Even the demons believe. . . .

On my way home yesterday, I listened to part of a radio sermon. The pastor asked his listeners to imagine Satan being interviewed by a Christian church board. He was asked if he believed in God. As the Bible says: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) so Satan said, “Of course.”

He also gave the right answers to other questions, even that he would attend and serve in the church, but one question he refused to say yes to: “Will you yield to the lordship of Jesus Christ?” His ‘faith’ was not genuine. It was based on true concepts but without a change of heart toward who would be the boss in his life.

Today’s devotional lists the elements of true faith. I’m not certain how Satan would answer the questions suggested here, but my answers are vital for they determine the reality of what I believe.

True faith produces a heart truly before God that hates sin. When the Spirit of God changed my heart, my attitude toward sin changed. Yes, sometimes a temptation appeals to my old nature, but since faith came in, I often cry out ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’ In at attitude of  repentance. Christ in my heart changes my heart concerning sin.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:1–4)

True faith causes the heart to bow willingly to Christ’s Lordship in all things. While doing things that God says does not make anyone a Christian, Jesus did say, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) The entire book of James makes it clear that faith changes us to be obedient to the voice of the Lord.

Truth faith looks to Christ alone for all things. Faith not only strips away my attempts to a ‘do it yourself’ religion, but also teaches me to trust Christ for all things. I trust Him to save me but also to help me get through all challenges in life, to supply needs, to give me wisdom and discernment. When I neglect to do this, I’ve fallen into a walk in the flesh and things do not go well at that point. Lack of trust is incompatible with the abundant life of faith.

True faith will persevere and continue to believe regardless of circumstances. Faith even goes beyond perseverance to the rare condition of rejoicing in trials. In fact, trials help me become more steadfast:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

True faith produces a heart of sincere love for the people of God. False faith strives to produce love and pretends to love. But love is natural to true faith. Love for the brethren flows as naturally from the believing heart as water flows from a spring. If I struggle to care for others, then I know that I’m not trusting God in some way and need to repent. Real faith wants to be like Jesus, and Jesus died for sinners — totally the opposite of any lack of care.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 5:1)

PRAY: Any time I falter in the qualities of true faith, it suggests I’ve been listening to the liar — and that is repulsive. Jesus, keep my heart alert to Your voice and grant me discernment to always recognized when I’ve strayed away from true faith to some facsimile that not only leads me into sin but dishonors You. I’m so thankful for Your saving grace and power!

Too much focus on sin?

 

In the past week, I’ve heard Christians say that having a focus on our sinfulness can be morbid and discouraging. While that is true particularly for those who tend to be negative and pessimistic, it seems to me that the opposite extreme is far more dangerous. If I refuse or deny the sin in my life, I will never grow to be more like Jesus. Instead, I will be stuck in bondage to the things in my heart and life that deny His saving power.

When King David was confronted concerning his sin with Bathsheba, he said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3) The rest of this psalm is far from morbid or discouraging. It is a strong statement of God's forgiving and cleansing grace.

David also wrote the following psalm that first describes what happens if sin is not acknowledged. He then speaks of the joy that is ours when we take that sin to the Lord:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:1–11)

I’ve been mildly rebuked for defining sin as simply going my own way and not listening to God or regarding His wisdom. Many will define sin in degrees, even say, “But I have not murdered anyone” or done something illegal or disgusting. However, just going my own way involves listening to and following the world, the flesh, and/or the devil. Some of that can be subtle because it involves motivations rather than actions, particularly if the actions themselves seem innocent. For instance, I could take a pie next door to welcome a new neighbor — or to show off my baking skills. One is love; the other is pride and even that “love” could be pride if I brag about it.

Sin is subtle. Yet God does not leave it to me to examine my every thought, word, or deed. He does that. He will show me what needs to be confessed and cleansed. This part of being saved and sanctified is up to Him, not up to self-examination or what some call morbid navel-gazing. My part is listening and being honest with Him as He teaches me. It is also vital that I do as David did — praising God for His grace and for taking care of me, transforming my life, and not allowing sin to make me its slave.

PRAY: Jesus, confessing sin is humbling, yet You want humility, not pride. Admitting failure is not popular, but You want integrity, not hypocrisy. Your values are not the world’s values, and Your ways are so much higher than ours. Keep my focus on You, even when I’ve let myself slide back into the bondage of sin and need to again rely on Your grace and saving power. Far better to do that than any alternatives!

Two kinds of judgment

 

On a quiz show this week, one contestant was a very nice person, but he flunked most of the questions. Rating for personality = high. Rating for performance = not so hot.

Do most Christians realize that God has a rating system? One is about salvation. I have a photo of Jesus hugging a person. The caption says “Jesus does not come to us with a score card but with the gospel.” The judgment that we do not face is called the “White Throne” judgment. It is about repentance and salvation, about believing the gospel and giving my life to Christ.

. . . . The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. . . .(2 Peter 3:8–15)

Because salvation is a done-deal through the gift of faith and believing the gospel, I can say:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set me free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in me. . . . (Romans 8:1–8, personalized)

However, there is a judgment coming for what I have done in my Christian life. The Greek word is Bema. It does not judge who I am, but what I’ve done and determines gain or loss of heavenly rewards:

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10–15)

Because I trust Christ Jesus, I do not fear this judgment. He saved me to do the works He prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10) and those rewards will be mine, not because I fret about what I should do, but because He set me up for what He wanted done before He saved me.

PRAY: No pressure. My score was marked before I was born. Jesus, You take care of all things, including what I do in the power of Your Spirit and the rewards You will give me for doing what You enable me to do. There is no boasting because You have thought of everything and done it all. My life is totally in Your hands.

Grace comes first

 

This morning a song about being thankful reminded me again of God's goodness toward me. I am saved by grace and live by grace. The gospel of grace is entirely practical. In so many ways, all the good in my life is because of His goodness to me.

