too far gone. The enemy (Satan, whom I didn’t even recognize in my lost condition) had laid siege to my very being; and I couldn’t see a way out or up. But God is a God of wonderful second chances; and He just loves to visit reformation, restoration, and renewal on those who turn to Him in faith. And that’s where Jeremiah was asked to be at the time we read of Him recognizing that God’s city was about to be taken by the Babylonians. And that’s what God showed me on April 13, 1983; when in faith I came to The Lord in surrender. Now, I live a life KNOWING that His grace can not only save me, it can give me the power to walk in the joy of renewal.
But God gave Jeremiah that same, … the hope that any believer in The Messiah, Who has now come to demonstrate His power over the lost causes of this world, can have. Yes, Satan can still lay siege to our world; but only to the degree that it’s part of God’s plan, which has already included His incarnation and His Son being sacrificed, resurrected, and rethroned in atonement for our sin.
Dr. Smith asks today, ”Have I too quickly given up all hope over some ‘impossible’ situation that God may (or likely could) turn completely around?” You deal with that question today. I already have; and I’ve seen His power, with my surrender to His Spirit, to “restore the years that the locusts have eaten (see Joel 2: 25).”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank You for showing me your wondrous desire to bring the wasted field into bloom once again. Amen
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith today reminds me of expressions of exasperation like the one in our highlight passage for today. We know these expressions, such as “when pigs fly,” or “when hell freezes over,” or “no way, man!” All are proclamations of hopelessness; and in our past – or maybe even right now – we’ve had times or circumstances when we might have cried out in desperation and hopelessness.
There was a time in my life, when I had lived over 25 years thinking that I could not be rid of my weaknesses in the area of sexual sin. I felt that I was too far gone. The enemy (Satan, whom I didn’t even recognize in my lost condition) had laid siege to my very being; and I couldn’t see a way out or up. But God is a God of wonderful second chances; and He just loves to visit reformation, restoration, and renewal on those who turn to Him in faith. And that’s where Jeremiah was asked to be at the time we read of Him recognizing that God’s city was about to be taken by the Babylonians. And that’s what God showed me on April 13, 1983; when in faith I came to The Lord in surrender. Now, I live a life KNOWING that His grace can not only save me, it can give me the power to walk in the joy of renewal.
But God gave Jeremiah that same, … the hope that any believer in The Messiah, Who has now come to demonstrate His power over the lost causes of this world, can have. Yes, Satan can still lay siege to our world; but only to the degree that it’s part of God’s plan, which has already included His incarnation and His Son being sacrificed, resurrected, and rethroned in atonement for our sin.
Dr. Smith asks today, ”Have I too quickly given up all hope over some ‘impossible’ situation that God may (or likely could) turn completely around?” You deal with that question today. I already have; and I’ve seen His power, with my surrender to His Spirit, to “restore the years that the locusts have eaten (see Joel 2: 25).”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank You for showing me your wondrous desire to bring the wasted field into bloom once again. Amen
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
2010 – July 20 – Beauty for Ashes
Blogger's Note: Today's journal item posted a bit late due to early morning Bible teaching @ Church followed by physical therapy for my hip.
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Study from God’s Word… Isaiah, Chapters 61 - 64 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 … NIV He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted … to comfort all who mourn … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes … and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
My Journal for Today: Do you recognize the passage from which several phrases were taken from Isaiah 61: 1 – 3? This was a prophesy spoken about the Messiah by Isaiah some 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem; and you Jesus scholars, reading here, may recognize that it also is found in that famous declaration Jesus made in the Temple right before His ministry on earth began [see Luke 4: 1 – 13]. Jesus was asked to read The Law in the Temple that day, and it was opened for Him to read from Isaiah’s prophesy, which Jesus did. Then as The Lord sat down that day, he spoke words of terror and hope to those there in the Temple, and to all of us forever, when He said (see Luke 4: 21), "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Those words must’ve exploded in the ears/minds of those in the Temple that day who knew what Isaiah was prophesying in that Scripture. The Word of God which Jesus read that day was declaring that the hope of mankind would be found in the Person and ministry of the Messiah; and here, some 700 years later was a Rabbi declaring that He was that Messiah. Wow! That must’ve been a bombshell.
And the words of this prophesy by Isaiah, and the repeated declaration of truth by Jesus, are really quite hope-filled, yet exceedingly challenging. As it says in today’s abbreviated version of Isaiah 61: 1-3, we read of a Messiah speaking of “good news for the poor, … healing for the brokenhearted, … freedom for the captives, …light for those in the darkness of prison, … and sight for the blind.” And so, how cool is that? And Jesus was restating this [in Luke 4: 18-19] as His mission in life, which gives us direction to find our mission as well since it should be the goal of every Christian to live like Jesus, make choices like Jesus, and to become like Jesus.
As I told a group of men this morning, it ought to be very helpful for disciples of Christ to find their purpose in life in the purpose which was prophesied for Jesus and to which He declared as His mission for His earthly ministry. So, my dear one, if you cannot find what you do or how you live within the directions of Luke 4: 18-19, I seriously think you should rethink where you are and what you’re doing in this life. For all who desire to follow after Christ (as He ordered of His disciples in Luke 9:23), we can do so by fitting our life choices and worship into Christ’s Messianic mission statement (again, Luke 4: 18-19).
Check it out, my friend; and if you don’t find your self [and your life] in that passage, start afresh TODAY to find a place to work your life into the pattern Christ painted for Himself.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I want to walk where You walk, live as You do, and make choices which shine Your light. I want to be a Luke 4: 18-19 kingdom warrior. Amen
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Study from God’s Word… Isaiah, Chapters 61 - 64 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 … NIV He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted … to comfort all who mourn … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes … and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
My Journal for Today: Do you recognize the passage from which several phrases were taken from Isaiah 61: 1 – 3? This was a prophesy spoken about the Messiah by Isaiah some 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem; and you Jesus scholars, reading here, may recognize that it also is found in that famous declaration Jesus made in the Temple right before His ministry on earth began [see Luke 4: 1 – 13]. Jesus was asked to read The Law in the Temple that day, and it was opened for Him to read from Isaiah’s prophesy, which Jesus did. Then as The Lord sat down that day, he spoke words of terror and hope to those there in the Temple, and to all of us forever, when He said (see Luke 4: 21), "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Those words must’ve exploded in the ears/minds of those in the Temple that day who knew what Isaiah was prophesying in that Scripture. The Word of God which Jesus read that day was declaring that the hope of mankind would be found in the Person and ministry of the Messiah; and here, some 700 years later was a Rabbi declaring that He was that Messiah. Wow! That must’ve been a bombshell.
