In just a couple of days, Jesus would be betrayed. He had been warning His closest disciples of His impending death, but it seems they did not – or did not want to – understand. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, seemed to understand. She knew that if Jesus returned to Jerusalem, that He would be put to death. She also knew that He planned exactly that, to return to Jerusalem.

To honor Him, and to let Him know that she worshiped Him, she took a jar of pure nard – or spikenard – and anointed Him, first His head and then His feet, as was tradition.

What a waste. It would take most people a year’s wages to fill a jar that size with such an expensive perfume. Even if it was used for the benefit of one such as Jesus, it is a sin to waste it. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor. The disciples seemed to be in agreement on this matter.

Jesus, though, defended Mary. “Leave her alone,” He said. “She intended to save this for the day of my burial.”

Such a statement must have profoundly confused the disciples. Before they could ponder it, though, Jesus added a reference to the Law (Deuteronomy 15:11). “The poor, you will have always, but you will not always have me.”

There are many lessons to be found in this passage, but we will emphasize only two. First, Jesus knew that, because we are human and we comprise a physical body, intellect, and spirit (or – as I grew up hearing it: body, mind and soul), we must pay equal attention to our physical needs and our spiritual needs. There is, in other words, a time for worship and a time for ministry. There is a time to build our bodies, a time to build our minds, and a time to build our relationship with our Heavenly Father. This was Mary’s time to build her spirit through worship.

The second point is this: Jesus did not say, “The poor you will have always; there’s no fixing that problem, so instead of throwing money at it, we should instead build a cathedral that will outshine the ones that John the Baptist’s followers built out on the highway.” No, this passage is not an excuse to take money from the ministry column of the budget ministry and move it into the building fund (or elsewhere). Quite the opposite. The words of Jesus hearken back to a passage that commands the nation of Israel to take care of the poor and destitute in their nation. Because there are poor and will always be poor people in the land, we need to plan for them, to minister to them, to teach them, and love them, and help them as a part of an ongoing process. Ministering to the poor should be a part of our church budget.

Does ministering to the poor make one holy? No, but those who attempt to be holy as God is holy will help the poor.

Side Note: Perfume such as that which was made from the root of nard was used in many ways
in Jewish Antiquity. It was used in the making of incense Anointing oil was used for three main purposed ”

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Genesis takes a hard rap these days, as does much of the Old Testament. Much of it is perceived as mythology and a great deal is considered retelling of older tales. Few in this post-truth world consider Genesis as inspired by God. I do.

Genesis tells us that God created humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-28). It tells us that we were given dominion over all animals, that we were to have dominion over the world. God created us to be His imagers. In other words, God created man so that we could represent Him, rule for Him, rule with Him, and model His behavior. We were not to be Gods; we were to be like God.

From the fall of mankind to the birth of Christ one rarely sees a human who is like God, for  until Jesus was born, no one had been perfect. That is not to say that no one modeled a bit of His behavior or acted somewhat like God. Abraham was found worthy of fathering God’s children, but was hardly God-like. Isaiah spoke to and for God. Elijah and Elisha performed miraculous deeds through the power of God. David sought the heart of God. Moses, though, may be the only man short of Christ who best imaged God, but even he fell far short of God’s glory.

When Moses stretched out his hands, God moved, and when his hands rested, so did God. Moses was so like God they some readers – unfamiliar with the Bible or unfamiliar with theology – may be left wondering if God worked through Moses or if Mode worked through God.

Now, the term imager may be unfamiliar to many of you. I don’t know who coined the term but Dr. Michael Heiser does a great job explaining it in his book, The Unseen Realm. An imager of God is one who carries out the mission of “divine image-bearing.”

This commission, he continues, is given to men and women. It is what makes us unique from other created beings. There is something about us that makes us like God. It is not an incremental likeness; it was bestowed upon us at creation.

When Man fell in the Garden of Eden, he lost much of what it meant to carry the image of God. He lost all that was good and pure and holy. He lost life eternal. We lost the place of glory of ruling with Him.

Once we accept Jesus as our Savior part of what was lost is restored, in that God lives within our heart and works through us.

Here is an old hymn that many of you may remember.

Oh! to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. – Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897.