For instance, we who are so easily prone to be people-pleasers are even more prone as Christians to be, or try to be, God pleasers. I so easily forget that pleasing God happens only because of His goodness toward me.

God says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. . . . Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9:11–26)

The gospel informs me that any goodness in my life comes because of God's goodness. I do not behave so He is pleased but rather, His Spirit makes possible any goodness in me. It is never the other way around — for in my flesh dwells no good thing. Note the order of actions here:

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone… (Galatians 1:15–16)

The order of grace never changes or varies. It begins in the will of God before I was born, and as perplexing as it may be, I cannot argue with it. Faith is about believing and trusting what God says now, not what I can understand completely, or because I do it, but because He says it. His example:

. . . . when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:10–16)

That this happens “before I was born” implies before I had done anything good or bad. He called me by His grace and that call was effectual to graciously reveal his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to me. Seeing Jesus changed my life. As a result of this revelation in my heart, God made me a willing servant. Good works will never cause God to be gracious; but God’s grace always causes his people to walk willingly in good works. It must be this way lest I boast and rob God of His glory.

PRAY: Jesus, Your peace and joy are gifts that enable me to live in ways that please You. This response to You is not my doing but the work of Your Spirit. I do not need to fret or be anxious about doing what You want me to do, for grace makes plain the path before me. When You show it to me, I could say no and refuse to walk in it, but You make plain the folly of doing things my way. This is why grace is practical — Your grace keeps me from wanting to live in sin. Amen!

Knowing not just knowing about. . . .

A few weeks ago, a woman sat with us during church brunch and asked me how I knew Jesus was real, and how I knew whether He had returned or not. For me, it was like she asked how I knew if my children are real, or my friends, or even her. She claimed to have visions of what God  is doing and asked questions about spiritual warfare. The next week, I loaned her a book on that topic, but haven’t seen her since. Interesting.

The philosophical questions about reality abound. How do we know what we know, and so on.  While some might dismiss this as silly speculation, the Bible makes it an important, even a key part of our existence, and about the way we live now and, and determines our destination. The OT says this:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

God desires that my main passion in life is knowing Him and knowing what He is like and what He does. In His NT prayer, Jesus said this:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

How do I  know that I know Him? It is by faith, a faith that affects me to the point that I must tell it to others, say it with my mouth. Not faking it, and not pretending in any way. It is a knowing that is difficult to explain for it is not like saying “I know my husband” or any other visible person. It is a knowing based on what the Word of God says:

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8–13)

This hints at more than head knowledge. For example, I know who Donald Trump is, would recognize him if he walked by, hear all sorts of things about him, but I don’t ‘know’ him like I know Jesus. The Bible says that knowledge means I know His voice, have His mind and hear Him tell me what to do or not do. Knowing Him means intimacy. He gives me His love, peace, joy, and a desire to be like Him. And that is more evidence of the depth of this relationship:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)

While many doubt, or scoff, or even deny such a thing is possible, a few could see how Jesus makes a difference: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

PRAY: Jesus, today is one of those days where I feel totally unlike You, as if I’m more uneducated and common than bold. However, You are with me because You said so, not because I’m always aware or feel like it. Your word is far more reliable than my feelings. Because I know You and that You do what You say You will do, I walk into this day in confidence that knowing You is all that I need — and I can be all that You desire of me.

God without limits. . . .

 

Yesterday I read about the power of God in that He can do anything, yet that power corresponds with His purposes. For example, He could have made us to have three heads, but this did not fit with His wisdom or His will. For this reason, I take caution when someone says God will or will not do something, or that things just happen without Him being involved.

There are some who put the actions of God into time categories called dispensations. What happens in each time period is often restricted to that era only. For instance, the miracles done by the apostles don’t happen now that all of them are dead. In other words, these gifts were restricted to only a certain group. The reasoning varies. One writer says:

In Acts 8:5–18 we read of the apostles coming to Samaria to communicate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the believers there. Philip, though he possessed those gifts, could not communicate them, because Philip was not an apostle. If the gifts could only be communicated by an apostle, they must have ceased when the last of the apostles died. There is no need for such gifts today.

This assumes that ‘those gifts’ meaning miracles, healing, and speaking in tongues, were only done by the apostles, and because they are not emphasized in later NT books, they must have stopped happening. It also assumes they are not needed today, yet fail to explain why they still happen.

I’ve heard said that any instance of such things is fake or from human or demonic sources. Since the enemy “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) as do false teachers, this can happen. Cults also do their best to seem like genuine believers, so imitation is not a shock.

However, what about genuine healings? What about those who have visions of Jesus and are saved without a preacher? What about those who speak in tongues and seem to follow all the NT rules for it? We see the fakes with often bizarre behavior and tend to lump them together, but is that reason to say there is no need for these gifts? One writer says:

We have the complete inspired revelation of God in Holy Scripture (2 Peter 1:9–21). Since there are no forthcoming revelations from God, there is no need for miraculous signs to confirm such revelations. The Word of God is complete, final and sufficient.

I agree, but is it possible that these and other gifts of the Holy Spirit are still given but for a different reason? Instead of using them to confirm the Word of God (or to confirm personal theories) perhaps God heals people because they ask Him to heal them? Because He loves to bless them? To the sick He says:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

Perhaps God still does miracles so that He will be glorified? When Jesus was asked who sinned to cause a man to be born blind, He replied, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3) Who are we to limit what God will do to bring glory to Himself? Medical explanations for healings still wind up being “We don’t know” and “Only God could do this.”

As for tongues, I know people who have deeply struggled with problems that put them in that “I don’t know how to pray” mode that the Bible says can happen. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26–27) These people testify that they wound up praying in tongues, not forced or even sought, yet this was a comfort that God was praying for them.