And the words of this prophesy by Isaiah, and the repeated declaration of truth by Jesus, are really quite hope-filled, yet exceedingly challenging. As it says in today’s abbreviated version of Isaiah 61: 1-3, we read of a Messiah speaking of “good news for the poor, … healing for the brokenhearted, … freedom for the captives, …light for those in the darkness of prison, … and sight for the blind.” And so, how cool is that? And Jesus was restating this [in Luke 4: 18-19] as His mission in life, which gives us direction to find our mission as well since it should be the goal of every Christian to live like Jesus, make choices like Jesus, and to become like Jesus.
As I told a group of men this morning, it ought to be very helpful for disciples of Christ to find their purpose in life in the purpose which was prophesied for Jesus and to which He declared as His mission for His earthly ministry. So, my dear one, if you cannot find what you do or how you live within the directions of Luke 4: 18-19, I seriously think you should rethink where you are and what you’re doing in this life. For all who desire to follow after Christ (as He ordered of His disciples in Luke 9:23), we can do so by fitting our life choices and worship into Christ’s Messianic mission statement (again, Luke 4: 18-19).
Check it out, my friend; and if you don’t find your self [and your life] in that passage, start afresh TODAY to find a place to work your life into the pattern Christ painted for Himself.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I want to walk where You walk, live as You do, and make choices which shine Your light. I want to be a Luke 4: 18-19 kingdom warrior. Amen
Sunday, June 06, 2010
2010 – June 06 – When Prayers Get Desperate
Study from God’s Word… 1st Kings 22: 29-36 [2nd Chron. 18: 28-34]; 2nd Chron. 19: 1-3; 1st Kings 22: 37-40, 52-53; 1st Kings 3: 4-5; 2nd Chron. 20: 1 – 37; 2nd Kings 1: 2-18; 2nd Kings 3: 1-3 … Passage for Reflection: 2nd Chronicles 20: 12 … NIV [Jehoshaphat praying when Judah was being invaded by the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites] For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but are eyes are upon You.
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith is right with his contention in today’s devotional that we’ve all likely been in some situation of desperation, where the circumstances were overwhelming and there was no place to go within our own selves, and where things likely seemed hopeless. That’s where Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, was in the readings from 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles where I was lead to read in the OT today.
And the highlighted verse comes from 2nd Chronicles 20: 12, which was Jehoshaphat’s desperate prayer to God in the Temple, before the people of Judah, acknowledging that the armies of Judah (and God) were woefully inadequate to fight against the pagan armies which were invading their land. And this man’s prayer, as Dr. Smith aptly points out, is a model of how we should pray, both in attitude and wording specific to our circumstances, when we acknowledge that only God can take care of the situation.
As Dr. Smith points out, any desperate situation and our prayer to God in such circumstances requires three components. First, is our acknowledgement of Whom we serve, … i.e., recognizing that God is God and we are not. Secondly, we need to come to God with a thankful heart for what God has done in our past. A thankful heart is evidence to all and to God that we are truly humble; and only in humility can God pour His empowering grace (certainly never when we have a prideful heart [see Proverbs 3: 34]). And finally, any prayer of desperation is sealed with the open, honest, and vulnerable plea to God for His intervention.
Later, after Jehoshaphat had prayed desperately to God such a prayer in almost hopeless circumstances, the Spirit of the Lord came to one of the prophets in Judah, who spoke for God saying, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
My friend, if you’re in a desperate situation which requires surrender and a plea for God to intervene in your circumstances, take the course Jehoshaphat took, and come to God with the attitude expressed in God’s word from passages like Isaiah 41: 10, Romans 8: 31, or 2nd Tim. 1: 7 (and I’m assuming that you know and believe what these verses truthfully express). We should never hold onto anxiety; should we? (You know what it says in Phil. 4: 6-7.) No, we need not be hopeless or even anxious; because, as with Jehoshaphat, we have someone to go to Whom we can always rely upon in desperate circumstances [see 1st Peter 5: 7]. And there are no circumstances He can’t handle [as we know from Luke 1: 37]. The question is not whether these passages and promises, which uplift us in times of desperation, are true; it’s whether we believe them and are willing to come to our God, acknowledging Him for Whom He is, thanking Him for where He has led us to that point in life, and to plea in our desperation, believing that we’re praying to a God where nothing is impossible.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know my heart; and I truly believe and pray to the same God in Whom Jehoshaphat believed and prayed. Amen
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith is right with his contention in today’s devotional that we’ve all likely been in some situation of desperation, where the circumstances were overwhelming and there was no place to go within our own selves, and where things likely seemed hopeless. That’s where Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, was in the readings from 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles where I was lead to read in the OT today.
And the highlighted verse comes from 2nd Chronicles 20: 12, which was Jehoshaphat’s desperate prayer to God in the Temple, before the people of Judah, acknowledging that the armies of Judah (and God) were woefully inadequate to fight against the pagan armies which were invading their land. And this man’s prayer, as Dr. Smith aptly points out, is a model of how we should pray, both in attitude and wording specific to our circumstances, when we acknowledge that only God can take care of the situation.
As Dr. Smith points out, any desperate situation and our prayer to God in such circumstances requires three components. First, is our acknowledgement of Whom we serve, … i.e., recognizing that God is God and we are not. Secondly, we need to come to God with a thankful heart for what God has done in our past. A thankful heart is evidence to all and to God that we are truly humble; and only in humility can God pour His empowering grace (certainly never when we have a prideful heart [see Proverbs 3: 34]). And finally, any prayer of desperation is sealed with the open, honest, and vulnerable plea to God for His intervention.
