He Sees

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."
It doesn't say He hears my words and knows my thoughts; it says He sees them.

"You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the Lord."
The omnipresent God sees everything.

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good."

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
May God grant me a sense of His presence in the inner man. Then, I will fear the Lord and with the wisdom He gives me, my life can be a continual act of worship, a living sacrifice.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."

Making a List

An assignment for an autumn Sunday:
Make a list of all the circumstances from your past that brought (may still be bringing) you sorrow, disappointment, loss, anger, pain, confusion . . .
Make a list of all your current circumstances that are causing you sorrow, disappointment, loss, anger, pain, confusion . . .

Now, go to a quiet place and pray this prayer for each thing you listed: My loving Master and Sovereign Lord, thank you for all the circumstances you have brought or allowed into my life. All of them. I know that each one was necessary for me to become more like You. I know that each one was essential if I was going to be a channel of blessing to all those you are bringing into my life today--all those who need to be touched by your love through me. Thank you for loving me enough to mold me into your image--no matter the cost. It cannot compare to the price You paid to purchase Me.

My heart's desire is to be like You.

"It will be worth it all when we see Him."

Standing on the Promise

The verses I cling to during my most difficult struggles are Romans 8:35-39. It is the truth that brings peace to my struggles, stifles the fears in my heart and mind, lifts my sagging spirit and places my feet on the Rock.
There have never been any circumstances in my past that were, or are, capable of separating me from His eternal love.
There are no circumstances that have entered my life today that can separate me from His love.
There will be no circumstances in my future that can for a moment separate me from His love.
Death will not separate me from His love but take me into His arms. I will see His face!!
My careless sins--my thoughtless actions--from my heart of iniquity will not separate me from His love.
My deliberate acts of disobedience will not separate me from His love.
When others betray my love callously or malevolently--even those who have sworn in God's presence that they would not do so--I will not be separated from His loyal, faithful, comforting love. He cares for me. Always. From His heart of compassionate, tender-hearted empathy, He weeps with me.
No earthly power can separate me from His love.
If I ascend to the heavens, behold, His loving presence is there.
If I descend into the abyss of death, His loving right hand will hold me close. I cannot flee from His love--even if in my petty anger and self-pity I want to.
On my darkest days, darkness and light are alike to Him. His love makes the night as bright as day.
No supernatural power can separate me from His love. The mightiest angels cannot separate me from His love.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing--can ever, for the blink of an eye, separate me from the love of my Savior.
"Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art!"
"Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit's call, resting in my Savior as my all and all, standing on the promises of God."
Hurting tonight? Struggling with sorrow and disappointment? Worried about tomorrow's tears? Stand--rest and be still--trust in the promise of His inescapable love. And you will know--experientially--that He is God. Your God.

Distributors

We must remember that we do not "manufacture" the fruit of the Spirit in our life. Only He can do that. But He doesn't do it so that people can look at us and say, "Oh, how spiritual he or she is." No, He transforms us into His likeness that we might show--lavish on others--His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His kindness, His goodness, His faithfulness, His self-control. The purpose of "fruit trees" is not to look pretty--it's to feed, enrich, and nourish others. And what happens to fruit that just hangs on the branch? Exactly. Be a "distributor" of the fruit--the life--of Christ that is in you. Contribute to the spiritual health of those God has put into your life for you to "feed." And how many days do they need to "taste and see that the Lord is good"?

A Prayer Request

Praying for a Christian friend going through difficult times? May I suggest a prayer request? Pray that the Savior will fill them with His joy. If joy can empower Nehemiah and his friends to rebuild the walls of the city of God in the face of the resistance and conniving of a hateful enemy. . . If joy can empower Paul imprisoned for the cause of Christ to exclaim "I have learned to be content in all things." I can do anything through Christ who is my strength." "My God will supply all my needs according to His riches". . . If joy can empower our Savior to endure the cross, despise the shame, and finish the work God the Father sent Him to do . . . What could be more necessary and empowering in your friends life and struggles than the outpouring--"inpouring"--of God's joy into their life and circumstances?

"The joy of the Lord is our strength."

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

"Until now, you have asked nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full."

Reflections on Simple Things

 The Christianity that makes a difference majors in the smallest acts of love. Acts anyone could do, but few choose to do. Why is it that we always think it's the spectacular that gains God's approval? By doing so, we waste a multitude of opportunities to simply touch people's lives with the spectacular love of Christ.
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Have a desire to make a powerful impact on the world for Christ? Close the closet door and become committed to intercessory prayer.
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Ever wonder whose life you can touch with a word of encouragement? Everyone you come into contact with tomorrow will cherish such a word. Yes, everyone.
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Don't just believe in the power of love. Be loving.

