Devotional Thought: Enlarged Expectations and Affections

 

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."- Philippians 1:9-11

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." -2 Corinthians 9:8

The vibrant Christian life is to be characterized by an overflow of the goodness of God. I believe that the Christian that is living close to the Lord is constantly at work celebrating God's work and character. Several times in scripture there is a description of 'abounding' in the outworking of God's provisions. The image of an overflow of excitement comes to my mind. This type of excitement is a growing sense of God's favor and the wonders of His Sovereign control over the circumstances of our lives. Once we are aware of God's hand of sovereign provision for our needs we are then motivated for every good work. All good works are done by the provision of God for the glory of God. Goodness is defined by God and not the opinions of this world so works that are truly good are works in the power of God. We are to abound in all things that are of God and that bring praise to the name of Jesus, our one and only Savior. Love for one another must be through the love of God revealed in the truth of His word. Growth in our affection for the Lord and the things of God will enable us to love one another properly. Even to the Corinthians in the familiar passage on being a cheerful giver, this work of giving is accomplished from the growing affection for the Lord by His gracious provision. When we seek to love the Lord more with our complete self we can expect His work to grow within us and around us. Our desires and passions should be grounded in wanting to enlarge our affections for the triune God that creates an eager expectation for God to work in us, through us, and around us. What are we setting our affections in today? What do we love? What do we crave? What do we obsess over? Let's grow in our desires to want and crave the things of God through our Savior Jesus Christ.

Devotional Thought: Truth vs. Distortion

 

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." -Galatians 1:6-7

    Clinging to the Gospel is the intentional pursuit of a believer's life to know and live according to the Word of God. Specifically Christians must think long and deeply about the commands and instructions of Jesus. This life of commitment to learning the Words of God gives us all the necessary protection to guard against deception that is ever present within our own flesh and the wicked world around us.  The moment of compromise is sudden when we become distracted or passive in our walk of faith. In order to stay consistent with our beliefs and actions, we must have truth in our inner being to lead us daily. This passage in Galatians reminds us of the constant threat of false messages coming from others that have their goal in causing trouble. Trouble for the Christian can be stumbling blocks of belief and action. Whether it is misplaced beliefs or actions of sin, a troubled life is certain to follow a life distracted from the truth of Gospel. Trouble from sin can be broken relationships, conflict, or inner struggles of anxiety. Peace inwardly and outwardly comes from peace with God through Jesus as the one and only Savior.  Chaos of circumstances happen no matter what as one lives in a sinful world. The Christian is able to find some peace in the chaos through their faithfulness to the Lord that is faithful. We must be ready to fight of attacks with a firm belief in the truth. Let us not compromise. When we do compromise let's confess and repent so as to not rebel so easily and quickly moving forward. Our quick repentance comes from the same astonishment the Apostle expresses to the Galatians. Sin, deception, and rebellion should always be astonishing when we truly desire to love and cling to truth. Cling to truth today! Spend time consuming the Words of God!

    

Devotional Thought: Nothing Without Jesus

 

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

    What can we really accomplish without the continual presence and power of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All growing believers are reminded on a very regular basis that nothing good happens without the grace of God working in our lives. Each day we are acting and reacting to all types of people and circumstances. We are doomed to fail in our efforts to bring honor, praise, and glory to our Savior if we are not staying close to the provision of God in our lives. In Christ we have been redeemed from our lost state to have close fellowship with the triune God. This includes the abilities that are necessary for serving the Lord's purposes in this world. Relying on the Lord to help us must begin first with the acknowledgment that we can't do anything truly good on our own. This acknowledgment and realization brings us to the low state of humility that is ready and willing to accept help from the Lord. Sometimes we are too stubborn to receive help and instruction, but those who have been saved through Christ understand the sinfulness that they have been saved from. The moment of salvation serves as a continual reminder of our inabilities but also the glorious power of God. As we continually remember God's power and turn to the presence of our Savior, we are ready to bear fruit for Him in this world. Bearing fruit involves the outworking of God's character and goodness in our own life that is on display for those around us to see. When people see God's work in our lives through Jesus, we bring praise to the goodness and faithfulness of God. Praise, honor, and glory belong to the Lord so let's strive for the fruits of holiness in Christ. Let's be unified with true unity that only comes under the Lordship of Christ.