Later, after Jehoshaphat had prayed desperately to God such a prayer in almost hopeless circumstances, the Spirit of the Lord came to one of the prophets in Judah, who spoke for God saying, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
My friend, if you’re in a desperate situation which requires surrender and a plea for God to intervene in your circumstances, take the course Jehoshaphat took, and come to God with the attitude expressed in God’s word from passages like Isaiah 41: 10, Romans 8: 31, or 2nd Tim. 1: 7 (and I’m assuming that you know and believe what these verses truthfully express). We should never hold onto anxiety; should we? (You know what it says in Phil. 4: 6-7.) No, we need not be hopeless or even anxious; because, as with Jehoshaphat, we have someone to go to Whom we can always rely upon in desperate circumstances [see 1st Peter 5: 7]. And there are no circumstances He can’t handle [as we know from Luke 1: 37]. The question is not whether these passages and promises, which uplift us in times of desperation, are true; it’s whether we believe them and are willing to come to our God, acknowledging Him for Whom He is, thanking Him for where He has led us to that point in life, and to plea in our desperation, believing that we’re praying to a God where nothing is impossible.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know my heart; and I truly believe and pray to the same God in Whom Jehoshaphat believed and prayed. Amen
Sunday, May 09, 2010
2010 – May 9 – Hope in the Midst of Despair
Study from God’s Word… Psalms 2, 22, and 27 … Passage for Reflection: Psalm 22: 1 … NIV 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
My Journal for Today: Today F. LaGard Smith has me and his readers using his devotional book and reading the Messianic Psalms; and the most famous of these would likely be Psalm 22 and verse 1, the line which Jesus quoted from the cross as He was dying. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” was his suffering cry; and we now know that our Lord hung on that tree to fulfill these words from David’s song, which allowed Jesus to become the lamb of God being sacrificed, as King David foretold, for the sins of mankind. Oh, it is not likely, when David wrote these words, that he fully appreciated the role that Messiah would play in the affairs of God’s people. He probably saw The Messiah as a Savior Who would conquer the oppressors of the Jewish people and become an anointed earthly king. However, David’s words are fully and completely prophetic about such details as Jesus’ death fulfilled, words like those found in verses 16 and 18 (read them again) – those very descriptive words which unfolded as David had written them centuries before Jesus, The Christ, died to save mankind.
David, though only partially insightful as to the coming Messiah, was worshipping his coming Lord and Savior in faith; and he obviously received great comfort and hope by singing these words, believing and being justified by his faith unto salvation. It is only hoped that we can read and meditate on these same words centuries later, having the advantage of our New Testament and historical revelations – in Christ – and reading David’s prophetic song, we can be lifted up with hope in the knowledge that Jesus completely fulfilled the prophesies of these ancient Messianic psalms, especially those word in Psalm 22.
Be comforted in your salvation all of you who have believed on the Name and life of Jesus, Who died on that cross, as prophesied by David, to have your sins forgiven and set aside by God, the Father, in Heaven. May God be glorified though David’s song and our faith in its fulfillment.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I believe that You are the One Whom David wrote about in this song of deliverance; and You came to die on that tree for me, and many who read here, to declare our belief in Your saving grace, giving us the justification we need and desire, found only in Your being the suffering servant and the Lamb of God. Our eternal hope is You … and only You!!! Hallelujah!!! Amen
My Journal for Today: Today F. LaGard Smith has me and his readers using his devotional book and reading the Messianic Psalms; and the most famous of these would likely be Psalm 22 and verse 1, the line which Jesus quoted from the cross as He was dying. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” was his suffering cry; and we now know that our Lord hung on that tree to fulfill these words from David’s song, which allowed Jesus to become the lamb of God being sacrificed, as King David foretold, for the sins of mankind. Oh, it is not likely, when David wrote these words, that he fully appreciated the role that Messiah would play in the affairs of God’s people. He probably saw The Messiah as a Savior Who would conquer the oppressors of the Jewish people and become an anointed earthly king. However, David’s words are fully and completely prophetic about such details as Jesus’ death fulfilled, words like those found in verses 16 and 18 (read them again) – those very descriptive words which unfolded as David had written them centuries before Jesus, The Christ, died to save mankind.
David, though only partially insightful as to the coming Messiah, was worshipping his coming Lord and Savior in faith; and he obviously received great comfort and hope by singing these words, believing and being justified by his faith unto salvation. It is only hoped that we can read and meditate on these same words centuries later, having the advantage of our New Testament and historical revelations – in Christ – and reading David’s prophetic song, we can be lifted up with hope in the knowledge that Jesus completely fulfilled the prophesies of these ancient Messianic psalms, especially those word in Psalm 22.
Be comforted in your salvation all of you who have believed on the Name and life of Jesus, Who died on that cross, as prophesied by David, to have your sins forgiven and set aside by God, the Father, in Heaven. May God be glorified though David’s song and our faith in its fulfillment.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I believe that You are the One Whom David wrote about in this song of deliverance; and You came to die on that tree for me, and many who read here, to declare our belief in Your saving grace, giving us the justification we need and desire, found only in Your being the suffering servant and the Lamb of God. Our eternal hope is You … and only You!!! Hallelujah!!! Amen
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
2010 – Day 12. Jan. 12 – Enslaved by Family Grudges
Study from Genesis 27- 28; Passage for Reflection: Genesis 27: 41 … NIV Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him.
My Journal for Today: Oh, how the parental wounds of injustice, insensitivity, or perceived inequity haunt our lives. Rereading the story of Jacob’s deception and the plotting of his mother to gain Isaac’s blessing for Jacob, and then the resultant grudge which Esau held for his brother, is a story which may be playing itself out in your family or families you know or maybe, even more personally, in your own life.
