Past Devotions

Tomorrow in church we are going to talk about “Tearing Down Strongholds.” The Scripture verse for this is found in 2Corinthians Chapter 10. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” [vs 4 NKJV]

There are lots of things which will allow a stronghold to be built and fortified in our life. It might be something that happened to us in the past, such as abuse or rejection. It could be when we have allowed the world’s philosophies to take over, or when we believe the lies of the enemy of our soul more than the great and precious promises of our Father God. Whatever the origin, a spiritual stronghold will hinder our spiritual growth and keep us from being conformed to the image of God’s Dear Son, our Savior and LORD, Christ Jesus.

The Scriptures give us many weapons we can use, the Armor and Prayer in Ephesians 6, the Name of Jesus in Philippians 2. We have the blood of Jesus in 1 John 1, and even the Word of our Testimony in Revelation 12. But whatever weapon we use, there is one thing we must always remember, we must give up the delusion that strongholds are overcome by our own power. We must heed the warning and promise found in Zechariah 4:6:

“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” [NKJV]

We will not tear down the strongholds in our lives by using earthly measures or by our own self-will. It is not by might nor power … we tear down strongholds by the power and authority of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow – The Importance of Grace!

In 2 Peter 1:4, we find an amazing phrase that raises us into the heavens … we are given the precious promise that we may, “participate in the divine nature.” If you read yesterday’s devotion you know that does not mean we become God – not going to happen. There is a vast difference between the All-Sufficient One, Creator of all things, and the things He created! It does however mean that as Adam was made in the image of God, so we too by the power of God’s Spirit, are made in the image of our LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus (the Second Adam).

As God is love, so are we. As God is true and good, so are we. But there is even more glory contained in those five little words. We have been made members of the body of Christ. As in the natural body, the same blood that flows in the head flows through the body. The same life that raised Christ from the dead, resurrects us. We are made alive in His divine nature.

How this all works is beyond my human finite comprehensive. That it does work is testified to by the Spirit of God in me.

Should that not cause us to reflect His divine nature in every action of our life? Should not those who are around us see the “Jesus in me?” Should that not cause us to fall to our knees in worship?

When I consider such things I always come back to the thought, “Why me, God? Why would you call me to Your side, knowing what I am?” I don’t know the answer to that question any more today than I did 50 years ago. But I love my LORD more every time I ask the question. Amen.

There are phrases in Scripture, a short blend of common words, that when seen with spiritual eyes take our breath away. They raise us into the heavenlies with our thoughts, they conform our attitudes and renew and restore our hope. I mentioned one such phrase yesterday … “useful to the Master.”

Those few little words open us up to endless possibilities. As I was considering that phrase, I accidentally came across another … perhaps one even more amazing. It is found in 1 Peter: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” [1:3-4]

Did you see it tucked away in those verses? Five little words that carry a depth of meaning that changes everything. We have been given the promise that we may, “participate in the divine nature.”

That of course does not mean that we become God. That just won’t happen. There is a vast difference between the Creator and His Creation. But it does mean that as our father Adam was made in the image of God, so we too as we are in Christ Jesus (the Second Adam), renewed by the Holy Spirit, are also made in the image of God. This is totally a work of God, given to us through grace.

How is that reflected in our life? Certainly not by mere assertion or by arrogance. As God is love, we become love. As God is truth, we become true. As our God is a Good Father, we are made good by His goodness. As God is holy and pure, we become pure in heart. Yes, partakers in the divine nature. All that Jesus is, by His strength, power and authority should be reflected in our every word and action.

But there is even more. That will have to wait for tomorrow. God bless!

Someone asked me once what my greatest fear of growing old would be. I replied, “becoming irrelevant.” I want to be useful to God while I have breath. I do chuckle, however, because I’ve come to realize that I will remain useful –even if it is only to give others an opportunity to learn patience with old folks!