Devotional Thought: Your Changing Reflection

 

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." -Romans 12:1-2

What do you see when you look in the mirror? How has your perception of who you are changed through the course of your life? Perceptions of our personality and tendencies of thoughts and intentions do evolve naturally over time. This natural process of maturing, but also being shaped by your life experiences, occurs for everyone. For the follower of Jesus, the continued work of growing in holiness according to the Word of God is the ongoing process that changes. Our individual personalities, talents, and tendencies will always  be unique to but will grow into the boundaries of godliness as we grow in Christ. God wants to use our personalities and unique traits to further His Kingdom and work in this world. Gifts and abilities are wonderful when they are biblical and God honoring. These can become idolatrous when we serve the purposes of our selfish desires or if they produce wickedness. Sometimes we find ourselves feeling insecure about who we are or frustrated with the inability to mortify the sins of the flesh so that our personalities will proceed toward conforming to godliness. Our confidence must always be in the Lord and that all things are working to change us into who He created us to be in the first place. Our reflection changes because the image of God is being restored in all of us if we have trusted in Jesus as our one and only Savior to reconcile us to God. To be happy with our reflection we must surrender to this continued restoration of God's image even while He utilizes our individual giftedness for His glory. So no matter your quirks and tendencies, lean into the traits of God outlined in His Word. We must surrender to the Holy Spirit's directions to the way of obedience to His word. Then the changing reflection will be more and more satisfying as your are content with Christ alone. 

Devotional Thought: Living and Speaking God's Message

 

"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me." - Galatians 1:11-23 ESV

The message of our lives is not our own, but the revelation of God revealed through God the Son, Jesus Christ. Paul outlines his history and calling as a servant and minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Recalling his former life of rebellion that hurt the kingdom of God through active persecution of the church provides evidence of a true calling. Our testimonies can bring reinforcement to the motivations behind our efforts to declare the word of God through our lives. This includes conversion and the ongoing journey through the life of faith up to this point. Being truly devoted to our calling as a Christian is being determined to live for the Lord no matter the obstacles and hardships. In fact, the hardships provide great illustrations of how faith and obedience persevere by the power of God in Christ. Since eternal life and present devotion is only by the power of God, the true message is not man made. Man made movements often fade over time or under the fires of hardship. The power of God prevails over all things. We can continue to speak and live for the glory of God knowing that we can overcome through his provision. The key is really to continue taking more steps of obedience to openly share our faith. Let's do that today!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: EXAMINATION, RESTORATION, AND TRUTH

 

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down." -2 Corinthians 13:5-10

    

    The goal of all efforts in the life of the church is to bring restoration. We are first restored in Christ through salvation. Constant confession and repentance is needed to continue in faithfulness to this restored relationship. We secure in our salvation by the power of God through Jesus. Testing and examining ourselves is a way to ensure that we have truly had a salvation experience. The  genuine believer is able to remember the joy of salvation by reflecting on the trust he possesses in the work of Jesus to bring salvation. Paul encourages the Corinthians to examine themselves rather than question his apostleship. Paul was confident in the authority that God had given him, even if these individuals could not see it or at least questioned it. By looking to their genuineness of salvation the solution to these accusations would be found. Paul was certain that he was operating according to the truth. Truth is what holds together the people of God for the purposes of being built up. He was also eager to accept if it was his own weakness and they were in fact strong. But examination according to the truth would reveal this. If we are going to stay close to the Lord in faithfulness, we must look inward, seek the truth,  and find restoration as the solution. The great Apostle was wanting this end of edification and restoration without needing to be "severe or sharp." He assured them that even this was for the goal of restoration in truth. We all need this process in our life for growth in bringing glory to our Lord and Savior. I believe this looks like regular prayer and meditation in the word of God. Our attitude that must accompany this is to surrender to truth in order to change. We can't resist, refute, or ignore truth. We must surrender. The joy of salvation is sure to be present in the process of continual surrender that moves us along to the practical righteousness enabled by our Savior through the indwelling of Holy Spirit. Let's be open to self examination in pursuit of the truth for our restoration that builds up! All is for the glory of God! God is faithful and good!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: GOD'S PLAN IS ON TIME