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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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I was six years old when the original Disney flick was released and I loved it. So much did i love it that I begged my mom for the book. She brought home the Disney book based on the movie. I wanted Rudyard Kipling’s novel, but school had just started and she had spent every dime she had on clothes for three school-aged boys. So I was content for a while to relive the movie through Disney’s colorful book, and even tried to imitate the voices of Baloo, Bagheera, and Kaa, but especially Bagheera and Kaa because I knew them as Mr. French and Winnie the Pooh. (Look it up.)

I eventually got the Kipling book and was as enraptured by it as I was by the movie. I read that book a dozen times growing up. Fifty years later, though, it’s not Kipling’s book that stands out in my mind, it’s the movie. Here is why I make reference to it. The elephants. Remember? In the Disney movie Col. Hathi, the commanding elephant is a true leader, a benevolent and kind figure whom every other elephant follows.

No. I am not going to compare Col. Hathi with God. I will, however, contrast him with God. In rewatching, I realize that most of the time the elephants do not follow Col. Hathi, rather they follow the elephant that follows the elephant that follows the elephant that follows the colonel.

God never asks us to follow anyone else but His Son. Not once did Christ say, “Follow James. He is following me and I am making him a fisher of men.” He never said, “Follow John. He’s young but he’s wise in spite of his youth.”

Christ inevitably called – and still calls – every man, woman, and child to follow Him. He never calls us to follow a man who is following Him. Sure, we can learn from our pastors and teachers and Christian mentors, but we follow only Christ.

Jesus sits at the right hand of the father, and, if you have accepted Him as your Savior, His Spirit lives in your heart. He acts as our advocate. He teaches us, guides us and even prays for us when our broken spirits cannot utter a word. He preserved all things necessary for salvation and discipleship in His Holy Book, the Bible. All you have to do is follow His command when He calls you.

And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. – MARK 2:14

So… Hup two three four

Keep it up two three four

Company, sound off!
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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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Beverly Sinclair was a spinster heiress who lived in a mansion of enormous size during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is the main character in a short story I wrote a few years ago. She was considered eccentric by folks who knew her, a spooky old witch by children, and foolish by most. Foolish because she – who never married and had no close family – lived with her three cats alone in a 42-room palatial home.

What made her eccentric was that the home wasn’t always so big. When she inherited her fortune from her father, the home was a impressive Victorian-style home with five bedrooms, a parlor, kitchen, dining room, basement, and three bathrooms. Over the years, she added two more wings to the home, including a gymnasium, indoor pool, sunroom, library, two additional kitchens, three formal dining rooms, two more parlors, ten more bedrooms and eleven bathrooms. She would build something one year and tear it down the next. She was never happy with the work, and always improving on it.

It was said that old lady Sinclair, as she was known, kept the same general contractor employed her entire life and that she would never hire anyone else to do the work. She hired him first in 1889 and he was still working on the place when she died in 1943.

Long after she died a girl from the local historical society discovered in her journals that Sinclair had been in love with the contractor but had never told him because she was married. He was the reason she had never married. Hiring him to renovate the home was the only way she could see him. Renovations continued until the day she died.

I did not write the story as an analogy of the Christian life, but when I read Colossians 2:6 and thought of the word built this story came to mind. Our walk with Christ is much the same as this story. When Christ saves us he goes to work on us, tearing out the old and building the new, adding a room here and testing down a room there. He loves us too much to allow us to live a dark, putrid life and we love Him enough to let Him enough to keep working.

Colossians 2:6 reads this way:

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith

The word built in that verse is passive, we do not go build ourselves. Christ builds us and perfects us and does not stop working on us until death. Why? He is building and perfecting His body, His home, die He dwells in us, according to Acts 17:24. We are the temple not built by human hands. What then are we to do in this whole process? Allow Him to continue to work in us. Do not quench the Spirit of God (1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 6:30).

Besides, how can we, mere humans, expect to improve on what God builds?
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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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We have looked, this week, at some incredibly difficult passages of scripture where we find people who have presented themselves to Christ only to hear words of warning from Jesus about the cost of following Him. From those passages, we have learned that salvation does not mean saying a certain prayer and then go on like nothing has changed. If we truly believe in Jesus, we will follow Him. Believing in Him means we give ourselves to Him even into the point of death, if it comes to that. Jesus tells us there is a cost to salvation beyond the price that He paid. Now we address the question, “Why would we want to offer our lives to Jesus?” Today on Christian Holiness Daily.

Why should anyone follow Christ? Because the alternative is eternal separation from His love. Because the alternative is eternal separation from all love. Because without Christ we will be eternally separated from all that is good, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is comforting.