That God can do whatever He wants to do is a comfort to me. I cannot limit Him. He could create another world if He wanted to, or even grant me the ability to understand what and why He does anything. He can speak through a donkey, make the sun move backwards, and rule the universe. Who am I to say He no longer heals, does miracles, or any other marvel?

PRAY: Jesus, there are false teachers on both sides of this issue. Enable me to trust You and keep reading Your Word, asking for what I need to know and do that You are glorified. Grant me also discernment so I will not make assumptions or put any limits on Your power or Your choices.

Understanding is only part of it. . . .

 

For about seventeen years, I read the Bible every day without understanding anything in it. Then came that day when Jesus entered my life. It was not a request on my part; He surprised me. After that day, after realizing who Jesus is and why He came, I began to understand what I was reading.

Today’s devotional says it is good to read the Bible regularly, learn the facts of Bible history, memorize as much of the Bible as you can and study the blessed doctrines of the Bible, then adds that it is possible to do all this yet gain no spiritual benefit. The author says this benefit comes only to the degree that we understand it. The author adds that this understanding can only be gained by the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:11–16)

Various lists tell how the mind of Christ affects a believer’s life. For instance, any love for worldly things will change. Instead of the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life, the mind of Christ calls me to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of my mind” for this will help me discern the will of God and what is “good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Another list says His mind creates a humble, submissive, and obedient faith. The list of spiritual fruit point to new attitudes that include love for others, peace in my heart, joy, and more (Galatians 5:22-23).

Included in that ‘love for others’ is a new desire to seek their salvation by sharing with them His love in action and words that explain the good news of the gospel.

Another example of what will change: New knowledge of who Jesus is and what He has done, submission to His lordship expressed in obedience, trusting Him alone and not my own works, or goodness, or my efforts, along with a deepening rejection of sin and not wanting to run my own life.

As the book of James says, this thinking is more than new attitudes. It creates new actions such as caring for the needs of widows, orphans, the poor, and not being a respecter of persons but treating all with the same loving care.

For this reason, I’m convinced that I cannot limit the changes in my life to attitude only or even understanding. While actions flow from the heart, if they are not there, I have to look in the mirror (God’s Word) and not forget what I see, but do something about it.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:22–27)

PRAY: Lord, I’ve known for a long time that thinking and saying what I know is good, but doing it is vital. It is often easier to keep my mouth shut when I want to speak, or keep my mental focus on You rather than worldly or selfish stuff, than it is to simply do what You say. May Your mind rule my actions as well as all other parts of my life.

Am I being like Jesus?

How should I respond to a person who claims to know Jesus but continually talks and acts as if they don’t, yet when questioned immediately has all the biblical answers? I’ve not seen this person walk the talk, but only do a lot of talking. They are not new to faith, but claim a life-long experience of knowing Christ. Why then do they act most of the time as if they don’t? The temptation is to judge, even condemn, yet I do not have that freedom.

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:33–34)

If this person is a child of God, they are protected from condemnation: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) If they are faking it or deceived in some way, then they are already condemned:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:18–21)

Last night, one person in our study group clarified the distinction this way. He said that 1 John clearly states that no matter what we claim, if we don’t love God and others, we are not Christians. Yet 1 John also says that if someone is not “of us” they will not stay with us, so that does not solve my puzzle. I’m reminded of the Liar’s activities:

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10–11)

Satan is the one who condemns. If I do it, am I playing his game instead of doing what Jesus does in intercession for His people? My goal, even if there is evidence of sin, should be restoration regarding sin (evidence is confession and repentance) and humility rather than pride, faith rather than unbelief, and integrity rather than pretense. Restoration is not my skill set. Instead, I wonder about this from the Lord?

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10–12)

This seems God's answer to my question. This person is irritating me. In hoping for the best and not seeing it, I want a reason for the problem, which is something like Eve being tempted by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God wants me to deal with my problem, not ask Him to show me things only He knows. I now remember the Narnia story where the Lion scarred the back of the boy’s friend and the boy asked why. The Lion (representing Christ) told him, “That is her story” meaning ‘mind your own business and leave her to me.’

PRAY: Lord, You sometimes use unsolved issues to build my faith or to show me what I need to confess. I don’t like being around people who profess faith but their actions and attitude stinks, yet You are intimately acquainted with millions of us who tend to say one thing and do another, try to run our own lives, or fake it instead of being honest. By Your grace, may I grow up and become more like You instead of trying to play God as if I was already there.

Chosen by God?

The usual question when it comes to being chosen by God is why would He choose some and not others? From experience and from Scripture, I get the idea that when God calls someone to faith in Him, that call is irresistible, yet Jesus says many are called but few are chosen. Israel was called as a nation, yet they failed in that calling and the Lord turned to the Gentiles. Yet if humans can say no to God, then how can God be sovereign? Who are we to control our own destinies? I cannot resolve this puzzle, yet today this passage added a dimension not thought of before; Jesus was also chosen. . . .  

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4–10)

From this passage, those ‘chosen’ are ‘in Christ’ because Christ is chosen, just as we who are in Christ are righteous and justified. It is not our own righteousness but His. That is, like the pages in a book, I am in Christ. Or like the hand in a glove, He is in me. That union with Christ by faith and by the grace of God grants me the status of being chosen. It is not about God standing in the heavens and picking this person and not that person but a description of those who are in Christ.

In other words, being the elect or chosen is not a description of how I got there but a description of where I am. This explains the phrase ‘many are called but few are chosen’ in that God calls people to Himself yet only a few who are invited are actually in that kingdom of Christ and called His family.

This idea has holes in it too. However, I’m content with it. The NT uses the term “mystery” for several things including the gospel, what has happened with Israel, the fact that some will not ‘sleep’ but be changed, the will of God, how marriage depicts Christ and His church, that Christ is in His people, and several more truths about God’s doings. My nature is to love AND solve puzzles, yet faith tells me to simply believe what God says even if I cannot unravel it. One of those puzzles is that some believe and some do not.

