Nuggets from my Devotional Closet

The last week has been full of light and life from my daily devotions. One day I was impressed by Jesus' words, "go proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God." What a challenge and an opportunity to proclaim His priceless kingdom in every place. It is a big and glorious subject!

Another day I was deeply moved by that fact that Jesus suffered on the cross to destroy all the works of the devil. That includes every facet of spiritual darkness that blinds the eyes of the unbelieving and keeps them bound. The Light of the World is Jesus and we must come to the light in order to see things clearly and rightly.

"Who is the faithful servant...to give them their rations at the proper time?" What a challenge that is to us pastors and faithers to give the right ministry at the right time. Jesus went on to say, "who knew the master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with His will." We must seek Him to discern God's will in ministry which includes the right thing at the right time in the right way. It is a good thing that He has given us the Holy Spirit as our guide!

I was convicted another morning as I was previewing a DVD on anger. They stated that cutting off our spirit from someone else is a form of hatred the root of murder. That hit me in my heart because I have struggled in recent months over rejection and hurt because of people that I loved and felt heart unity with who left our church fellowship. It's one thing when there is strong disagreement over doctrine and people separate to maintain peace and avoid conflict. It is another thing when Christians separate just because _______?? and there is no logical scriptural reason for it. For me, that hurts a lot more. I committed, by God's grace, never to pull my spirit away from others no matter how hurt I feel. That's the kind of love my Lord demonstrated and because of all He has done for me, I can accept nothing less.

Another morning in thinking about the coming elections I noticed: "will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night?...speedily..." Since then we have been crying to Him each morning and evening for righteousness in our nation. Our government leaders are only a small part of that, but an key part in experiencing God's continued blessing when our laws line up with His. Elected officials are going to make people righteous, only Jesus can do that, and neither are they going to bring about the Kingdom of Christ, His return will accomplish that. We pray over the elections just in obedience to his call to "occupy until He comes," be salt to the world around us, and fulfill the mandate to pray for those in authority.

It Always Darkest Before the Dawn

"It's always darkest before the dawn" is an insight that is often true in nature and the spiritual realm. Another way of putting it is that as God prepares to move, the enemy works his hardest to deceive us into thinking that nothing is happening or will happen. I think a lot of the media hoopla around this election is simply a smoke screen to discourage "values voters." The key thing for us is "don't be discouraged, but carry on." I have been thinking about how many examples there are in the Bible of this concept.

The greatest one is the resurrection of Jesus. The three days that the disciples thought were the blackest, when all hope was gone, was the very time that Jesus was in the heart of the earth taking "captivity captive" for the greatest victory ever. He came out of the grave, tore the bars of death away and defeated the devil's power for all time. The children of Israel in Egypt longed for freedom, but when God started to work through Moses, things went from bad to worse. The bondage grew heavier and heavier until God finally bared His arm and brought the mighty power of Egypt to its knees, first with ten plagues and then by destroying Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea! The three worthies stood up for God and the first result was the king's anger and his command to stoke the furnace seven times hotter. It seemed even more hopeless until God literally stepped into the fiery furnace, walked with the three young men, and saw that they were delivered so that not even a hair of their head was harmed.

So no matter how dark things look in your personal life, in our nation, or in the world, "keep your eyes upon the eastern sky; lift up your heads, your redemption draweth nigh." And remember that when things appear the darkest, God is moving and perhaps doing his greatest work! Even when it seems like a battle is lost, we remember that God will win the war, so keep on fighting. He desires that we keep believing and proclaiming the truth. The final outcome is certain. We know the final score. Revelation's theme is clear: "Jesus Wins!"

Have a wonderful day, resting in the certainty of the final outcome.

