Walking the Talk

 

For three days God speaks to me about His supply being for each day, not the next day or next week, but “new every morning” so that I only carry the weight of each day. So what do I do? I spent much of the last two days stewing about a project that I must begin today. No ideas or thoughts of how to do it. Totally in the dark, until this morning.

Grace for the day. Hello. It is bad enough to worry about anything, but to totally ignore the answer to my worries as if the great thoughts God spelled out had nothing to do with them… really? I am totally red in the face. Today’s verses are like a kick in the pants:

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9)
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Confession is agreeing with God. Confession is admitting guilt. Today, confession feels like a big apology, a DUH in large letters. But the most amazing thing is that before sitting down with my Bible and devotional book, the good Lord flooded my mind with all the ideas I need for the project that must begin today! Is that grace and mercy? I feel His boot, but it is also a big hug.

The Lord does give what I need one day at a time. Instead of trusting Him, instead of ‘walking the talk’ I totally ignored what He said and even prayed for answers, but He gave them when needed, just like His way of doing things.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23)

I’ve twenty minutes to get from this chair to a meeting room. I’d also worried about that, but He woke me up and got me going in time for that too, another new mercy. What can I say? God is good, even to foolish and forgetful people like me.

PRAY: Thank You, Jesus. Fill me up that I might never talk without walking too. Just knowing something is not complete until I also live out what You tell me.


 

Finding Rest. . .

Sunday is supposedly a day of rest. I’m thinking that it isn’t always. Some people must work or lose their job. Pastors and church leaders might be ‘resting on the inside’ but they are not idle. In our church with a massive crowd for brunch each week, the volunteers who prepare the food and those who set up, and those who clean up are busy working. We also have friends that see needs and their mantra is, “I’ve got to do something” regardless of the day.

Some time ago God used a word search to enrich this passage:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

There are two ‘burdens’ in these verses. The first is ‘heavy laden’ and the original Greek word refers to a large cargo that is by no means easy to carry. The second one is translated from a different Greek word and basically refers to the invoice that is attached to the cargo.

The contrast is evident; when Jesus wants me to do something, it will not wear me to the bone but be relatively easy. Why? Because when it is from Him and done in reliance upon Him, the Holy Spirit is involved and while my efforts may require muscle, they will not be wearisome. I will not feel like I’ve been carrying a big load.

Piper quotes Lamentations 3:22–23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Then he adds, “With every day’s measure of pain, he gives new mercies. . . .  God’s mercies are new every morning because each day has enough mercy in it only for that day. This is why we tend to despair when we think that we may have to bear tomorrow’s load on today’s resources. God wants us to know that we won’t. Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles. Tomorrow’s mercies are for tomorrow’s troubles.”

Isn’t that true? Instead of being concerned with today’s invoice, I can get overloaded with tomorrow’s to-do list. I can worry if I don’t know what to expect, or if I think my burden will weigh more than my time or energy can handle. It is easy to forget that Jesus isn’t into letting His people carry more than we can handle — like two day’s problems in one day, or tomorrow’s issues all night, both robbers of energy and forgetting the lessons from manna in the wilderness. (Exodus 16)

Jesus supplies what I need for today. This is not only a day of rest but a day of worship and fellowship with His family. He will fill my heart with joyful worship as long as I kick out plans for the afternoon, or what to have for supper, or what is on my calendar for Monday, or all next week’s responsibilities. He wants me to experience the delight of His faithfulness and new mercies on this day and entrust tomorrow and the future to Him, including the future of what is going on in this world, what is lacking, how many family members we have that have not yet said yes to Him, or anything else that piles a burden on my mind. Focus on Him is incredibly restful.

PRAY: Jesus, I get tired when I take on a burden that is not from You. Or when I try to deal with obligations that are not going to hit me until next week. Planning ahead isn’t wrong, but letting the future become a burden indicates I’m not listening to You and definitely not resting in You. Forgive me. This kind of thinking is fleshy and sinful. Today I come to learn from You and to rest — with just the invoice.

 

Jesus is enough for each day. . . .