I follow Christ because He loved me before He even set the earth spinning on its axis. Because He died for me even though I am a filthy sinner. I love God because He first loved me.

Before I gave myself to God, I lived a life of sin, but i believed I was a Christian. I had said the sinners prayer. I believed in Christian. I believed in Jesus. I knew He is God made flesh, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven. I believed all that, but I still lived a life of filthy sin. I was on the path that C. S. Lewis called the “safest road to hell.” It is the gradual road, never too steep. It has no road signs that identify it. But the end of the road is eternal hellfire.

After I gave myself to Christ, if I strayed from the path I discovered all kinds of road signs; there was no doubt that I had strayed. God loves His children too much to allow them to wander too far before calling them back to His side.

A couple weeks ago, I talked about Hebrews 6 and said that so long as a Christian does not turn his or her back on God and stop believing, they cannot lose salvation. This is true. Now, today, I am saying that if one believes he or she will follow Christ with total surrender, counting everything else as loss. How, you may wonder do I justify that? How can both be true, you may wonder.

I think here is where we need to define what it means to believe. If one truly believes, one will follow Christ. If one then follows Christ, they get to know their Creator, walk with Him, talk with Him, then they cannot help but change. They cannot avoid being filled with His love. That doesn’t mean they cannot sin. That doesn’t mean they cannot turn back. It does mean that if they do sin, their sin is already forgiven. If they do turn back, the Holy Spirit will hunt them down and call them back home.

I willingly surrender my life to God no matter what the cost because He is a loving Father who wants to spend time with me, His son.

Monday we begin a conversation about how salvation changes our lives. Don’t miss The Best of Christian Holiness Daily tomorrow. And tune in to Christian Holiness Sunday for classic works of old time holiness preachers and writers.
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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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Levitical law separated the leper from the rest of society; lepers lived at a distance, never again to touch their loved ones, or to speak with them intimately. Never again could they hug their children or kiss their spouse.

Leprosy is highly contagious, and is spread by skin contact and through water droplets, like a cough or sneeze or a runny nose. Leprosy attacks the central nervous system, but its symptoms appear as tumors and disfigurement of the flesh and bone. Fingers twist in unnatural ways; hands become claws, and arms and legs become useless over time. The life of a leper is a painful and sad.

Lepers suffered so greatly that people in the time of Jesus naturally assumed that the afflicted must be paying for some terrible sin. And, why wouldn’t they think that? Two thousand years later, many of us still believe that way, to some extent.

It was near the end of His ministry when Jesus, passing through an unnamed village between Samaria and Jerusalem, was called on by ten such lepers. In keeping with the Law, they called from a distance.  “Master, have mercy on us!”

His answer may seem strange to us, but that is only because we don’t live under the Law. “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.” Before a leper could rejoin society, he or she must have been certified to be free of the disease by a priest.

The Bible doesn’t say for sure, but I imagine an expression or two of doubt on the faces of the lepers, and perhaps a few questions among them. Still, they obeyed Him.

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

– Luke 17:19

The healing must have been slow and progressive, rather than instantaneous. Before the lepers arrived at the Temple or synagogue, they found themselves healed. One of them – just one – was so grateful that he turned back to thank Jesus before he had made it to see the priest.

So grateful was he that he fell at the Master’s feet and worshiped Him.

“Didn’t I heal 10 people?” said Jesus. Of course, He knew the answer. “Where are the other 9? Only one has found it in his heart to return and praise God, and He is a Samaritan.” Christ once again reminded His followers that their prejudice against their neighbors is simply wrong.

“Get up, He tells the Samaritan. “Arise and go your way. Your faith has made you whole.”

The leper’s mission had changed. Before turning around to express his gratitude to Jesus, his mission had been to go see the priests. Now, healed and made whole, he received new inductions from Christ… to go his own way.

“You are made whole.”

And, here’s my point. Those who experience a real encounter with Christ are made whole, spiritually whole; theirs lives are renewed and made complete and they simply cannot continue to go on living like they once had. They are compelled to follow Jesus. Their missions change. Christ directs them in a different direction. They receive a change of plans. Theirs hearts have changed. Their entire lives change.

Have you been made whole? If not, you only need ask. Fall at His feet and praise Jesus. Ask Him to change Your heart. Your life will change. Forever.