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he reminded him that the LORD knows those who are His own. He also reminded Timothy that anyone who confesses the LORD Jesus as Savior must acknowledge the Savior as LORD by turning away from wickedness. (vs 19)

When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and LORD, with both our words and actions, Paul says we will then “be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” [vs 21]

That is a most delightful image … “useful to the Master.”

Useful. In the Greek the word is euchrestos, it means “easily used, profitable.” It comes from a root word which means “useful in manners or morals.”

To think that the God of all the Universe, the Creator of all things, the Mighty God, would look upon us as useful is amazing. Even more that we could be considered profitable to Him Who is Totally Self-Sufficient!

As I said earlier, I want to be useful to God as long as I have breath remaining! That means that I must not only confess that Christ is Savior and LORD, I must turn from sin and live holy and wholly unto Him.

Let’s be honest, there is a lot more to being a disciple of Christ Jesus than merely saying some words or believing that there is a God. You can talk about the “man upstairs” or the “big guy in the sky,” but if your life does not change, if your actions do not reflect the life of Christ Jesus, I wonder if “accepting Christ” was a true conversion.

We have trivialized the path of salvation. We have made it an acknowledgement of words alone in many cases, without reminding people there is a cost to serving the LORD. After Paul reminded Timothy in his second letter that “The LORD knows those who are his,” he added. “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” [2 Tim 2:19]

If you have confessed Christ as your Savior, there must be a life-style change that reflects Him as LORD.

God spoke to Isaiah about the condition of the nation of Israel and He was not pleased with them: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” [29:13]

Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15:8 and Mark 7:6, using Isaiah’s verse as a warning to those He had labeled “hypocrites.” I know I fail God regularly, in my attitudes, when I doubt, when I sin, but I pray that I will always heed the conviction of His Spirit to turn and repent. I want my heart to never stray far from God. Failing is not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is pretending Christ is our LORD (by our words) but refusing to honor Him in our hearts and actions. It would be a terrible thing to be labeled a hypocrite by our God.

Father, keep our hearts tender before you. May our actions honor You even more than our words.

One of the most comforting Scriptures for me as a pastor is found in 2 Timothy 2:19: “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’”

Many commentators link this verse to Numbers 16 in the OT. Paul, of course, was an OT scholar, one of the best. He would have remembered the incident Moses had with Korah. Korah, a Levite, along with some Reubenites (Dathan, Abiram and On) roe up against Moses. They convinced 250 other men to join them.

When Moses was confronted, he fell down on his face, and then said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him.” [vs5]

The LORD definitely showed the Israelites who belonged to Him when the ground split apart and swallowed up Korah and the rebels.

There are times when people die that I, as a pastor, just don’t know about their spiritual condition. I can’t read hearts. Thankfully, God can. He knows if they accepted His salvation with their dying breath. He knows the state of their heart and the state of their minds when they stand before Him. I can trust Him to always do what is right by each of us.

What I would say to you, however, is to not leave anyone in doubt of your salvation. Make sure your family, your friends know that “you are His.” Don’t leave any to worry what your final destination is at your passing!

Today is our youngest son’s birthday. At the time, Bob had just decided to go out on his own as an underground contractor in California. That meant that unlike with our first two children, this time we had no insurance. We were living in an 800 square foot old home, about half of that footage was laundry, pantry and kitchen. The rest was divided between a living room, two small bedrooms and a bath. There wasn’t much room for another child.

We squeezed a small bassinette in our bedroom. I told God this baby would need to be a little girl, one that would fit in that bassinette for a few months while we figured out where we could put a crib. We even had a name for this “little” girl, Joyce Rene, after Bob’s aunt and my uncle. We were going to call her Joy.

When our son was born, he weighed 9lbs 6ozs and was 22 inches long. He filled the bassinette the day we brought him home. We hadn’t even agreed on a boy’s name we were that certain he was a she.

While God did not heed our idea of what we thought we needed, He gave us so much more. We named him Dan, but truthfully, we could have called him Joy, as that is what he was. He had none of the difficulties and physical problems of our first two children. He seldom cried. He smiled, laughed, and brought a joy into our lives that we didn’t even know we were missing.