It is so easy to let wounds from our family past dictate our feelings for our parents or siblings; and they can become motivations for anger and bitterness, infecting our feelings, behaviors, and choices for many years after the incidents which may have caused the original anger or misgivings. Perhaps you have a sibling which you felt was more loved by your parents than you felt you were loved. Maybe you’re a parent who held feelings for one child more than another. Unfortunately these types of family scenarios can play themselves out in decisions or acting out much later in life, causing those who perceived ill treatment to reject family members or to plot actions which have vengeance as their motivation.
Today, in a very personal way, I’m thinking about how I let a misperception of my mother’s withholding of physical love drive me to do things in my later life trying to “make up” for what I felt were lost hugs and affection. I now recognize that many ill begotten and immoral sexual choices in my life were driven by my desire to find the physical affection I perceived I did not get in my youth. And it was a type of “grudge” against my parents which drove me to many actions later in life I now regret. Perhaps you, who read this, may have wounds from the past, maybe from your family, which have driven feelings of bitterness or behavioral choices which you now regret.
But the time is now, as a Christian, to take those burdens, … those feelings from the past and those desires for making things right, and lay them at the foot of the Cross, repenting of past sins and moving forward to love the God Who shows no favoritism and THE Heavenly Parent Who will never leave you nor forsake you. Holding on to past grudges or feelings of inequity of blessing will never drive us to expressing the love God had for us when He died on the cross for our sins. And the only way to reciprocate this love from God is to express God’s love into the lives of those who may have driven us from the past. We need to repent of hatred and haunting grudges; and then we must forgive those in our past who have “wronged” us. We must lay the burdens from these past feelings before God’s throne of grace, confessing them, and asking for the cleansing promised in 1st John 1: 9. And then we need to move on, letting go of any bitterness and finding the love God has waiting for us to fill the holes of lost love from our past.
I can tell anyone, from first-hand experience, that letting God deal with past hurts brings far more joy and healing than holding on to grudges or seeking vengeance can bring. God’s love is the healing balm; and our hope in Christ is the only way to drive us forward, letting that healing be expressed in how we worship our God and show love to others.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I thank You for giving me all the love I found wanting from my past; and I praise Your Name for giving me Your love to share with others, releasing me of any past wounds which had driven me to sinful living. My rebirth in You has given me healing and hope forever. Amen
My Journal for Today: Oh, how the parental wounds of injustice, insensitivity, or perceived inequity haunt our lives. Rereading the story of Jacob’s deception and the plotting of his mother to gain Isaac’s blessing for Jacob, and then the resultant grudge which Esau held for his brother, is a story which may be playing itself out in your family or families you know or maybe, even more personally, in your own life.
It is so easy to let wounds from our family past dictate our feelings for our parents or siblings; and they can become motivations for anger and bitterness, infecting our feelings, behaviors, and choices for many years after the incidents which may have caused the original anger or misgivings. Perhaps you have a sibling which you felt was more loved by your parents than you felt you were loved. Maybe you’re a parent who held feelings for one child more than another. Unfortunately these types of family scenarios can play themselves out in decisions or acting out much later in life, causing those who perceived ill treatment to reject family members or to plot actions which have vengeance as their motivation.
Today, in a very personal way, I’m thinking about how I let a misperception of my mother’s withholding of physical love drive me to do things in my later life trying to “make up” for what I felt were lost hugs and affection. I now recognize that many ill begotten and immoral sexual choices in my life were driven by my desire to find the physical affection I perceived I did not get in my youth. And it was a type of “grudge” against my parents which drove me to many actions later in life I now regret. Perhaps you, who read this, may have wounds from the past, maybe from your family, which have driven feelings of bitterness or behavioral choices which you now regret.
But the time is now, as a Christian, to take those burdens, … those feelings from the past and those desires for making things right, and lay them at the foot of the Cross, repenting of past sins and moving forward to love the God Who shows no favoritism and THE Heavenly Parent Who will never leave you nor forsake you. Holding on to past grudges or feelings of inequity of blessing will never drive us to expressing the love God had for us when He died on the cross for our sins. And the only way to reciprocate this love from God is to express God’s love into the lives of those who may have driven us from the past. We need to repent of hatred and haunting grudges; and then we must forgive those in our past who have “wronged” us. We must lay the burdens from these past feelings before God’s throne of grace, confessing them, and asking for the cleansing promised in 1st John 1: 9. And then we need to move on, letting go of any bitterness and finding the love God has waiting for us to fill the holes of lost love from our past.
I can tell anyone, from first-hand experience, that letting God deal with past hurts brings far more joy and healing than holding on to grudges or seeking vengeance can bring. God’s love is the healing balm; and our hope in Christ is the only way to drive us forward, letting that healing be expressed in how we worship our God and show love to others.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I thank You for giving me all the love I found wanting from my past; and I praise Your Name for giving me Your love to share with others, releasing me of any past wounds which had driven me to sinful living. My rebirth in You has given me healing and hope forever. Amen
Monday, October 26, 2009
2009 – Day 298.Oct 26 – From God’s Perspective
Passage for Study: Romans 8: 22 – 23 from the context of Rom. 8: 18 – 25 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll, my devotional author and guide this year, brings up an interesting point (i.e., lesson) today. And besides using this powerful passage from Romans 8, that great theological treatise, he quotes the famous Christian author/teacher John Stott, who wrote, concerning this passage, “Some Christians, …, grin too much and groan too little.”
It’s not that Christians shouldn’t be joyful. Swindoll points out that Christians, certainly much more than the lost, should choose to live joy-filled lives; but we often don’t know how to deal with a fellow Christian who is depressed, down, or has what Paul is picturing as a “groaning spirit” from this text today. And Swindoll cautions us not to try to encourage one of our brothers/sisters in Christ who is obviously down by telling them to “smile more” or to try to shame them for their depression.
Paul certainly knew what being depressed was all about; but he did put our feelings of physical, emotional, or spiritual depression into the perspective of the truth we have, as Christians, … that hope we have in Christ. And that is what is expressed in today’s passage, as wall as so many other truths which come from God’s word, pointing us the eternal truth of what Christ has given us by His suffering on the cross.
