October 5, 2011 … Children of Darkness

Passage of the Day: 1st John 1: 6 [see underlined and highlighted verse in bold] … 6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

My Journal for Today: I strongly believe that John MacArthur is correct (from today’s Strength for Today devotional) that we live in an age where most people will not take responsibility for their sinfulness; and I contend this includes many who claim to be “christian,” blaming societal factors or genetics for their behavioral choices. And many non-believers in our culture even claim that studying and living by a strict biblical code of conduct will damage self esteem. Hence, we see groups like the ACLU and the People for the American Way doing all they can to strip concepts like “Christ, Christianity, and/or God” from the public arena of discussion. There is even a political move in this country to codify Christian rhetoric as “hate speech,” with a desire to prosecute those who use scriptural doctrine as behavioral standards for issues such as labeling homosexuality as “sinful” or trying to protect the traditional concept of marriage of “one man married to one woman” in our society.

Yet, we read in Scripture (see Mark 2: 17) that Jesus, Himself, pronounced His mission to be a healer for those sickened by their sin and His purpose to free those imprisoned by the effects of sin (see Luke 4: 18). And if that’s Christ’s mission – to save the lost from their bondage to sin and to heal and release the believers who remain bonded to Satan’s sin call – it should be our mission [i.e., as Christians] as well … i.e., to do all we can to eradicate sinful choices from our lives and to be a channel of the Savior to the blinded non-believers who need to see the truth of Christ’s saving mission.

The Apostle John, in today’s passage, clearly points Christians who continue to walk in the darkness of the flesh by denying their sin, are missing the mark of Christ’s mission. And the Apostle further teaches his readers that only those who have been cleansed by Christ’s blood [i.e., born-again believers] will be able to walk in His light (see 1st John 1: 7).

Of course, it is true that we cannot escape our inherited sin nature (see Rom. 3: 23); and if/when we do deny it, we deceive ourselves (the natural condition written of in Jer. 17: 9 and also by John in 1st John 1: 8). And worst of all, by John’s truth [see 1st John 1: 10], when we deny our sin, we make God out to be a liar (to ourselves or to others). And this, my dear fellow Christians, is serious blasphemy and will, if uncleansed by conversion (for the lost) or confession (for believers), leads the lost to the darkest place of all – Hell – or believers to a dark place in this life where that Christian’s witness is dissipated, damaged, and/or dampened. That place is separation from Christ’s fellowship; and it’s a place of death for the lost and a place of despair for the Christian.

In meditating on this, I ask myself, “What am I doing to be cleansed and purged of the effects of sin in my life today?” And I’m driven to my knees to confess and receive Christ’s blood-bought grace.

My Prayer Today: O, Lord, help me to see clearly where I have sinned and gone astray from Your path so that I can be cleansed and enlightened to stay on track. Amen

October 4, 2011 … God Is Light … God’s Word Is Truth

Passage of the Day: 1st John 1: 5 … This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

My Journal for Today: If you’ve studied God’s word for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve noted the biblical usage of the light versus dark metaphor, often used to compare holiness to evil or truthfulness to dishonesty. Scripture also clearly refers to our Lord as “… abounding in … truth,” as did Moses in Exodus 34: 6 [NASB] , or the Psalmist referring to God as “… the God of truth” [in Psalm 31: 5], or Isaiah using the same reference in Isaiah 65: 16. Jesus, Himself, called Himself “… the way, the TRUTH, and the life (see John 14: 6).”

We, as Christians, can not only lean on the character of God as being truth and light, especially from our relationship with Christ; but we also can lean on his Word as the reflection of His truth and light. David prayed (in 2nd Samuel 7: 28), “O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, …"; and Jesus prayed (in John 17: 17), “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.“ And you may have memorized, as have I, one verse from the acrostic poem about God’s word in Psalms 119: 105, which states “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.“

Therefore, when we are looking for light in the darkness which surrounds us in the world; … when we are looking for truth when it comes to moral decisions in our life, we Christians, who believe in the absolute truth of God’s word (believing in 2nd Tim. 2: 16, 17), can KNOW, beyond any doubt, that no evil or dishonesty can emanate from God and His word (see Ps. 5: 4). Therefore, since God cannot lie (see Numbers 23: 19 and Titus 1: 2), we will always be led by His light to make decisions that are in line with God’s will and His truth when we seek His will and/or His way through His word.

This then begs certain questions. As we deal with sin in our lives (i.e., the darkness of evil and dishonesty), … do we know where to find God’s light? In other words, how well versed are we in God’s word so that we can see His light shining on the path of truth when we’re faced with the temptation of evil or in a fog of untruth? How much do we lean on God’s word to provide us with His light to straighten our path in life (see Prov. 3: 5 – 6)?

If we avoid God’s word; or if we’re unwilling to devote the time and diligence to put God’s word deeply into our hearts via memorization of His truth, how can we expect to navigate the fog of darkness from this world and the deception of our own hearts [see Jer. 17: 9 and Ps. 119: 9]?

I leave it to you to deal with those questions personally. I’ve certainly had to deal with them in my life. They were questions I faced years ago in my discipleship; and I can testify that deciding in my heart to surrender to God’s call and to pursue His word rigorously in my life (as one would find in a careful study of Psalm 119) has been the most productive life discipline in which I have ever chosen to involve myself. I pray that you will find the truth of that memorable Scripture passage, to which I referred above, Psalm 119: 9, 11, to be an incredibly powerful light, one which is God’s prescription for avoiding sin and dealing with darkness in our lives.

My Prayer Today: The more I know Your word, Lord, the more I know You and the more You light up my life. Amen

October 3, 2011 … The Importance of Confession

Passage of the Day: 1st John 1: 10 [see highlighted verse underlined and in bold] … 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

My Journal for Today: I agree with John MacArthur, from today’s Strength for Today, that there is a concerted effort in our post-modern culture to eradicate the concept of “sin” from our personal and cultural consciousness; and I’m afraid, by denial, that is also true in many of today’s churches. However, no human attempts to create a fog of denial can eliminate the truth that the evidence of sin is all around us, which began in the Garden of Eden (see Gen. 3: 11 – 13). That is why the Apostle John is so forceful and direct, exhorting Christians to “fess-up” to our sinfulness (above, as in 1st John 1: 8 – 10).