 

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." -2 Peter 3:8-9

    We need hope. Discouragement during the perilous times of this world threaten to dominate our thoughts. Dwelling on the evil times has the effect of bringing discouragement and down right sadness. This negative emotions can grow to become heavy burdens such as anxiety. If our lives are anchored in the promises of God, we are able to turn away from this and find hope that does not disappoint. A large theme of all of scripture is that God has a plan. We are to constantly look to the Lord for the fulfillment of this plan that brings complete redemption for Christians and judgment to all that is in opposition to the one true God and His Kingdom. As we wait for the fulfillment of the plan to completion. we must meditate and find comfort in the promises of God. In Christ our promise from God is the completion of salvation with deliverance into His eternal Kingdom in Heaven. Patience is the important factor in this passage above. God is not slow or behind schedule. With every piece of bad news and tragic occurrence of evil, we are faced with the inevitable presence of darkness leading to discouragement. God's patience is for the purpose of more coming to repentance. This for more individuals that will be a part of His Kingdom to come to salvation through saving faith in the one and only Savior Jesus Christ. His patience is also for more time for the church (God's people) to work His goodness through the spread of Gospel and ongoing discipleship. His patience is His gracious giving of opportunity to run from sin and embrace Him. We must make the best use of this time with hope. (Ephesians 5:15-16) Since nothing is out of His control and He is not behind on His plan, we must continue to try to live out His purpose until He comes with perseverance. His promises are certain so our hope in Him is certain and not in vain. Let's resist the ensnarement of discouragement by decisively turning to the Lord in faithfulness trusting in the hope of His promises.   

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: SERVING WITH FEAR AND AWE

 

"It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth." -Deuteronomy 6:13-15

    Every true believer knows the mission of life is to submit to the triune God with complete loyalty, as He is Lord. The life of submission becomes challenging because we get too passive, relax, and distracted. False loyalties to idolatrous pursuits can creep into our lives very subtly. People who really love God and walk with Christ would never intentionally turn their loyalties elsewhere.  The slow fade of compromise begins with seeking fulfillment through someone or something else. Only service to the Lord and dwelling in Him can truly satisfy our souls. Throughout the Old Testament the nation of Israel struggled to keep their attention and loyalties on the one true God. Even though they had previously experienced His goodness and blessing, they became complacent or even arrogant. Compromise and rebellion soon followed as they were distracted. We must seek only to please God with everything in our lives. God desires our whole life. The affection of God upon our life should fill us with thankful diligence to please the Lord in full submission to Him. Let's intentional turn to Him today and find our everything in serving the purposes of His Kingdom. God is sovereign and we trust in Him! 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:GOD'S GOODNESS AND PERFECT BALANCE

 

"The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” -Exodus 34:6-7

    We are all prone to extremes. Our opinions and beliefs are vulnerable to the corruption of sin. The environment of sin as well as the remnant of our sin nature often carries us away from balanced truth. God is perfect in every way. His nature keeps in perfect balance the characteristics that we find it almost difficult to comprehend. Love is the most attractive aspect of God that we promote and is the lasting trait of a believer that is walking faithfully with God. However, God is also wrathful and just in executing judgment for the sake of preserving His holiness.  Even with perfect patience, God is moved to righteous anger at the appropriate time to carry out righteous judgment. This is beyond human ability and understanding. We just can't grasp a loving God executing righteous judgment with righteous anger. But this is true. God has revealed this through His Word. Even the works of God that are seemingly harsh are initiated by love seeking to lead humanity to salvation, repentance, and growth. This passage clearly states that the Lord is full of grace and mercy but will not ignore the guilty. He is ready to forgive but also to discipline the rebellious. 

