Daily Read (Isaiah 61-63)

Scripture:
Isaiah 61:10 “I celebrate and shout because of my LORD God.”

Observation:
In the opening of the 61st chapter is one of many prophecies from Isaiah concerning the Messiah. This particular prophecy is one that Jesus quoted about Himself. He stood up one Sabbath in a synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah what we know as verses 1 and 2 (Luke 4:17-20) and  He said, “”Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus had come to fulfill the Word of the Lord given through the prophet, Isaiah. 700 years or so after the words were spoken, they came to fruition. The Messiah had come to do the following: preach the good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to the prisoners, recover the sight of the blind, release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Application:
I don’t know about you, but reading again the words of Isaiah about what the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One was coming to do for all of mankind is more than enough for me to “celebrate and shout because of my LORD God.” There was a time in my life when I was poor, not in material things, but more so devoid of joy and the wellness of life. There was a time in my life when I was a prisoner, and slave, to the sin life I lived. There was a time in my life when I was blinded to the truth of the good news of the gospel. There was a time in my life when I was oppressed by the devil and his minions because I gave them a hold on my life by the sin I committed. There is a time in my life when I can proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor in my life. That time is now.

I am no longer poor, imprisoned, blind, or oppressed. I am free from the bondage of sin and am able to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor because of the work of the cross and the price in blood that Jesus paid to set me free from the curse of sin. When I was a sinner running around living life any way that pleased me, I entombed myself in the dungeon of sin. I shackled myself to the curse of sin and the law. For we have to remember that the law was created for the sinner not the righteous, which we become only through the grace of God the Father. The law mirrors the sin in us, and it is that same sin, which give the law its power.

Paul taught us that where there is no law there is no sin. If there were no sin in the world, there would be no need for the law. The law is righteous and is the Word of God. However, in the frailty that is humanity we are unable and incapable of keeping the law in its entirety. It is physically impossible for humans to do so. Therefore, we need a saving grace given to us by God and received by us through faith. This grace is God’s unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor upon us. We only receive because God has given it to us. Had He not chosen to extend us His mercy and grace because of His undying love for us, we would all die a sinner’s death and be tormented in hell for eternity, which is eternal life in a deadly sense.

If you have been saved by the blood of the lamb, that is enough and should be enough to cause celebrate and want to climb the top of Mount Everest or broadcast via satellite across the globe with the loudest shout possible because of the goodness that the Anointed One has done for you and me. He has set us free from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us. He has saved us from an eternal life of death and torment in a fiery grave where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. He has given us the gift of eternal life and a reward to be given for the work we do for Him in this present age. He defeated Satan and redeemed from a fate reserved for the adversary and the demons. He pardoned you from this sentence. He made you a new creature devoid of the burden and enslavement of sin. He has renewed your mind and given you His mind. He has hidden us in His identity and dwells inside each of us through the Spirit of the living God.

What more will it take to cause you to shout it out loud to everyone you know, meet, greet, and encounter the good news of the gospel and what it can do for them? If it has done all this for you and me, then we have a huge obligation and duty to share this goodness with someone just like someone did for us. We should and need to be giving freely that which was given freely to us. We should overflowing with a well-spring of living water from inside now that we have tasted of the living water that quenches the thirst for righteousness. Somebody give Him praise and glory in the house of God, today!

Prayer:
Father, just the mere fact that I have been given a second chance at life by You is more than enough to cause me to shout out loud that You are my LORD God! May the joy of the Lord that is my strength well up such tremendous joy inside of me that I would be unable to keep quiet about the goodness of the Lord and be the salt and light of the world that drives people to You. Your Spirit is the only One who can cause people to cross my path at the exact planned moment, but I must be willing and ready to respond to Your prompting. Help me to become more and more attuned to Your Spirit and calling each day. I want to be Your biggest and loudest megaphone the world has ever heard. Not that I may be seen and heard but that I may announce to the world the greatness of my God and the vast goodness He has bestowed upon His people. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Tomorrow  is the first Sunday of advent.   We will light the first candle which represents Hope.  Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on the day before Christmas. Thus it begins on 29 November 2009 and ends on 24 December, Christmas Eve. 

We will celebrate the last day of advent with our Midnight Christmas eve service.

The main reason for the Season of Advent is to recognize the first and second coming of Christ….

