Be at peace--at rest. He is always in complete control.
Be at peace--at rest. Your life will be used to bring eternal glory to His name.
Be at peace--at rest. His grace and His mercy are infinite and everlasting. You--nor those you love--can ever exhaust it.
Be at
peace--at rest. The Lord is your Shepherd. Today, He will lead you to
the green pastures and the still waters. His goodness and mercy will
saturate your yesterdays. He will empower your weary soul. And He is no
hireling. He will not run from the wolves but will, instead, be your
fortress and your rock. Be at peace. Rest.
Be at
peace--at rest. This life of endurance and perseverance and joy--they
are inseparable--is but a breath of eternity. And the rest of
everlasting will be spent in a place prepared for you by the majestic
Creator of all things. And in His presence--who is infinite love.
Be at peace--at rest.
Fall off the cliff . . .
Jump off the cliff . . .
Pushed off the cliff . . .
"Underneath are the Everlasting Arms."
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Get Busy
The
exhortation regarding the Second Coming hasn't changed since the
Ascension when the angels turned to the disciples and said: "Why are
you dummies standing around gawking, staring up into Heaven? He said
He'll be back. Quit standing there and get busy! There's work to be
done. A world's worth."
Harvest
One
absolute we Christians like to shrug our shoulders at is that "you reap
what you sow." God reinforces this truth throughout His Word. And it's
a truth that is just as true for the godly as the ungodly--just as true
for David as it was for Jezebel. For example, look at the life of
Jacob. He lied and deceived His father with false pretenses, and he
spent the rest of His life reaping the consequences.
First, his uncle deceived him, and Jacob ended up marrying a woman he
didn't love and working seven extra years to finally obtain Rachel.
Then, his own sons deceived him by selling Joseph into slavery and
telling Jacob that a lion had killed him. There is a deep sadness in
the Lord's description of Jacob when he thought Joseph was dead. "And
all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he
refused to be comforted and he said, 'For I will go down into the grave
mourning,'" Jacob spent many years mourning for a son who wasn't really
dead. Mourning because his sons followed in his footsteps and deceived
him just as he had deceived his own father, Isaac. Jacob planted the
seed of deception and reaped the harvest--the wrong wife, seven extra
years of labor, more than ten years of deep mourning and sadness. Some
harvest, don't you think?
What are you and I planting today? At home? At work? At school? Think carefully before you plant the seeds. The harvest belongs to you. Guaranteed.
What are you and I planting today? At home? At work? At school? Think carefully before you plant the seeds. The harvest belongs to you. Guaranteed.
Absolutes
In
the real world the word "absolutes" will usually generate quite a
reaction. For if there is one thing modern man hates--as well as
fears--it's the existence of absolutes. When you hear expressions like,
"Well, in my opinion . . ." or "But if God is love, how can He . . ."
Or "You don't really believe the Bible is the Word of God, do
you?"--then the chances are someone has been backed into a corner
by an absolute truth and is trying to rationalize his way out of his
accountability to that truth. God's absolute truth infringes on man's
desire to believe and to do as he pleases--to be his own god;
consequently, man resents it. Whether a man resents God's truth or not,
God's absolutes are still absolutely true--and the consequences of not
believing them are inescapable. Now. And eternally.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Closest to Your Heart
I am
67 years old, and I can't begin to count how many anecdotes and sermon
illustrations I've heard in my lifetime. But one that I heard a long
time ago--I don't even remember where or when--has always stayed with
me. A memory gift from the Spirit. It went something like this:
"A single women had been faithfully serving the Lord in some remote area of the world for decades. But people noticed that she always wore a necklace--with a heart locket on the end. The curious--there are always some of those--assumed that it was a lost love from her early days that she could never forget--a life long sorrow. Finally, her Lord fulfilled her joy and took her home to be with Him. When they opened the locket, to their surprise, it didn't contain a picture of anyone, just a reference: I Peter 1:8: 'Whom having not seen, you love, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.' "
I've needed to be reminded of that story many times in my life. The Spirit's question is always the same: Who is in your "locket," closest to your heart?
I do not know what God will or has called you to--singleness, a long happy marriage, or anything in-between, but unless He is in the "locket" of your heart, your life will lack the richness that only He can bring. And if He is the "love of your life," you will never be poor for as long as you live.
