Past Devotions

When we travel to California to visit with family we stay in a local hotel. We initially found one that was inexpensive, but after staying there a few times it was evident why it was inexpensive. They were in a perpetual remodeling project, the hotel front desk staff was rude, our entrance bordered an alley filled with trash and people asking for money, cigarettes or booze. Even though we were in a wing already remodeled, the blinds didn’t work, and once our doorknob fell off!

After several stays we decided to look for a new place. We chose the Hampton Inn in Salida, easy access, lovely rooms, wonderful breakfast, and a staff that constantly smiles. It costs a little more to stay there but it is well worth it. We’ve decided that the Hampton is our dwelling place when we visit our California kids.

I pray “that [God] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” [Eph 3:16-17 NKJV]

There are 2 Greek verbs (paroiko & katoikeo) for dwelling. Paroiko means to inhabit a place as a stranger or alien. Katoikeo, on the other hand, means to settle down and refers to a permanent as opposed to a temporary abode.

Paul uses Katoikeo when he describes the fullness of the Godhead abiding in Christ in Colossians 1:19 and for Christ’s abiding in the believer’s heart in the verse above.

When Christ Jesus comes to “dwell” in our hearts through faith, He makes it His own home. We are a permanent dwelling for the Master, not a hotel where He is treated like a visitor. Truly Amazing!

Yesterday I wrote about the Holy Spirit who comes to us when we receive salvation through Christ Jesus. The Spirit dwells in us. He brings light that illuminates the Scriptures. He teaches us how to pray, how to follow, how to live. Our lives are flooded with light as the Spirit unveils Christ Jesus, the Light of the World.

But we need not only light, we need the fire, the power of the Spirit if we are to live as Christ wants us to live. We need the fire and power of the Spirit to “go into all the world and make disciples.”

The truth is that the fire and power of the Spirit are resident within the Holy Spirit who is resident with us. It is His responsibility to provide that for us – but, BUT, it is our responsibility to allow the Spirit to release His power in us. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” [1 Thessalonians 5:19]

To release the fire and power requires obedience. Some scholars estimate that more than 500 people were present when Jesus gave the command to return to Jerusalem and wait for the release of the Holy Spirit’s power. When the Spirit fell in the Upper Room in Acts 2, there were 120. What happened to the rest? Where did they go? Were they not willing to wait and obey the words of the LORD Jesus?

We put out the Spirit’s fire when we fail to be obedient. We douse the flames of the Spirit when we allow ingratitude to creep in and fail to give thanks for all God has done. We restrict the Spirit’s power when we lose our joy, for it is the joy of the LORD that is our strength. [read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22]

Paul’s warning is ominous. Do not allow the things of this world, our own flesh, or the devil to “put out the Spirit’s fire” in our lives. Blaze away fellow believers!

I have a small wax-melting plug-in in our hall bathroom. I turned it on the other day and discovered the light bulb that heats the wax and acts like a nightlight had burned out.  Bob was headed off to the store at the time, so I gave him the bulb and asked him to get a replacement, which he did.  I plugged in the appliance and voila I had light. When I checked later, I saw that while I had light, the wax had not melted. There was no fragrance. In checking, I found that Bob had bought a 5-watt bulb instead of a 15-watt. While the bulb served as a light, it didn’t have enough power to get hot and melt the wax to release the fragrance.

At Bible Study last Wednesday, we were discussing the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. When we come to Christ Jesus for salvation, the Scriptures are quite clear that we receive both Christ and the Holy Spirit. Our inner man, our hearts become the dwelling place of God.

Jesus told us that when the Spirit came, He would bring light. He would lead us and guide us into all truth, illuminating Christ’s words and ways.  That’s a given. But Jesus also told His disciples when He ascended into heaven to wait for the power of the Spirit … that power would be used to witness and take the Gospel into all nations.

On the Day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon those gathered in the Upper Room. He came like fire!  “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit …” [Acts 2:3-4]

Jesus’ disciples went forth in power. They took the fragrance of God’s Son into every corner of the known world. Perhaps we’ve settled for less than we might … we’ve welcomed the light but failed to wait and seek the fire.

It is the fire of the Spirit that melts our hearts in submission to Christ Jesus’ LORD-ship. It is the fire of the Spirit that releases the fragrance of our God to all we meet.  Let’s seek the fire.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think …” [Eph 3:20 NKJV]

“Wow!” Read that again. God is “able.” Double “Wow!”

He is able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all.” Glory!