Today, MacArthur takes his devotional readers through a litany of heroes of the faith who recognized, some more easily than others, that confession and cleansing (see 1st John 1: 9) are essential to maintaining a right relationship with God. Many of you, right now as you read this, may be thinking of David, who needed Samuel’s help to unload his guilt (see 2nd Sam. 12: 13 and Ps. 51: 3 – 4). He had blinded himself in denial to his horrible sin; and he needed the eyes of a wiser believer, in the Prophet Samuel, to open his eyes to his (David’s) need for repentance and confession. One can also read Isaiah declaring his woeful sinfulness (in Isaiah 6: 5); and Daniel, who was such a man of Godly integrity; but he still confessed his sin nature (see Dan. 9: 20). In the New Testament, Peter, who after Pentecost became the leader of the Apostles, declared, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (from Luke 5: 8) And of course, Paul, even after a life which powerfully honored God, labeled himself as the foremost of sinners (see 1st Tim. 1: 15).

So, all these men of God recognized what John ardently taught to us in 1st John 1: 9 … that the only way to be in God’s favor was to be cleansed by open and honest confession. Because, without that we deceive ourselves (1st John 1: 8) and actually label God to be a liar with our defense or denial (1st John 1: 10).

I, for one don’t want to be in that company. … Do you?

My Prayer Today: Cleanse me, O Lord, of my sinfulness – even this day. Amen

October 2, 2011 … The Plague of Plagues

Passage of the Day: Romans 7: 23 [see highlighted verse underlined in bold] … 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

My Journal for Today: In Strength for Today on this date, John MacArthur claims, “Every TRUE (emphasis added) Christian disciple sins and yearns to be free from it.” This, I believe, is accurate; … but WHY? Well, as MacArthur also elucidates with ample reference from Scripture [in parentheses following each point, …

MacArthur points out … that … “Sin …

… PLAGUES EVERYONE (Rom. 3: 19, 23)
… Kills everyone it infects (Rom. 5: 15; Eph. 2: 11)
… Corrupts the mind/heart (Jer. 17: 9; Eph. 4: 17 – 19)
… Brings us under Satan’s control (John 8: 44; Eph. 2: 2)
… Makes us objects of God’s wrath (Eph. 2: 3)
… Robs our peace (Isaiah 48: 22)
… Yields misery (Job 5: 7; Rom. 8: 20a)
… Grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30)
… Causes God not to answer prayer in our accord (1st Pet. 3: 7a; Jams. 5: 16b)
… Limits our service to God (2nd Tim. 2: 20 – 21)
… Can disqualify us for service in God’s Kingdom (1st Cor. 9: 27b)
… Renders worship unacceptable (Ps. 33: 1; Is. 1: 14)
… Causes God to withhold blessing (Jer. 5: 24 – 25)
… Robs us of all joy (Ps. 51: 12)
… Subjects us to God’s chastisement (Heb. 12: 4 – 11; Prov. 3: 11 – 12)
… Stunts our Spiritual growth (1st Cor. 10: 21)
… And above all … SIN DISHONORS GOD" (1st Cor. 6: 19 – 20).

Are these not enough reasons to motivate us as Christians to avoid sin in our lives? I would exhort you to do some meditation and study on those verses listed above; and if you do, you will come away, as I have, with a more intense hatred of the sin in your life. If for no other reasons than the first and last reasons listed above [and capitalized and underlined], we Christians should be driven to avoid sin in our choices and our lifestyle of living sacrifice and worship (see Rom. 12: 1).

Certainly, as I read and studied the above listed verses this morning, I was drawn into agreement with the Apostle Paul as he declared in Rom. 7: 24, “Wretched man (or woman) that I am?” And to think that God’s love, mercy, and grace still attend me and even pursue me as a child of God. And this little study alone shows me that there are things which I can do to avoid sin which dishonors God; and that is what we’ll be pursuing in the rest of our study this month. I sure hope you want to surrender more to God’s Spirit and join me in this quest for God’s freely given righteousness.

My Prayer Today: O Lord, You have freed me from the effects of my sin … HALLELUJAH! Amen

October 1, 2011 … Man’s Biggest Problem

Blogger’s Note: Another month and another opportunity to go deeper into the knowledge of my Savior and Lord through His word. This month, again with the help of my devotional shepherd, Dr. John MacArthur, from his devotional book, Strength for Today, I will be delving into the nature of my sinful self, and I’m sure It’ll be like looking into the mirror of truth and learning how to deal with myself and seek my God, Who resides in me. So, if you come along with me, we’ll likely be getting closer and closer to our God. … Looking into a mirror can be painful at times; but it can be very revealing and health; and I’m sure it will be a very good thing for any who come with me!

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Passage of the Day: Romans 3: 23 [see underlined in bold] … 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

My Journal for Today: This month, again with John MacArthur’s help, I will be looking at the topic every Christian should understand, and that is “sin.” I say the latter because sin is likely the only thing in this life to be feared by a Christian. In his devotional for this date from Strength for Today, MacArthur quotes an early Church leader, Crysotom, who wrote, “I fear nothing but sin.” Obviously, believing today’s highlighted passage/verse, we know that sin is pervasive in mankind, a force with which ALL Christians must deal. Therefore, understanding the dimensions of sin is of utmost importance to ALL believers. If you are reading this, I would assume that you might be as interested in learning more about how to avoid and deal with sin … as do I; so, let’s dive in and grow in Christ together.

First, we know that sin causes death, physical and spiritual death; and it leads to eternal separation from God. Therefore, follow the logic with me. If we, as Christians, pursue God; and sin separates us from God, … then would it not behoove all Christians to do all we can to avoid sin? However, as we will see, all our efforts are futile unless we surrender our ALL to the One Who atoned for our sin … Jesus Christ. I boldly maintain that the most prominent reason most Christians cannot or do not avoid sinful choices is their incomplete surrender to God’s Spirit, Who has saved them; and as we saw in my devotional study last month, it is God’s Spirit Who is fully willing – and most certainly able [see 2Cor. 12: 9] - to provide us with the grace we need to overcome sin,… if – and it’s an enormous IF – we humbly receive God’s enabling grace to do so.

MacArthur, in today’s devotional, scripturally defines sin with something that struck me to my core. He wrote, “Sin is the only thing that God hates (see Jer. 44: 4).” And MacArthur goes on to declare that since God hates sin so infinitely much, so should we hate sin, … those of us who call ourselves by His Name. Oh, I hate sin and my sinfulness! Do you? I’m going to assume that any Christian who reads this hates sin and anything in our lives which contributes to sin.

Maybe you don’t hate sin as much as you think you should? Well, join the club! This month, as I wrote above, I’m going to be exploring more of the dimensions of sin to determine just how deeply I understand the nature of its hold on me or any Christian. … I want to learn to hate sin so much that my choices will avoid the consequences of sin and draw me ever closer to God.

