Devotions

I wish we lived in a world without evil, a world without enemies. But we do not. Just listening to the news broadcasts tells us that this world is dangerous, that it is filled with evil.

I was reminded as I am writing this of that Louie Armstrong song, “What a Wonderful World.” God’s creation is wonderful, those “trees of green, red roses too.” And I am reminded often of “friends shaking hands, saying ‘How do you do?’ They’re really saying, ‘I love you.’”

But, the enemies of God have corrupted this world, those “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world … mighty powers in this dark world…evil spirits in the heavenly places,” have sought to ruin God’s Wonderful World. [Ephesians 6:12 NLT]

As Christians, we find ourselves engaged in a battle against the enemies of God, but God has provided everything we need to do so. He has given us the Indwelling Spirit of Christ (who gained the victory over all God’s enemies with His Cross, Resurrection and Ascension into Glory). We now battle FROM victory, not FOR victory.

We need not fear for He also provides the weapons and authority we need to battle …

The World: “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” [2Corinthians 10:4; Read Ephesians 6:10-18]

The Enemy of Our Soul: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” [Luke 10:19]

Glory to God!

A quote (“Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts”) from Søren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and philosopher, started me thinking about our thought life. Romans 12:1-2 urges us to renew our minds, to move our focus from this world to the things of God. That requires a battle. When we battle, however, we do so FROM a position of victory, rather than FOR victory. [1Corinthians 15:57]

In any battle you must know your enemy, and in this life, we have three—the world, the devil, and our flesh (sinful nature). We must distinguish between these enemies if we are going to be victorious.

Ephesians 6:12 defines two of our enemies. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” [NLT]

There are unseen forces in this world. The Scriptures do not hesitate to call them evil and mighty. These unseen enemies seek to influence, tempt, undermine, and subdue. They seldom mount an all-out frontal attack but prefer to use lies, doubt, ridicule, and other such sleight of hand tactics.

But whatever tactics they may employ against us; God has already provided weaponry to overcome them. And the greatest weapon is the Indwelling Spirit of Christ within. Praise God!

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” [1 John 4:4]

“Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.” That quote from Søren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and philosopher, started me thinking about our thought life.

Thinking about thoughts governing our actions took me to Romans 12:1-2 where we are urged to renew our minds by removing our thought’s focus from the world.

If our thoughts (our minds) indeed govern our actions in life, that also means that if we want to live a Christ-like life, there will be a battle. The world, the enemy and our flesh do not easily surrender the hold they have on our thoughts.

When we strive to renew our minds and give our bodies to the LORD to use as wonderful, willing, living sacrifices to Him, we are going to enter a battle zone. It is called “spiritual warfare,” and the Bible has numerous references to its reality and how we are to engage.

There is one vital truth that sets the foundation for our spiritual battles. That truth is that we battle FROM a position of victory, rather than FOR the victory.

Many Scriptures proclaim that truth. One is 1Corinthians 15:57: “…thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.” [NLT]

(There are others: 2 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:13, 1John 5:4) More tomorrow.

I came across a quote in one of my daily newsfeeds. It is from Søren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and philosopher.  “Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.”

That got me thinking. My immediate thoughts went to Romans 12:1-2 where we are urged to do two things (become living sacrifices and renew our minds).

 “…I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” [NLT]

We cannot know the will of God until we are “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.” [vs 2 NKJV]

If we are thinking like the world, there will not be the slightest urge to do the things of God.

Our thinking is what determines our doing. “Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.”

That is where my immediate thoughts went when I read Kierkegaard’s quote. But the more I thought about that, my continuing thoughts went further. I began to think about how our thought life is also where the greatest spiritual battles take place.  (More tomorrow)

As I wrote yesterday, nothing arouses my anger quicker than when I see someone who claims the label “Christian” yet represents God as something other than who He is, or salvation as something other than what it is.

GOD IS LOVE! (All Caps, Exclamation Point): Everything in the Scriptures declares that God is Love, from His marvelous creation to His amazing salvation. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.” [Psalm 19:1-2 NLT]

God’s amazing salvation is not something we earn by our righteous acts. It is not something we appropriate by our religious affiliations. It is a gift which is received. God offers it to us. All we do is reach out and take hold by faith. We can claim no credit for our salvation, NONE.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” [Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT]

And nothing in this life (NOTHING!) can rip God’s love from us! “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:38-39 NLT]

GOD IS LOVE! SALVATION IS BY HIS GRACE! (All CAPS, Exclamation Point!)

I used to have a terrible temper. I still have a temper, but over the years it has become less terrible. God has been gracious and enabled me by the power of the Holy Spirit to lessen it. Now, having said that, I am sure I will see a lesson soon which will give me the opportunity to prove that statement is true.

There is one thing that I guarantee will arouse my anger, an anger that I am not ashamed of in the least. It is when I see someone who claims the label “Christian” represent God as something other than He is.