PRAY: Lord, there are people who decide that all will eventually believe, or that no one goes to heaven against their will, or that only those who say yes to the calling will get in. . . all trying to simplify what You say is a mystery. All I know for sure is that God chose You and that You chose me. I cannot understand that choice except that “You chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; what is weak in the world to shame the strong; what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in Your presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29, personalized) This humbles me, but I am content to be humbled and that You are glorified.

Hope in this battle. . . .

Chinese martyr Watchman Nee described how being a Christian was like having two dogs fighting inside him. When asked which dog wins, he said, “The one I feed the most.” I wish it were that simple.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17)

It seems to me that feeding the right one with God's Word and obedience often increases the appetite of the other, even provokes the enemy to pollute the good food or snatch it from memory. These fighting dogs seldom take a nap.

Today’s reading spells it out. I am like all believers in God’s kingdom. I have two natures, two principles warring against one another continually. The flesh is dead in that it is separated from God and seeks ‘my way’ which is the Bible’s definition of sin.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

The living entity, far from being a dog, is the new nature given to me at salvation. It is still me, yet like a hand in a glove, it only functions when I am filled with the Holy Spirit. This is God’s work. He makes me righteous, and this nature always seeks righteousness.

This constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit sometimes is marked by the flesh having its way resulting in sin. This sin must be confessed and turned from in repentance and true sorrow.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

This is the power of God to deliver me from the power of sin, even from its presence. Yet I cannot underestimate that old nature’s determination to have its way. The battle is constant unless I am trusting Christ alone for all my righteousness before God and am filled with the Spirit. For this, recognizing the flesh is vital.

This day’s devotional points to the psalm where the author describes what happened when he stumbled in envy of the prosperity of sinful people. Reading it helped me see some ways my flesh tries to rule my life...

Truly God is good. . . . to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. . . . For I was envious of the prosperity of the wicked . . . .  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. . . .   always at ease. . . . they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task. . . .  

However this changed when the psalmist took a good look at the will of God. . . .  

I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (Psalm 73:1–28)

PRAY: Lord, how true. Even if the brutish side of me seems to be winning, You are always with me, always lifting me up, always the strength of my heart. You promise to finish the work that You started in me, and that one day, when I see You face to face, I will be like You. No more growling dog or flesh determination, only peace and joy always and forever. Let not my heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and my hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:17–18)

God transforms by substitution

 Today’s events remind me of a totally imperfect analogy. The Bible says concerning our redemption: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) In other words, Jesus represents us by taking our sin on Himself and dying for it, and with that, God puts His righteousness on us that we might live.

In thinking “Who else represents us here on earth?” I came up with lawyers who might speak on our behalf and politicians who are supposed to rule representing our wishes. The first could have all sorts of reasons for defending my wishes, but if I stopped payment, all would cease. As for the second, we know the power trips made by those who soon forget what is best for the people in favor of what is best to get re-elected.

Our legal relationship with Jesus is not like anything on earth. First, God put our sin on Christ who willingly took that shame and guilt and suffered the full penalty for it. He did not earn or deserve it. His life was perfectly obedient and without sin. How could God declare Him guilty? Was it only because He willingly took that sin in an act of love rather than leave it for sinners to bear and to die? He, like a lawyer or a politician, represented humanity, but did far more than speak for criminals or look out for the best interests of His people.

As for the people He died for, all who believe experience the incredible removal of sin, yet God’s grace did not leave them a blank slate. In another sovereign declaration, He imputed or put on sinners the righteousness of Christ trading sin that Jesus never committed for His sinlessness that we never earned, deserved, or would never have, unless God had made this amazing trade we call redemption.

One of my friends said, “We get saved in an instant, then spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out what happened!” He was right. Suddenly I was a different person, the same with those old selfish and sinful desires, yet Jesus walked in — and everything changed. It was not exactly like having another person driving my car, more like a new person solving my problems, listening to my heart, giving me a life, peace, joy and attitudes never before experienced. Righteousness imputed. I didn’t do anything. He simply looked me in the face and it was a done deal.

These two things, Christ being made sin and us being made righteousness, could only be accomplished by substitution. There was no possible way for the Lord of glory to be made sin, except by imputation. And there is no way by which any man can be made righteousness, except by imputation. It is a legal matter. But also a practical one. Day by day learning from this One who is always here, always teaching, always wanting His best for me. Always learning from Him.

PRAY: And You, Jesus, are always listening for me to desire, “Not my will but Your will be done” with an honest and humble heart. It has been a rocky road in places, a lovely vista most of the time. Hopefully in it all, I decrease and You increase — until that day I see You face to face and with no more sin, when the process is complete.

Guard my heart . . .

There are several kinds of heart problems; some caused by hardened arteries, blocked vessels, injuries, or other concerns. My hubby has a stent. I have a pacemaker. However, not one of this list gives anyone as much grief as a troubled heart. The disciples found themselves upset when they began to understand that Jesus would leave them. So He said:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1–7)

At one point Peter said Jesus should not leave them and He strongly rebuked him with “Get behind me, Satan” because Peter proudly thought he was defending Jesus. In reality, this man was thinking as many modern Christians do; that Jesus and every disciple of His is only blessed if life is without stress of any kind.

Peter learned a great lesson: the love of God does not mean being coddled. If hardship will make me more like Jesus, then hardship will be used. If He was willing to die for me, what does that tell me about my willingness to suffer for Him. Peter finally was able to say:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7)

In the list of heart problems, pride is close to the top. My pride thinks I’m too good to have trials so when they come, so does stress and deep inner sorrow. Spurgeon noted that most of our sorrows arise from within and said, “When self is conquered, sorrow is to a great extent banished from the human heart.”

That said, others would put unbelief as the chief cause of all heart trouble. Worry, anxiety and fear are the fruits of unbelief and every physician would agree these also wear out the heart. But if I totally trust and believe God… why worry?