Are you with me in this? If so, come along with me daily; and we’ll do all we can, with the help of God’s word and John MacArthur, to more fully protect ourselves against our own sin nature. And in doing so, I’m sure we’ll all get closer to our God and farther away from our common enemy who’d love to see us choose to relent to our own sinfulness.

My Prayer Today: Lord, separate me from my own sinfulness and draw me closer to You. Amen

September 30, 2011 … Using Spiritual Gifts

Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 2: 12 … We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

My Journal for Today: Today I close out a month-long study, aided by John MacArthur’s Strength for Today, as we have viewed our walk, as Christians, in the Spirit of God; and as this discussion closes, MacArthur writes stark words of warning. He declares, “One of the constant battles all believers face is to avoid ministering their spiritual gifts in the power of the flesh.” And this is SO TRUE!! A long time ago, I learned that a Christians CANNOT FIGHT THE FLESH … IN THE FLESH! The only way to fight the flesh is to surrender – COMPLETELY – to the sanctifying grace of God’s Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit, to enable/empower us in our fleshly weakness [see 2nd Cor. 12: 9].

It is so tempting, once a Christian knows his/her Spirit-given gift(s), to try to exercise them by relying on his/her own strength, intelligence, and/or internal selfish desire. And this would be exactly what the enemy would like for Christians to do as we minister with our God bestowed gifts within the Body of Christ. I personally have been blessed with the gift of teaching; and there’s nothing Satan would like to see more than me trying to use my own memory, intelligence, and energy to put a Sunday School lesson together, rather than to pray heartily to God and to rely on the truths of His Spirit-authored word to guide my lesson planning. If you have the Spiritual gift of service, wouldn’t you be more powerful if you let God lead you to projects from His will rather than you finding things to do which YOU FEEL are good things for a Christian to do? Trust me – no, trust God (from Prov. 3: 5, 6) – when we do it our way (i.e., the way of the flesh), even when we’re using our Spirit-given gifts, we are dampening the enabled power that God has for us when we do it HIS way, in HIS time, with HIS power.

And so on this last day of September, MacArthur provides his readers with a quickie lesson on how to avoid quelling God’s Spirit by our own fleshly attempts to do things our way in our everyday ministry and witness [always remembering Acts 1: 8].

First, and always foremost, we must PRAY. We must always be cleansed by prayer before we act with purpose in Christ’s Name. And in a related vane, we must use prayer to purge ourselves of unresolved sin. Reviewing 1st John 1: 9, we have God’s promise that if we have unresolved sin in our lives, God will cleanse that sin before we undertake His work. Going into a God-directed task without cleansing pre-prayer and confession, even when we’re using our Spirit-laden gifts, is like being a gifted swimmer who tries to swim a race with weights strapped to his back. We will only be able to do God’s work, fully empowered, when we have cast off any baggage from past or present sin. And then we move out, using our Spiritual gifts with a walking, ever present, attitude of prayer (see 1st Thes. 5: 17), staying tuned into God’s mind/heart as we act – prayerfully - in His Name.

Secondly, we must YIELD [i.e., surrender] to the Spirit’s power, seeking and then doing God’s will in the task God has laid before us (see Romans12: 1 – 2, which I sure do hope you have memorized!). God freely offers His enabling grace to Christians; but He resists giving it to the prideful Christian who wants to do things on his own (see Prov. 3: 34). As Romans 6: 16 also tells us, our choices are either going to make us a slave to our own flesh or a slave to God’s Spirit; and we will only become the latter when we yield completely to God, trusting that He is going to lead us and enable us to do His will in His power.

Finally, we must be continually FILLED with the Spirit when we are out there in the world, undertaking God’s plan for our lives. When we are duly “prayed up” and in “surrender mode” to God’s Spirit, He can – and will – fill us with His purpose, plan, and power. When this occurs, we will find our thoughts allowing us to become the agent God intended for our lives (see Prov. 23: 7 in NKJV). When our trusting thoughts are God-directed, our Spirit-led choices become God-directed [again always believing Prov. 3: 5, 6]; and there can be no more powerful Christian than one who trusts God, has been unburdened by God in confession, and is totally surrendered to Christ’s Spirit.

I ask you, are you ready to let God’s Spirit shape you into a fully empowered agent of Jesus Christ? The old Army recruiting poster during WW 2 read, “We want you!” And that is what God’s Spirit is saying to our hearts. But will we respond and be recruited in God’s army; or will we ignore God’s call and do it, as Frank Sinatra or Elvis used to sing it, “My way!” ???

My Prayer Today: I’m Yours, Lord … I say again … USE ME! Amen

September 29, 2011 … Spiritual Gifts

Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 12: 7 … Now to each one [i.e., Christian] the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

My Journal for Today: As this verse and passage from 1st Corinthians 12 clearly indicated, each Christian is given, at conversion, at least one special manifestation of God by the Holy Spirit (i.e., a spiritual gift) to minister within and to the Body of Christ (see also 1st Cor. 12: 11). But as John MacArthur correctly teaches in Strength for Today, having spiritual gifts does not make one “spiritual.” It is only the surrendered Christian, submitting to God and using his Spirit-given gift(s) for God’s glory in the Church who would actually be considered a “Spiritual” Christian.

And one must not mistake the use of natural abilities or characteristics such as singing abilities, good looks, intelligence, or an outgoing personality as “spiritual gifts.” Yes, these natural qualities are from God; but they are manifest in non-believers as well as believers; … and these natural characteristics can be used to glorify God. However, they are not the special God-imparted gifts imbued by God’s Spirit when one is born-again which are to be used in special ways in His Body for His Kingdom [for teaching about these gifts see 1st Cor. 12, Rom. 12, or Eph. 4]. As I said, our natural giftedness as Christians should be used to advance God and His Kingdom; and our natural or physical talents/traits should only be used in conjunction with our Christian’s spiritual gifts to enhance our Holy Spirit imparted giftedness.

It would be a tendency of anyone, even Christians, to call attention to self rather than Savior with our natural talents or characteristics, even in the context of the church; and our enemy, Satan, would certainly pour his gas on those flames of pride and arrogance. It’s also “natural” for Christians to ignore or misuse their spiritual gifts for selfish glory as well … such as a teacher calling attention to himself by using his gift of teaching for self attention, rather than for God’s glory.

So, we must, as Peter prayed for the Church in 1st Peter 4: 10 – 11, be good stewards of our spiritual gifts, knowing what our Spirit-imparted gifts are, developing them fully, and using them TO THE MAX within His Body, for His kingdom, and ultimately for God’s glory.

Do you know your spiritual gifts? If you do, have you exercised them and practiced their use in the context of God’s Church? And are you using them fully for God’s glory? YES answers to those questions would certainly bring a smile to God’s face; but NO answers simply mean that we Christians have some work to do, with God’s grace, to learn, develop, and use His gifts for His glory!

My Prayer Today: Use the gifts You gave me, Lord, … in Your Body … for Your glory!

September 28, 2011 … A Healthy Church

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 4: 11 – 12 [see underlined and in bold below with explanation added in parentheses] … 11 It was He [the Holy Spirit] Who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur, in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, states truth when he declares that God desires to reach the world with His Church declaring and sending out His Gospel (as we read in today’s passage and also in a verse I hope you have memorized, Acts 1: 8). To do this the Holy Spirit is given to individual believers so that we are energized, edified, enabled, and empowered to become the collective Body of Christ in order that this unified Body may carry out God’s Great Commission (see Matt. 28: 19 – 20).

Therefore, it is ultimately the Church who becomes the unified and equipped representation of Jesus Christ in the world, … ALL of us individually and collectively using our Spirit-given gifts to reach out with God’s mission/ministry of witness to a lost and dying world (see Christ’s mission/ministry in Luke 4: 18).

So, if we try to be “lone ranger” Christians, we deter or impede the effectiveness of God’s outreach, not using our individual gifts within the collective power that is Christ’s Body, the Church. God, the Holy Spirit, imparts His gifts with the purpose that my gifts will be joined with others, like you, in the unified Church to shine a much brighter, Spirit-enabled, light into this darkened and sin-ridden world, thereby glorifying God, The Father and drawing the lost to His Son (see Matt. 5: 16 in the context of The Great Commission).

{BTW, if you want to hear a great sermon on this subject which my own Pastor delivered to his flock on Sunday, Sept. 25th, go to this link. However, when I went to that site as I’m writing this, the sermon had not yet been posted. Be patient, though; I know it will be posted in the next day or so; and it will be well worth your time to listen to our Pastor passionately preach about “the church” being empowered by God’s Spirit to do God’s will in the world.}

I don’t know about you; but I’m convicted that I don’t use my gifts enough, with Spirit-lifted enablement, for God’s Great Commission and/or His mission for my life. And it doesn’t take a theologian or rocket-scientist to see that the Church is not what it could be in this world because of disunity and division and too many lone ranger Christians trying to do their own thing rather than working in well-equipped unity for God’s Glory. I’ll leave it to God’s Spirit to convict any who might read this of whether we, as God’s Body, are doing enough for our Lord or whether we, as individual Christians are doing enough to promote unity and power in the Church.

My Prayer Today: Lord, use my gifts in Your Church to shine Your Light in this dark world. Amen

September 27, 2011 … The Spirit Unveils the New Covenant

Passage of the Day: 2nd Corinthians 3: 12 - 18 … 4 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.

My Journal for Today: Today’s passage, another from the enlightenment of God’s Spirit via the Apostle Paul, is a wondrous truth revealing the advantage that post-Pentecostal Christians have over the believers of the Old Covenant. As Paul proclaims, we of the New Covenant dispensation have the wondrous indwelling Rabbinical teaching ministry of the One Who is co-equal with Christ (see verse 18 above), the Holy Spirit, Who allows New Testament Christians to come with spiritually unveiled faces (see verses 12 – 13) to God’s Throne of Grace for His unmatched teaching grace. Now, we, as humans, come to the Throne with differing degrees of completion or enlightenment as we are transformed into Christlikeness with, as Paul says, “ever-increasing glory.” But we only have the veil of darkness covering our hearts when we choose to return to self rather than surrender to the Savior’s enabling and enlightening grace through His Spirit.

As John MacArthur writes in today’s devotional from his book, Strength for Today, we who believe in Christ as our Messiah and who actually reflect on the essence of Christian discipleship, live a life of worship where we are continually at the foot of The Master Teacher as He molds us by His Spirit into His own image through His Spirit. What a Mentor we have; and what a wondrous class we Christians have with the Perfect Teacher with His New Covenant being unveiled for us. I know I seem to use terms like “wondrous” repetitively; but this is not hyperbole. It is “wondrous, extraordinary, and mysterious” all wrapped up into the beauty of being a New Covenant Christian. And anyone who humbles himself in repentance and faith to receive Christ as Savior and Lord can live every day, by choice, in this “wondrous” realm of life surrendered in Christ at His foot, learning to be like Him.

My Prayer Today: O, blessed Spirit, teach me all that is Christ! Amen

September 26, 2011 … The Spirit Brings Understanding

Passage of the Day: John 16: 25 [Jesus speaking] … " Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.”

My Journal for Today: In yesterday’s discussion of our relationship with our precious Holy Spirit, we were led, as in today’s verse, by the words of Jesus in His Upper Room Discourse, helping His inner circle of disciples (as well as for you and me) to see the infinite value of the teaching ministry of God’s Spirit in the lives of believers. As I related earlier, before I became a Christian I had studied much of the New Testament in college. Yet, as a non-believer at that time I had no personal insights into the personal application of God’s truths … not a clue! Yet now, when I read and study the same New Testament, God’s Spirit helps me to grow in the understanding of the truths that He has for me [yes, me personally].

My friend and fellow seeker, I don’t know how you feel about this very personal enlightenment ministry of the Holy Spirit; but it’s great for me! It’s the way I find my way through life; and that’s the way it is for all who’ve received Christ as their Savior/Lord [and I’m praying that’s you, too]. No, we may not always understand exactly what Gods’ word has for us when we study it. We’re human; and we can let pride or our sin-laden, deceitful hearts get in the way of Spirit-led understanding (see Jer. 17: 9). However, praying for God’s wisdom (see James 1: 5 - 6) and diligently seeking God’s purpose will yield powerful, fruitful results (see Isaiah 55: 11) as God’s Spirit takes my surrendered attitude and my seeking heart and shines God’s light on my interpretation of His truth (Psalm 119: 105).
The Apostle Paul makes this process clear in his epistle to the Church and to all Christians (see 1st Cor. 2: 6 – 16 - linked here for your study). Here God’s Spirit, through Paul, teaches that one who does not have God’s Spirit as their Teacher, not even the intellectual or the powerful non-believer, can ever expect to be able to plum the depths of God’s mind from Scripture (see Isaiah 55: 8 – 9). Quoting conceptually from Isaiah 64: 5, 17, Paul proclaims that without the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, mankind just won’t - and can’t - “get it” when it comes to knowing God and His ways. However, Paul posits that the believer, if so motivated and surrendered, will be able to discern God’s ways and His will from His word; because, … having God’s Spirit in his/her heart, Christians have the very mind of Christ to guide our way.

