Greetings to All
Revelation 3:14-22
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..."
(REVELATION 3:20)
When it comes to coffee, I like mine tongue-toasting hot. As it begins to cool, I cannot drink it. But I also like my coffee iced. It's got to be either hot or cold.
Jesus warns the Laodecian Christians that they are neither hot nor cold, because their hearts are self-satisfied, content to depend on themselves rather than on Him. What these believers don't understand is that, while they think they have it all together and are living the "good" life, Jesus views them as wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked - not a pretty picture. Like lukewarm coffee, He wants to spit them out of His mouth. Instead, He lovingly stands at the doors of their hearts, knocking and calling for entrance.
How patiently He waits for us, rapping and listening to hear if we will recognize His voice. How He longs for us to let Him fully possess our hearts, to know Him as the Lover of our souls, to open our innermost beings to Him, so we can trust and enjoy that perfect intimacy with Him for which we were created.
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,/ Calling for you and for me;/ See on the portals He's waiting and watching,/ Watching for you and for me. (Will L. Thompson, 1880)
WORSHIP - REFLECTION - AND - PRAYER
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Secure Hearts
Greetings in the name of the Lord
Psalm 112:1-9
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
(DEUTERONOMY 33:12)
The circumstances of life change frequently. The economy may and does fluctuate. Wars may escalate and devastate. A loved one may sicken or die. There may be a drought or a flood. Insecurity is everywhere!
However dire the events around us, as Christians we know that these are not happenstance. God is always in control. Our hearts can rest secure in Him, knowing He is working in our circumstances with a plan for our good and not for our harm (Jeremiah 29:11). We can trust His never-failing promises to be our Rock, our Fortress, and our Salvation.
Secure hearts give thanks to their Maker for trouble as well as for blessing. The apostle Paul, having suffered many trying circumstances for the gospel, urges us to do just that, because this is God's will for us in Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Are you experiencing a difficulty today? Thank God right now for that problem, and put it in His all-powerful hands. Leave it there knowing our God reigns.
A mighty fortress is our God,/ A bulwark never failing;/ A helper He amid the flood/ Of mortal ills prevailing. (Martin Luther, 1529)
Psalm 112:1-9
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
(DEUTERONOMY 33:12)
The circumstances of life change frequently. The economy may and does fluctuate. Wars may escalate and devastate. A loved one may sicken or die. There may be a drought or a flood. Insecurity is everywhere!
However dire the events around us, as Christians we know that these are not happenstance. God is always in control. Our hearts can rest secure in Him, knowing He is working in our circumstances with a plan for our good and not for our harm (Jeremiah 29:11). We can trust His never-failing promises to be our Rock, our Fortress, and our Salvation.
Secure hearts give thanks to their Maker for trouble as well as for blessing. The apostle Paul, having suffered many trying circumstances for the gospel, urges us to do just that, because this is God's will for us in Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Are you experiencing a difficulty today? Thank God right now for that problem, and put it in His all-powerful hands. Leave it there knowing our God reigns.
A mighty fortress is our God,/ A bulwark never failing;/ A helper He amid the flood/ Of mortal ills prevailing. (Martin Luther, 1529)
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Tested Heart
Greetings to All
Genesis 22:1-5, 12-14
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
(MARK 12:30)
Long-awaited Isaac quickly became the apple of his father's eye. Then, unexpectedly, God put Abraham to a test, asking him to sacrifice that son. He wanted to be sure Abraham's heart belonged only to Him, that he had complete faith in His will.
When we read of Abraham lifting the knife over his son, bound on the altar, we cringe at the horrific thought of what lie ahead. But Abraham's faith in his all-powerful God steadied him. He told his servants to wait, explaining, "We will worship and then we will come back to you." Hebrews 5:19 says, "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead."
While God tests believers' hearts and shows us blessings right in front of us, there is a deeper thing going on in this passage. The gripping story of Abraham sacrificing his son points us to the greatest blessing we've known: God's own Son put on the "altar" at Calvary to pay for our sins. Jesus "passed the test" for me and for you - sinners all - so our hearts would be drawn to faith and obedience in Him.
For the favor He shows and the joy He bestows/ Are for them who will trust and obey. (John H. Sammis, 1924)
Genesis 22:1-5, 12-14
(MARK 12:30)
Long-awaited Isaac quickly became the apple of his father's eye. Then, unexpectedly, God put Abraham to a test, asking him to sacrifice that son. He wanted to be sure Abraham's heart belonged only to Him, that he had complete faith in His will.
When we read of Abraham lifting the knife over his son, bound on the altar, we cringe at the horrific thought of what lie ahead. But Abraham's faith in his all-powerful God steadied him. He told his servants to wait, explaining, "We will worship and then we will come back to you." Hebrews 5:19 says, "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead."
While God tests believers' hearts and shows us blessings right in front of us, there is a deeper thing going on in this passage. The gripping story of Abraham sacrificing his son points us to the greatest blessing we've known: God's own Son put on the "altar" at Calvary to pay for our sins. Jesus "passed the test" for me and for you - sinners all - so our hearts would be drawn to faith and obedience in Him.