On Those Days . . .

On those days when I wake up in the morning exhausted in every way . . . On those days when the physical thorns that God has given to me because He knows the depth of my pride have frayed my soul and my pity-party is worthy of an Oscar nomination . . . On those days when my spirit groans at the thought of fulfilling my calling--my heaven-given vocation, even for one more day . . . On those days when my spirit is darker than the sunless morning that greets my awakening . . .On those days when I cry out in my rebellion that I want to live my life, my way . . . I find there is only one cure: to go and to do what He has ordained for me to do. Then, at the end of the day, I look back and my heart and soul and spirit are amazed. . . It was a good day. Despite my spiritual malaise and self-centered complaining, the God of the Universe, the God of patient love, has used me to do His will. The truth, once more, resounds in this old heart: His "strength is made perfect in weakness." "His grace is sufficient."

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean. O how marvelous! O how wonderful! And my song shall ever be.  O, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful! Is my Savior's love for me."

Working

A Reminder:
Sometimes when God is working it's like the sunrise--you can't miss it.
Sometimes when God works, it's like the lightning in a storm--intermittent flashes of His power.
Sometimes when God works it's totally dark and silent--there is no evidence at all to be seen of His power.

But remember--He is always working. Faith rejoices in the times of silent darkness and waits patiently for the sunrise.

The Contemplative Walk

The Christian walk is a contemplative walk. Everything you do must be filtered through His presence living within you. The Spirit's "input" must become spontaneous. Our thoughts, His thoughts. Our actions, His actions. A sense of His presence must dominate our every step. "Set your affections--give your heart--to the heavenly things."

To Follow Him

To follow Him brings criticism. The world cannot know you; the way of the cross is foolishness to them.
To follow Him brings conflict. "They have hated Me; they will hate you. In the world you will have trials"
To follow Him demands the bearing of a cross. Suffering is a gift He bestows on every child of His.
To follow Him brings difficult choices. Denying oneself is never easy.
To follow Him brings challenges: Mountains loom ahead on the road of faithfulness.
To follow Him brings cleansing. Transforming encounters with the pruning shears of the Word are vital to abiding in The Vine.

To follow Him leads to this encounter: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
To follow Him brings this promise: "Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Lo I will be with you every moment of the journey."
To follow Him brings this assurance: "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me . . . You will find rest for your soul."
To follow Him brings this resolution: "My Word will be the lamp to your feet; the light to your path."
To follow Him brings this encouragement: "Faith as little as a mustard seed can banish the highest mountains."
To follow Him leads to this unfathomable future: "When you see Me, you will become like Me. Your mortality will become immortality. Your corruptness will become incorruptible. Just so will you ever be with Me."

"If anyone would be My disciple, let Him deny Himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

"It is sweet to know as I onward go, the way of the cross leads Home."

Clay Pots

Remember whose clay pot you are.

Be pliable in the Potter's hands.
What He breaks He lovingly re-forms into another vessel fit for the Master's work. More lovely and more fit for the Master's work.
Rejoice in the vessel He has formed you to be; you're perfect for His eternal purpose.
Clay pots don't have legs. Be content where He puts you. Trying to walk off the "shelf" is never a good idea.
The glory that He has placed within you--His presence--is what makes you beautiful; yes, you are beautiful to Him who is molding you into His likeness. "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me."
The glory that He has placed within you makes you just as vital and just as important to His work as every other clay pot that He has ever fashioned. Ever.
You are the clay; He is the Potter. Hands off. (That goes for His other pieces of clay, too.)

Sing. Pray: "Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.

Enemies of the Cross

"For many walk, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, whose glory is their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

Paul was not weeping because there are enemies of the cross. He knows that the message of the cross is eternal and invincible. Its permanence rests on its source: the sovereign good pleasure of the will of Almighty God. The message of the cross is the very power of God--omnipotent God. Even death and hell cannot defeat the transforming message of the love of God so undeniably demonstrated on the cross. Paul's heart is breaking for the life that is the outcome of opposing Christ's love--the message of the cross. Their future: destruction. Their present day life: controlled by unquenchable appetites. Their impact: the building of monuments to their shameful behavior. Their treasures: earthly, temporary, worthless achievements.
What have they cast aside? "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform our lowly body into conformity with His glorious body by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." What loss for the enemies of the cross!!!

If our hearts are not broken in sorrow for the enemy, if we are not on our knees pleading with God to open their eyes to the truth of the cross, we know nothing of the love of God. "For God so loved the world . . ."