And my fellow seeker, did you get that last truth?! (See 1st Cor. 2: 16) If you, as I am, are a disciple of Christ and a diligent seeker after His truth, we have the very mind of God in our hearts to be able to discern God’s light shining on our path. Is that not the best deal going?!

If we assume this to be truth – and I do by experience; – then all of us, as believers (i.e., as born-again Christians), need to trust God’s word and His Spirit-anointed teachers/preachers to show us His way through the maze we call life (see Prov. 3: 5 – 6). I don’t know about you; but it is exciting to me to know that if I dig into God’s word with the help of His Spirit, I will be able to understand the very mind of God and use His truth as a torch to light His path for my life (again see the truth of Ps. 119: 105).

That’s what I’m doing on this very morning with this devotional; and I hope anyone who reads this will appreciate the wondrous power we have in God’s Spirit to seek and to glean the mind of God. And may I take the liberty to link you to a wonderful song, performed by Kristyn Getty, which expresses what I’ve been trying to write here this morning. PLEASE LISTEN TO this YouTube piece as a prayer from all believers; and be grateful – as am I – for God’s ever penetrating, ever probing, and ever powerful ministry of truth through His word.

My Prayer Today: Show me Your way … from Your word, Lord! Amen

September 25, 2011 … The Need for Understanding

Passage of the Day: John 16: 12, 25 … [Jesus speaking] … 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. … 25 Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.”

My Journal for Today: It’s quite apparent that the original twelve Disciples were, at times, overwhelmed and cloudy, to say the least, by the teachings of their Master and the One Whom at least eleven of them, at the time He spoke the words of today’s highlighted passage, believed Jesus to be The Messiah. And when Jesus taught in figurative sayings or language (as in John 6: 35 or 6: 53 – 58 or 8: 12), His followers were perplexed. It was not until these men were indwelt by the Holy Spirit, after Jesus’ resurrection, did their light of understanding come on. And all one has to do to confirm this is to note Peter, the impetuous and wayward follower before Pentecost, the one who denied Christ before His death; and then we see Peter, the Apostle who became the steady-as-a-rock disciple after Pentecost, the one who could lead so many to Christ and the one who became the brilliant, Spirit-inspired preacher, pastor, and leader of the early Church. And what was the difference of Peter before and after Christ had ascended into heaven? You guessed it … the light of insight, edification, and power provided by God’s Spirit [see Acts 1: 8, also the words of Jesus to His disciples].

And while I certainly don’t compare my own mind to the depth of clarity displayed by Peter after Pentecost, I can well compare myself in my pre-Christian days to his impetuous nature as he balked in fear, running from who he really was in Christ. Yet, how I view and interpret God’s word now as compared to my pre-Christian days is like day versus night. Before I came to know Christ as my Savior/Lord, when I was an angry “agnostic,” God’s teachings, even when I took courses in the New Testament as literature in college, were unrevealed to me. It was like being in a fog and not having a clue as to my direction. However, now, with the Spirit’s guidance, God’s word draws me out of the fog of life, ever being a beacon that points me from the darkness into the light [as described in Psalm 119: 105].

Where would you be without the guiding light of God’s Spirit and the clarity provided by His word? Yes, even the Christian can be clueless, unless he/she surrenders and uses the Spirit-enlightened truth of Scripture to light the path of life. The darkness of this world can be overwhelming; but thankfully God has provided His Light of Scripture and the Person of His Spirit as our beacon to make it through the storm clouds of this life. May we, who know Christ as The Messiah and Lord, draw heavily upon God’s Spirit to shine a light on our path (again, please see Proverbs 3: 5, 6 and Psalm 119: 105, which I do hope you have deeply seated in your heart).

My Prayer Today: You, precious Spirit, give me all understanding, my Lord. Amen

September 24, 2011 … The Spirit’s Intercession

Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 26 … In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

My Journal for Today: When we are experiencing personal trials, especially when we feel like we are weak or vulnerable (the Greek for “weakness” in today’s text is “astheneia,” which can refer to physical, emotional, and/or spiritual infirmity or disability), it is comforting when we learn that an empathetic and capable friend is doing all he or she can to help, including praying for us diligently or standing with us in a time of trial. And if one has legal challenges, it becomes essential to have a competent attorney to stand with us, interceding on our behalf to authorities or when we don’t feel able to handle our own affairs. Ever felt like that or been in that kind of dilemma?

Well, in the spiritual realm, God, the Son, has provided for both of these contingencies, having imparted to each believer the Holy Spirit (see John 14: 16) to be our Comforter, our Intercessor, and even our Paraklete (or advocate) to secure our place in Heaven or before God’s Throne of Grace (see Hebrews 7: 25). And certainly in the hostile world in which we live, as well as with our own sin nature, we would be ever at a loss without the infinitely competent and powerful intercession of our precious and ever capable Holy Spirit.

And as it says in today’s verse, God, the Spirit, is constantly and continually interceding for us, even in our state of agony with “groanings” which are heard and received by God, even when we don’t know for what we should pray or ask. This is God’s divine language on our behalf, which is always received and perfectly interpreted by our God, Who forever knows our needs and cares for us (see 1st Peter 5: 7).

I’ve been there many times; and I’ll bet you have to … in that place of groaning incompetence where I don’t even know what to utter for a prayer; and yet, God comes through for me. I’m afraid that all too often I take my Paraklete, God, the Holy Spirit, for granted; because, without Him, I would be lost and separated from God. However, with Him, … well, in this moment of insight and remembrance, it’s incredibly reassuring to know that He’s right here, even as I type these words, helping me, lifting me, enlightening me and even praying for me before my Father and my Savior in heaven.

My Prayer Today: O, dear, blessed Spirit, …thank You for Your prayers. Amen

September 23, 2011 … Guaranteed Heavenly Glory

Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 17 … [see in underlined/bold below] 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

My Journal for Today: Sinful man may not be able to see all of God’s intended glory, which was present in Adam and Eve before the fall. The saved, believing as we do, might be able to see bits of that glory through the eyes of faith; but for the lost, that is impossible. Hence, it is no wonder why we see such hopelessness and cynicism and even anger concerning God and Christ in those who have not received God’s saving grace, … i.e., those who do not have God’s Spirit dwelling in their hearts.