For the favor He shows and the joy He bestows/ Are for them who will trust and obey. (John H. Sammis, 1924)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
We can be joyful at all times not because we are spared affliction but because we are completely satisfied in Christ.
Greetings to All
Jesus promises that we will suffer. In Matthew 10:17-18, Jesus warns his followers, "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles." Although that quote may seem distant or irrelevant to Christians today, the point remains that, in the words of Christ, "if the head of the house [Jesus himself] has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!"
Not only does Jesus promise that believers must suffer, the Apostle Paul assures us that the path to being an heir of God demands sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17).
Similarly, Paul writes this to those in the church at Philippi: it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him (Philippians 1:29).
Clearly, we, as Christians, will not be spared affliction. (In addition to the Scriptures above, see Acts 9:15-16, Philippians 3:10-11, and 1 Timothy 1:8-9.)
Despite being assured affliction and suffering, Christ-followers can be joyful nonetheless.
We can be joyful not by creating a bubbly-faced facade of happiness to hide reality but rather by confidently knowing that, in the face of immense sin and suffering, we are secure in Christ. Why fear and be saddened by those who can only kill the body when you're protected by Him who can keep you from hell (Luke 12:4-7)? Or, to put it positively, rejoice that you have received the Holy Spirit, who guarantees your eternal salvation—and thus, your eternal joy (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
The faith that justifies is the very same faith that satisfies. Saving faith satisfies us by weaning us from the short-lived satisfaction of sin to ultimate satisfaction in Christ.
Thus, despite the fact that suffering will come even—or, perhaps, especially—to us who profess faith in Christ, we can have great joy not because we are spared affliction but because we are completely satisfied in Christ.
Not only does Jesus promise that believers must suffer, the Apostle Paul assures us that the path to being an heir of God demands sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17).
Similarly, Paul writes this to those in the church at Philippi: it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him (Philippians 1:29).
Clearly, we, as Christians, will not be spared affliction. (In addition to the Scriptures above, see Acts 9:15-16, Philippians 3:10-11, and 1 Timothy 1:8-9.)
Despite being assured affliction and suffering, Christ-followers can be joyful nonetheless.
We can be joyful not by creating a bubbly-faced facade of happiness to hide reality but rather by confidently knowing that, in the face of immense sin and suffering, we are secure in Christ. Why fear and be saddened by those who can only kill the body when you're protected by Him who can keep you from hell (Luke 12:4-7)? Or, to put it positively, rejoice that you have received the Holy Spirit, who guarantees your eternal salvation—and thus, your eternal joy (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
The faith that justifies is the very same faith that satisfies. Saving faith satisfies us by weaning us from the short-lived satisfaction of sin to ultimate satisfaction in Christ.
Thus, despite the fact that suffering will come even—or, perhaps, especially—to us who profess faith in Christ, we can have great joy not because we are spared affliction but because we are completely satisfied in Christ.
Every action you take is a seed you sow, and every seed you sow is a harvest you'll reap.
Greetings to All
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Don't think that you can lie to someone (i.e. sow a seed of dishonesty), but yet expect to reap a harvest of truth in your life.
Proverbs 22:8 warns that He who sows wickedness reaps trouble.
Therefore, be very careful about how you act in every area of life, because every action you take is a seed you sow, and every seed you sow is a harvest you'll reap.
Have you ever had a thought like this: "Nobody would ever notice"? Or this: "It's just a little thing"? But to God, every action -- big or small -- is important, because every action you take is a seed you sow. For example, say that you tell your boss you worked eight hours when really you only worked six. But on the other hand, it's only two hours, and "nobody will ever notice." However, you're sowing seeds of dishonesty in your life that will reap a harvest of the very same thing.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Don't think that you can lie to someone (i.e. sow a seed of dishonesty), but yet expect to reap a harvest of truth in your life.
Proverbs 22:8 warns that He who sows wickedness reaps trouble.
Therefore, be very careful about how you act in every area of life, because every action you take is a seed you sow, and every seed you sow is a harvest you'll reap.
A Worshipping Heart
Greetings and Aloha to all
Deuteronomy 5:6-11
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
(PSALM 14:1)
Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship….If you worship money and things - if they are where you tap real meaning in life - then you will never have enough."
There is nothing wrong with having money or the things money can buy. The Bible warns us that it is our attitude about money that matters. Timothy explains "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus said that a person can have only one master: God or money (Matthew 6:24).
Why doesn't our culturally-sanctioned race to accumulate more and more wealth satisfy us? It is because God created our hearts to be genuinely happy only when they are full of Him. Stuffing them full of other things leaves no room for our true Satisfaction. God calls us to empty everything from our hearts, install Him as Lord there, and then worship Him only. Anything less is idolatry.