Ps 25:10  The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

Luke 21:25-36    “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

  29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

 34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

This week there was a shooting in my city.  It wasn’t a drug deal gone bad.  It wasn’t domestic violence.  A man was sharing his faith in Christ and was rewarded with a bullet to the face.  This man was a faithful servant in the house of the Lord and a regular at Saturday morning prayer.  He mentored young, fatherless boys.  And he shared his faith.  This week it cost him a great deal to be a Christian.

He lived through the shooting and had reconstructive surgery to his face.  While he will almost certainly be scarred, he will survive.

In America there has not been much risk involved with being a Christian.  But the world is not as friendly towards the followers of Christ as it used to be.  Seems that it might be a good time to begin counting the cost.  Looks like it may soon begin to really cost us something.

Hebrews 4:14-16

“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness” (Hebrews 4:15).

Our God is mighty, high, and exalted.  Yet He has stooped down in the Person of His Son to taste our pain.  There is no pain or hurt we can suffer that He has not already suffered.  There is no testing that comes our way but He has been tested in the same way.  Therefore, He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.  He is able to help us overcome because He was victorious in every way.

He invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace.  There we can find the resources we need: mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.  Grace is the desire and the strength to face our problems God’s way.

You may be at a crisis point in your faith.  Perhaps you are finding it easy to argue with God that the pain is too great.  You do not want to go on in your Christian life.  You may even be wrestling with the temptation to give up your faith, but you hesitate because the future looks so black without Jesus.

Don’t hesitate to call on Him while you are hurting, while these tests seem to be dooming you to total failure.  Jesus is standing by ready to help and rescue you.  His heart is full of love and sympathy.

Reach out to Him now.  He will meet you at your point of need and will help you go on.

Prayer

“Lord, than You that You understand my pain.  Thank You for meeting me in my  need and helping me go on.”

Just downloaded Paul Baloche’s new CD: Glorious.  It is another really wonderful gift to worshippers from a gifted worship leader – Check it out!  You won’t be disappointed!

For me, today is a somber day.  A day I trust God to pick up the pieces and begin the process of construction.  Hope for the construction of a new heart, a heart that beats for him.

I heard this phrase on a tv show recently.  It said, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry”.

I thought I had it figured out.  I would just lay low; praying for the best, believing the best would come.  Give her time, and take time on my own.  But it got to the point of unbearable wondering.  Wondering if things could ever work again.  Wondering if God would reward me for my patience.  It was almost like my waiting was with alternative motives.  So I guess the phrase is true.  My best laid plans have come to this.

So now the second chapter in my life begins.  A chapter in which I have no knowledge of its beginning, its middle and certainly not its end.  I am broken.

2 Samuel 1:24

I’ve been reading through the story of David. From his beginning to his end, He’s had God’s plan as his driving force, living by the rule of a King of heavenly power.  After the death of his enemy Saul, he cries out to God in true sorrow.  He ripped his clothes in anguish.  I feel like ripping mine.  I don’t know how he did it.  In the deepest valley, David sought God, knowing that he would pull through and get him out.  I hope someway I can be like David.  Dancing in the poring rain, seeking the will of my Father.

My best laid plans have gone awry.  Now I trust in the Fathers plan, plans I know he has to give me peace and prosperity, but above all a plan to fall in love with him, knowing what its like to have all I need in the only relationship that really matters, a relationship with Him.  So I pray that God will shelter me now in the valley. I pray I seek him here.  I pray I praise him for the blessed relationship he gave me through Sara, I pray for her now too.

A love lost, but a better is love found.  I seriously don’t know how people can live without God.  I don’t think I would be living without the compassion and love he’s shown me over the last month.  I know I am nothing without him and I sincerely pray you find the same thing.  We’re a hopeless planet with out the Love of Christ. I haste the day of his return.

So may you seek him in the valley and know he is enough, more than enough.

November 28, 2009.  My Chapter 2  //

<font size="When I was a child we always had animals, mostly horses, pigs,dogs, cats at one time foxes and even an owl, also canaries. but never cows or hens as Dad never cared for them.He loved horses, especially Old Jim!  Now I liked horses too but Old Jim was nasty and I was afraid to go near him most of the time. I think my favorite animals were the pigs. I liked to feed them and they always seemed to be so hungry they loved everything! I liked to watch them as they slurped their slop. They also loved to go outside and wallow in the mire.  It seemed the dirtier they got the more they enjoyed themselves.  They always remind me of the Prodigal son!We never had sheep but to this day I would like to have a sheep or a little lamb. I think they are so nice.  I loved baby bunnies and we had our share of them.