    In response to God nature, the faithful believer is convicted to show close communion with the Lord of his life by being an example of God's working. Walking with God leads us to constant repentance and growth in perfect balance. To not drift into the extremes is a daily struggle. If we are extreme in ruthlessness; we are drifting into sinfulness. If we are extreme in passive earthly love; we easily compromise on truth and tolerate sin in ourselves and others. This is contrary to godliness. We must uphold all standards of godliness through allowing the work of the One True God in our minds and hearts. Finding true balance that is perfect righteousness can only happen through the power of God and submission to Him. Let's engage in the struggle with surrender to God work. Looking to our great example and resting in Him with all thankfulness; we can surrender to grow. We must continue on progressing with all prayerfulness and carefulness. 

     

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: TRUST AND DEPEND

 

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." -DEUTERONOMY 29:29

As a Christian we are most concerned with obeying and glorifying our Savior with all of our life. How do we know what God wants, what He loves, and what He has gifted us to do? This is a lifelong process of seeking what the Lord has revealed. Several places in scripture point to the truth that it is God who gives us knowledge and understanding of all things. The understanding that is present within us is provided by God. God speaks directly through His word and the prayerful consideration of the commands and instructions given. But we also acknowledge that there are some things that just are God's knowledge that we will never know. Life can be confusing and frustrating, even when you feel you are simply following the Lord. Confusing events of the past and the uncertainty of the future are not surprises to God. Our comfort and assurance is that it is truly God that is in control. His control practically means that He is intimately involved in the unknown details. True success and faithfulness is just depending and trusting the Lord with what is unknown and obeying what is known. Let's live in the Word and Prayer to seek a deeper understanding of what is known (revealed) and to trust our mighty God more with what is unknown. 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: REJOICING AND SPREADING GOD'S LOVE

 

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us" -1 John 4:18-19 ESV

    God is the great initiator of love in the life of those that have been redeemed and saved. In the moment of salvation, every true Christian was convicted of their personal sin, and understood clearly that they could not save themselves. As the conviction revealed sin, it also revealed God's great act of love in sending God the Son to die on the cross as a substitute for sinners to receive the forgiveness of sin necessary for salvation. The work of God to redeem through Jesus is God's redemptive love unleashed. The work was in Christ not only in death but resurrection, His ascension, and eventual return to establish God's eternal kingdom. This love that draws the sinner to trust in the one and only way of salvation has a transformative effect that leads to a ministry of love. As Christians, we are held by reverence and awe for the one true God because He loved us first. His work of love and constant presence of love that we find in communion with Him moves us to a deeper and profound understanding of love. Understanding true love  is in the revealing of the characteristics of God. What great comfort we have that God's love is able to cast out fear? There are many reasons to have fear in life if we see the world through the eyes of unredeemed perceptions. But in light of God's love for us we know that we are secure in Him, forever. 
      God's revealing and initiating true love leads to an awakening of love for that carries us with confidence into all of life's circumstances.  This confidence is a new outlook on life and relationships. Through this type of love we are compassionate and active in living out love. Grounded by love and growing in the truth of God's word, we are moved into action to stand firm but determined to serve others. Sacrificial love unifies us with the example of Christ in perfect union of His life, death, burial, and resurrection to new life. We sacrifice to love in order to promote the goodness and glory of God. All credit and glory must go to God for our acts of love, because He first loved us. Let's pursue a deeper understanding of God's love through prayer and consuming of God's words that move us to love others with truthful conviction. Loving others is love from God and love for God. Loving God above all else determines the ability of our holy affections to prevail over all distractions and hinderances. 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: PRAYING PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