Jesus calls us from the worship/ of the vain world's golden store,/ From each idol that would keep us/Saying, 'Christian love me more.' (Cecil Frances Alexander, 1852)
Deuteronomy 5:6-11
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
(PSALM 14:1)
Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship….If you worship money and things - if they are where you tap real meaning in life - then you will never have enough."
There is nothing wrong with having money or the things money can buy. The Bible warns us that it is our attitude about money that matters. Timothy explains "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus said that a person can have only one master: God or money (Matthew 6:24).
Why doesn't our culturally-sanctioned race to accumulate more and more wealth satisfy us? It is because God created our hearts to be genuinely happy only when they are full of Him. Stuffing them full of other things leaves no room for our true Satisfaction. God calls us to empty everything from our hearts, install Him as Lord there, and then worship Him only. Anything less is idolatry.
Jesus calls us from the worship/ of the vain world's golden store,/ From each idol that would keep us/Saying, 'Christian love me more.' (Cecil Frances Alexander, 1852)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hearts of Shame
Greetings to all
Genesis 3:1-13, 21
"As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"
(ROMANS 10:11)
Adam and Eve had a truly perfect relationship with God. Daily, God approached them in the garden and spoke to them. What lovely Spirit-to-spirit fellowship that must have been.
We're all too familiar with what happened next. The tempter made tasting a forbidden piece of fruit seem impossible to turn down. He made God's command seem irrelevant. Adam and Eve - and all of creation - would taste and know sin and shame. They pushed God out of His rightful place, filling their hearts with the shame of sinful rebellion. It was not necessarily in their physical nakedness that their shame lay, but in their sudden knowledge that they had sinned against their holy Creator. And it was too much to bear.
By making animal skin garments for them, God provided atonement for them through a blood sacrifice. God has also provided the perfect Atonement for us - we who are burdened with sin's shame. We can trust Jesus' blood to remove our sin, and to wash the shame and guilt from our hearts.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,/ Jesus I come, Jesus I come;/ Into the glorious gain of Thy Cross,/ Jesus I come to Thee. (William T. Sleeper, 1887)
Genesis 3:1-13, 21
"As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"
(ROMANS 10:11)
Adam and Eve had a truly perfect relationship with God. Daily, God approached them in the garden and spoke to them. What lovely Spirit-to-spirit fellowship that must have been.
We're all too familiar with what happened next. The tempter made tasting a forbidden piece of fruit seem impossible to turn down. He made God's command seem irrelevant. Adam and Eve - and all of creation - would taste and know sin and shame. They pushed God out of His rightful place, filling their hearts with the shame of sinful rebellion. It was not necessarily in their physical nakedness that their shame lay, but in their sudden knowledge that they had sinned against their holy Creator. And it was too much to bear.
By making animal skin garments for them, God provided atonement for them through a blood sacrifice. God has also provided the perfect Atonement for us - we who are burdened with sin's shame. We can trust Jesus' blood to remove our sin, and to wash the shame and guilt from our hearts.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,/ Jesus I come, Jesus I come;/ Into the glorious gain of Thy Cross,/ Jesus I come to Thee. (William T. Sleeper, 1887)
Monday, May 2, 2011
God's "good things" are not always the same as the world's
Greetings to all
Wants vs. Needs
Psalm 103:1-5
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
(PHILIPPIANS 4:19)
I once knew a charming and pretty woman who, with her handsome husband, son and daughter, two cars and suburban home, looked like the American Dream personified. How amazed I was one day when she showed me her "Wish Book" - page after page cut from magazines and catalogs of things she still wanted: a new house, new cars, a new couch, new TV, each thing improved from the ones she already had. My heart ached for her.
Sometimes our hearts have trouble being content with the blessings God has already given us, or perhaps we don't see them as blessings because they are not what we wanted.
The more we thank and praise God for what He has already given us, the more we recognize His good care for us. God's "good things" are not always the same as the world's. In fact, they are better!
They are individualized for us by our Creator who knows just what our hearts need to be happy and content. He promises to open His hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:16), including you.
Thou and Thou only be first in my heart./ High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art. (Irish Hymn, 8th Century)
Wants vs. Needs
Psalm 103:1-5
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
(PHILIPPIANS 4:19)
I once knew a charming and pretty woman who, with her handsome husband, son and daughter, two cars and suburban home, looked like the American Dream personified. How amazed I was one day when she showed me her "Wish Book" - page after page cut from magazines and catalogs of things she still wanted: a new house, new cars, a new couch, new TV, each thing improved from the ones she already had. My heart ached for her.
Sometimes our hearts have trouble being content with the blessings God has already given us, or perhaps we don't see them as blessings because they are not what we wanted.
The more we thank and praise God for what He has already given us, the more we recognize His good care for us. God's "good things" are not always the same as the world's. In fact, they are better!
They are individualized for us by our Creator who knows just what our hearts need to be happy and content. He promises to open His hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:16), including you.
Thou and Thou only be first in my heart./ High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art. (Irish Hymn, 8th Century)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)