Piper starts today’s reading with two verses from a song:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what he deems best
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

I’m amazed at how often thoughts from devotional readings are preceded by an event that illustrates the truth or point that God makes. The theme of Piper’s reading is an explanation of how the “Father’s wise bestowment” is the amount of trouble that we can bear each day — and no more.

Last night I worked until midnight on a project that I’ve been asked to teach to a group of quilters. This part was almost mindless but planning the session loomed large in my mind. Normally, when I go to bed thinking about a challenge ahead of me, I cannot sleep. My mind is too busy trying to solve the thing. However, I went to sleep instantly and then dreamed how I could do that session. Amazing! The dream made perfect sense and not only that, I remembered all of it when waking up, feeling totally rested and refreshed. Then Piper’s devotional reading reminds me of this truth:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23)

I tend to think I will have to bear tomorrow’s burdens on today’s resources, but today’s mercies are for today. God will give me the wisdom and whatever I need for tomorrow’s challenges — and He did that in my sleep! How amazing!

Piper reminds me of the manna in the wilderness. His people were told to gather only enough for each day, with twice only on the day before their sabbath, a day of rest. In that vein, He gives strength for today’s challenges today, and gives what I need for the next day is given the next day, when I need it. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Another issue bothering many is the future. North American politicians seem to be using our fears about tomorrow to mess with our minds and our sense of security. God gives me Psalm 2 and other passages to reassure me that He will give His people what they need, and He will also deal with unjust and ungodly rulers. Even so, this points to the future. It is good to focus on today’s needs rather than be like the pundits and media who speculate and try to fix such things that haven’t yet happened. I don’t know the future, not even the next hour, so being in a stew or a snit robs me of the energy God gave me for today.

PRAY: Jesus, trusting You means living in the right now. I need Your mercy and grace to handle today’s chore list and decisions — and You give me that and Your promise for renewal every morning. Thank You for Your great faithfulness. In a world where very little is certain, You are my anchor and all that I need will be supplied.

A reason to pray . . .

 

I’ve been praying for the salvation of a person I know because her extreme selfishness is ruining lives. She is oblivious to her condition and her attitude is a childish ‘I will have my own way’ no matter what anyone else might want. In other words, I want God to fix this mess for those reasons.

However, God rebukes my motive for praying. He starts with this statement and a verse: Every dimension of life, whether physical or spiritual, is a testimony to God’s mercy.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

When God saves, it is not because anyone is special, more deserving, or more needy. Nor is it because their sinfulness is interfering with the faith of others. It is because He sovereignly choses to love and extend His great mercy to that person.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (Ephesians 2:4–5)

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)

As today’s devotional says, God addresses the pitiful condition of mankind because of His great mercy. Unregenerate people are totally depraved, dead in trespasses, enslaved to sin, cursed to eternal damnation, unable to help themselves, and in desperate need of someone to show them mercy and compassion. That’s the good news of the gospel: God loves sinners and extends mercy to all.

Of course, we need to be willing to admit we need it, but that is God’s doing also. We are told to repent yet also told that God grants it:

God exalted (Jesus) at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4)

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24–26)

Without Jesus, repentance is not a purely human action. Esau sold his birthright and regretted his actions, then afterward, “when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:17) This was an ‘I’m sorry I got caught’ repentance, not the kind God wants. His “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Bottom line: as I pray for this person, I need to ask God for mercy. He loves sinners and as the OT says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)

My prayers need to look more like this: “For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!” (Psalm 108:4–6)

Also, when I pray, asking for godly repentance must be included. This is not a case of ‘fix it for my comfort’ but a case of ‘turn her life around, granting repentance that You may be glorified.’

PRAY: Jesus, You always address the needs of my heart first before You grant the desires of my heart. In this case, my desires were more about me than the other person, never mind that my concern ought to be that You are glorified in the answer. I’m thankful for Your great mercy. By it, I repented and received eternal life and an eternal inheritance. Without Your goodness and grace, I would be just like that person whose selfishness is so destructive.