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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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We’re discussing bondage to sin and freedom from sin this week on Christian Holiness Daily.

The master’s son takes mercy on the slave and purchases him. Upon the slave’s return, the son grants him his freedom and tells him that he has also purchased the freedom of his family.

We learned yesterday that – according to the words of Christ as recorded in John 8:34 – everyone who practices sin is a slave to it.

The Son, though, has purchased our freedom – the Son of God – paid for with His own blood, His own death, and sealed with His resurrection. He has paid the price to set us free from the bondage of sin.

The story is not a perfect analogy, but take a look at the next two verses in John 8, verses 35and 36 (ESV):

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed

If we are living as slaves to sin, it is because we have not accepted the gift that the Son is offering us, freedom from sin.

If you’re faith in Christ is not sufficient to believe that you can be free of the bonds of sin, do you think it is really sufficient to believe you can be free from the bonds of death?

We believe, God. We believe in the gift Jesus has given us. We believe the Son of God died to pay the price for our sins, that we may be free from sin and death. Lord, help us to believe.

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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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We are continuing our conversation on sin and freedom from sin, on Christian Holiness Daily…

The Morning After (1974 – ABC TV from the novel by Jack B. Weiner, adapted for TV by the legendary Richard Matheson) was an amazing movie, and the first one that presented alcoholism as a real problem, and not simply a comic prop. It is still shown today in rehab centers worldwide. It starred Dick Van Dyke as an alcoholic who could not admit he had a problem. Van Dyke, for those of you too young to remember, was everyone’s favorite TV husband, dad, chimney sweep, and funnyman. When he made The Morning After, no one could accept him – this wholesome TV comic – as an alcoholic. When it became known that he took the role because he closely identified with the character, no one could believe it. I, myself, was devastated, for I had admired the actor tremendously (rather, I admired the characters for which he was known).

The movie portrayed Van Dyke as a businessman who repeatedly drank to excess, picked himself up, promised to never repeat his actions, promised to live on the straight and narrow, and once again falls into the same routine. Get drunk. Hurt those you love. Sober up. Apologize. Stay on the straight and narrow for a few days. Get drunk again. Over and over and over again. From the outside, he looked okay, but those who knew him, saw his problem, and realized that every time he failed, he fell a little harder and a little farther into a black hole from which – someday – he would eventually never return.

Alcoholism, like sexual addiction, gluttony, and a myriad of other sins is just a vicious circle. Alcoholics feel like they are a slave to the drink; they cannot – of their own power – resist the temptation. Jesus characterizes sin well when he says, “Those who practice sin are slaves to it.” Likewise, those who are slaves to sin can do nothing but practice it. According to Jesus, in John 8:34, everyone  who practices sin is a slave to sin. As one who struggled for decades with the same old sins, the same old temptations, the same old struggles, and as one who has rarely won a battle against temptation, I know what it is to be a slave to sin. It is like being bound hand and foot and chained to a chair, to be at the mercy of a diabolical master. It is like one of those movies where a maniacal bad guy threatens to kill the good guy’s family unless he does “exactly as I say.” Living as a slave to sin is watching your perfect Van Dyke-esque life shattering all around you and you can do nothing to stop it.

Only Christ can free us from the sin that imprisons us.

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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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We are talking this week about bondage to sin and freedom from sin through the Holy Spirit on Christian Holiness Daily.

Of course, I did not suffocate. While the cell was stifling, I had an adequate supply of oxygen. I try not to think about such things when I look back on life, and, at the same time, I don’t want to forget them.

That cell, and the year that I spent locked up after that day, represent to me a life in bondage to sin. There was no humanly way to break free from that cell, just like there was no humanly way to break free from the sins that placed me inside it.

Yet, that year, while locked up, I discovered incredible freedom. I surrendered my life to Christ, learned to pray, and determined to pray continuously. I learned to love God so much that temptation withered away, unable to grow in the bright light of the Son.

Only years later, while sick with cancer, I experienced very much the same thing. It is when we are at our weakest that we are strongest because it is then that Christ fills us with the power of His perfect love.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. If we ask Him to fill us with His Spirit, then we will be free from sin. Free indeed.

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Christian Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

In what way are we to be peculiar? If you sell out to Jesus Christ, make Him Lord of your life, allow Him to fill you with His spirit and inhabit your very being, and make you holy, consecrated, and pure, you will be a peculiar person in this wicked world.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 –

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them

and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they will be my people.”