Victory in Jesus--He turns the tables on evil

The greatest victory in the known universe took place on the cross of Christ. The resurrection three days later was God's exclamation point, but when Jesus ended His agony on the cross with "It is finished," the victory was won. Those who were near the cross at the end were deeply affected by what they saw. The Bible indicates that the centurion exclaimed, "Surely this was the Son of God," and the crowd went away beating their breasts. What was it that evoked this response? The centurion was impressed by the earthquake as well as how Jesus gave up the ghost. He had probably seen many people die in warfare or at other crucifixions, but he had never witnessed the triumph of Christ's victory over evil at his death. Jesus completed the job of nailing to the cross all the things that are against us and openly triumphed over all the forces of darkness.

The devil and all his minions thought they had it all wrapped up for their side with Jesus dying, but Jesus grabbed victory out of defeat. Just when there was no hope and everything was literally and spiritually black, Christ came through with a mighty triumph over his foes. I think Jesus' victory was foreshadowed in the story of Esther. Haman had laid his plans to completely destroy God's people but God turned the tables on him through Esther and her humble obedience to His divine will. What looked like hopelessness and defeat was completely overturned into a dramatic victory. It is no wonder the Jewish people still celebrate that change of events. Another example is Samson's removing of the city gates. His enemies were convinced they had him trapped in a walled city and could do him in. Instead Samson got up in the middle of the night and heaved up the gate of their city and planted in on a nearby hill. The very thing which had him trapped was rendered completely ineffective in this act of triumph.

Jesus has turned the table on the devil and all his schemes. Instead of His people being destroyed for eternity in hell, we now have the fullness of heaven and the enjoyment of His presence in the holy of holies for eternity. Instead of being bound by evil habits or disease we can be free because the power of those things was broken by the cross of calvary! The early apostles were accused of being people who turned the world upside down. They were simply doing what their Lord had done before them. We have also been engrafted into His victory so that His victory is our victory and God expects us to turn the world upside down right where He has put us. It may be some impossible situation that we are in or know about that others are facing. We can see it changed by our faith in His victory. Overcomers still take things the way they are and make them bend to the will of God! Or as the Coronet song puts it: "Fight says the Coronet, don't give up, don't give up... take the Kingdom where you are and drive the devil out!...faith in the Lamb of God, living faith, living faith, will assure the victory." John Piper in his book "The passion of Jesus Christ" entitles his last chapter, "Christ suffered and died to show that the worst evil is meant by God for good." By faith in God's power represented by the cross we can see Him turn evil into good.

I was freshly reminded how God took Ezekiel into the valley of dry bones and asked him if they could live. Ezekiel's non committal answer "Thou knowest" is not surprising in the face of these bones that were very dry. He knew intellectually that God could do anything, but these dry bones were something else. Then he was told to prophesy over these bones and God began His miraculous work. It went on in a couple stages but the end result was a great army raised up to do God's work. What are your dry bones? Let them hear the word of the Lord through your prophetic words and the results will be amazing!

Jesus' Perfect Peace

During a recent convention I sensed a deep peace in my own heart that we are on the right track despite discouraging and perplexing things. He really does keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him since we fully trust Him. Added to the peace that I experienced last week, this week we studied another facet of the gospel. Jesus satisfies our heart longings and gives us heart peace. Whether we are thinking about the living water that He promised to those who come to him or the fact that there are wells of salvation for every need, the final result is that we can be fully satisfied and be like a well watered garden! It is all because of Jesus!

Jesus' words, "my peace I give to you, not as the world gives" have taken on new meaning. The world gives peace dependent on the surroundings, but Jesus gives us a peace that passes all understanding because no matter how stormy our surroundings we still can have peace in Him. His peace is inside in our hearts since we know we are right with Him. We have peace with God through Jesus Christ. It is a peace that the world can't take away. It lasts because it is based on His complete salvation and the full assurance that our names are written in heaven and we are guaranteed eternity spent with Him. As the song puts it "with salvation's walls surrounded we can smile at all our foes."

Whether you feel in the middle of a battle, on top of the mountain, lonely in the valley, or stretched beyond your limits, let the peace of Christ rule. Stop and take it in this day. Let the peace of Christ pervade your heart, your family, your home and even your pets and belongings!