Who is in your "locket," closest to your heart?
"A single women had been faithfully serving the Lord in some remote area of the world for decades. But people noticed that she always wore a necklace--with a heart locket on the end. The curious--there are always some of those--assumed that it was a lost love from her early days that she could never forget--a life long sorrow. Finally, her Lord fulfilled her joy and took her home to be with Him. When they opened the locket, to their surprise, it didn't contain a picture of anyone, just a reference: I Peter 1:8: 'Whom having not seen, you love, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.' "
I've needed to be reminded of that story many times in my life. The Spirit's question is always the same: Who is in your "locket," closest to your heart?
I do not know what God will or has called you to--singleness, a long happy marriage, or anything in-between, but unless He is in the "locket" of your heart, your life will lack the richness that only He can bring. And if He is the "love of your life," you will never be poor for as long as you live.
Who is in your "locket," closest to your heart?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Doubts
"When
all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, don't resent
them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come
to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But
let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you
will find that you have become men and women of mature character with
the right sort of independence. And if,
in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular
problem he has only to ask God--who gives generously to all men without
making them feel guilty or foolish--and he may be quite sure that the
necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith
without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God's help or not.
The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of
the sea, carried forward by the sea one moment and driven back the next.
That kind of man cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and
the life of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn."
The problem is rarely that we doubt God's ability to help. What we doubt is whether we want Him to help, whether we want Him to show us what transformation needs to take place in our lives if we are going to be more and more like Him. The question is do we know of anything in our heart that we want more than to be transformed into His image? It is the man or women with divided loyalties, divided loves, divided wants, that is constantly lost on the waves of spiritual seasickness. Such a believer is not standing on the Rock that is Christ Jesus His Lord. Do you want to know the full joy of your salvation? Stop trying to embrace God while at the same time holding Him at arm's length. Present your bodies a living sacrifice--make your daily walk a continuous act of worship. Crush the doubts--defeat the world's conforming power. Pray "I surrender all." And mean it.
The problem is rarely that we doubt God's ability to help. What we doubt is whether we want Him to help, whether we want Him to show us what transformation needs to take place in our lives if we are going to be more and more like Him. The question is do we know of anything in our heart that we want more than to be transformed into His image? It is the man or women with divided loyalties, divided loves, divided wants, that is constantly lost on the waves of spiritual seasickness. Such a believer is not standing on the Rock that is Christ Jesus His Lord. Do you want to know the full joy of your salvation? Stop trying to embrace God while at the same time holding Him at arm's length. Present your bodies a living sacrifice--make your daily walk a continuous act of worship. Crush the doubts--defeat the world's conforming power. Pray "I surrender all." And mean it.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Release
We
often find ourselves in circumstances totally out of our control.
Life's difficulties seem to pile up, and we long for release. There are
certain things we must remember during such times of testing.
First, the troubles are rarely a sign that God is disappointed with us. One of Satan's most effective strategies is to convince the believer that because of his circumstances, he must certainly be in a backslidden condition. It's such an effective lie because it causes us to doubt God's love for us. And we start to judge our love for Him and the depth of our commitment to serve Him based on our circumstances. If difficult, trying circumstances are proof of one's backslidden condition, than the Apostle Paul, for instance, must have been the most backslidden Christian that ever lived. From health issues, to depression, to betrayal, to unfulfilled aspirations, to imprisonment--and the list goes on. And on. And on. Paul had to deal with them all. And it was not because his relationship with God was broken, but because he was constantly walking in obedience to Him.
The second thing we must remember is the need for prayer. We must ask others to intercede on our behalf before the throne of grace. The effectiveness of intercessory prayer is immeasurable. Jesus always interceded for His disciples. Paul was always praying for others and always asking others to pray for him. And we must always remember our Lord's intercessory prayer the evening of the betrayal. He prayed that we would be one with Him as He was one with the Father. Knowing that His prayer will undoubtedly be answered in our lives is a great assurance. He is going to make us more and more like Him. Suffering is one of His most effective tools in doing that. In fact, God will answer all prayers in light of the prayer His Son has made on our behalf. It's a guarantee.