17 Therefore,

“Come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.”

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Are you a peculiar person? Are you a child of God? Have you made Jesus Christ you Lord and asked Him to fill you with His Spirit?

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According to author Michael Munn in his biography, James Stewart: The Truth Behind The Legend, after the actor’s first western movie, many movie-watchers complained that the actor had broken movie tradition. The movie was not full of shootouts, renegade Indians, and larger than-life heroes. Stewart played a sheriff who vowed to never wear a gun, something previously unheard of in the land of Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson. The movie, Destry Rides Again (1939), paved the way for such classics as Shane (with a similar plot) and The Shootist, and such parodies as James Garner’s Support Your Local Sheriff.

Destry, may have been a role that Stewart relished, for both the character and Stewart stood up for right against seemingly insurmountable odds. In real life, Stewart’s foe was mobster Bugsy Siegel, who had helped transform Las Vegas from a sleepy western town into a gangsters paradise and then moved his operation to Hollywood. Stewart detested the mob and thought even less of Siegel. Several times the gangster and the movie star faced off – over a girl, over treatment of a mutual friend, or over general principles. Each time, Stewart stood up to the mob boss, and never showed fear. Friends Henry Fonda and Burgess Meredith urged him to stop making waves, afraid it would cost him his life, but Stewart never gave an inch to Siegel.

Eventually Siegel was gunned down by his own people and Stewart lived to a ripe old age. Stewart is quoted as saying that he believed Siegel respected him, even if he didn’t like him.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:12, Paul encourages Christians to be sanctified. One of the reasons for sanctification, he says, is

so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

The world may hate us. They may persecute us. They may make martyrs of us, but they should respect us.

Why should they respect us? Because we will stand strong – in all cases – in the power of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Because if Christ’s love shines through us, we even will represent all that is sacred, pure, and holy. We will stand apart from the world. We will be God’s children, and the world will know this because of our undying love for them. Yes, we will love even they who persecute us.

We will love them and not be afraid, for example do not fear the one who can take the life of the body. We fear the One who, after the body has died, has the power to throw the soul into hell. (cf. Luke 12:4-5).

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When Paul tells us that we “should mind your own business,” my reaction is to fume over his advice, say that he knows nothing of my circumstances, and blame others for not minding their own business first. If someone is in the wrong, I want to point it out. If someone makes a mistake, I wish to correct them. If something is out of my control, I want to gain control. If someone gossips, I want to slap them silent so I can repeat the gossip first. I am human… perhaps too human.

Here’s the rub: sanctified Christians don’t act that way.

Why?

When God fills us with His Holy Spirit, He changes the way we view the world. Before He fills us with His Spirit, we (the carnal Christian) look at the world and see everyone and everything as an enemy, even other Christians (especially those with whom we disagree politically or philosophically).

After God fills us with His Spirit, we (Christians whom God has sanctified) look within and realize that we were once enemies of God, and we pray that God’s will forgive and reconcile even those who oppose us.

We should mind our own business, and, instead of meddling, we should work with our hands. The best work that we can do with our hands is fold them in prayer.

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The Apostle Paul told the Timothy that elders of the Church should be paid, especially those who preach and teach. Indeed, close reading of that passage shows that Paul felt pastors should be paid double the normal salary. “Workmen,” he said, “are worthy to be hired.”

On the other hand, Paul valued his churches so much that it seems he never took payment. Instead, he earned his keep across the Mediterranean and Europe by working as a tent maker, a skill he had learned as a boy in Tarsus.

As we continue to look at 1 Thessalonians 4, we see that Paul links work – specifically working with one’s hands – to living a sanctified life. Work, in this passage, is also closely connected to living a quiet life.

The question is: why? Why does Paul link sanctification, which is an act of the Holy Spirit, to work, which is commonly considered an act of our own strength?

Here’s the thing, sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit that rids the believe of the carnal (sinful) nature and replaces it with the nature of Christ). In return, we are so full of the love of God that we want God to be in control of every aspect of our lives. We want Him to clean the muck out of even the darkest corners and replace it with the light of His love. As a result, we even give Him our work, our labor, our jobs.

Those of us who accept Jesus as our Savior but never make Him Lord of our lives… those of us who ask Him to save us but never let him have dominion over our hearts and minds… those of us who are saved, but never allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with His love, will find that we soon burn out, soon wear out, and soon return to our old habits and old ways.