I am so thankful that God gave us what we needed, not what we thought we needed. The Scripture reminds us to not be anxious about anything, but “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” [Philippians 4:6-7]

I would remind us to be prepared though, what we ask for might not be what God knows we need … and what we get from Him will be so much more joyful than we even imagined.

Please Note: I mixed up yesterday’s and today’s devotions. This one should have been published first. TL

September 13

Monday, on the way home from a hospital visit, I stopped to get grilled nuggets and a fruit cup from Chick-fil-a. The two-lane drive up was packed but going fast because servers were outside taking orders on tablets. When I finished my order and the server handed me back my debit card, I said, “thank you.”

A normal response to “thank you” is usually “you’re welcome.” At least that was what Miss Mannerly taught me as a young girl so many decades ago. Lately, I’ve noticed that “you’re welcome” has been replaced with “no problem” or the “NP” in texting. But not at Chick-fil-a. The servers respond, “my pleasure.” And they do it with a smile.

I had just come from visiting someone in the hospital and I thought about the response, “my pleasure.” It was my pleasure to visit, but as I considered that, I realized that even more so, it was my privilege. Merriam-Webster defines privilege as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.

Paul wrote to the Romans that God had granted him the privilege of ministering to the Gentiles. He said it this way, “God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God.” [15:15-16]

Perhaps we could say it this way and not do harm to the Scriptures, “God gave me the privilege to be a minister of Christ Jesus.”

It is a privilege to minister for Christ Jesus. It is a privilege to visit the sick, to pray for others, to bring the Rhema of God’s Word to the hopeless. It is a privilege to walk beside those struggling. Yes, God has granted us the privilege of representing Christ Jesus to this lost world.

Yesterday as I was thinking about the privilege of ministering for Christ Jesus, I remembered another Scripture about privilege. It’s not, however, one we embrace as readily. “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” [Phil 1:29-30]

It has been given, or granted, to us on behalf of Christ the privilege to not just believe but also to suffer. Ah, privilege is not necessarily the word I would have chosen. The word Paul chose was charizomai and it comes from the word we usually see translated as grace. Charizomai means to grant as a favor, or we might say privilege.

Suffering is a universal experience. Everyone at some point will likely suffer from something. But the kind of suffering mentioned here is not the common suffering of mankind, it is a special suffering done “on behalf of Christ.” The privilege of believing on Him means we might also be called to suffer for Him.

Jesus reminded his disciples multiple time that a student is not greater than his teacher, nor a servant greater than his master. “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” [John 15:20]

Jesus’ suffering was unique in that He suffered and died for our sins … that is finished. Our suffering for Him is because we now testify that He is Savior and LORD. We testify that there is one way to the Father. There are many in this world who welcome that testimony, and there are many who do not. When our testimony of Christ is rejected, that rejection may also be accompanied by ridicule, denunciation, discrimination, and yes, even persecution.

When those things happen, it is wise to remember what Peter wrote, that while it is not something we seek, it is a privilege to suffer on behalf of our Master.

If you were to ask me what my favorite Scripture verse is, my response would go something like this, “Whatever I need at the moment.”

I do, however, have verses that have had special meaning to me during different times. When I was first saved and doubted I could ever “walk worthy” of God’s calling, God led me to Philippians 1:6: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I realized then that I could complete this walk with God because He promised that what He started in me He would finish. I also have a verse that I have tried to live by. You’ll find it in my email address, and in my signature on my emails. It is Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 I came to realize early that it is not the size or greatness of the task that matters. What matters is how we do it. It can be behind a pulpit, work in the marketplace or business, taking care of a young family or aging loved one. It can be as simple as cleaning up the snack table at church after Sunday Service, or perhaps attending a prayer group. I truly believe that what matters to the heart of our Father God is whether we do it to honor His Son … and do it with a thankful heart.

What is on your agenda today? “Whatever your hand finds to do,” do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus … and give thanks to Your Father for the privilege.