The last thing we must remember is that if we are going to be released from our difficult circumstances, it will be because He releases us. We cannot do it for ourselves. The choice is His--and His alone. His timing will be perfect. And when He is ready to release us, it will be because He can now be glorified through the release. Which means, of course, that we must be willing to give the entire problem and its resolution into His hands. We will find with the release that He is just as He claims to be--loving, kind, wise, and faithful. Until He is ready to release us from our trial, we must continue to live by faith--faith in who we know Him to be, and faith in His promise to reward those who diligently seek Him.
So, in tough times, remember. Your circumstances are not evidence of God's dissatisfaction with you or evidence that you are somehow some terrible backslidden Christian. Probably, just the opposite. Remember to seek the prayer support of others and to trust in your Savior's intercessory prayer for you. It will be answered. The Father will not deny the prayer of His Son. Remember that release will come when He is ready, and you will find Him loving and true--even if you don't see the slightest evidence at the moment that He is those things. What you are going through, others have been through--or worse--and they have found Him faithful. You will find Him to be so, too. Don't spend all your energy trying to gain a victory that only He can gain. There's a reason it's out of your control. Give it to Him. The victory is His--through His lavish grace. Meanwhile be faithful. One moment at a time. If you are still in the trial, it's because He knows you are strong enough to endure it. If you are still in the trial, release will come when He is ready and you are ready. If you are still in the trial, release will come. "No trial has come your way that is too hard for flesh and blood to bear. But God can be trusted not to allow you to suffer any trial beyond your powers of endurance. He will see to it that every trial has a way out, so that it will never be impossible for you to bear it."
First, the troubles are rarely a sign that God is disappointed with us. One of Satan's most effective strategies is to convince the believer that because of his circumstances, he must certainly be in a backslidden condition. It's such an effective lie because it causes us to doubt God's love for us. And we start to judge our love for Him and the depth of our commitment to serve Him based on our circumstances. If difficult, trying circumstances are proof of one's backslidden condition, than the Apostle Paul, for instance, must have been the most backslidden Christian that ever lived. From health issues, to depression, to betrayal, to unfulfilled aspirations, to imprisonment--and the list goes on. And on. And on. Paul had to deal with them all. And it was not because his relationship with God was broken, but because he was constantly walking in obedience to Him.
The second thing we must remember is the need for prayer. We must ask others to intercede on our behalf before the throne of grace. The effectiveness of intercessory prayer is immeasurable. Jesus always interceded for His disciples. Paul was always praying for others and always asking others to pray for him. And we must always remember our Lord's intercessory prayer the evening of the betrayal. He prayed that we would be one with Him as He was one with the Father. Knowing that His prayer will undoubtedly be answered in our lives is a great assurance. He is going to make us more and more like Him. Suffering is one of His most effective tools in doing that. In fact, God will answer all prayers in light of the prayer His Son has made on our behalf. It's a guarantee.
The last thing we must remember is that if we are going to be released from our difficult circumstances, it will be because He releases us. We cannot do it for ourselves. The choice is His--and His alone. His timing will be perfect. And when He is ready to release us, it will be because He can now be glorified through the release. Which means, of course, that we must be willing to give the entire problem and its resolution into His hands. We will find with the release that He is just as He claims to be--loving, kind, wise, and faithful. Until He is ready to release us from our trial, we must continue to live by faith--faith in who we know Him to be, and faith in His promise to reward those who diligently seek Him.
So, in tough times, remember. Your circumstances are not evidence of God's dissatisfaction with you or evidence that you are somehow some terrible backslidden Christian. Probably, just the opposite. Remember to seek the prayer support of others and to trust in your Savior's intercessory prayer for you. It will be answered. The Father will not deny the prayer of His Son. Remember that release will come when He is ready, and you will find Him loving and true--even if you don't see the slightest evidence at the moment that He is those things. What you are going through, others have been through--or worse--and they have found Him faithful. You will find Him to be so, too. Don't spend all your energy trying to gain a victory that only He can gain. There's a reason it's out of your control. Give it to Him. The victory is His--through His lavish grace. Meanwhile be faithful. One moment at a time. If you are still in the trial, it's because He knows you are strong enough to endure it. If you are still in the trial, release will come when He is ready and you are ready. If you are still in the trial, release will come. "No trial has come your way that is too hard for flesh and blood to bear. But God can be trusted not to allow you to suffer any trial beyond your powers of endurance. He will see to it that every trial has a way out, so that it will never be impossible for you to bear it."
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