By the way, I have not forgotten about the part of the verse that reads, “Mind your own business.” Well look at that, and the connection between work and peace later.

According to Apostle Paul in Thessalonians chapter 4, if we have been sanctified, then we will turn away from sexual immorality, love one another more and more, find peace and quiet in our lives, mind our own business, and earn our keep.

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In an earlier devotion on Christian Holiness Daily, we learned that it is God’s will that we be sanctified, or filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:3). After Paul proclaims this to his readers, he expounds on what is expected out of those whom Christ sanctifies.

• Abstain from sexual immorality
• Love one another
• In verse 11 of that same chapter, he says that we are to live a quiet life. What does Paul mean, though, when he uses the word quiet?
• Paul’s life seemed to be anything but quiet. He traveled from town-to-town preaching first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, bringing a new message – and one that few wanted to accept – and stirred up so much trouble that he found himself often in jail, stoned and left for dead, beaten, and eventually martyred. Ask and the definition of quiet life, I doubt any of the items on that list are mentioned.
• When I think of a quiet life, I think of a cabin in the woods, off grid, and a room full of books.
• Others may think of a sailboat on a calm sea, or a fishing boat on a still lake. Some might picture a horseback ride or a cross-country trip on a Harley. Though peaceful, I doubt any of those images are what Paul had in mind when he wrote of the quiet life. Paul’s idea of quiet can be determined from his other epistles.

• The first clue that we find about Paul’s definition of quiet is Romans 12:18, where he gives similar advise:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. – ESV

Peace and quiet are synonymous. In this passage Paul ads a qualifying clause, If possible…

In Paul’s life, peace and quiet wasn’t always possible, for it wasn’t always up to him whether he lived at peace.

• Galatians 5:22 tells us the same thing that Paul tells us here in 1 Thessalonians 4, but it is more succinct: the fruit of the Spirit is peace.
• In Philippians 4:7, he urges us to allow our hearts to be guided by the peace that comes through the Holy Spirit.
• In Romans 14:19, he urges us to make every effort to bring peace into our lives.
• As with every aspect of sanctification, living in peace or living a quiet life is only possible if we allow the Holy Spirit to rule (take charge) in our lives daily.
• If He is not the King of our hearts, then the best that we can hope for is brief calm often followed by a ferocious storm.
• If we allow the Holy Spirit to reign, then we too can say (like Paul),

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

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In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, Paul speaks to Christians – those who have believed on and followed in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. He tells them they need to be sanctified. They need to live a holy life. He emphasizes that they should turn away from sexual immorality. Today, we see that he encourages them to love one another (and others) more and more.

You see, love is what sets Christians apart from the rest of the world. For mortal man, it may be difficult to love someone outside our immediate family (sometimes, it is not easy to love those within our immediate family). For Christians, love – even love for others and love for our enemies – should come as natural as love for our own children.

If loving others does not come natural, then you should prayerfully and persistently seek sanctification. Ask God to rid you of worldly love, lust, selfishness, pride, and hatred, and fill you with His Holy Spirit. He will. He will perfect His love within your life. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, one is surprised by love… a deeper love than you thought possible.

We seem to be living near the end of days and Satan has begun one final offensive in the battle against the saints of God. As a result, many Christians have ducked for cover, and are not reaching out to others in love as they should; instead many are looking out only for themselves and their closest loved ones.

We must resist fear. We must stand up to evil and call it by name. We must look evil in the eye and expel it in the name of Jesus. And we must do it all in love.

Remember, Christ sacrificed His life for the sins of the world, not just for you and me (and not just those who agree with our viewpoint). That person that we think is so evil… that one who is causing so many problems in the world…he or she may be the next Saul who finds Christ on the road to Damascus and becomes the next Apostle Paul.

We must love our enemies. Pray for those who threaten us, abuse us, and persecute us. Remember, they, too, need to know God and His love.

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I do, though, often ask to spend time with her. Though we work different hours, we manage to eat dinner together often, go to see a good movie occasionally or watch a TV show when we can. I love spending time with her. I want to be with her and I want her to be proud of me. Why? Because I know she loves me and also wants to be with me.

Isn’t that why we want to walk with Jesus? Don’t we want to be like Jesus because we love and admire Him? And, one reason we love and admire Him because He first loved us? Didn’t He demonstrate that love for us by rescuing us from sin and death through the sacrifice of His own life?