Unbelief has other fruit, like covetousness or wanting something that God has not given. This lack of trust stresses the heart. God wants me to learn “in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) It is the same with envy (wanting what someone else has) and even with complaining about everything from bad weather, to daily news, to political issues, to who won the hockey game. This is saying without the words that God does not rule the world my way and puts knots in my muscles.

With a pacemaker, I do a regular heart check. I have a device that connects to the clinic like a phone and it sends a full set of signals to an expert at the other end. They can change the speed, know the remaining battery life, and report on how well the pacemaker is working. This is important to my physical well-being. How much more important to do a heart checkup with God by connecting with His Spirit and making certain all causes and issues are confessed and cleansed — and that my faith is fully in Him, not in anything else.

PRAY: Lord, forgive my lax attitude in allowing these negatives to do damage instead of dealing with them as diligently as needed. You are the Great Physician, not merely to keep my body working well, but to keep my heart right with You. Forgive me for missing far too many appointments for a check-up, or even just a chat with You.

God only wise…

What a great vanity for a glow-worm to boast that is as full of light as the sun — leaving its proper place only to fall into confusion and thicken its own darkness. This is God's lesson again,  another instruction in the folly of thinking I can run my own life in even the least dimension without needing the wisdom of God. Such epitome of pride.

Charnock jolts me by saying how humans, by pushing the wisdom of God aside in Eden, got a crack in the head which has continued more than five thousand years. And we can feel so secure with our heads, not realizing they do not work as our Creator intended.

You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” (Isaiah 47:10)

To be guided by my wisdom is to be led by a blind leader, even to follow a traitor and enemy to God and ourselves. My prudence often proves hurtful to me as it fails even when I thought I was okay and had no idea that my glowing was that of a mere bug in the scheme of things.

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:20)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

To fear the Lord and depart from evil is inconsistent with my conceit of my own wisdom, and totally inconsistent with trusting in the Lord with all my heart. It is God-playing to trust my own wit as if it were equal with or superior to the wisdom of God. The only solution God gives:

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18)

The true way to wisdom is to be sensible of my own weakness, and it is not merely dropping the comparison but realizing there is no comparison. Since the fall, human wisdom is the wisdom of the serpent without the innocence of the dove. It flows from self-love, runs into self-interest. It is the wisdom of the flesh, and a choice — when I cannot bother with God, but do my own thing. But my ‘best’ wisdom is imperfect, a mere nothing and vanity. How even dare I compare myself in any way with God? If a holy and innocent wisdom is to be had, I must fill my empty well from His pure fountain.

The OT speaks that even if “many years teach wisdom, it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes us understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.” (Job 32:7–9) Even a child can be a vessel for the wisdom of God.

The NT affirms: “We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)

PRAY: Such shame to think that I can do anything apart from seeking Your face and mind. It is through Your precepts I get understanding and how I learn to hate every false way. Whatsoever comes from You is always wise. All that You do in this world is wise, good, righteous; because You are essentially wise, good and righteous. And the gospel is evidence of our folly — for if You told me Your Son should be crucified, I would think it cruel and unjust. How can goodness and the only One who kept the law die for those who violate it? Yet as Your wisdom unravelled Your plan, You show the marvel of how You put together justice and mercy, love and wisdom, no matter how absurd it appeared to the ‘whacked in the head’ reasoning of humans, me included. Put my foolish pride where it belongs. Replace it with greater reliance on You, including the things I think I can handle without You. And to the only wise God be glory, through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

What I need to hear every day . . .

 

NOTE: Yesterday’s post was made using my I-pad and it did not transfer well to this blog. I had to copy it to my normally used file in MacBook Pro and repost it in a new file. The former one was deleted. Messy. Will not do that again!

Life has been a bit messy too. I’m feeling somewhat more ambitious today but the body is about the same — in need of more chicken soup? When finally getting to today’s devotional reading, my first thought was ‘not another gospel message?’ But the Spirit of God quickly reminded me that this is the essence of my life. No day goes by without needing the reminder that Jesus died for me and that I live because of Him.

It starts by saying “The essence of the gospel is substitution. The everlasting salvation of God’s elect is in no way dependent upon, or attributed to, anything done by us. ‘Salvation is of the Lord!’ God’s gift of eternal life, all the blessings of grace in this life and all the blessedness of eternal glory in the life to come are freely bestowed upon every believing sinner only as the result of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute.”

How many times a day are my plans motivated by the attitude that ‘I can do this’ as if my efforts have any value at all, never mind any direction from God. The gospel reminds me that not only has the Lord Jesus Christ earned my eternal salvation, but I do not live by my own efforts — only by His incredible obedience on my behalf.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned… But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12–21)

I have the righteousness of Christ. If anything I do departs from that, it might seem insignificant, but increasing knowledge of Him makes me realize even more that His way, His life, His righteousness is so superior that all my excuses for not obeying Him ALL THE TIME is almost laughingly ridiculous if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Last night He showed me just how weak I am. A prayer request came without any ideas at all how to pray. Smarty-pants-me felt totally without resources, not even the smallest hint of what was needed or what person involved in the problem needed it. It was awful. But it made me very deeply aware that I need to operate in the Spirit of God all the time, even when feeling unwell, or even when fully aware of the details of a problem, or even when I think I know what God should do. Not asking Him is one thing. Asking but getting a silent ‘let’s see how you can handle this without Me’ is almost a terror.

PRAY: Lord, I’m now even more aware of how a person without the gospel can behave and struggle with every issue of life. You want me mentally on my knees, not telling You what to do, or even telling You what I want You to do. Instead, I must ask You what You want me to do, how to think, how to pray. The gospel is always the answer. Apart from You, I am useless and unable to do much of anything, even breathe never mind solve the problems around me. Jesus, I thank You for obeying at the Cross (and all the time) so I can even obey at all.