Some animals are more fussy about what they eat while others, like the pig, will eat anything! The pigs were well fed but come fall they would die, but not from hunger, it was because we were hungry and they made good food.I think everyone has heard of the millions that starved to death in Ethiopia because of famine.  I must be terrible to be so hungry and have no food.  We have certainly been blessed in this country of Canada. What more could we ask for?I’m sometimes afraid we get so blessed we forget the one who does the providing for us while we are wallowing in the mire of this old world and the pleasures of this life!  We become hard hearted and leave Christ out of our lives, thinking we can make it on our own. I think of the young boy in the Bible who gave his little lunch to Jesus , who fed a multitude of people.  I know I am talking about a physical miracle, but I like to compare it to being spiritually hungry. There are those who know nothing about the Lord Jesus and what he can do for them.  Then there are those who do know Him but become discouraged and may stumble and Jesus is telling his children to feed his sheep. Jesus asked Peter is he loved him,  when Peter said “you know Lord I love you” Jesus said “feed my sheep”  Jesus compared his children to sheep.    Let us not be as the children who after their great deliverance from Egypt started complaining and crying for garlic and onions after just eating  Manna from God’s own hand, Let us live for Jesus.  Let us be willing to be that peculiar people and live separate from the world, wholly for him so we may be able to feed His sheep!  I’m sure if we really fall in love with Jesus and be willing to do anything he asks of us. We may say that is the pastor’s job but Jesus was telling a poor fisherman to feed his sheep! We too, should be a fisher of men and feed his sheep or children who are hungry for more of God.

I think God has a sense of humor, not just because he made the monkey, but because he has given each one of us a measure of humor too. Sometimes perhaps he gives more to one than the other, could it be that otherwise they would be tooo sour? How we do get a kick out of tricking other people! Sometimes we don’t think it quite as funny when others play a trick on us. My dad was always one for playing tricks on others. He was in hospital waiting for an ECG. When the nurse came in and started to place the wires on his chest he began to hollar – “no,no, you can’t do this to me – you are going to electrocute me!” After she tried to explain again to him what she was doing with him still screaming at her “no, you don’t, I know you are going to kill me” she then ran for the doctors and more nurses, she thought he had totally lost it! By the time they all got to his room he was sitting laughing his crazy head off at their expense! My brother also is a trickster, almost as bsd if not worse, than his dad. One day he had gotten an old spring (a large one) from a tractor or something and decided to play a joke on someone! So down through the woods,on his own ground, he goes and hangs the spring up in a tree. Now he went quite a pace from the road. He then went home and made a sign that said – ‘SPRING’and put it on a tree near the road. Then went home and sat in his sunporch and watched. Wasn’t too long before a woman came along, saw the sign and stopped, got out her water jugs and made that trip down through those woods only to find no water there. Not long thereafter, on a very hot day, he watched as a Gov’t truck came along and out jumped two men, who emptied their already warm jugs of water on the ground and made their way down through the woods. I can only imagine how they would feel about that time, if only they knew who did a trick like that, they would probably like to knock him senseless! I read a story about an old grandfather who decided it was his turn to play a halloween trick on the tricksters, who every year came and would go to the rear of the outhouse and turn it upside down! This night granddad went out a bit earlier and moved the outhouse a few feet toward the house. The trick was a howling success! Although we can play tricks on one another and laugh about it we can never play tricks on the One who knows all things and also our hearts. I suppose Simon the sorceror could have been a trickster too. He offered money to Peter as he wanted the power of God so he could lay hands on people and they would receive the Holy Spirit. It backfired on him when Peter said “thy money perish with you because you thought you could buy this power” Simon wasn’t long repenting and asking Peter to pray for him!’ There are those today who still try to trick God by trying to pretend they are something they are not. We may be able to fool people but we cannot fool God! We can only see the outside but the Lord looks on the heart. Matthew 7:20 By their fruits ye shall know them. The enemy of our soul tries to trick us- may try to show us an easier way to enter heaven even and some people may even fall for it. He can make things look so enticing1 He then sits back and has a great laugh at our wxpense. Folks beware of him who comes in sheeps clothing but inward is a ravening wolf! Set a watch on your soul and be prepared when Jesus comes to take us home. It will pay to be ready then when the Trumpet sounds!