 "So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD." -Joshua 9:14 ESV

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." -Romans 12:12 ESV

What a gift we have in prayer! The ability to approach our Savior and Lord with praise and even our struggles is a blessing of redemption. Because we have been perfectly restored in Christ to a righteous position before God, we can seek divine help personally and intimately. If faithfulness to the purposes of God is the goal for the Christian life, then prayer becomes a constant practice in discovering what is truly right in the eyes of God. Wise counsel is found in the Word of God and is properly understood by the revealing of the Spirit of God. Prayerful consideration of God's Word seeks to receive instruction and guidance from the Lord accurately. This Joshua verse refers to the Gibeonite deception that took place under the leadership of Joshua. There are many lessons from this passage, but clearly we see a warning in this example to not presume anything when make decisions as the people of God. They had seen and experienced God's work in their lives many times prior to this encounter. So they clearly understood from the past a need to hear from God and be directed by God. However, they were still deceived. They seemed to take for granted what they were seeing and hearing from the Gibeonites rather than really thinking it through with the Lord's help. The possibility of deception makes seeking God's counsel important past, present, and future. Praying at all times is emphasized by the Apostle Paul for general instruction to the church in the New Testament. In the church age, we have the presence of God dwelling in our hearts through God the Holy Spirit. Prayer keeps us connected and sensitive to the way of righteousness in seeking to be obedient to the Lord.  There is a saying that we must "stay prayed up." This is good advice that has biblical foundation, if I understand correctly. Since prayer is to be continuous, we are never done with prayer. Conversation with God is to be always present for guidance, assurance, and confirmation of His Will. Prayer is never wrong and we are changed in prayer. Because prayer is a part of God's Will for us, it pleases Him when we are devoted to it personally and collectively. 

    Prayer seems to be an indicator of spiritual maturity that takes discipline to stay loyal in regular practice. The expression of persisting in prayer seems to be very helpful to describe the holy labor involved. This type of labor however is able to increase vitality rather than being an effort that drains us. So continuous effort to pray and the inner surrender of the heart to focus on the Lord is essential. In order to actually pray one must turn decisively toward God in thought and will. Merely closing your eyes and reciting holy words is the temptation of routine that strays from the actual purpose. The heart must be conditioned through routine to surrender and seek the Lord and rest in His presence. The discipline of the mind and heart to express desires and requests and words of praise with constant awareness of the Saviors presence is the task at hand in prayer. Awareness will prepare the heart to receive the answers to prayer, as well. Whether the answer is confirmation and direction or correction and redirection, the praying believer is ready. Let's pray with awareness and eager expectation today and moving forward. Always pray. Praying past, present, and future says... I have prayed... I am praying... I will continue in prayer. 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Stewardship from God

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints." -Colossians 1:24-26 ESV

 All that we have and all that we do comes from God's provisions. In the Christian life, the purpose of all things is to bring glory to the triune God. God has saved us and called us through our one and only Savior Jesus Christ. Because of our salvation in Christ we overflow with love and gratitude for the purposes and works of God that we have the privilege of being a part of. This passage is a great reminder that the follower of Christ must be diligent to carry out the continued work of God. The work is joining God's work through our specific callings. We are called to specific purposes with our specific circumstances out of the grace of God. Understanding the responsibility of serving the Lord with all that He has provided is important for daily devotion to Him. This allows us to see the world and the details of our lives as important for the will of God to be revealed to those around us. Joy comes because we are also communing with the Lord in a worshipful manner when we utilize our gifts and placement to live out and speak the Word of God. If our concentration is on fulfilling our calling then we can rejoice in the knowledge of pleasing the Lord no matter our circumstances. Nothing pleases God more than His people serving for His glory. The challenge today is seeing who you are in Christ and what has been provided to you for the Glory of God. Believer, live to make the Word of God fully known today!