Short and sweet . . .

 

 

This will be short. Rough week. Since I am seldom under the weather, this odd fatigue and lack of appetite was a mystery. A phone call to my doctor helped. After dozens of questions about my weird symptoms, then eliminating what was NOT wrong, she told me all meds were useless. I needed to fill up on Jewish penicillin.

She was right. After two cups of chicken soup, I started feeling better. Today’s reading gave me a lovely thought. It came from this:

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12)

Jesus said this in His prayer before He died and ensured it by giving His life. Not any who put their faith in Him will be lost, no not one.  Age, funerals, obituaries, even getting sick can put thoughts of the end of life into my head, but there is no end of life when it is eternal life from Jesus Christ.

I can see the love and care which our Lord manifested towards his people, even in the hour of his trial. His love is stronger than death. He voluntarily gave His life up to this enemy to ensure that His people be set free as a condition of His surrender. “As a sheep before shearers is dumb, He opens not his mouth” for His own sake; but for the sake of His disciples. His silence was a command of sovereign authority. This is love, constant, free, self-denying, unchanging love. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for his sheep, but the condition is this: those sheep for whom He died must therefore go free.

PRAY: Jesus, many people don’t get it, but I see a likeness between the wonder of redemption and the much less wonder of chicken soup — both are such startling simple solutions.

No more tears…

God amazes me with His timing. Yesterday, I slept almost all day, dizzy, no fever just a weird set of symptoms. Add to that items in the news, a sad e-mail from a friend, and I felt like crying. So what does the Lord say this morning?

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

I weep here because of my sin, bereavements and afflictions, but also the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual pain of others. I know that this is our lot in life, but on the other side of the grave, we shall weep no more!

Think of it — He will remove us from all sin and remove all sin from us. I will cease to weep when I have ceased to sin and because He will bless me beyond my wildest imagination.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him/— (1 Corinthians 2:9)

I can imagine no sickness for I’ve not been ill more than half a dozen times in thirty years, but I cannot imagine no more tears, no more sin, no more sorrow. This world is filled with it, with poverty, illness, fires, floods, and wars, death and loss. However, as the reading for today says, Jesus will give us all that our hearts desire. There will be no weeping over lost reward in that land to which we are going. Our reward will be full, perfect and satisfying. We shall see Christ and be like Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
What could be better than that!

PRAY: Today is a slight improvement over yesterday, made so by Your precious promises that perfection lies ahead. I tend to ‘live in the now’ rather than the past or the future, but this glimpse of Your plans for eternity make the present day sorrows a lot more bearable.

Secure Forever

My hubby received an email today from a former coworker. After updating his news, this man said that he was no longer a Christian. My response went two directions. Either he didn’t fully understand the promises God makes to those who believe in Christ, or this man was not a Christian in the first place.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) Eternal life is just that — eternal. It cannot be undone once it is done. The Lord makes this unconditional promise to every true believer. It takes into consideration all times, all circumstances, all contingencies, all events and all possibilities. This promise takes in all the flock. Not one of Christ’s sheep will ever perish no, not even one. If anyone is a believer, they will never perish. Christ himself has promised it! Nothing in God’s people or done by them can change that.

God himself says, “They shall never perish.” If one promise of God could be broken, no promise could be believed. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37–40) The Good Shepherd must save his sheep. His redemptive work cannot be nullified. It is an irreversible act of grace.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:31–34)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

There are many more Scriptures that verify the keeping power of God. As I read them, I’m also reminded that some hear what their parents or preachers say, but have not heard or believed the life-changing promises of God. I’m not sure if this is the case of the man who says he is no longer a Christian, but it could be that he was not one in the first place.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19)

PRAY: Lord, You know the heart of all people, Christian or not, and You know what has happened to cause this man to think he is not Your child. If he is, bring him to fuller knowledge. If not, show him what he needs to see and hear so he understands what is needed. Nothing is impossible for You.

Calmed by God’s Wisdom

Our Sunday was such a blessing that I’ve braced myself for an attack from the devil. He didn’t do anything much yesterday, but the world news this morning put me in a slump. The fires in CA are to worsen, hitting the areas where we once lived and have friends. My prayers feel like a drop in an ocean of need. The devil’s attack on my emotions is a pittance compared to what these people are going through.

The Lord brings powerful thoughts from Charnock’s book, and even though the dangers remain, God also remains. Charnock reminds me that Satan’s intentions can be what they will, even seem to be working, but God is able to outwit him in his strategies, baffle him in his plans and even use him as an instrument for the good of His people even though this evil entity designs nothing but lies, hurt and destruction.

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. (2 Peter 2:9)

As I wonder why God does not move now, Charnock also reminds me that in denials or delays of answers of prayer, God is gracious to hear; but He is wise to answer in an acceptable time, and help us at the right time. We want things now, like rain, no wind, great power in the fire fighters efforts, but do any of us really know what to ask for or the timing of it?

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

Not only is God's timing perfect, but in all evils threatened to so many people by this enemy and in these fires, God knows and has wisdom concerning anyone or anything that looks as if it or they can outsmart Him. “He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.” (Job 5:13)

I’m also reminded that God defeated the serpent in the first net he laid and “brought a glorious salvation out of hell’s rubbish.” He is just as skillful to disappoint the after-game of the devil’s helpers, the policies of hell, and the subtlety of the world, because… “The wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness.’ ” (1 Corinthians 3:19) The Word of God also says this:

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:2–6)
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. (Proverbs 21:30)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)

The gospel itself is a declaration of God’s power over Satan and all things. The Son of God bowed down to death upon a cross for the satisfaction of justice and rose triumphantly out of the grave to declare God’s justice was satisfied! Then Jesus was exalted to heaven to intercede for us; and will return into the world to receive us, and invest us with a glory forever with Himself! This overrules all powers, even that of a raging fire. “To the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ, for ever!”