We will observe Communion at Bethlehem East Baptist Church on the fifth Sunday of November, 2009.  The church has habitually celebrated Communion on fifth Sunday’s in the morning worship hour.  In preparation for this one, I was reading in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 20 caught my attention: “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper.”  The Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, pointedly notes that believers in the church at Corinth had regressed to a point where their observance of the Lord’s Supper had become woefully irreverent and ineffective.  As I reflected on the passage and in particular this verse, it occurred to me that I, too, am guilty of failing to make the observance of the Lord’s Supper as meaningful as it should be.  I have often let my involvement in leading the congregation through the observance hinder me from truly appreciating what the Lord’s Supper means.  Instead of it being all about Him, I have many times let it be all about me!  What are others thinking as I lead them through the ceremony?  Did I get all the words right as I quoted the Scripture?  Have I demonstrated proper reverence after partaking? etc, etc, etc.  I am praying that the Lord will help me realize the event is not “the Pastor’s Supper” but the “Lord’s Supper”.  I am praying that God will remind me of the awesome demonstration of love that He gave Christ and that He will let both my observance of the event and my reflection of its meaning in my life be truly a reflection of my sincere appreciation of the Lord’s death, until He comes!  After all, whose supper is it anyway?

1 John 2:15-17 (KJV)
¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

“For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” 3John 1:3

The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in a the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value.

Doctrines held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth part with it. A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and cannot be torn away without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the centre of the lantern through the glass: when, therefore, the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conversation. It is said that the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man’s inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity–the natural product of those principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their manifestation in the man’s conversation. Be it ours to-day, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men.

—Morning and Evening

“Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,” he said to them, ” ‘My house will be a house of prayer’, but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Luke 19:45-46 NIV)

I can see this scene. Jesus, in righteous anger is overturning tables and shouting firmly to those who have brought their outside world of greed into a sacred place. Coins are flying, doves available for sacrifice are flapping away from the disturbance. Perhaps, bystanders feeling fearful are running away or ducking for cover. The noise and chaos is escalating.

This causes me to wonder about my house, the sacred place within me where God has chosen to dwell. Often inner turmoil is present, coming from confusion about my life and future, or concerns awaiting medical test results. Sometimes it is triggered by others’ harsh comments or misunderstandings. I can get distraught over the difficulties in friends’ lives.

There is a healthy and normal caring about myself and others. I am thinking more about the fretting that brings restless thoughts, the ones that cause disorientation. At such times, it is not Jesus in anger who has come into his temple in my heart to cause disturbances. It is my own disturbances that invade the sacred space.

” ‘My house will be a house of prayer’, but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” It is hard to stay in communication with God or even at rest when these other elements clamor for my attention. They are “robbers” who want to take away my peace, my counselor, my God. They want to upset the tables of my trust. They want me to be in turmoil.

Once I recognize the robbers, I am to drive them out, and let them fly and flap and flee in fear. This heart temple is designed as a house where God chooses to dwell. He will help me drive out all things that are not welcomed here.

Prayer: Lord, help me to quickly recognize the “robbers” who can invade our space and private time, or attempt to steal the peace that only you can bring that fills me with faith and trust in you. Amen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Severance is a retired elementary classroom teacher. She lives in Lynnwood, Washington. She writes to encourage others as God has encouraged her during 26 years of living with daily physical challenges.

Psalm 24:4 – Make me know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.

You have started a journey this week. Whether your walk has been physical, metaphorical or a mixture of both, you have been engaged in a conversation with God to help draw you closer to God’s plan for you. Rejoice today in your progress, even if it seems insignificant.

Prayer
God of wonder, you can make the faith of a mustard seed do amazing things. Continue walking beside me as I continue in my journey toward you. AMEN.

Luke 21:34 – Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly.

Part of healthy living is learning to live with moderation. In this passage, moderation allows you to see God’s plan more clearly. Consider an excess in your life as you journey today. Is this excess separating you from God?

Prayer
Loving God, I have created some obstacles that obstruct my view of you. Give me the strength to overcome these self-made barriers. AMEN.

Are ye not much better than they? (Matt 6:26

Better than sparrows. Christ emphasized the privilege of the Christian in being loved of God and entrusted with a life of opportunity. Opportunity has been given to mankind which far exceeds that of the sparrows or the other birds of the air.

Every one of us has been entrusted with certain talents. We must be good stewards of those talents if we would be true to God and to ourselves.