God is Love. Let me say that again in all Caps! GOD IS LOVE! “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” [1John 4:8-10 NLT]

And God demonstrated His love to us BEFORE we cleaned up our act. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” [Romans 5:8 NLT]

And God’s Love brought us that salvation through His GRACE by faith, not by following a set of rules, or becoming affiliated with a group or denomination. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” [Ephesians 2:8 NLT]

And since I am on a roll … More tomorrow!

Most of the time I love the new worship music and artists, but I will admit that there are times when I simply miss the old hymns. Last night before I went to bed, I was listening to David Phelps sing one of the verses of “There is a Fountain” on a Gaither video. [William Cowper, pub.1772]

That hymn begins with the marvelous truth that “there is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains.”

But it is that marvelous fourth verse that makes me weep every time. “E’er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die: And shall be till I die, And shall be till I die; Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.”

Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die.

Redeeming love has been my theme since 1973. I will proclaim God’s Redeeming Love forever … in this life and throughout eternity.

I was lost. A sinner. Hopeless. Full of guilt and shame. Stumbling through life without the knowledge of God and then He miraculously opened my eyes and brought me close. He found me. He took away my sin and shame. He brought an eternal hope.

I am a child of God … those very words flood my soul with love. His Redeeming Love …. His Redeeming Love.

The King is COMING! It’s a done deal. There will be no debate. The only vote you can cast to be part of His Kingdom will be your very soul in surrender at the foot of His Cross.

The King is COMING! He will have the highest honor. There will be no demand for recount, no squabbling over the validity of an election. The Kingdom is His.

The KING is Coming! When He comes His name will be honored above all names. He will be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. All will declare that He is Christ Jesus, Lord of All.

The KING is Coming! And when His name is spoken, every knee will bow. Some will bow in marvelous adoration to see this One they have served and loved and longed to see. Some will bow because it is demanded. They will bow with anger and hatred in their hearts. But they will bow, nonetheless.

The King IS Coming! Nothing will stop or hinder His Coming. Nothing will prevent or diminish His right and authority over all of creation.

The KING is Coming! Right now we have a choice. We can bow our knee in surrender to His marvelous grace and mercy. We can accept the salvation He died to make available to us. Or we can reject His call. We can ‘postpone’ bowing our knee … until that one day when He comes, but then, be assured, we will bow in sorrow and shame.

THE KING IS COMING! [Philippians 2:9-11]

Matthew 11:29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle [praus] and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [NIV]

Some translations render the word “praus” in the Greek as meek. It means gentle, mild, humble. Jesus uses it in this passage to describe his demeanor, his disposition.

Jesus was gentle, humble, meek, but He was not weak. There is a Scripture in Isaiah that reminds me of both the strength and the gentleness of Jesus the Christ. Isaiah 42 begins, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope.”

God’s chosen Messiah, Jesus the Christ, will bring justice to this earth. In strength He will not falter or fail, He will not become discouraged. Nothing on earth is strong enough to hinder His goal to bring all things back where they belong. Nothing in heaven or hell is strong enough to stand in His way or deter Him.   Nothing, no principalities, no powers, no rulers in heavenly places, nothing can oppose Him and succeed.

Yet even amid that strength is seen gentleness. A bruised reed, a person barely hanging on by a thread, He will not break but will in gentleness make them whole again. A smoldering wick He will not snuff out. Even those souls that are hurt, barely alive, damaged almost to the point of destruction, He will make whole again, will restore, will transform into bright shining lights set high upon a hill.

Jesus treats people a lot better than we treat them. He is gentle and humble, bringing rest for souls. Oh Lord Jesus, let us be like you in ever-increasing measure.

They were minding their business, going about their daily duties, unaware that the King of the Ages, the Son of Glory, their Messiah was about to walk past –fisherman, preparing their nets to cast into the lake, working the boats, simply doing their daily chores. Then Jesus called, “Come, follow me.”  [Matthew 4:18-22]

Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, four men totally unaware of the change that was about to happen, heard the call of the Savior . . . “Come, follow me” and they responded.

Later, others would hear the call. Levi, the hated tax collector would hear and become Matthew the writer of the Gospel. Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot would heed His call to “Come, follow me.” Even Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Him, would hear Jesus’ call to follow.

Twelve men from different walks of life would be invited to become disciples of the Christ. Amazing. Yet even more amazing is that I heard the call, and you heard the call. Some of us heard it as children, some as teenagers, and some as adults, but we heard it nonetheless. We too were from different walks of life, minding our business, going about our daily chores and duties, totally unaware that our Savior, the Son of God, was going to walk by and call our names. “Come, follow me.”

I always chuckled at that bumper sticker “I found it!” that adorned so many cars years ago. “I found it” sounds as if I was really looking for “it” while God was hiding “it” from me. It made it sound as if God was in the bushes, squirreling away salvation where only the most diligent searcher with the determination of the bold and brave would ever find He had hidden it. “I found it.”

Truthfully, I was the one in the bushes hiding my heart and my soul away from the One who was seeking me. He was the one who was looking, walking the dark pathways, shining His light into the shadows calling to me, calling those three little words that have changed the lives of men and women down through the ages since that first time on the shores of the Sea of Galilee . . . “Come, follow me.”