PRAY: You gave me Scripture that I might know You, learn patience as I yield to Your will, be comforted and live in hope, no matter what is going on in my life or in the world. I pray for thousands who suffer to know the same — and soon — yet trust You because Your wisdom is far greater than mine. You will take care of Your people.

Paid in full…

 

Not too familiar with many legal terms. I had to look up the meaning of a surety. This is a person who takes responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt. In the Bible, this is a representative who offers himself under obligation for whoever he represents, in this case, Jesus is my surety before God the Father. He is “the guarantor of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22) who willingly offered Himself to pay the debt owed for my sin against God. He said:

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50:5–7)
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:18)

Last night our church had a prayer gathering. I wound up in a small group that included the mother and her daughter whose life is in turmoil. Mom needed assurance and daughter needed to know that the Lord would not give up on her. Those who prayed wanted to convey the love and power of God to these two and give them hope. While we didn’t use all the verses in today’s devotions, the Lord gave us what we prayed for, and affirms this to me today. He says:

Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. (Jeremiah 32:37–40)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved… In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3–14)

The love of Christ is our surety for He will never give up on us, no matter what we do. He said:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:37–40)

Whatever God required for our salvation, Christ agreed to perform for us. He willingly became responsible to God for His people and His work as the Surety of the covenant will not be complete until he presents all God’s elect before Him in glory. He will not fail any one of us.

PRAY: My life and the lives of all who know You are safe in Your care. You keep every promise and love us without measure. Grace overrides performance. We cannot do it ourselves. You stand in our place and You died for all, giving not only security and eternal hope, but also deep joy and peace. Your commitment to Your people is the most precious gift of all.

God hears my heart…

 

At times I’ve said that God is the only one who can hug me and give me a good kick at the same time. Today’s devotional reading does that. First the hug part:

True prayer, like all other graces and acts of worship, is a heart work. You may memorize little religious sayings and call them prayers. You may read and recite prayer books and think you are praying. You may repeat the earnest prayers of other people and suppose that you have prayed. But true prayed cannot be taught or learned by men any more than breathing can be. It is not an art or skill. Prayer is the breath of the renewed soul. Prayer is born in the heart by the grace of God. It is the power and grace of the Spirit in a man’s heart that teaches him to pray.
When I pray with others, we often talk about spiritual matters and things on our hearts. We agree that in the mind of God, we are praying in those conversations. The above paragraph hints that this is true because God is listening to our hearts as we breathe out what is truly the needs and desires made aware to us by His Spirit.

At the same time, there are warnings of what not to do concerning prayer, and examples of how God’s people should pray. Jesus said: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)

I cannot say I’ve prayed with that motivation, but must admit thinking that I need to ‘pray properly’ or some such notion. Because God knows my heart, I can sense the admonition and know that praying to impress others does not belong at all.

The example of David also hugs and convicts. His prayer was filled with worship, and I’ve learned the importance of praying to honor Him. Not only is this right, it also puts my focus on Him and being more concerned that His will is done. It is easy to pray for my will to be done, but praying that way and honoring God cannot co-exist. David prayed:

Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God… Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears… And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God… Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” (2 Samuel 7:18–29, shortened for space, but this prayer is filled with praise)

From this Word today, I better understand what it means to “pray without ceasing.” It includes continual admission of sin, always seeking God’s will, and always trusting His love and goodness. Prayer is my source of strength and consolation to my faith. But I must not forget that my prayer life reveals my heart attitude, both toward God and myself. I’m thinking how my mind wanders, easily distracted, even forgetting the One I’m talking to — and that is far from the sense of being hugged.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, when I talk with You, I need to confess my sinfulness and weakness in the flesh, but not dwell on it in any sort of self-pity. Keep my heart more focused on You, Your goodness and care, and with a strong, undistracted heart fixed on who You are and what You want in my life and in all the people and things that You put in my heart. Thank You for showing me where Your focus is when I pray, not on my words so much as on my heart and on Your heart.

God’s wisdom

 

Some Canadians are quite stirred up by the next American leader’s jesting that Canada should be the next state of his country. At the same time, the Canadian leader is rapidly losing the confidence of voters and even those who elected him. Today’s newspaper gave an account of discussions between these two leaders. When one joked about taking over the other, the unpopular leader in Canada quipped in return that they could work out a trade, maybe take two states in trade. At that, all talks about a take-over ended and I chuckled.

Then I read this in Charnock’s book in a section about the wisdom of God:

The wisdom of God hath given to men diverse offices, set them its diverse places; some have more honorable charges, some meaner. Not to give that respect their offices and places call for, is to quarrel with the wisdom of God, and overturn the rank and order wherein he has placed things. It is unfit we should affront God in the disposal of his creatures, and intimate to him… that he had done more wisely in placing another, and that he hath done foolishly in placing this or that man in such a charge. Sometimes men are unworthy the place they fill; they may be set there in judgment to themselves and others: but the wisdom of God in his management of things, is to be honored and regarded.

My time with God each morning is not about politics but to focus on Him and His will. All human leaders have flaws, but this response to what seems a joke to some and a threat to others, was met in such a way that it made me wonder if this was one reason the Canadian leader was given his place. His response showed wisdom in humor. It also pointed me to this verse in today’s readings:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)

Charnock says we trust the physician’s skill with our bodies, and the lawyer’s counsel with our estates; but are loath to rely upon God for the concerns of our lives. This applies to many concerns, political issues included. I can list a few things in my own life that I’ve questioned why God allowed such events, or prevented some desires. The Word of God and godly people give answers that show me that my Sovereign God is not joking about anything. His judgments and plans are incomprehensibly wise. The ways He carries them out are as wise as His resolve to do what He does. I am almost always unable to understand His methods, never mind His reasons, because His judgments and ways are both unsearchable.

But God understands my griefs. He knows exactly what I need. None of His remedies are beyond His skill. I might be bewildered and feel hopeless, or think at times that He isn’t caring that I am distressed, or that there is no way this can be a good thing, but He reminds me;

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

From His Word and my experiences with Him, I know that when I cannot prevent harm or danger, He knows how. If I can’t seem to escape evil or sorrow or trouble, He knows how to deliver me. He means to do what He promises to do, no matter how deep I might dig myself into a hole:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

This world is sinful, guilty and cursed, and His solution is Jesus Christ. I’m so amazed that He included me in this gracious gift.

He also makes clear that Jesus is the only way, just as He declared: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The deeper He makes Himself known to me, the more I understand why He is the only Savior, not me or any other way.

PRAY: Oh Lord, You hear my questions and You understand my desire to know why when it comes to Your dealings with me, and with others. But You also know what I need to know, and what I do not need to know. You sometimes put words in my mouth that startle even me, yet You sometimes will not allow me to say anything. Trusting your wisdom is often a challenge, yet You grant the gift of faith that I may bow to Your will without any outcry. I am amazed at Your goodness and also at Your wisdom.

Full Redemption has two parts...

If a thief was offered mercy and forgiven, then kept on stealing from others, that would be a mockery of both mercy and forgiveness. Any court that offered such leniency hopes for a changed life in response, but as the Bible says, leopards can’t change their spots. It takes more power than thieves, judges, courts, and good intentions to do that.

This is why biblical redemption is a two-fold thing involving the price for sin being paid and the power of sin being broken.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The main OT story that illustrates the payment for sin is when God redeemed His children from Egypt. They were sealed and protected from judgment by the blood on their doors so the angel of death passed over them.Their part was to trust God and obey this strange request.

They were then given specific laws to obey and the promise of a Messiah to fully redeem them. Moses realized this but most did not. While they knew they were His, sadly, the laws only showed them their need for the Messiah. Then when Jesus came, they didn’t recognize He was the One who would deliver them. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11)

Even so, as a man Jesus became subject to the will and law of God in every point, working out a perfect righteousness as our Representative. He did what we cannot do, what most do not even try to do. We witnessed that yesterday at a funeral. The only mention of the Lord was in one line of a song and in a story about skiing where the family were thankful to Him for making it down a hill safely.

However, acknowledging God is rarely evidence of redemption or faith. A person might realize Jesus died to pay the penalty of sin, but this is just part of what redemption includes. The power of sin also needs to be broken. When God sent Christ to die for us, it was so “those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:15–17)

This means a full release from the bondage of sin and no more trying to please God by being ‘good’ and doing good things. This new birth is the power of God living in my heart. It is redemption that gives new life. In other words, the thief no longer desires to steal — this sinner no longer wants to run her own life. To live in sin means I would deny the ownership of God, and think He has no right, power, or authority over me. It is believing the lie that I am wise enough and well equipped enough to do what is best for me without any input from my Creator.

Redemption therefore is not just believing Jesus lived and died, but it is realizing that He took my sin and gave me His righteousness so I can say no to sin and obey the One who created me and gave me Jesus, my Messiah. It is relying on Him to both forgive and cleanse, and that does a total remake of a life that was once only about ‘doing it my way’ and ignoring His way.
This is a sure and certain fact. I am redeemed by His death and empowered by His life. There is no redemption in just believing He lived and died. It must include the reality of His life living in me and making me a new person.

PRAY: Jesus, I begin another day trusting You, worshiping You, wanting to be filled with Your Spirit and thinking of You, talking about You, and doing what You desire for me. Because of You, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” (Psalm 31:5)

How to be salt and light?

This is an emotional day. We drive several hours to say goodbye to my first cousin. She died December 31, not unexpected, yet we were not ready for it. I’ve asked others to pray. We may be the only Christians at her funeral and want to be salt and light. Today’s devotional reading says this is possible:

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Yet is it boldness that gives others a vision of Jesus? He was bold. Or is it compassion? He wept with Mary when her brother died. Or is it His teaching? Or His patience? How do others see Jesus in His people?

Years ago, a woman made a statement about her desire to reveal Jesus to others. She was told by her friends, “When you try to be like Jesus, all we see is you, but when you are just yourself, we see Jesus.”

Experience interprets what she meant. Self-effort does not do it. Trying to be like Him is not role-playing. It is more like being transparent, open about who I am so that the One who lives in me can be seen. No layers. No pretense. No covering mistakes or shortcomings. Integrity, honesty, focused on others, not worrying or even trying to be what I think they want me to be. In short, being filled with the Spirit and not full of self.

This can be uncomfortable. Should that happen, the Spirit might be ignored and that salt/light thing does not happen.

Jesus preached in the Beatitudes about the things that can make me uncomfortable. It is not usually fun to mourn but He said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I’m convinced He was not talking about a funeral but about mourning over my sin. To do that, I must honestly admit that I sin.

He also tells me to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, pure in heart and a peacemaker. These qualities are not normal human ambitions. The next one is even more so: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake… when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

That response from others could keep me hiding behind a layer of whatever it takes to make people like me, but Jesus says when persecution happens, I’m to “rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
After these words, Jesus then delivers this bottom line:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:1–16)

So I want to be salt and light? Then I need to die to the old and walk in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, no matter what He asks of me and without any hesitation or resistance. I’m not to focus on my comfort — just trust Him to take care of it, and aim for His glory, not my own. Be myself? I’m certain that quote meant that I be an open book. A book left closed, even if it has a lovely cover, means no one can read the truth that is in it.

PRAY: Jesus, You are able to reveal Yourself in all sorts of ways. I could back into a corner and see what happens, but that is tossing salt to the wind and covering light with a basket. I’ve no idea what You plan to do today, but if it involves me, how can I not be willing? The timing of this devotional for this day is no coincidence. You always know what I need to hear from You and when I need to hear it.