But being physically down or emotionally drained is a reality of our human existence; and we shouldn’t try to put a guilt trip on fellow Christians who are in the dumpers viewing a present life filled with pain. Who knows, … your depressed friend may be dealing with a diagnosis of terminal cancer; or maybe they have suddenly lost a loved one in an accident; or quite possibly, like a friend of mine right now, they are dealing with chronic, intractable migraine headaches. Certainly in these scenarios, wouldn’t we expect our pain ridden fellow Christians to “groan” in their suffering? Of course, we would; … so how do we help them?
Well, I think all we can do is share their pain, listen to their feelings, and genuinely share the truths from God’s word which might be a balm of soothing help. We should possibly help our friend[s] in pain see that they are not alone in their depression. There are a number of giants of the faith who were in such pain and/or anguish that they wanted to die or never to have been born. In our studies from Great Days with the Great lives we seen this from Elijah, exhausted under the broom tree, and Moses who needed encouragement from His brother, Aaron, when God’s people grumbled and brought their challenges to him. And we know of situational depression grabbing hold of Job, who voiced – to God – the desire never to have been born rather than bear the suffering Satan had visited upon him (of which he had no knowledge). And even Paul had his “woe is me times,” as we read in Romans 7: 14 – 23 or 2nd Cor. 12: 7 – 10 [each linked here for your study].
And these are passages which, if we can point our depressed friends toward, perhaps they can see that though they are down because of the suffering they have encountered, God still desires for us to live – as much as we can – in the hope which is IN CHRIST. And then, sharing these things, we just need to be there to listen and to empathize as much as we can with anyone dealing with a depressed spiriti, sharing God’s love and helping, as much as we can, to refocus our friends on the glory ahead which is in Christ.
Perhaps, in your life, or the life of a friend, we need to grin less and groan more; and as I do so often, we need to do what is expressed in that priceless and powerful old hymn, which I’m blessed to be listening to on my Ipod even as I write this …
Turn you eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
My Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, help me … when I’m down or I’m trying to help a depressed friend, to see You and Your ever faithful love as well as the truth of the hope we have - and can only have - in You. Amen
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll, my devotional author and guide this year, brings up an interesting point (i.e., lesson) today. And besides using this powerful passage from Romans 8, that great theological treatise, he quotes the famous Christian author/teacher John Stott, who wrote, concerning this passage, “Some Christians, …, grin too much and groan too little.”
It’s not that Christians shouldn’t be joyful. Swindoll points out that Christians, certainly much more than the lost, should choose to live joy-filled lives; but we often don’t know how to deal with a fellow Christian who is depressed, down, or has what Paul is picturing as a “groaning spirit” from this text today. And Swindoll cautions us not to try to encourage one of our brothers/sisters in Christ who is obviously down by telling them to “smile more” or to try to shame them for their depression.
Paul certainly knew what being depressed was all about; but he did put our feelings of physical, emotional, or spiritual depression into the perspective of the truth we have, as Christians, … that hope we have in Christ. And that is what is expressed in today’s passage, as wall as so many other truths which come from God’s word, pointing us the eternal truth of what Christ has given us by His suffering on the cross.
But being physically down or emotionally drained is a reality of our human existence; and we shouldn’t try to put a guilt trip on fellow Christians who are in the dumpers viewing a present life filled with pain. Who knows, … your depressed friend may be dealing with a diagnosis of terminal cancer; or maybe they have suddenly lost a loved one in an accident; or quite possibly, like a friend of mine right now, they are dealing with chronic, intractable migraine headaches. Certainly in these scenarios, wouldn’t we expect our pain ridden fellow Christians to “groan” in their suffering? Of course, we would; … so how do we help them?
Well, I think all we can do is share their pain, listen to their feelings, and genuinely share the truths from God’s word which might be a balm of soothing help. We should possibly help our friend[s] in pain see that they are not alone in their depression. There are a number of giants of the faith who were in such pain and/or anguish that they wanted to die or never to have been born. In our studies from Great Days with the Great lives we seen this from Elijah, exhausted under the broom tree, and Moses who needed encouragement from His brother, Aaron, when God’s people grumbled and brought their challenges to him. And we know of situational depression grabbing hold of Job, who voiced – to God – the desire never to have been born rather than bear the suffering Satan had visited upon him (of which he had no knowledge). And even Paul had his “woe is me times,” as we read in Romans 7: 14 – 23 or 2nd Cor. 12: 7 – 10 [each linked here for your study].
And these are passages which, if we can point our depressed friends toward, perhaps they can see that though they are down because of the suffering they have encountered, God still desires for us to live – as much as we can – in the hope which is IN CHRIST. And then, sharing these things, we just need to be there to listen and to empathize as much as we can with anyone dealing with a depressed spiriti, sharing God’s love and helping, as much as we can, to refocus our friends on the glory ahead which is in Christ.
Perhaps, in your life, or the life of a friend, we need to grin less and groan more; and as I do so often, we need to do what is expressed in that priceless and powerful old hymn, which I’m blessed to be listening to on my Ipod even as I write this …
Turn you eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
My Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, help me … when I’m down or I’m trying to help a depressed friend, to see You and Your ever faithful love as well as the truth of the hope we have - and can only have - in You. Amen
Thursday, September 03, 2009
2009 – Day 245.Sept 03 – A Context of Pain
Passage of the Day: Job 19 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: We’ve paused again in Job’s horrible status to take stock on how a man, so devastated and so wracked with pain, having been “educated” by three insensitive and mistaken friends, would still be able to say, with great hope and assurance in this chapter, “I know that my redeemer lives!”
Have you ever been in a place in your life when you were racked in pain and/or ill health? Nothing can dull one’s perspective or bring down the hope for the future than physical pain. And that’s why one, when such circumstance befall him, needs to have a clear hope for the future; and Swindoll is right in his devotional assertion that “… without the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, your steps are marked by uncertainty. … Few thoughts are more frightening then not knowing where you will be when you die.”