He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all “that we ask or think.” Are you rejoicing yet?

I have read that verse probably hundreds of times and still it floods my soul with such amazement. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly (immeasurably more, infinitely more) than what I might ask, or even think about or imagine. There are times when I don’t ask God for something because I think it might be too much to ask. Yet this verse tells me that there is never too much to approach God with as long as we stay within His stated will in His Word.

I guess that raises the question, are we asking enough from our Father God who tells His children to come to Him and present their requests? Are we asking for healing from the one whose “stripes we are healed?” Are we asking for provision enough for our daily needs? Are we asking for spiritual growth from the One who promised to send the Comforter to lead us and guide us into all truth? Have we perhaps decided that God is “not able” even though His Word says otherwise?

As I read this verse again this morning, I’ve decided to get bolder in my prayers and requests to Him. I want to see all that God can do in His amazing glory and power. I want to see Him work in me, through me, for me, with me. I want to see miracles that give evidence of our testimony to the world that in any and every situation our “God is able … exceedingly, abundantly, immeasurably, infinitely able.” Amen & Amen!

“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” [Psalm 9:1-2 NKJV]

Notice those two words … I will … that are so prevalent in the first two verses of Psalm 9? I will praise. I will tell. I will be glad. I will rejoice. I will sing.

We have so much for which to praise our God. When He called us to Himself and saved us, He gave us enough to praise and rejoice in Him for all eternity. But then our God gave even more. He gave us the righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord. He gave us the right to be called His children – God’s children! He gave us the opportunity to tell others about Him. Now we are to praise and tell and rejoice, be glad and sing about all that the LORD has done.

To be silent amid all that God has done for us is to be ungrateful. When we refuse or neglect our praise of God, we essentially harm ourselves. God may be saddened by the lack of gratitude He sees in His children, but He is not harmed by it. We alone suffer when we refuse to praise God for praise is a means to spiritual growth and health.

Praise lifts our burdens, invigorates our hopes. Praise will add to our faith and give us the incentive to be all we can be for the glory of God.

When others see us praise in every and all circumstance, it also benefits their spiritual walk. I have been strengthened when I see other saints walking through difficulties with praise on their lips and joy in their hearts. I know I can follow their examples.

So, let’s shore up our determination today to praise our God. I will praise. Yes, I will.

This is one of my favorite days of the year – Halloween and its ugliness are behind us and what lies ahead is Thanksgiving and the hope found in the Christmas season. Thanksgiving and hope. It is a dark world indeed if we have nothing for which to be thankful. And without hope, we are simply lost.

Two things I have learned in life. One, that thanksgiving … giving thanks in all circumstances … is to be celebrated daily. It is not reserved for one particular Thursday in November. It is to be an attitude that permeates every part of life, what we consider good and what we consider bad. We have no idea when we are in the middle of situations what good God will produce from them. We simply trust that our God can work all things out to our good and we are thankful that He can!

Two, I’ve learned that Christmas hope is also to be celebrated daily. It is not reserved for December 25. It is more than celebrating Jesus’ birthday. To me it doesn’t matter what day Jesus was actually born, the hope that derives from His birth transcends a “date.”

The hope I find in Christmas leads to the cross. The cross leads to the resurrection. The resurrection leads to His ascension to the Right Hand of God and His exaltation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And in that hope, I find my salvation. My sin is gone. I have been made alive in Christ Jesus. I have been filled with His righteousness. I sit in the heavenly realms in Him now and will be with Him for all eternity. That’s everyday hope that carries me through life and into eternity.

Thanksgiving for each day. Hope for each day. Christ Jesus for each day. The love of the Father for each day. The power of the Holy Spirit for each day. That’s the way to live each day.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Rom 15:13]

I was particularly tired after returning home from California. The dosage for the meds I’m taking for the polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) hasn’t really been settled. My primary physician doesn’t want me on large dosages (which is where I feel the best) because of side effects, so we are in this pattern of “adjusting.” I never know how much fatigue, stiffness or pain I’ll have when I wake up. After returning from our trip I think I had the PMR tiredness combined with the usual tiredness that accompanies traveling.

By mid-afternoon on Thursday I was miserable. All I wanted to do was curl up in a blanket in the big lounge chair sitting in the sunshine coming through the window. But, I needed to walk also. One of the side effects of the meds is elevated blood sugar levels, not particularly healthy for a diabetic. I didn’t feel up to walking outside, but decided to walk around the house to get my steps in. Bob left to visit a friend.