Back to Blogging

As you can see, I have not posted for several months. The next few posts are some thoughts and things I have written over this time frame as e-mails of encouragement to Christian friends. I hope they will be of interest to others as well.

Adventures with God in the Life of Faith

I would like to encourage you to live a "life of faith." No matter where we live or what God has given us for a vocation, that challenge is applicable today. The life of faith consists of two parts. First, giving ourselves completely to God and second, trusting Him for everything. I find that I need reminders to give myself completely to God because even though I have done it in the past, human nature drifts away from that commitment and it needs to be refreshed. Paul expressed it in 1 Corinthians, "and ye are not your own for ye were bought with a price..." If we want God real and to have continual personal revival, we must continually yield or give ourselves to God.

Trusting God isn't just for financial needs but for physical, emotional and spiritual needs as well. It seems as though if God isn't testing us in one area of our lives then it is in another. We may have plenty of money, but desperately need to know God's direction for where he wants us to live, or be feeling overwhelmed by fear. The answer is to trust God. One mature saint put it this way, in every circumstance and difficulty simply say "for this there is God." Someone else defined abiding in Christ as saying in every situation, "for this I have Jesus." I will never forget a meeting years ago where I heard the powerful truth that whatever we face, we can proclaim "Jesus is bigger."

In reading the Psalms I notice how many times David refers to his trust in God. Here are a few examples: "What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee." Psa 56:3 "Trust in him at all times, ye people; Pour out your heart before him..." Psa 62:8 "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will make mention of the name of Jehovah our God." Psa 20:7 "But as for me,...I trust in the loving kindness of God for ever and ever." Psa 52:8 "They that trust in Jehovah are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever." Psa 125:1 "So shall I have an answer for him that reproacheth me; for I trust in thy word." Psa 119:42

One of the greatest challenges and opportunities is to trust the promises written in God's word which clearly show that He is in control and everything is going to come out just right. He knows the end from the beginning and when we are in the middle of it all we must remind ourselves that God is going to prevail and all evil will be vanquished by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We must fight the good fight of faith, but He will always give us the victory.

Heart Fellowship

I heard a news clip the other day about a recent survey in which most Americans indicated that they have no close friends. While it didn't surprise me, it saddened me. I believe that one of God's purposes in our lives is that we know "the friend that sticketh closer than a brother" [JESUS] and develop close friendships with others of like precious faith. Especially as we are in the last days where the devil's main weapon against us is deception, it is vital that we have others close to us who can help us not get caught in deception. True friends will disagree with us or even point out blind spots that make us uncomfortable. When I read John Eldredge's book Awaking the Dead the chapter about heart fellowships made a lasting impression on my heart. He describes the struggles and joys of having small heart fellowship groups where people are transparent and support each other in joy and sorrow. That is the theme of this year's family convention--Heart Fellowships. It is especially appropriate because God designed the family to be a heart fellowship where all love and care for each other. This past winter we had heart fellowship groups for our midweek meeting activity here. In introducing them, I wrote the following paragraph which I believe is still applicable.

It seems that the second most oft used way by which the Holy Spirit has led me is through the counsel of other godly people. Whether it is my wife, a close Christian friend, or someone over me in the Lord, listening carefully to what others are sensing is a vital aspect of being led by the Holy Spirit. That is why I feel more and more on my heart the necessity of all of us being actively involved in some kind of heart fellowship group--some place where you are at home and can freely share your needs and your heart and others can say the frank things that you need to hear. Without this we may be cutting ourselves off from a potential channel of communication for the Holy Spirit. Ideally it is with others in our church fellowship, but sometimes it may involve Christians outside our fellowship. It may be dedicated Christians in a community Bible study, a local Christian men's group, or some other format where we are truly able to open up our hearts and our lives and carry one another's burdens. It has to be where we feel no need to put on a front and look good, but can be transparent and accountable. If you don't have such an opportunity, I suggest that you pray that God will bring something along. I think that the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing in this direction.