We can never fully understand what a simple talent will accomplish when it is used with honesty and faithfulness. Perhaps just one life may be changed by some lesson we teach, or some word we even say. To every Christian the creator has entrusted certain gifts. Perhaps they seem insignificant but if they are employed in a spirit of Christian stewardship they may transform a life, a home, a church, or perhaps a world.

The demands of the day in which we live are great beyond measure. If Christians would simply surrender themselves to Christ, we would see wonders wrought by the power of God.

Father,

There is nothing too great or small that you cannot do, and we are so often self-reliant and confident in our own wisdom and strength that the only things we accomplish are the things that our own resources allow. O Lord, grant us the wisdom and strength, and the vision to see the opportunities that can be accomplished through your strength alone, and Oh God enable us to be faithful and true for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Luke 21:28 – Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Lower your head as though you are in prayer, then raise your head as though you are seeing the glory of God. If this motion feels comfortable to you, repeat it today as you pray to God.

Prayer
God of mystery, I raise my head toward you that I might see you more clearly. AMEN.

1 Thessalonians 3:11 – Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.

Prayers to God often are often open-ended requests for direction. In today’s passage, Apostle Paul is asking God to lead him to specific people. There is at least one person in your life who needs your presence. Consider that person and pray today that God will provide a way to lead you to him or her.

Prayer
Merciful God, while I am trying to walk where you lead, I ask today that you lead me to this person who is weighing heavy on my heart and provide me a way to offer this person comfort. AMEN.

Thanksgiving is a time where family get together, eat, laugh and show love.  We start preparing days before in spending money for food, decorations and must have accessories and don’t forget the cleaning the house from top to bottom.  We get up early and start cooking in which makes us look exhausted by the time company arrives.  There is always the battle of who is coming and who is not or why is some of the family so dysfunctional.  Thanksgiving is a time to put aside quarrels or differences and instead a time to enjoy the thanksgiving of life itself.  Society however has made it far from being thankful or enjoying life.  Not only does our culture turn Thanksgiving into an exhausting day but also the day after becomes one too.  Black Friday as some call it is a day to fight, argue and push people out of the way to get those supposedly good buys.  I even saw on the news where the stores are no longer opening at 4 a.m. but now opening at midnight for all those early shoppers.  I don’t know how good of a deal it is to sleep right outside the store in a sleeping bag just to be the first person in the store because I have never shopped the day after Thanksgiving.  Maybe I am missing out of the so called fun or saving money.

Let us also reflect the banquet of Thanksgiving.  Whose idea was it to have every kind of vegetable on the table?  Whose idea was it to have not only turkey but also ham and chicken added to the table?  Why do we have to have a relish tray or appetizers before hand, or ten different desserts?  Why can’t families just get together and eat a simple meal, save time and save money, enjoy life and be thankful?

Now let us not forget the overindulgence everyone consumes.  We all know that we are going to stuff ourselves until we cannot eat another bite then we feel guilty about doing it.  Even when we know we are going to anyway.  Then there is tons of leftovers in which we must also stuff the fridge and still eat it again the next few days.  I sit here satisfied yet feel sad also.  I think of all the children I fed in India and how they just get rice.  I feel guilty knowing I have more than enough in my fridge to feed a village.

As I reflect today on Thanksgiving and the goodness of God, let us not forget those who have little or nothing at all.  Let us extend a hand to those who are hungry, sick and without family.  As you take a bite of the leftovers, don’t feel overstuffed and guilty but thankful that God has chosen to bless you just to bless others.

Prayer:  Lord help me to have your heart, the heart of giving and showing love.  I am  most thankful for all that you have done in my life.  I know you have prepared me to give to others.

I John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.   New International Version (©1984)

1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. …
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
—

I remember when I was a child, there was a one-panel comic in the newspapers called “Love is.” The comic was like “Family Circus” for the “flower children,” an outgrowth of the generation that grew up talking and singing about “peace and love.” Each day there would be these two figures – typically a little boy and girl, nude as if in the Garden of Eden – and they would illustrate some quality or expression of romantic love. The comic strip still exists today, and the ideas are cute and somewhat timeless: Love is being real corny, Love is 24/7, Love is patient. Every day, we get a little reminder of what romantic love is.

Today’s Scripture selection from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is one of the most quoted passages in the whole Bible. Millions of people every year mention those verses or hear them, have them hanging on a wall in their home, or even have a cross or a picture frame in the office with those words on it. And like that little comic, people look at those verses as a guidepost to romantic love. This passage is read nearly every day at weddings all around the world, as if to remind us all about how a husband and wife ought to behave in their romantic love for each other. But there’s a problem with that: Paul isn’t talking about romantic love!