Job, having lost all that was dear to him in life and being deluged by physical oppression was still clear of mind and purpose because – and only because – his hope for this life and the next life as well was clearly defined by his faith. Job knew he had a Redeemer and that his Redeemer lived in his heart and would carry him into eternity. And that is why our hero could stand the pain and move forward.
Just this week I was privileged to hear the testimony of a dear brother in Christ who is likely, save a miracle from God, spending his last days on this earth. My friend, Marvin, has been fighting kidney, lung, and vastly spreading cancer for some time now. He was told at his diagnosis that he had but a year to live at most. Well, that was almost seven years ago; and now he’s very weak and likely in the latter stages of his fight. And this week, he was called to our rescue mission to give witness to Christ in his life; and his testimony at this luncheon chapel service took about all he had. But Marvin did it with confidence and joy because he knew that he knew that he knew that his Redeemer lives. And as we listened to our brother in Christ, anyone there in that mission chapel could sense the peace that Marvin had, knowing, beyond doubt, that if this is the end of his physical life, it is only the beginning of his eternal life. It was uplifting to be there with my brother, who, with his broken physical body, could lift us all up with his testimony of the living Christ, Who was walking with Marvin all the way into eternity.
Oh how I hope and pray that anyone reading this has Job’s kind of clarity of faith. Because without the assurance of your salvation and the clear understanding of the Savior Who redeems you and gives you His grace to live, when life takes a bad turn, you will question God and be vulnerable to fools like those in Job’s life. But when you know, beyond all doubt, that your Redeemer lives, you will be able to sit quietly in a chair, like my friend, Marvin, did this week, and give strong witness to where you are going into the vast hope that is eternity. We can go forward, no matter how racked we are in ill circumstances or pain and declare to all around us, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”
My Prayer for Today: And I can do just that, Lord, because I know You live in me. Amen
My Journal for Today: We’ve paused again in Job’s horrible status to take stock on how a man, so devastated and so wracked with pain, having been “educated” by three insensitive and mistaken friends, would still be able to say, with great hope and assurance in this chapter, “I know that my redeemer lives!”
Have you ever been in a place in your life when you were racked in pain and/or ill health? Nothing can dull one’s perspective or bring down the hope for the future than physical pain. And that’s why one, when such circumstance befall him, needs to have a clear hope for the future; and Swindoll is right in his devotional assertion that “… without the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, your steps are marked by uncertainty. … Few thoughts are more frightening then not knowing where you will be when you die.”
Job, having lost all that was dear to him in life and being deluged by physical oppression was still clear of mind and purpose because – and only because – his hope for this life and the next life as well was clearly defined by his faith. Job knew he had a Redeemer and that his Redeemer lived in his heart and would carry him into eternity. And that is why our hero could stand the pain and move forward.
Just this week I was privileged to hear the testimony of a dear brother in Christ who is likely, save a miracle from God, spending his last days on this earth. My friend, Marvin, has been fighting kidney, lung, and vastly spreading cancer for some time now. He was told at his diagnosis that he had but a year to live at most. Well, that was almost seven years ago; and now he’s very weak and likely in the latter stages of his fight. And this week, he was called to our rescue mission to give witness to Christ in his life; and his testimony at this luncheon chapel service took about all he had. But Marvin did it with confidence and joy because he knew that he knew that he knew that his Redeemer lives. And as we listened to our brother in Christ, anyone there in that mission chapel could sense the peace that Marvin had, knowing, beyond doubt, that if this is the end of his physical life, it is only the beginning of his eternal life. It was uplifting to be there with my brother, who, with his broken physical body, could lift us all up with his testimony of the living Christ, Who was walking with Marvin all the way into eternity.
Oh how I hope and pray that anyone reading this has Job’s kind of clarity of faith. Because without the assurance of your salvation and the clear understanding of the Savior Who redeems you and gives you His grace to live, when life takes a bad turn, you will question God and be vulnerable to fools like those in Job’s life. But when you know, beyond all doubt, that your Redeemer lives, you will be able to sit quietly in a chair, like my friend, Marvin, did this week, and give strong witness to where you are going into the vast hope that is eternity. We can go forward, no matter how racked we are in ill circumstances or pain and declare to all around us, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”
My Prayer for Today: And I can do just that, Lord, because I know You live in me. Amen
Sunday, August 23, 2009
2009 – Day 234.Aug 23 – Expressing Grief
Passage of the Day: Job 3: 1 - 26 … Linked for study...
My Journal for Today: At the end of Job’s lamentation in Chapter 3, where we read the lyrics to Job’s sad song of hopelessness and grief, Swindoll points out a pertinent observation. There is this long lament from Job; and then there is silence from God’s word, … with absolutely no retort from God at this point, chastising Job for grieving so openly in this way.
Oh, sure, shortly we’re going to read from Job’s three friends about their input on the “whys and wherefores” of the circumstances; but God does not level any blame at Job at the end of Chapter 3, … only the solitude and silence of Job’s own heart for the time being. And that is what often happens when we take our grief to God. No, God lets us vent our feelings before His throne of grace as often and as deeply as we are in need. And as I’ve said in earlier journal entries here on the story of Job’s loss, God can take it. If we feel low and hopeless, God even invites us in His word to bring our burdens to Him. I’ve mentioned some of those truths in recent days, we NT Christians having the advantage of Christ’s intervention in time. We read in NT passages, especially words from Jesus’ invitation in Matt. 11: 28-30 or from an empathetic Peter, who had experienced the lows of acute depression himself, writing (in 1st Pet. 5: 7), “… casting all your cares on [God] because He cares for you.”
But Job didn’t know of the New Covenant truths. He only had the promise of His personal relationship with God; and as we’ll later learn, that was enough to keep our hero digging deeper into that relationship for hope and for answers to his queries. But at this point, he couldn’t see the WHYS of his loss. All he could feel was the loss and the pain. And as we have the advantage of long-term hindsight, Swindoll points out that our perspective should be finely tuned when we aren’t embroiled in the confusion of loss and pain. And I agree that we should allow ourselves to set the truth about God’s love and mercy into our hearts when we’re thinking clearly, as I hope/pray you are now. It’s like storing up the credits of God’s mercy for a future day when we’re going to need it … in a day where we’re feeling pain like Job.