I would add that of course we need to be very selective to where we open up our hearts because there still is a need for separation from worldly ideas or unbiblical doctrine, but it is amazing to me how God's Spirit has been moving in the Christian world back to God's Word. There are many honest seeking hearts that we can have fellowship with. I think that the days of the Christian "lone ranger" who successfully works all by himself without relying on others is over and that we need to develop close Christian fellowship with others in order to succeed. Some personalities are more independent by nature than are others but regardless of personality, we need each other. The Bible is full of various admonitions about what we are to do "one to another." Here are a few: "Love one another," "Edify one another," "Accept one another," Greet one another," "Serve one another," "Be ye kind one to another," "Comfort one another," "Pray one for another," "Confess your sins one to another," "Admonishing one another," "Forgiving one another," "Exhort one another," "Have the same care one for another."

God's Kingdom and Present Day Movings

Last Sunday our main talk was on the 145th Psalm. I think of it as the Kingdom Psalm because it has several verses about God's Kingdom. Those verses have been echoing in my heart through the week as I have been seeking the Lord about where our fellowship fits into God's overall plan. It's like God is saying "keep your eye on the ball and don't get distracted by other things, even good things." Elisha was given that challenge by Elijah before Elijah was taken up into heaven. "You have asked a hard thing [for a double portion of his spirit], Nevertheless if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if not, it shall not be so." Then the chariot of fire separated them and Elijah went up in a whirlwind. Elisha exclaimed about the chariots of Israel, but he kept his eye on Elijah and received his request. There are many wonderful things taking place in the Christian world that may be worthy of exclamation but "The Kingdom" is the main thing for us to keep our eye on.

"They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations." (Psalm 145:12-14 NASV)

His kingdom is coming with great glory and power--it is full of majesty. The events in the middle east will all lead up to His return. God is right on schedule and the bottom line is that Christ is going to return, establish his glorious Kingdom and reign over this whole earth. Don't let the increasing darkness or the enemies propaganda or pressures deceive us into thinking that God is not at work. His Kingdom may unfold in unexpected ways so we must keep alert.

Last year the book Megashift alerted us to some miraculous movings of God primarily in third world nations. I have just finished a book by the Christian pollster, George Barna entitled Revolution. While I don't endorse all the ideas he promotes, he is alerting us to what he sees as a massive ground swell of Christianity that is taking place across our nation outside of the church's framework. He identifies many on fire Christians who are advancing the Kingdom of God without identifying with a local church congregation. He predicts that this trend will continue and that the way churches are organized and operated will change in the future. According to Barna, this quiet, unseen revolution is already having a major impact on society. While I do not think that God is done working through local church bodies, because there is such a clear scriptural mandate for us all to be under spiritual authority, this could be an answer to our prayers for revival and reformation in this country. Kingdom work is going on just as Daniel prophesied and will continue until the stone kingdom of Christ fills the whole earth. In order to properly take our place in the battle we must keep our eyes on Jesus and what He is doing and fully cooperate in faith for the fullness His desires. If this is a move of God, let's support it in prayer, including that these "revolutionaries" will understand the power and necessity of being under spiritual authority.

The Power of God's Word

After a week of hot and humid weather, I awoke this morning to the sound of a steady soaking rain. It was a refreshing sound that reminded me of the comparison between rain and His word. Isa 55:10-11 "For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." As I lay in bed enjoying the drumming music of the rain, I thought how it soaks in and causes beautiful growth in the grass, gardens, flowers and trees. Just as much God's Word is doing its work all over the world. When we expose ourselves to God's Word, it accomplishes God's desires in an abundant way.

God's word is backed by God's power. Any warranty is only as good as the one standing behind it. Jer 1:12 "Then said Jehovah unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it." Sometimes the results of a good rain are not immediately seen. It may be a few days before we notice a growth spurt. In the same way, we soak in God's word and the results may not be seen immediately. It may actually be years before we realize the effect, but God is watching all the time to be sure that the results do come. Much of what we see immediately or with our natural eyes doesn't last, but the effects of God's Word are eternal. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever." Isa 40:8

I think God gives us a special opportunity on the Sabbath to receive, rest, relaxation and refreshment, but also to soak in His presence and His word. I find on the Sabbath I don't like to read my regular Bible reading out of duty, but instead to find some passage to quietly meditate on and rejoice in. Often it is in the psalms with some expression of praise, thanks or worship to God, but it could be anywhere. Instead of quickly rushing through I like to just let it settle on my soul and sink in. The more we let God's word sink into us the better! I am often reminded of Martin Luther's words to parents about education, "I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with the Word of God must be corrupt." It is my heart cry that we all will be unceasingly or increasingly soaking up God's word. Frank Sandford expressed the same thing when he expressed his heart prayer, "Make me the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible."

The Sabbath a God-given Break!

I've often been turned off by McDonald's advertising slogan, "You deserve a break today!" Who says we deserve a break? It promotes a self centered focus. It cons us into giving them our money for a self serving reason. I'd rather have us say to someone else, "You deserve a break today" and bless them by buying lunch for them. (We need Christians in the advertising field to introduce Christian principles into advertising rather than enticing fleshly desires.)

Recently, I was thinking that God by ordaining the Sabbath is saying to the human race, "You deserve (or need) a break today!" When God says it as our all knowing and loving Creator then it takes on new meaning. He designed us and knows what our bodies, minds and spirits need. It is a beautiful expression of His love when He says to us "I want you to take a break" once each seven days to rest and worship. He hallowed it and blessed it so that it should be something set apart and full of blessings.

This past week events conspired to deprive me of normal sleep one night and the results have affected me for several days. It didn't really "hit" me emotionally until two days later when my emotions crashed like a computer hard drive. Those who don't follow the normal pattern that God designed of taking one day in seven as a Sabbath, often don't experience the results until years later. They go along fine until one day they crash in some way. If we will listen to God's loving call "You deserve (or need) a break today!" and follow His ways, how prosperous our bodies, minds and spirits will be.

Victory and a Return to Blogging

Finally after almost four months of being shut out from blogging by our internet protection provider, we changed providers and can get back on the blogosphere. We kept contacting those who provide our internet protection and kept thinking that they would address the problem, but today we finally made the break with them and got set up with another company.

Sometimes in the winter months in New England one can get cabin fever. Life builds up and problems become bigger than they really are. Conflicts and imaginations are magnified. It is just for those times that we all need a break through. I was inspired by a passage in Samuel where the margin reads "the master of the breakthrough." What a perfect description of Jesus. On the cross He broke through for us over all our enemies. He brought to nought all the powers of darkness so that we can have peace and victory.

He also does similar work for us as individuals through the work of the Holy Spirit. Just when we need it most He can break through and give us the power that we need, or the answer to our prayers. Sometimes He waits until the last moment, when we think that all is lost, then He comes through as the MASTER OF THE BREAKTHROUGH!

Spiritual Home

Just as we value our natural homes, God desires that we find a spiritual home in Him. I think that is part of the reason He ordained the church, the Sabbath and the Feasts. They all point toward God and home. Of course heaven is our spiritual home for eternity, but God wants us to experience home even in this life.

I've been thinking about what makes a home. I enjoy our natural home so much and here are some of the reasons and how they also apply to our spiritual home.

Home is where we can relax and rest. I love having a place I can pull off my shoes and socks and relax. I do that Friday evening as we welcome the Sabbath. There is peace. God is where we can relax and rest.

Home is where there is a secure refuge. The world may rush and conflict, but home is where we can shut the door from it all and be safe. It is a haven from storms, burning heat, and wild critters. Our natural homes may not prove a reliable refuge, but God always does. "God is our refuge."