This whole chapter of First Corinthians is talking about love in the context of the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the word Paul uses for “love” is not the “eros” of romantic love but the “agape” of divine love. Yes, by all means, we SHOULD love our spouses and our children with the same love we feel for God and our fellow man, but we should never narrow this passage down to just romantic or familial love.

Note that in defining this “agape” love, Paul speaks a lot about what love is not:

• Love does NOT envy
• Love does NOT parade itself
• Love is NOT puffed up, etc.

Why does Paul do this? Why use negatives to define something so positive? Because Paul is trying to guide his readers away from the kind of love and fellowship they thought they knew. Paul is directing them away from romantic love and toward a mature love for God.

• Love for God does not envy
• Love for God does not parade itself
• Love for God is not puffed up
• Love for God does not behave rudely
• Love for God does not seek its own
• Love for God is not provoked
• Love for God thinks no evil
• Love for God does not rejoice in iniquity

Get the idea? When we exercise the gifts of the Spirit – e.g. prophecy, healing, knowledge, and even faith – then we need to do these things with a quality of love like we have never known before. Where in a romantic relationship, we might be jealous of others who love our spouse, in “agape” we should INVITE others to love God as we do. Where in a romantic relationship, we might get angry at someone for mistreating our spouse or react badly to criticism of our relationship, in “agape” we rejoice in truth and should always keep our eyes upon our beloved God, knowing that He is the righteous judge, that He alone bestows vengeance and recompense for wrongs against Him.

Furthermore, Paul is telling us this: Love for God never fails. “Agape” love endures while all other forms of love will fail! “Agape” love is the one thing that we have now that will still be around even at the end of time. When Christ returns and Satan is cast down once and for all, when the New Jerusalem descends upon the New Earth, then our faith and our hope in Christ will become reality and will no longer be needed. But LOVE – that boundless and powerful “agape” love between God and man – will endure forever. THAT love is the conduit for God’s power in our lives. Where hope is the anchor that keeps us firmly fixed upon God, love is the chain between God and us. Where prophecy tells us a little about God, we know with complete certainty that God is love. Where healings hint at God’s power, love reveals God to us His full majesty and grace. Where faith is the substance of things hoped for, love is the present manifestation of that for which we hope. Where in my lifetime I may express God’s love in my humble way for a few individuals, God expresses His love for us in sending His only Son to die for all of us so that we might live.

So before we get too caught up in using Scripture to define love in our relationships with friends and family, let us remember that our first love is God. Our love for God needs to be all these things Paul writes for us and much more. Our love for God needs to be so strong that it “suffers long” and will endure through all things, never failing, just as nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Loving Father, I thank You for the love you have shown and shared with all of us. You alone can love us so powerfully and so purely. I pray, Lord God, that I might reflect that love, that the quality of my love for You would be as humble, gracious, holy, and unending as Your love for me. Amen.

After You Have Suffered For A Little

Nobody wants to suffer, but it is a necessary part of this life.     God uses suffering to refine us and show us His grace.     Because of our natural tendencies towards pride, selfishness, greed,  and faithlessness, we actually need to suffer in order to get on the right track for the salvation of our souls.     It’s the whole story of our lives here on earth.    

The apostle Peter suffered greatly for his faith and talks to us about dealing with all the scenarios of our sufferings.     We need to realize what is going on and how to grow in trusting the Lord.     In 1 Peter 5:6-10 explains,

Humble yourselves, therefore,  under the mighty hand of God,  that He may exalt you at the proper time,  casting all your anxiety upon Him,  because He cares for you.

Be of sober spirit,  be on the alert.     Your adversary, the devil,  prowls about like a roaring lion,  seeking someone to devour.     But resist him,  firm in your faith,  knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

And after you have suffered for a little, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,  will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Peter wants us to realize that we need to humbly accept God’s will in our suffering.     God’s love guides us through all our trials and temptations — and that is exactly what we need to learn to depend on.     Instead of complaining about our troubles and forgetting to trust God, we are to lay all our anxieties before our Lord, and be assured that He will care for our needs — in His way and in His time.     As we honestly humble ourselves before our Lord, we will acknowledge that His love is much greater than ours — and His wisdom is way beyond our imaginations.     That is why we can afford to humble ourselves before His good will for us.