To Abide

To abide in Christ you must cultivate a sense of His presence--a sense of His unwavering love for you in all that He does and allows. To abide in Christ you must have a unquenchable desire to do His will each and every day. To abide in Christ you must have an immeasurable trust and confidence in His daily goodness being lavished on your life--the greatest goodness being the Spirit's continual cleansing of your life through the power of the Word. To abide in Christ is to be empowered to love all others steadfastly, to be enriched by His joy in every situation, to be encouraged by the answers to your prayers, to be drawn into a deeper, more dependent, humble thankfulness for His intimate transforming work in your life. "He who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit."

Soldiers

Remember whose soldier you are today:

Be sure you begin your day prayerfully putting on the whole armor--of God. Truth. Righteousness. Peace. Faith. Salvation. You'll need every part of it. Self manufactured armor is of no use whatsoever.
Sharpen your sword.
Remember who the enemy is--and isn't. Your neighbor you love as Christ loves you. Resist the enemy and he will flee from you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Endure hardship. A soldier's life is the life of the tent. After the battle you go Home. And rest.
Stand firm. Stand still and see.
Don't become entangled with the things of this world.
Fight the good fight of faith.
Be on the alert.
Remember your fellow soldiers in persevering prayer.
Be strong in the strength of His might. Be strong and very courageous.
Do not fear or be dismayed. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. The Lord of Hosts. Mighty in battle.
Not to the strong is the battle, but to the true and the faithful victory is promised through grace.

Reflections on Maturity

Christian maturity--the worthy walk--is easily "measured." How much of a gap is there between what I believe and what I live?
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Never underestimate the power of intercessory prayer. To do so is to underestimate the grace and love of God.
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"But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream"

Justice is seen in the way I treat others.
Righteousness is seen in the depth of my obedience to God.

May justice and righteousness be the Niagara Falls of my life. 
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The message of the false teacher begins with these two words. "Follow me." Never "Follow Him." 
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 God isn't interested in your credentials. He's interested in your faithful commitment to follow Him wherever He leads you. And for you to stay there until He leads you someplace else.
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 The failures and successes of my past and the plans and fears I have for my future must never undermine the faithful obedience necessary for a victorious Christian walk today.



 

Today's Assignment

Remember whose ambassador you are today:

May the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be pleasing in His sight.
May your good works glorify your Father in Heaven--make His presence a reality in the place where He has assigned you.
May you always look on those around you and be moved with compassion.
May you hold forth the word of life--live a life of righteous obedience to His commands. Reflect your heavenly citizenship.
May you seize the opportunity to tell those around you of the marvelous things He has done in your life through your relationship with the Son.
May you entertain angels.

May Christ be seen in you.

To the Praise of His Glory

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for giving us through Christ every possible spiritual benefit as citizens of Heaven! For consider what He has done--before the foundation of the world He chose us to become, in Christ, His holy and blameless children living within His constant care. He planned, in His purpose of love, that we should be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ--that we might learn to praise that glorious generosity of with His which has made us welcome in the everlasting love He bears toward the Beloved. It is through Him, at the cost of His own blood, that we are redeemed, freely forgiven through that full and generous grace which has overflowed into our lives and opened our eyes to the truth. For God has allowed us to know the secret of His plan, and it is this: He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in Heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfillment in Him. And here is the staggering thing--that in all that will one day belong to Him we have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the One who achieves His purposes by His sovereign will), so that we, as the first to put our confidence in Christ, may bring praise to His glory! And you too trusted Him, when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. And after you gave your confidence to Him you were, so to speak, stamped with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of purchase, until the day when God completes the redemption of what He has paid for as His own; and that will again be to the praise of His glory."

Citizens of Heaven
Before the foundation of the world He chose us
Holy and blameless children living within His constant care
In His purpose of love adopted as His own children
Welcome in the everlasting love He bears toward the Beloved
At the cost of His own blood redeemed, freely forgiven
In all that will one day belong to Him promised a share
Stamped with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of purchase

TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!!!!

Ripe

A sense of security--of invincibility
The seat of violence
Content with things as they are
Self over others--I want over they need
Living in luxury
Absorbed in a culture of music
Spiritually impudent--"Keep quiet. For the name of the Lord is not to be mentioned."
Joy in the worthless

Who does that describe? You know. A nation ripe for God's judgment. You do know who that describes.