Home is where we belong and are loved. As our family gathers on the Sabbath, or our church family gathers on Sunday mornings, there is love flowing and we know that this is a place where we are loved. There is a powerful sense of security when we know we are where we belong. This is where we belong and "we're home." Ultimately only God really gives safety and the fullness of love. Other things only point us to Him.

Home is where the heart is. We all have inner desires that only God can meet. We get great satisfaction from various enjoyable activities, but nothing like the satisfaction that comes from being in God's presence, following His ways or cooperating with His work. The more we experience God the more we desire Him. I think church, the Sabbath and the Feasts were all designed by God to whet our appetite for more of Him.

Home is where our needs are met. Whether it is having our love "tank" filled by our family or just a wonderful home cooked meal, we find one of the joys of having a home is a place for needs to be met. Jesus said He is the bread of life and those that eat of Him will never hunger. He has all that we need, all the time, and although we may be hungry for more of Jesus, we always know where we can receive what we need.

Home is where family members fellowship. We love to share with each other on Friday nights what has been going on in our lives. It sometimes is a joy or happy experience. Other times it may be a frustration or a sorrowful one. Just having someone to talk to makes a big difference. For some going to church or gathering for a feast (religious convention) the best part is the fellowship. Just to know there are others who are following Christ fully encourages us to press on. The joy of fellowship whether it is laughing together or crying together fulfills a heart need.

Home is so much more than words can properly describe. It is vital that we all find a spiritual home in God and a church fellowship. Sheep need a corral at night and so do humans. If you haven't found a spiritual home Jesus is tenderly calling, "Come home, come home, ye who are weary COME HOME."

God Loves Us to Celebrate

This last summer we were challenged at the Fairwood Family Convention to, like David, have a heart "after God's own heart!" Ever since I have thought "What does that look like?" I ran across a little book entitled "A Heart Like His" and read it looking for the answer. It is a neat book that simply uses the fruit of the Spirit as a list for what God's heart is like. God has a heart of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, etc. They include practical things to develop those attributes. God has a heart full of joy. Wow! Neat!

Then I did a study on all the places in the Bible that exhort us to celebrate or indicate that God loves celebrations. I was amazed how many times He says "celebrate a feast to me." He gave it as instructions to the children of Israel in the Old Testament, and Paul reaffirms it in the New Testament. Since our passover lamb has been sacrificed, even Christ "Therefore let us celebrate the feast..." It fits right in with the command to rejoice. Rejoicing isn't just a good feeling, but a choice to take joy in God and His gooodness.

From the Triumphal Entry, to Miriam's song of celebration after the Egyptian army was destroyed at the Red Sea, the Bible is full of celebrations. David, Solomon and many of the kings had celebrations after various victories or just because God is good. If we can celebrate birthdays, anniveraries, our nation's independence, freedom, or our work (Labor day), then how much more should we celebrate the Great God who has given us breath, saved us from hell, given us His Word in the Bible, answered our prayers, showers us with blessing and good things, is in control of everything and is coming back to reign as King and see that everything comes out right!

I Belong To You

The words of a chorus have been going over and over in my mind this summer. They are:
I Belong to You, I am not my own, I am wholly yours alone..
All my hearts desires, all my cherished dreams,
I lay at your feet, with all of me, for I belong to you.

I belong to You, I surrender all, I'll come running when you call
Where You send, I'll go, if You ask, I'll stay,
And there's nothing less I'll do, For I belong to You, I belong to You.

I haven't so far been able to locate the author or the copyright to give credit where credit is due for this song, but this expresses the passage in the Bible about how we have been bought with a price and aren't our own so therefore we should glorify God with out bodies. I know that the credit for everything in my life is Jesus, who bought me with an unbelieveable price on the cross and ALL the credit is due to him.

I think of this when I'm exercising in the morning, because God has given me a body and good health and I want to use my body for His glory. I think of it when I have a decision to make about money. It is all His and is this the best way to use it for Him? I think of it when I am rushing around trying to get things done. My time belongs to Him. Am I using it in the best way possible for Him?