1 Thessalonians 4, Paul urges us to live in a manner that pleases God. Then he mentions specifics. Let’s read it together. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (NKJV):

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Paul is writing to the Christian Church; he calls them brothers and sisters. He distinguishes their behavior from that of the pagans, and tells them that God expects them to be different. The pagans are sexually immoral, depraved, and are ruled by passion and lust. He encourages Christians to control their bodies and to be act with honor, to be holy.

It is God’s will that we be sanctified, Paul says. God called us to be holy, not impure.

So what does God mean when He tells us to avoid sexual immorality? The Greek word used to express sexual immorality is porneia, which is from where we drive the terms pornography and fornication. While the term pornography likely needs no definition, many may be unfamiliar with the word fornication. Fornication means two people who are not married to each other sharing sexual relations.

So, is that the definition of sanctification? Does it mean giving up certain sexual practices that are sinful? No. There is much more to it than that. Sexual immorality is what Paul wished to address, but it is simply one small part of living a holy life.

Is we love God, we will want to please Him, and turning away from sexual immorality is just one of many things that Paul mentions in this book.

That, though, is not the real point is this devotion. I am not here to create an updated list of thou shalt nots.

I am here to tell you that God loves you and doesn’t want to see you hurt, and sexual immorality leads to destruction.

Avoid destruction and let Him rid you of sexual perversion and lust and fill you instead with His love.

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“He’s only eleven years old,” Russell’s mother sobbed. She hid her face in her hands and cried.

Her husband squeezed her shoulder and said, “I’ll be back when I find him.” He tried to sound reassuring, but he didn’t believe that they would ever find him, not really.

Russell and his parents had been driving across the mountains when a blizzard struck the mountain pass. Dad had heard the forecast, but convinced himself that he could beat the weather. When they became stuck, they stayed with the car; that’s always best. After three days trapped in the car and no hope of being found soon, though, Dad decided to try to walk for help. A few days later, he returned with help.

He found his wife in the car where he left her, but his son had vanished. The boy had gotten out of the car to look for his dad, but never returned.

Mom had begged him to stay in the car and later frantically searched for him, but his tracks had been covered with fresh snow. He was nowhere to be found.

Now Dad joined a rescue team that would search the entire area. “I got to be honest with you,” said Captain Lourdes, in charge of the search party. The odds of finding your son alive are slim.”

“I have to try. I just can’t do nothing. He needs me.” Dad wept.

Lourdes nodded.

When they found him, Russell clung to an ice covered rock, perched on the side of the mountain. Hundreds of feet below him was a snow field that slanted into a deep mountain valley. How he made it through the past couple days and nights alive, no one knew.

“Daddy’s gotcha, Rusty.” Dad’s voice quivered as he watched the firemen hook his son to a secure line.

Once they had him off the side of the mountain and into their truck, Dad thanked Caitain Lourdes and turn embraced the boy. “I love you, Rusty.” The boy was too cold and too much in shock to speak.

“We’re only 14 miles up the mountain from the Ranger Station. It’s all downhill from here. There are lots of hills and curves and bumps in the road, but you’ll make it. The station is just across the river, but be careful,” said Lourdes, “crossing the river can be tricky, especially in the winter.” He tossed Rusty a book. “This book will answer all your questions. It’s a good book. You should read it every day. It will keep you safe. Once you cross the river, a chopper will pick you up and take you home.”

Rusty’s jaw dropped as the Captain pushed him out of the truck.

“I can’t wait until I catch that chopper someday,” said Dad as he climbed into the truck. “Don’t you worry, Rusty. Captain Lourdes and I will be waiting for you at the station. Now that you’re saved, you can follow the road with no problem.”

“Well, maybe a few problems,” said the captain.

“A few, agreed Dad. “But just read the book. You’ll know what to do.”

The men all piled into the truck and headed down the mountain.

Rusty, watched the truck drive away. Still in shock, still bitter cold, still starving, he pulled off his gloves and looked at the thin black book in his hand. “Gospel of John,” it read. Rusty read the first two chapters, stuck it in his pocket, and trudged down the road.

It began to snow again making it difficult to follow the path of the truck. Rusty never felt the little book fall from his pocket. Just after dark, he left the road for the shelter of some nearby trees. He wondered if he would ever make it to the Ranger Station.

“Found him,” Dad said to Mom when he returned to the station. “We put him on the right road. He’ll be home someday soon.”