Divided Loyalty

To try to live a godly life with one foot firmly planted in the self-centered lifestyle of the world is Laodician--it is to be spiritually proud and to become spiritually blind. I cannot serve two masters. Divided loyalty is disloyalty. Disloyalty is the death of lovingkindness, smothering the love I need to lavish on my neighbor in His place. And smothering the intimacy He wants me to have with Him. Sobering is it not, to think that my "spirituality" can make me an object of God's discipline? He pleads with us, "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." Have you placed the idol of worldly approval and worldly acceptance in the center of your heart? Have you "locked out" His presence in the heart you claimed to have given to Him? "Be zealous, therefore, and repent."

An Evil Society

A society is evil when its righteous citizens are distressed, when its leaders make decisions based on monetary kickbacks--even if they are called political contributions, when the poor are turned aside, and when the prudent--those who see the evil coming and try to warn others--are silenced.

An Internal Life

The Christian life is an internal life; it begins on the inside. It works itself out and becomes visible to the world through God's Spirit working through us as we submit to Him. To lie to oneself then about the need for daily submission to His presence is a spiritually deadly decision. A life of external obedience--going through all the rituals of "spirituality"--yet accompanied by an inner apathy or by spiritual pride is an ungodly life--a life lived without a fear of God, a reverence for His supremacy in our daily walk. Daily embracing the truth in our inner man, the truth that without Him we can do nothing, protects our walk--makes us distributors of the fruit He is producing through our abiding relationship with Him.

The Nations

Every nation on earth and every one of its leaders are accountable to God. The dilemmas they face, the conflicts they must respond to, and the decisions they make in every situation all have moral implications. And there are moral consequences for those decisions, for each choice they make. And if the decisions they make are in defiance of God's truth, all their past greatness, all their present earthly power, all their human intellect, and all their dynamic abilities cannot in any way thwart God's just judgment. A nation does not want God to become its enemy.
What, then, should be my response as His ambassador to the nations--particularly the nation that He has assigned me to? Pray diligently for each leader. Diligently! Give them the honor that God says is our obedience to Him. Be the pillars of encouragement that they need in order to do right--again an act of obedience that God requires. Live a life of obedience to God--"as lights in the world holding forth the word of life." Love my neighbor as Christ loves me and thus "fulfill the law of Christ.".

"If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Me."

What is Christ-likeness? Obedience.

Loving Someone

Loving someone begins with prayer, is nurtured with prayer, and deepens through prayer.

Saturation

The key to transformation is saturation. The Word--the thoughts of God that He has given His children--act as the Spirit's mirror, sword, cleansing water, refreshing fountain, and light for the path. Do you want to see yourself as God sees you and understand the adjustments that need to be made in your walk? Do you want to be able to wield the sword against the darts of the enemy? Do you want to be cleansed of all those things that impeded your ability to abide in Him and bear the fruit of His likeness? Do you want to be constantly filled with His spring of joy? Do you want to know what steps to take all day in obedience to the One you love? The more time you spend in His thoughts, the more time you spend in the Word, the more the Spirit can take the Word and put it in you. You cannot be filled with the Spirit, under the Spirit's control, unless you are immersed in the Spirit-inspired Word. Cannot. And how many days do you desire to be under His control? Saturate your mind and heart--daily.

Reflections on Relationship

 How am I conformed to the likeness of His death so that I can be conformed to the likeness of His resurrection? How do I experience "the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord?" How do I experience on a daily basis--from today until the Eternal day--"the power of His resurrection"? How do I become blessed with the privilege of "participating in His sufferings"? I "worship in the Spirit of God"--everyday, every moment of each day I live the truth in word and deed. I "glory in Christ Jesus." All that I am, all that I do, makes His presence known to everyone around me. I "put no confidence in the flesh." I rest in the truth that without Him I can do neither of those things, not even a little bit, for without Him I can do nothing. In me dwells "no good thing." In Him, who lives in me, I can do all things. In His strength alone "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"

. . . "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
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The love of God for His children is unconditional. The lovingkindness of God for His children never changes. He always loves you with all of His heart. And will do so forever--including today. And tomorrow. And . . . "He delights in unchanging love."
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What are God's requirements for a deepening relationship with Him?

To do--to preserve--justice. "Do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the alien, the orphan, or the widow;"
To love kindness--loyalty. "For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
To walk humbly--circumspectly--with your God. "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit."

Relationship with Him seem hollow? What are you doing? What do you love? How are you walking?
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I spend too much time looking around agonizingly for people who are willing to follow Him faithfully and daily. Maybe I should start the day looking in the mirror and telling that guy that he should be the one to follow God faithfully this day--and every day. God has not given me the ability to change one person's life--except my own. And that can only happen by being totally submissive to the Spirit who lives within me. 
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 In order to follow Him, I must be willing--if He asks--to give up all the comforts of life. He will never ask me to give up Him--the God of All Comfort. "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ."