Loving them all…

The dad in a family that has become our family became a Christian in a country that does not tolerate Christians. His family beat him, nearly killed him. He fled to another country and lived there for a decade. He and his wife were able to work and bore three children before realizing they had to move again. Now in Canada, they enjoy the freedom of being able to worship Jesus without threat.

This persecution still happens in many places in the world. Jesus predicted it to the degree that even fathers would give their children up to death and children their parents:

And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. (Mark 13:12)

Being a child of God does not guarantee health, wealth, and a comfortable life. Not every family escapes it as our friends did. In today’s devotional, Piper uses the words of Jesus about children to point to my responsibility toward the children of God:

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me. (Mark 9:37)

For me, the point isn’t that I’m to give particular care to youngsters who know God, but to His children of any age who believe in Him. I have favorites, but there are a few in His family that irk me for various reasons, or I don’t enjoy being around them for various reasons. God is using this devotional to speak to my sinful attitude.

Piper says: “The question is not whether caring for children is easy and safe, or whether they are responsive and thankful, or whether caring is depleting. The question is whether Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

In other words, I need to do what He says, and I cannot use any excuse such as ‘this is too hard’ because the Bible is clear. Not only did Jesus want loving attitudes toward little ones, but also adults, for we all are His children. Besides that, Jesus is still available to enable such love. The Bible says these truths for my situation:

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 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. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:12–16)

PRAY: Loving others is always about being filled with Your Spirit, never about them being lovable. Certainly You do not find me lovable. Love is who You are and that should be who I am, in Christ. The love of Christ goes beyond knowledge and beyond reasons. I appreciate the depth of fellowship with many and am not thrilled about the lack of that with others, but You died for all — meaning my old nature died with You and You have given me the Holy Spirit to enable me to love Your children — all of them and all ages.

The most worthy goal

This week we received a video of a couple in their nineties dancing — fast jive with dips and twirls — for over two minutes. Inspiring, yes. A goal I want to set, not likely. If I were a few dozen years younger, I might. Dancing like that isn’t something to start now, with a pacemaker. It is good to have goals though.

Right now, I have a few. Declutter and simplify our home. Keep cooking interesting recipes. Exercise daily. Use up as much of my fabric stash as I can. Keep in touch with family, especially grandchildren. Pray often for all things. At the top of this ‘list’ is grow in faith and become more like Jesus.

Today’s devotional is about that goal. It begins by saying that truth about Christ should fill my heart, but more than that — Christ Himself must fill my heart — and it totally belongs to Him.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)

Reading Jesus words make this seem impossible: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) This means spiritual maturity, being like Jesus using  all things to accomplish that purpose:

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)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20–21)

Unlike dancing or my other goals, this one can be accomplished only by the power of Christ. Becoming like Him is by His working in me, not by me working on myself. When it seems that this purpose of God will never happen, I must remember that God is not done with me yet.

Also, when I groan with my slow progress, so does the whole world.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19–23)

Yet the deliverance and fullness of God’s goal will come. And this promise is my hope and assurance:

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. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

PRAY: God, perfection seems impossible, yet You have the power to transform me and that perfection will come, and sooner rather than later as I get closer to the end of life here. In the meantime, I take all other goals to You in prayer and marvel at how You help me with progress in them. The assurance that spiritual perfection will also be mine gives me the encouragement and even the energy to keep at all that You have given me to do and more.

Life is like bootcamp

 

In my spiritual journey I’m at a place where I know the power of prayer, am spending more time with the Lord, yet am being spiritual attacked to the point that I often want to do anything but pray. I know that the enemy is behind these attacks because he too knows the power of prayer and will do whatever he can to stop it. At the same time, God keeps giving me wonderful truths that help me focus, at least some of the time.

One of them is the reality of having a relationship with Jesus Christ that is overwhelmingly incredible. I am His sister and He praises me and trusts me.

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brothers (means siblings), saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” (Hebrews 2:11–13)

Jesus calls me by name and because of His attitude toward me, other Christians know I am His beloved just as I know they are also His children and are loved by Him. Other verses speak of us as His holy ones, and even though we find it difficult to think of ourselves that way, He says we are perfect and holy in His sight.

MacArthur admits that the children of God do not always act holy or like our Heavenly Father, but we are still His children. The holiness of Christ has been imputed to us through faith and the grace of God. We are sanctified or set apart for Him. In Him, I am as pure as God is pure, as righteous as Christ is righteous and therefore entitled to be called His child and a sibling of God’s Son.

For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

When the enemy goes after me, this truth is a weapon against his accusations and lies. I belong to God and am set apart for Him, not for anything the devil wants of me. Jesus is “not ashamed” to call me His own. This is truth that sends the accuser packing and definitely enables me to say NO to temptations.

In experience, the Christian life is like a person just enlisted in the army and is a soldier, but must go to bootcamp to learn how to act like what he already is. I am a child of God and life is my boot camp. I am already God’s child: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:9–10) yet I need to learn how to live and practice what God has made of me. I am Christ’s sister and a child of God, and that motivates change.

The practical experience of a Christian’s life in this world includes sin, but the positional reality of his or her new nature is holiness. In Him I have been made complete, yet practically, I have a long way to go. So, the overriding purpose of my life is to become in practice what I am in position.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant me to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith—that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I  may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19, personalized)

PRAY: Lord, today help me to remember who I am and focus on what You have done to make me Your child. Enable me to live like it by filling me with Your Spirit and granting me the love, peace and joy You give, that I might be patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled in every situation. And help me to remember that prayer means coming to You in Your name — and being blessed with receiving whatever I ask.

PONDER: these thoughts all day. Don’t be side-tracked by so many other responsibilities that are not nearly so important as praying with confidence because I am God’s child and because He loves to answer my prayers.