But all of mankind knows that glory is absent … yes, even those who have not been born anew in Christ. All of man has seen, in God’s creation, what could be and what is not. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1: 18 – 20, …

SCRIPTURE: “18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. “

From the dawn of time, it has been God’s plan that those who are reborn in Christ would be “recreated” to be like Him in glory (see Romans 8: 29 – 30 and 1st Cor. 15: 35 – 57). Therefore, with God’s Spirit sealing that reality, saved believers live with the hope of glory, … as the Psalmist declared in Psalm 17: 15 or the Apostle in 1st John 3: 2. As we live out our lives in our sojourn here on earth, John MacArthur rightly says, “The Holy Spirit guides us through different levels of glory.” [also see 2nd Cor. 3: 18] And furthermore, as we grow in our relationship with Christ, becoming more-and-more like Him in our sanctification, I believe God, the Holy Spirit, gives us, what I call, glimpses of glory to bolster our hope until that day when we are face-to-face, being fully restored into the glorified form we were intended to have in His image (see Gen. 1: 27).

I hope you’ve experienced those “glimpses of glory.” I certainly have, … seeing God’s character in the beauty of a sunset, the radiance of a rainbow, or in the love my wife displays when I don’t deserve her love. I have seen His love as two turtle doves cuddled [that’s a long, but wonderful story – ask me about it someday – I’d love to share it with you], … and I have witnessed His grace in the forgiveness of my wife or in the unencumbered love of our grandchildren. We, who believe, if we stop to see the glory which God shows us providentially, we can be blessed by glimpses of what is to come when we see the face of Jesus.

I have even felt God’s glory imparted this morning in meditating on the passages Dr. MacArthur led me to in this devotional. Did you sense that glory? I hope so. If you want to be helped to meditate on God’s glory in reading this, click on this hyperlink and be taken to a great contemporary hymn by the Gettys, entitled BY FAITH.

My Prayer Today: O, my Lord, I long for the glory! But I’m grateful for the life You give me here today. Amen

September 22, 2011 … The Spirit and Adoption

Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 14 – 16 … [see in bold and underlined below] 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

My Journal for Today: In the first century a father could, and occasionally would, adopt a son and choose to make the adopted son the primary heir of the father’s estate. This is the word picture to which Paul was referring in today’s passage from Romans 8; and it is a good one to describe what happens when any Christian becomes re-born, i.e., adopted, into the family of God, to become God’s heir for eternity (see also John 1: 12 – 13).

And consistent with this word picture and the truth of my adoption into God’s eternal family, The Church of true believers, all my ties (i.e., all my debts) to my former life were severed (see today’s verse); and I can now rightfully call my God, “Abba Father.” And with my adoption, God sealed the process by imparting His Spirit, … implanted in my heart to reshape me into the image of Christ Himself (see 2nd Cor. 5: 17 and Phil. 1: 6). Now, being a true adopted son of God, all my past sin debts are cancelled; and I have the right – at any time – to come into the presence of my Heavenly Father, The King, without any condemnation (see Rom. 8: 1). Now is that not cool, or what?!!!

All of this, as John MacArthur points out in his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, is superintended by the Holy Spirit so that we, who believe and receive our Father’s grace, can live as children of God (again, above see Rom. 8: 16).

I know this is not a long devotional journal entry, but it is so important that we “get it,” … that is … that we internalize the meaning of our true relationship with God, the Father, through God, the Son, as witnessed to our souls, by God, the Holy Spirit. So, here I am, right now in this place, coming to my Abba Father, because His Son has given me entry rights to the Throne Room; and I’m labeled and enabled by God’s Spirit to be here. And I hope (and pray) that you’re with me. … Are you?

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, I am Your son forever! Blessed be Your Name! And I just know that there are others here who embrace our adopted place in Your kingdom family. Amen

September 21, 2011 … The Spirit’s Assurance

Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 9 … [NIV] … You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Romans 8: 9 … NASB … However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

My Journal for Today: In reading John MacArthur’s devotional for this date in Strength for Today, I agree with his contention that a Christian’s assurance of salvation is, in his words, “… essential to our Christian lives.” The Apostle Paul in today’s verse writes about the reality of how the Spirit of God, working in the heart of the Christ, causes one to be controlled by God [i.e., if that someone is surrendered, by faith, to God’s Spirit].

Think about it. If you have doubts about your salvation [i.e., whether or not you believe that you truly “belong to Christ” as Paul wrote], you are not going to see the world through eyes of assertive faith, … nor will you act (i.e., make choices) that are based upon your confidence in your relationship with Christ. The faithful one, however, … the one who truly BELIEVES he/she is saved, will move on that belief, KNOWING that God is in control of his/her life, which in the long-term picture of life will demonstrate (i.e., with the fruitfulness mentioned in Ga. 5: 22-23) his/her belief in his/her salvation and his/her “Christian” world view.

In today’s passage Paul writes of God’s Spirit “living” or “dwelling” in the true believer (i.e., the saved Christian). The Greek term for “to dwell” is “oikeo;” and it literally means to make a home or to take up residence. So, when one is truly saved, we have a new nature residing in our hearts, ever driving us, pulling us, edging us, drawing us toward a life in the Spirit rather than a life controlled by our sinful, deceitful, fleshly heart (see Jer. 17: 9 and John 3: 6). This being truth, Paul (in 2nd Cor. 13: 5) exhorts Christians to test ourselves to see if really have the Spirit of God’s Spirit dwelling in us.

To do this “test,” we could ask ourselves …

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>>> Do I see the fruit of the Spirit maturing in my life? (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23)
>>> Do I struggle against sin, desiring to be free of its influence? (see Rom. 7: 14 – 25; Gal. 5: 16 – 17)
>>> Do my attitudes and choices reflect a drive toward Godliness? (1st John 1: 6 – 10)
>>> Do I yearn for closeness/communion with God ? (1st John 1: 3)
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If, as you read these questions and meditate on the verses supporting them, you are mentally and with confidence nodding “YES” to any question about your salvation; … and God is telling you that He resides permanently in your soul (i.e., heart). In other words, my fellow Christian, YOU ARE SAVED by His grace (see Eph. 2: 8 -9).