In the search for understanding about God’s grace and mercy, Swindoll gives his readers a great quote from the Dutch evangelist, Corrie ten Boom, who wrote a marvelous truth after experiencing so much pain and loss in her life during WW II. She wrote, “There is no pit so deep that He (God) is not deeper still.” And that is a reality that somehow we must store up in our hearts so that we can draw upon it later when we need it. I pray, for me and for you, … that we hold on to that truth and the realization that God will never leave us alone in our grief. I pray that we have the promises of God which I’ve brought out today so piled up in our heart banks for a day when we’re going to need to withdraw those feelings of hope.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I now invest my hope completely in You, especially put away in these times of clarity for a day when I may have trouble remembering that my hope is always in You. Amen
My Journal for Today: At the end of Job’s lamentation in Chapter 3, where we read the lyrics to Job’s sad song of hopelessness and grief, Swindoll points out a pertinent observation. There is this long lament from Job; and then there is silence from God’s word, … with absolutely no retort from God at this point, chastising Job for grieving so openly in this way.
Oh, sure, shortly we’re going to read from Job’s three friends about their input on the “whys and wherefores” of the circumstances; but God does not level any blame at Job at the end of Chapter 3, … only the solitude and silence of Job’s own heart for the time being. And that is what often happens when we take our grief to God. No, God lets us vent our feelings before His throne of grace as often and as deeply as we are in need. And as I’ve said in earlier journal entries here on the story of Job’s loss, God can take it. If we feel low and hopeless, God even invites us in His word to bring our burdens to Him. I’ve mentioned some of those truths in recent days, we NT Christians having the advantage of Christ’s intervention in time. We read in NT passages, especially words from Jesus’ invitation in Matt. 11: 28-30 or from an empathetic Peter, who had experienced the lows of acute depression himself, writing (in 1st Pet. 5: 7), “… casting all your cares on [God] because He cares for you.”
But Job didn’t know of the New Covenant truths. He only had the promise of His personal relationship with God; and as we’ll later learn, that was enough to keep our hero digging deeper into that relationship for hope and for answers to his queries. But at this point, he couldn’t see the WHYS of his loss. All he could feel was the loss and the pain. And as we have the advantage of long-term hindsight, Swindoll points out that our perspective should be finely tuned when we aren’t embroiled in the confusion of loss and pain. And I agree that we should allow ourselves to set the truth about God’s love and mercy into our hearts when we’re thinking clearly, as I hope/pray you are now. It’s like storing up the credits of God’s mercy for a future day when we’re going to need it … in a day where we’re feeling pain like Job.
In the search for understanding about God’s grace and mercy, Swindoll gives his readers a great quote from the Dutch evangelist, Corrie ten Boom, who wrote a marvelous truth after experiencing so much pain and loss in her life during WW II. She wrote, “There is no pit so deep that He (God) is not deeper still.” And that is a reality that somehow we must store up in our hearts so that we can draw upon it later when we need it. I pray, for me and for you, … that we hold on to that truth and the realization that God will never leave us alone in our grief. I pray that we have the promises of God which I’ve brought out today so piled up in our heart banks for a day when we’re going to need to withdraw those feelings of hope.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I now invest my hope completely in You, especially put away in these times of clarity for a day when I may have trouble remembering that my hope is always in You. Amen
Monday, August 03, 2009
2009 – Day 214.Aug 03 – Breaking Down the Walls
Passage of the Day: Esther 8: 15 – 17 … 15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
My Journal for Today: Let me go to the very end of Chuck Swindoll’s devotional for this date in his book. And it was today’s highlight passage from the Book of Esther which obviously inspired Swindoll to quote Psalm 30: 5, which declares, ... Weeping may last for a night. But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
And in today’s close to Chapter 8 of Esther’s story, we see a wonderful truth, which cannot be minimized in our lives today any more that it could be in the time of our Jewish Queen. And perhaps you need this truth in your life right now. Maybe you’re like the Jewish people were right before the Persian King provided protection and freedom for Esther’s people. Perhaps you’re down-hearted and depressed because of some pressing issue in your life. I think of a young Christian friend of mine, who is in prison now because of series of bad choices he made. I think of another recent acquaintance, another Christian brother, who is in the public eye of scrutiny and now faces a divorce. Both of these men, and perhaps you, are not quite in the place the Jews were in today’s scenario. But the hope described in today’s passage should give rise to the hope that is in the future for any Christian no matter what their down trodden state.
My friend, no matter how down your life may be at the foot of the cross, Easter is ahead. Nothing could be as bad as it was for our Savior, hanging on the tree of Golgotha; but for Jesus, and for anyone who has Christ as Savior and Lord, it may be Friday, … but … Sunday’s coming!
Right now, as I’ve read today’s passage and Swindoll’s devotional slant on this story, God’s Spirit has caused me to go back and meditate on Christ’s message of hope in His Temple declaration of Luke 4: 18-19, which was our Lord’s restatement of the fulfillment of God’s prophesy in Isaiah 61: 1-2. And it reads thusly, …
“ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
As Swindoll rightly points out, Esther’s story, a segment in ancient Biblical history, is relevant for anyone who is facing intimidating circumstances; … for anyone who’s been scarred by damage or steeped in oppression; … or for anyone who seems to be incarcerated physically, emotionally, or spiritually. As Swindoll declares in bold type, the story of Esther is in the canon of Scripture because it loudly declares the message for any believer in Esther’s God, and especially for any believer in Jesus Christ, … There is hope!