I started to walk, and then I started to praise my LORD. I began to sing in the spirit and with my understanding, praising and worshipping him at the top of my lungs inside the house. I even found myself singing a “new song of praise” that bubbled up from deep within. I kept walking around the house; I kept worshipping and praising my Savior.

By the time Bob came home, I not only had my step count, but I found that somewhere during that “worship walk,” my aches, stiffness and pain were gone. Turning my attention to my LORD, “being joyful always” and “giving thanks in all circumstance” brought temporary relief to my physical body and glorious relief to my soul and spirit.

“Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” [Jude 20-21]

A few months ago as I was on my worship walk, a thought crossed my mind. It was just one of those fleeting thoughts to which we often don’t pay much attention. I was praising my LORD and singing aloud as I walked. I remember my praise and worship being intense at that moment. I had been thinking about attitude … about a devotion I was planning to write about how our attitude of joy and thankfulness needs to flow through every situation for us to have victory amid the difficulties of life.

Suddenly, a thought … “easy to preach while things are going well.” When that thought entered my mind, it was followed by a second one. “Expect to soon have opportunity to put that joyful attitude into practice!”

That thought hit home. I guess I was not really surprised when I walked out of the doctor’s office about a month later with a tentative diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). That’s an auto-immune disease characterized by fatigue, pain, stiffness and other symptoms. (I have an appointment with a rheumatologist on November 26 to confirm that diagnosis or figure out what else this might be!)

As I left the doctor’s office, reality set in that everything going forward will be a bit more difficult than it has been and I’m going to have plenty of opportunities to put into practice what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18]

Pastoring, teaching, evangelizing must always be more than words, it must also be modeling the life of Christ to others. “Being joyful always” and “giving thanks in all circumstance” must be more than words … they must be a lifestyle—especially amid life’s trials and troubles.

After all “being joyful” and “giving thanks” are ALWAYS God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

Profit and Loss. In our society many people live by the concept of Assets and Liabilities, Profit and Loss. When the stock market and economy are flourishing and money is pouring in, they are excited. When the stock market and economy are in danger of recession or even depression, they become anxious. Greed and envy often drive their actions, trampling others in their eagerness for gain. Big corporations and small companies live by profit and loss.

But then I guess, we too will live by profit and loss if we follow the example set by the Apostle Paul.

“Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” [Phil 3:7-9]

Paul’s idea of profit and loss is far different from the world’s viewpoint. Paul looked at all the things he had gained in his life by his own strength and ability and through his heritage and position. He was a true Hebrew-speaking Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a ruling member of the most devout and stringent political/religious party – a Pharisee. He was educated by the great Rabbi Gamaliel. When the world looked at Paul, they put every one of those things in his profit column.

Then Paul met Christ Jesus, and, in that meeting, Paul found what true profit was. He went back to his profit column, saw all those self-made gains, and moved them all to his loss column. Then he put one thing in his profit column, the name “Jesus.” Everything else was a loss compared to the “surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.”

Now, as believers, we follow the example of Paul. The things of this world are no longer what we strive for, some are necessary and useful, yes, but they are not our profit. Like Paul, there is only one thing in our profit column, the name “Jesus.” That is our glorious profit – to be found in Christ Jesus. Amen and Amen.

I have three grandsons that I adore. Sadly, none of them live close to us anymore. When we get with them, whether they come to Idaho or we travel to them, all I want to do is spend time with them. I want to find out what they are interested in and what their plans and dreams are. I want to lavish them with my attention, my time, my money, my love. It’s been that way from the first time I saw them and continues to be that way no matter how much taller or older they get.

“In [Christ Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” [Eph 1:7-8 NIV]

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” [1 John 3:1 NIV]

Lavished. I do like that word. In the Greek there are two different words for what the NIV translated as “lavished.” In Ephesians, the word is perisseuo and means super-abounded. In 1 John, the word is didomi and means bestowed. Still, while I don’t always agree with the way the NIV translates something, I do like its use of the word “lavished” in these two verses.

God has lavished His grace upon us with all wisdom and understanding. God has lavished His great love upon us, His children! Can it get any better than that? I doubt anything can top that.

God’s grace and God’s great love. They are ours. We are His children. No matter what life throws at us. No matter what stumbling block the enemy of our soul tries to toss onto our path … nothing can overcome the fact that we have been “lavished” by God with His great grace and His great love.

Great reasons to lavish praise and worship on our Father God today!