Now, with that assurance of our salvation, we saved Christians must walk in the Spirit, surrendered to the One Who dwells in us, and live out our salvation unto God’s workmanship (see Eph. 2: 10). And when we do that, we will begin to see more and more fruit in our lives (again, Gal. 5: 22 – 23). So, I pray that you know that you know that you know that you know that you are saved.

My Prayer Today: I know You are in me, Lord; and I pray You dwell richly in my soul, precious Spirit! Amen

September 20, 2011 … Fulfilling God’s Law

Passage of the Day: Romans 8: 4 … in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

My Journal for Today: In Ezekiel 11: 19 – 20 God promised that He would place into all believers, His Spirit, Who would allow God’s people to fulfill the Law of God. And through Christ and His New Covenant, that promise has been fulfilled. Through my faith and repentance, God saved me. If you’re reading what I write here today, I pray God has done that for you as well; because through that salvation, we are declared righteous forever.

That is called “positional righteousness;” and because we believers now have God’s Spirit implanted into our hearts forever, we Christians now have the enabling power to turn positional righteousness into “practical righteousness,” …i.e., the everyday ability to live according to God’s Law and to avoid our sin nature. That is the message of today’s highlighted verse from the Apostle Paul to God’s people in Romans 8; and it is God’s message to all Christians of our age as well Paul delivered that truth to believers of the 1st Century. And because of God’s very practical day-to-day enabling grace, I can see God’s fruit (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23 blossom in my life, avoiding the fruit of the flesh (see Gal. 5: 19 – 21) which was so evident in my life before I came to know Christ as my Lord/Savior and surrendered to His Spirit.

Beyond God’s redemption of my soul, it is His purpose for me – and for any believer – to live a life of good works (see Eph. 2: 10 and Titus 2: 14). So, when we, as Christians, choose disobedience, which is still our free-will choice, we quench the enabling grace of God’s Spirit to give us the power to fulfill God’s Law. That is the remaining power of our deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17: 9) to make flesh-driven choices rather than Spirit-led ones. To put it in John MacArthur’s words, “The believer who disobeys, especially one who persists in sin, prevents the Spirit from naturally leading [the Christian] along a path of holiness.”

It is certainly true that I’m still a sinner by nature; however, now I’m a saved and redeemed sinner [i.e., a “Saint”]; and I have God’s Spirit, giving me the power to live like the Saint whom God has made me to become in Christ. And in that truth any Christian – perhaps you – can join me to live to please God, enabled by God’s Spirit to live in righteousness every day.

My Prayer Today: To that end, Lord, all I can say is HALLELUJAH!! Amen

September 19, 2011 … Spirit-filled Submission

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 21 [see underlined/bold below] … 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.


My Journal for Today: As John MacArthur reminds us in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, the concept of “submission” is not one which is esteemed in our western, post-modern culture. For the world at large, “submission” usually denotes weakness or being out of control. And yet, this is the attitude sought after by God’s Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, in his exhortation to the Ephesians, the church, and all Christians in today’s passage.

Our natural tendency, which of course comes from our sin nature, is to desire control over situations and others. However, according to our model of Christlikeness, Jesus Himself, we must, as His disciples, try to be like Him, especially in our attitude (see Phil. 2: 5); and Jesus was the model of surrender and submission. He even used surrender terms to describe Himself. In the only two self-descriptive terms ever quoted from Jesus, he called himself “humble” and “meek,” (see Matt. 11: 29) both of which speak of Christ being willing to surrender His glory to humbly serve others, rather than to take on the majesty which was rightly His (see Phil. 2: 5 – 11). During his three year ministry, Jesus continually referred to doing nothing but submitting His all to the will of His Father.

In today’s verse, the term “hupotasso” is used as the Greek concept for “submit;” and this term is derived from a word picture of a soldier surrendering his will – voluntarily – to his officers. And for the Christian the outcome of mutual submission is aptly described by Paul in Phil. 2: 3 – 4 [another of the verses that I hope you have memorized] where the Apostle teaches individual surrender to our Lord Jesus in the context of Christian fellowship. It reads as follows; “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Remember, … from Scripture (again specifically from Phil. 2: 5), Christians are exhorted to have the attitude of Christ; and in today’s devotional we read that the ultimate attitude for Christians, in the context of the fellowship of man, is to elevate the needs of others over the desires of self; and this becomes the expression of our desire to model how Christ lived His life. And surrendering self to the Holy Spirit, i.e., allowing Him to take the lead in our lives, should be the first expression of our mutual submission in the context of the church. And what would this look like in our lives, especially our church lives? Well, one such action of surrender to God would be to submit [“hupotasso”] to the leaders or elders of our church (see Hebrews 13: 17 and 1st Peter 5: 5). For as long as there is evidence that the leaders of any church are following God and His word (see this in the life of Paul in 1st Cor. 11: 1), our surrender to their authority and lead is what this devotional emphasizes in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

But do we? Do we as Christians find that we overcome our selfish nature and our desire to control others, submitting our will, first to the leaders of our church, and then in mutual surrender to one another? I think not! Because if we did exhibit Christlike surrender, there would not be the degree of strife that we see in today’s churches. How often do we see churches splitting because the will of a few, who desire control? Too often, I’m afraid, we see splinter groups buffeted against the will of the designated or recognized leaders of the church or the Pastor. And how often do we see people gossiping or angry because of their unwillingness to submit to others, especially the leaders of the church? Yes, all too often.

The point here is that mutual surrender or submission, being humanly unnatural, is a definite sign, when it occurs, that an individual Christian has allowed God’s Spirit to take control of his/her spirit so that the love of God can become expressed in Christian surrender to the needs of others. And when this happens in a body of believers, Christ, being lived out in His disciples, becomes evident to a lost and dying world (see also John 1: 7 or 13: 34).

My Prayer Today: Lord, I surrender all! Ame

September 18, 2011 … Spirit-filled Gratitude

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 20 [see in bold below] … 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur begins his devotional entry for this date in Strength for Today with a rather stark declaration: “I’m convinced that gratitude is the single greatest act of worship we can render to God.” And, of course, he is using the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Eph. 5: 20 as support for this contention, pointing us toward this attitude of gratitude as a foundational element in our relationship with Christ.

When we have a life sustaining attitude of thankfulness (see also 1st Thes. 5: 18), it is probably one of the most “visible” evidences for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives; and it is released by our surrender to God’s Spirit working in our heart. It is the visible evidence of God’s love working in and through the Christian (see John 13: 34, 35) which shines the Light of our Lord into a dark world and glorifies our Father in heaven (see Matt. 5: 16).