And when you read today’s highlight passage or the declaration of Christ above from Luke 4 above, I hope you see that we all can rejoice as did the Jews in Esther’s story. Christ has set us free; and in Him, we are free indeed!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in You, and only in You, do I find freedom. Amen
My Journal for Today: Let me go to the very end of Chuck Swindoll’s devotional for this date in his book. And it was today’s highlight passage from the Book of Esther which obviously inspired Swindoll to quote Psalm 30: 5, which declares, ... Weeping may last for a night. But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
And in today’s close to Chapter 8 of Esther’s story, we see a wonderful truth, which cannot be minimized in our lives today any more that it could be in the time of our Jewish Queen. And perhaps you need this truth in your life right now. Maybe you’re like the Jewish people were right before the Persian King provided protection and freedom for Esther’s people. Perhaps you’re down-hearted and depressed because of some pressing issue in your life. I think of a young Christian friend of mine, who is in prison now because of series of bad choices he made. I think of another recent acquaintance, another Christian brother, who is in the public eye of scrutiny and now faces a divorce. Both of these men, and perhaps you, are not quite in the place the Jews were in today’s scenario. But the hope described in today’s passage should give rise to the hope that is in the future for any Christian no matter what their down trodden state.
My friend, no matter how down your life may be at the foot of the cross, Easter is ahead. Nothing could be as bad as it was for our Savior, hanging on the tree of Golgotha; but for Jesus, and for anyone who has Christ as Savior and Lord, it may be Friday, … but … Sunday’s coming!
Right now, as I’ve read today’s passage and Swindoll’s devotional slant on this story, God’s Spirit has caused me to go back and meditate on Christ’s message of hope in His Temple declaration of Luke 4: 18-19, which was our Lord’s restatement of the fulfillment of God’s prophesy in Isaiah 61: 1-2. And it reads thusly, …
“ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
As Swindoll rightly points out, Esther’s story, a segment in ancient Biblical history, is relevant for anyone who is facing intimidating circumstances; … for anyone who’s been scarred by damage or steeped in oppression; … or for anyone who seems to be incarcerated physically, emotionally, or spiritually. As Swindoll declares in bold type, the story of Esther is in the canon of Scripture because it loudly declares the message for any believer in Esther’s God, and especially for any believer in Jesus Christ, … There is hope!
And when you read today’s highlight passage or the declaration of Christ above from Luke 4 above, I hope you see that we all can rejoice as did the Jews in Esther’s story. Christ has set us free; and in Him, we are free indeed!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in You, and only in You, do I find freedom. Amen
Friday, May 08, 2009
2009 – Day 127.May 08 – “A Very Present Help”
2009 – Day 127.May 08 – “A Very Present Help”
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 30: 1 – 6 … Linked to 1st Samuel 30 for your study …
My Journal for Today: Down about as far as he could go; so, where does David turn? He’s tired and depressed; and he no doubt was worried about the loss of the women and children under his leadership, including two of his own wives who’d been captured by the Amalekites, a fearsome warrior tribe of the time. What was the king-to-be to do? No where to look, but up; and that’s exactly where David turned. Read 1st Samuel, verse 6; and we read that David was strengthened by His Lord.
Perhaps you’re in a place of despair and seeming hopelessness even as you read this. Maybe it’s the lousy economy which has you down and almost out. Perhaps it’s a diagnosis of cancer. Or maybe it’s a relational problem in your home. But you can empathize with David; … no where to turn but upwards … from the horizontal to the vertical. And that’s exactly where God had allowed David to plunge; and that’s exactly where David turned; … to God.
And if we read on in David’s immediate plight or on to times later, we learn that God lifted David up and delivered him into victory after victory, … even on to the kingship for which God had anointed David. But David had to be delivered from his immediate valley of the shadow of death (you know Psalm 23, a Psalm of David), seeing that God will never forsake, nor abandon, His chosen ones [Do you remember Deut. 31: 6?]. David had to experience the strength which can come only from God, written about by another Psalmist in Psalm 46: 1, “… a very present help in time of trouble.”
I could personalize this with testimony and more from God’s word; but I think you’ve probably been in some valley of despair, as was David in today’s passage; and I pray that you know Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you don’t, and you’re in that low place in your life, you’re there alone; aren’t you? But if you have God in your life, you’re with the One Who wants you to look up to Him, … to cry to Him, … to rely on Him. Because only God can take you through that valley of despair and give you that peace that surpasses all understanding (I hope you have Phil. 4: 6-7 internalized).
My Prayer for Today: Down and out? Look up, dear one, to the God Who is there to deliver you. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 30: 1 – 6 … Linked to 1st Samuel 30 for your study …
My Journal for Today: Down about as far as he could go; so, where does David turn? He’s tired and depressed; and he no doubt was worried about the loss of the women and children under his leadership, including two of his own wives who’d been captured by the Amalekites, a fearsome warrior tribe of the time. What was the king-to-be to do? No where to look, but up; and that’s exactly where David turned. Read 1st Samuel, verse 6; and we read that David was strengthened by His Lord.
Perhaps you’re in a place of despair and seeming hopelessness even as you read this. Maybe it’s the lousy economy which has you down and almost out. Perhaps it’s a diagnosis of cancer. Or maybe it’s a relational problem in your home. But you can empathize with David; … no where to turn but upwards … from the horizontal to the vertical. And that’s exactly where God had allowed David to plunge; and that’s exactly where David turned; … to God.
And if we read on in David’s immediate plight or on to times later, we learn that God lifted David up and delivered him into victory after victory, … even on to the kingship for which God had anointed David. But David had to be delivered from his immediate valley of the shadow of death (you know Psalm 23, a Psalm of David), seeing that God will never forsake, nor abandon, His chosen ones [Do you remember Deut. 31: 6?]. David had to experience the strength which can come only from God, written about by another Psalmist in Psalm 46: 1, “… a very present help in time of trouble.”
I could personalize this with testimony and more from God’s word; but I think you’ve probably been in some valley of despair, as was David in today’s passage; and I pray that you know Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you don’t, and you’re in that low place in your life, you’re there alone; aren’t you? But if you have God in your life, you’re with the One Who wants you to look up to Him, … to cry to Him, … to rely on Him. Because only God can take you through that valley of despair and give you that peace that surpasses all understanding (I hope you have Phil. 4: 6-7 internalized).
My Prayer for Today: Down and out? Look up, dear one, to the God Who is there to deliver you. Amen
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