The devil seeks to defeat us with all sorts of temptations, but we are to resist him in the same way that Jesus resisted him.      Matthew 4:1-11 shows how Jesus used the word of God to resist every temptation the devil threw His way.     We are to do the same.     God has put in our hearts the difference between right and wrong.     We are to use the wisdom God has given us to resist the devil and humbly trust in God to care for our needs.

The promise is that when we do that, God will exalt us at the proper time.     It is important to remember that Peter said,  “After you have suffered for a little…”     As our minds are always on the here and now, we want prayers answered instantly.     But, God knows us better than we know ourselves.     He is “the God of all grace”.     God has every power needed to guide and save us and He will do that according to His love and wisdom.     We can certainly depend on Him to carry us through our troubles — even when our circumstances seem hopeless.

As we look to God, we need to remember that He has called us “to His eternal glory in Christ”.     Because God has called us, He wants us to learn to trust Him.     As we learn to always look to our Lord, He will “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish” us.     We can be confident of that promise even in the worst of times.

Peter’s point is that in all our troubles, God is right beside us.     That is a trustworthy statement, so we can be confident that God will cause all things to work for our good in the end.     Peter’s message is basically to not lose hope during rough times.     Peter did not lose hope or faith even when he was crucified upside down.    

We, too, can keep the true faith in love for our Savior who died to pay for all our sins.    1 Peter 4:19 touches us by saying,

Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

As we look to God for all our cares, we say,  “Hallelujah!     My Lord, I’m glad Your everlasting arms are my sure stronghold in every trial.”

Love,  
Margaret

A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…

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Esther 8:14 (NIV) ~ the couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out, spurred on by the king’s command. 

Oh, how this verse captures my imagination. It stirs me up with a fire within my bones to make haste with the message of the gospel. These horses were no ordinary horses, but royal ones bred as champions, the finest, and the best you would ever find. These riders were trusted with a message of deliverance, a promise from the King, which brought great rejoicing for whom it was intended. The Darby Translation of the Bible brings this verse alive with these words: “The couriers mounted on coursers and horses of blood went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment.”

Horses of a royal bloodline bred for the King’s purposes. Those who rode on them were chosen for their integrity, chosen for their loyalty to the King. They were those who, at a moment’s notice would, with great haste, obey the King’s command.  Here we have those chosen by the King to be couriers of his message, fired on by the King’s command to bring the good news. 

Time is pressing within our land, people need the good news. Quick! Let us mount the King’s horses and be couriers of His message to His people who are longing to have hope and longing to be given good news so they may rejoice, for their King is mighty to save! 

Listen, can you hear? Look! Can you see how with haste come the King’s trusted couriers into every hamlet, every village, every town and every city to declare the good news from the King? Full of zeal and with a smile, so delighted to share with one and all this message, “Today is the day of Salvation, trust in the words of the King and be saved! Believe in His promise and live!” When the people received the good news and believed in the promise from the King, they celebrated with great joy. 

My friend, God speed our calling as we, with great haste, climb upon the King’s horses and ride with a purpose, driven with love, fired up by the King’s commands to bring His message of good news to the people. Let us therefore ride the lengthen and breadth of our land with the urgent message from our King to one and all, declaring in His authority, “Today is the day of Salvation, trust in the words of the King and be saved! Believe in His promise and live!” When you received the good news from the King and believe in his promise, you will celebrate with great joy, for your King is strong to deliver and mighty to save. 

God bless you my friend, Matthew.

“The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7

Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word “forgiveness,” when it sounds in a guilty sinner’s ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, for ever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and for ever? Hell is my portion as a sinner–there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me–can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. For ever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and for ever, forgiven by virtue of His substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to Him who of His own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through His blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive for ever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.

—Morning and Evening

The church community is God’s plan to reach the world.

Not individual believers, although they make up a part, but the body of Christ together is who God is using to draw people to himself. But it’s not just any church community it’s the sort of church that is living out the truths of the gospel. Not just knowing the right truths but living them out with others intimately and consistently. These types of church communities are how God displays himself. The nature of  these communities is unique to the world because they are communities of light which display the gospel in their everyday lives together. Everyday life together and not just on Sundays. Meeting once a week corporately can lead us to believe we have intimacy with God existentially but the gospel is meant to be lived out intimately with other believers. Being devoted to one another, bearing one another’s burdens within these unique communities is Gods missionary project.

This is the way God is reaching the world through our intimate love and devotion to one another in community through the Spirit.