PONDER: Mark 10:46–52 tells how a blind man called out for mercy and received it. When God granted mercy to me, I didn’t call out for it nor realize how much I needed it, yet He came into my life anyway. For those who are caught up in ‘me, me, me’ the Lord God knows exactly what to do and how to demonstrate mercy and His great love and power. I need Him to show me my part in doing the same.

 

 

The Best Wine

People have claimed no interest in Christianity because they “want to have fun.” They have no idea that the first miracle Jesus did was to turn water into wine at a wedding.
 

Fundamentalists might say that it wasn’t really wine, just grape juice, but they don’t know their Bible very well either. In most cases, God warns against too much wine and drunkenness. Paul said that church leaders must "not be addicted to much wine”(1 Timothy 3:8), but also told a young pastor to “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Timothy 5:23).

When Jesus ate the “last supper” with His disciples, He served them wine. At the beginning of His ministry for that wedding, the host ran out of wine. This was a huge social faux pas, but Jesus met the need and water became wine, not ordinary wine, for the people said to the wedding host,  

Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. (John 2:10)

Today’s devotional says this illustrates something about God. When He is at work, He keeps the best for the last. Consider creation. First there was chaos and the formless deep, then light and form, then life. And at the end of it God created people in His own image, to reflect His glory. We are the “best wine” of creation, the delight of the heart of God. Of all else, He said it was “good” but of humanity, He said we were “very good.”

But that was a long time ago and before sin. Humanity is no longer good in the sense of imaging God or following His ways. Yet in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to repeat that creation sequence, this time in human hearts. He reveals Himself in Jesus Christ and grants new life, bringing light to darkness, and goodness out of those who have resisted Him.

The devotional author rightly says that the old life still struggles for the mastery, and we are in heaviness through manifold temptations, but the difference between Christ and our tempter is this, that the Devil’s tomorrow is worse than his today -- but the tomorrow of everyone who trusts in Christ is always brighter and better than yesterday.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23)

Also, every time I obey God, He gives me a new vision of His love. Every trial reveals His grace and compassion. Then, when all my wrestling is over and like a tired child I lay down to sleep, in that great morning I will wake up and see His face in a land where there is no more fatigue or fighting, no more trials and temptations. At that, I’m very apt to say, “You have kept the best wine until now.”

Great is Thy Faithfulness

My Bible software has a new feature that allows me to convert my own writing into a “book” that can be listed in its “library” of dozens of other books, including Bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries, Bible studies and so on. In that format, the software indexes each book. That means if I type in any search word or Scripture reference, it will find and list all occurrences of that word in my library, including my own writing.
 

For me, this is a great feature. I’ve written hundreds, even thousands of pieces and sometimes need to find a particular one of them, an almost impossible task. However, to get all my articles and devotional writing ready for this, they have to be Word documents. For many years, I used WordPerfect. Now I must open and save everything in a new format. As I’ve been doing this, I’m drawn to read some of them and am amazed at the faithfulness of God. I began daily devotions in the early seventies, and have experienced His grace in speaking me through His Word every day, missing perhaps less than a dozen days on my part, and hearing silence from Him even less than that. Through this review, I’m receiving a repeated blessing.

Today’s devotional reading offers a short verse as another reminder that God is always ready to meet His people, beginning first thing in the day.

In the morning the word of the Lord came to me. (Ezekiel 12:8)

God reminds me again that a quiet hour spent alone with Him at the beginning of the day is the best preparation for the challenges that day may bring. Whether deep or brief, His Word offers advice, encouragement, correction and instruction. Prayer, whether brief of lengthy, is His avenue of giving wisdom, grace and strength. As I talk with Him, He pours out the Holy Spirit so I can carry His Word and His blessings into the day — with joy and the sense of His presence and help. 

God takes my concerns and does what only He can do concerning them — while I do the work He has given me. He watches over family and friends, lifting my burdens for their needs. He faithfully listens and allows me a joyful trust in Him. No matter how dark or discouraging my circumstances may appear, my Father’s hand is guiding and gives wise direction to every decision and problem that comes my way.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23)

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Praise You, Lord for always being here when I stop to spend time with You. Your faithfulness has been, and will continue to be, a great blessing. The time I spend with You is the most important part of my day, every day.