Certainly being thankful or grateful “… for everything,” as today’s verse exhorts, is not something my human, ever deceitful, heart can sustain (see Jer. 17: 9), especially in times of dire challenge, privation, or physical tribulation (see also James 1: 2 – 5 or 1st Peter 2: 20 – 21). A believer who can carry the attitude of thankfulness, which only God can provide, into and through the trials of life certainly is one who never forgets God’s goodness and mercy (see Ps. 106: 1), the gift of Christ Himself (see 2nd Cor. 9: 15), the triumph of the Gospel (see 2nd Cor. 2: 14), and Christ’s victory over death (see 1st Cor. 15: 56 – 57).

MacArthur closes his devotional for this date by pointing his readers, as I will here, to Hebrews 13: 15, which presents a perfectly apt summary of this lesson of the heart …

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SCRIPTURE: Heb. 13: 15 [NASB] Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His Name.
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I have to ask myself, “Is my life being lived out as an offering of gratitude in worship?” I’m afraid not as much as it should; but I’m bolstered by 2nd Cor. 12: 9 as always, telling me that God’s grace is sufficient, even in my weaknesses, to allow His strength to give me the attitude of gratitude which the Holy Spirit offers me continually.

My Prayer Today: Thank you, Lord! Amen

Journal Author’s Note: As with today’s journal entry above, I often cite quite a few Scripture references to support what I’m writing with the authority of God’s word. I hope that anyone who reads my writings will have the Berean attitude and motivation to check me out, looking up the passages cited if the reader doesn’t already have any of these references committed to memory. I don’t pretend to be a biblical scholar or anything but a pursuer of God’s truth; and I pray that you are equally seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we study His personhood this month. … <’BB><

September 17, 2011 … Spirit-filled Song

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 19 [see in bold below] … 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, …

My Journal for Today: What’s your song? If you are a Christian and reading this, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling eternally in your heart. So, do you find yourself, as Paul declares in today’s verse, “making music in your heart,” or [speaking] “to one another with … spiritual songs?”

If not, and you are truly a Christian, what does Paul mean by this verse? Is he saying that Spirit-filled Christians will always be walking around singing “songs” as we normally think of “singing.” Well, I suppose there are believers and followers of Christ who might do that some that, some of the time. However, I think Paul, here, is reflecting on the attitude of the Christian’s heart, as he was in 1st Thes. 5: 17 when he exhorted believers to be “praying continually [NIV].”

In our church culture, we often equate “worship” in a church service with the singing of hymns or praise songs. And today’s passage may be one reason why that equation has developed. As I’ve said earlier this month, when it comes to Spirit-filled living, “worship” is the 24/7 expression of our lives in surrender to our Lord. It is the life of “living sacrifice” expressed by Paul in Rom. 12: 1. Yes, it can be an expression of our love and/or praise for God in song; but it more often is the way our heart sings for God in the way we think, say, and do things. And that is what I think Paul was expressing in today’s verse.

I believe he’s saying that the born-again, transformed heart of a sold-out follower of Christ will openly share an attitude of “song,” praising God with an enthusiastic praise-born life, where God is worshipped and praised by what the Christian thinks, says, and does.

Yes, sometimes that life of worship might involve actual melodic singing; but I’m sure you’ve encountered brothers and/or sisters in Christ whose very presence sings a song of joy and praise and is evidence of God’s Spirit in that one’s heart. Our Pastor is that way. His life is an open song of praise wherever he goes; but thankfully, with his singing ability (or lack thereof as is the reality), though he might like to sing his praises, he doesn’t do his “singing” with traditional song [though he does love to sing the refrain to the old hymn, God Is So Good, anytime he is leads the men of our church in any type of teaching]. And when Pastor Ernie sings in public, I hope that he’s in tune with God’s chorus of angels; because he certainly can’t carry a tune in a bucket here on this earth. But my point is that my dear Pastor and brother in Christ exhibits the “singing” referred to by the Apostle in Eph. 5: 19 by the way he lives his life, which is a soulful witness to His love of Jesus in all he says and does. Ernie Frey’s life is a song of joy for Jesus; and his life song certainly has to be a praise chorus of delight in the mind of God.

I pray that we all could be so filled with God’s Spirit that our witness is a song-filled life of worship. I certainly aspire to be a “soul-singer” of Christ’s song in the way I live, hopefully not being off-tune with selfishness in my life song; and prayerfully I can let my life be tuned to the Christlikeness God’s Spirit wants to sing through me.

My Prayer Today: Lord, may my life be Your song. Amen

September 16, 2011 … Filled with the Holy Spirit

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 18b [see portion in bold and underlined below] … Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

My Journal for Today: If we, as Christians, are to live Spirit-controlled lives (i.e., to “walk in the Spirit”), we must be, as the Apostle Paul exhorted in today’s verse, “… filled with the Spirit.”

John MacArthur in his Strength for Today devotional for this date reminds his readers that the Greek concept of “filled with” from this passage is the word “pleroo,” which has three (3) shades of meaning in translation. One of these is the word picture of wind filling the sails of a sailboat and driving that boat toward its destination. This is a wonderful picture of what the Holy Spirit does for the Christian. When we surrender our ship to God’s Spirit, we turn our vessel of life into such an attitude as to allow God’s winds to fill our sails and drive us toward God’s destination (i.e., His will) for our lives … that of Christlikeness.

The second of the “pleroo” word pictures might be that of Alka-Seltzer tabs being dropped into water, totally changing the flavor and essence of the water into which it’s dropped. This is much like the transformation or “filling” [i.e., completion] that takes place in the soul/life of the believer when we receive the essence of God in His Spirit. After God, the Holy Spirit, is “dropped” into us by His grace and our surrendering to Him by our faith, we bubble and change over time; and others can taste and savor the flavor of that change as our lives are transformed into a new essence – again, that of Christlikeness. [see 2nd Cor. 5: 17]

And the final picture is one of a person yielding to the dominance of a higher power, as one might who obeys a higher authority in the military. It’s a total yielding of one’s behavior to the leading of a higher power. As MacArthur puts it, “In practice, the Spirit-filled walk is a matter of knowing God’s word and obeying it.” (see Colossians 3: 15) It’s a matter of yielding self to the ultimate authority of our Savior and letting His Spirit guide and lead us from His word (see Prov. 3: 5-6).

And using all three word pictures of “pleroo,” we can only be empowered, transformed, or guided when we are in complete SURRENDER MODE to God’s Spirit …i.e., “filled with” the Holy Spirit.

My Prayer Today: I am totally yours, Lord! Fill me! Amen