God’s plan started with Adam and we all know what happened. So God chose a nation, Israel, to display his glory. But in the wilderness they showed their true colors and they failed. The people God chose failed to hold their end of the bargain. The prophets, over and over called back God’s people to be faithful to God while prophesying about a new age when God through his Messiah would create a new kind of people (Jeremiah 31:31). When Christ came he fulfilled the role of God’s people perfectly. He made it through the wilderness without failing. And Christ claims to be the light of the world, the light that Israel was supposed to be he does perfectly.

Then Christ leaves and says he will make the church the light of the world through the Holy Spirit. We actually become the light of the world in The body of Christ, his church. The church is now the light of the world. Not Christians individually but corporately the church is the body of Christ. This new Israel or new people of God is displaying the light of God by how they live together for the gospel. Not only on two week mission trips but by their entire lives together. Closer, as Jesus says, then even a biological family.

Jesus is coming back. Stop and ask yourself, if you really believe this: Jesus is coming back. He will set things right as in the days of Adam. And that is our great hope as a community, our King Jesus has begun the kingdom in a new way with his arrival. And the church is expanding his kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. And that spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our participation with him the day he returns. This is why Paul even in prison can write, “Rejoice and again I say rejoice (Philippians).

And the world will know that we are of God because of our unity (John 17:22).Just as Jesus said, “if you want to see the father look at me” (John 17). Now in the age of the Spirit, he says, “do you want to   see me? Look at the church.” The church is now the light of the world.

How does your church measure up?

Are you doing church in way where you actually share your life with one another as the bible talks about?

Psalms 116:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth!
¹⁰ I believed in you, so I said, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.”
¹¹ In my anxiety I cried out to you, “These people are all liars!”

This is an interesting part of this chapter. We understand that first ADAM prayed to GOD, then he rested in GOD, now he is walking with the LORD. His relationship has been restored with the LORD, and his faith; (vs 10), has been restored. His faith that the LORD will do all He has promised, and HIS faith that the LORD will not take away the rest HE offers as long as we are willing to put it there. I love verse 11, because I think what David is trying to communicate is that ALL MEN, whether they know it or not believe in GOD. We know this from Romans 1 and Romans 2. Romans 1 says that ALL MEN are without excuse because creation itself cries out the existence of GOD. Romans 2 says that our conscience bears witness within ourselves that GOD exists!!! So again, “all men are liars.” They are liars because they act against the VERY thing that they were created for, TO WALK WITH GOD!!! To worship HIM. To serve HIM. To bring HIM GLORY and none other, (1 Corinthians). So David found himself to be walking with GOD again, just like ADAM, Abraham, and Enoch.  So they did so should we be able to right?? So if this is the case, how do we do this and make sure that we can ” walk with GOD too.”

1) Read the Bible- I guess not just read the bible, but STUDY the bible. If we want to walk with GOD we need to KNOW HIM. He has revealed HIMSELF in this book. It is written so that we can know HIM here on earth. It is powerful, alive,and active inside the hearts of men. We need to study, and memorize scripture, and read it daily. Psalms tells us this, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” Or another way of saying it is: ” This book will either keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.”

2) PRAY- Remember my definition of prayer from an earlier blog. We need to be in this constant state of prayer with the one that created us and is sovereign over us. The bible tells us if we love HIM we will obey HIS commandments. So in order to know HIM and what HE wants we need to PRAY, and hear and FOCUS HIS WILL upon OUR LIVES!!

3) Fellowship- Fellowship with other believers. We are told to not forsake the assembling of the brethren.  Church membership, and attendance has lost its meaning over the years.  A later blog will be written on this, but for now understand it is of utmost importance in helping us in our walk with GOD.

4) Accountability- This could have been put with #3, but it needs to be separate too.  Have 1, 2, 3, or even 4 people you have around you to keep you accountable in walking with the LORD. To go to for prayer, to go to for counsel, and to be sure you stay on trac with the LORD. This is where many leaders have fallen, and Christians as well because we think we can do it ourselves. We cant and we were never meant to be. The bible says we are to carry one anothers burdens, we are to help each other out.

Remember the LORD is the ONLY ONE we can place 100% trust in. All others are human and will hurt you, disappoint you, and even fail you. YES, EVEN YOUR PASTOR some day will do this, but he is human too; SURPRISE, SURPRISE.

Pray for how YOU are to walk with the LORD BETTER, and remember. “Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Danny