“Oh, thank you,” Mom cried.

—–

Silly analogy, I know. Unfortunately, Rusty’s experience is very much the way that many Christians teach our walk with God: we wander far from home, Our Lord goes looking for us. We are saved. So far so good. But, here is where some Christian teaching goes wrong. Salvation doesn’t mean saying a prayer and then continuing on the same path you’ve been on. It doesn’t mean your are saved and then left to find your way through life alone. It doesn’t mean reading a few pages of the Bible and then magically conquering all of life’s challenges.

Salvation is the beginning of a journey home, hand in hand with God through the power of The Holy Spirit. The One Who rescues you, also guides you home. He is with us every step of the way. He will help us understand the guide book. He will help us discern between correct teaching and unsound teaching. He will teach us right from wrong. And He will speak to us when we need guidance or when we are afraid. He is with us when we feel all alone.

Aren’t you glad that when our Father saves us, He doesn’t leave us alone like Rusty?

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The church sat in the countryside, but there happened to be two homes directly across the road. One of the families who lived across the road attended regularly – or, I should say, the wife and kids did. The man of the house bragged that his life was such a mess that, if he ever walked through the church doors, the roof would cave in.

So one winter day, when services were being held in the older, smaller, and not-so-well maintained sanctuary, the man crossed the street to join his wife and children at church. The very second he walked into the foyer, the false ceiling collapsed on his head.

No one was hurt, and everyone got a good laugh, and he did stay for the entire service. I am unsure, though, if he ever felt compelled to give his heart to Christ.

Here is what people fail to understand about God’s love. He loves you as you are. You don’t have to clean up your life before you give it to God. Christ says in Luke 5:32:

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (NIV).

Are you addicted to porn? Christ is calling you.

Are you a liar and thief? Christ is calling you.

Do you have an uncontrollable temper? Christ is calling you.

Are you hated by everyone who knows you? Christ knows you better than anyone and He loves you. He’s calling you.

Are you drowning in an alternative lifestyle? Christ is calling you.

Christ loves us as we are. He proves it in this way: even while we are full of filthy sin, He died for us… to rescue us from that sin… and from death (Roman’s 5:8, paraphrased).

Worried that the roof will cave in if you step inside a church? Don’t worry. Come anyway. Come as you are, and give all your sins and worries to God.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. – Revelation 22:17 NIV

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Reading the Bible alone, though, is not enough if you are seeking a deeper relationship with God. There needs to be equal parts Bible study and prayer. You see, that relationship – like any other – is a two way street.

Prayer, carrying on a conversation with God, allows you to get to know His heart. Prayer is also instrumental in allowing God to search your heart.

Learning God’s Word helps you understand the nature of God and His deepest desires for your life. The Bible is more than just a guideline for life. It is a standard by which to judge your own actions, thoughts, and dreams.

More than prayer and Bible study there is an even deeper practice: Christian meditation. Read a passage from the Bible every morning (use the same passage for multiple days if you wish), and every second that you spend idle – between tasks at work, while driving, while going to sleep, while taking a walk, or whenever you have a few seconds or a few minutes down time – ponder that passage or verse. If you cannot memorize verses, or even commit it to short-term memory, then write it down or put it in your phone, or text it to yourself. Read it, reread it, and reread it again. Pray on it, and remember: God is with you. There is no leaving Him behind.

Pray, read the Bible, mediate, and remember God is with you always. Take a walk with God. Hang on to His hand. Only He can keep you from falling.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. – Jude 24-25 NIV

 

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So, when I first read this passage in 1 Peter (at about the age of 13), I thought I had figured out my place in this world:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own peculiar* people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. – 1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV *the word peculiar is used in the KJV

I was convinced that the Gospel was for losers, and that this loser was made for spreading the Gospel.

I was, however, mistaken about the meaning of these verses. While God does choose messengers and workers based on qualities that may not be evident to others, this paragraph from 1 Peter does not address that issue.

In context, Peter tells us that the holiness of Christ trips up most people, those who can neither fathom or duplicate the example that Christ sets. We, though, are not chosen because we are peculiar. We, Christians, are to be peculiar because they are chosen.

What makes us peculiar?

We are peculiar because we are chosen. That is especially true of our generation, Early 21st Century Christians. No generation has ever had so easy and ready access to God’s Word and study material (we can never claim we don’t know God because His Word was not available).

We are to be a royal priesthood, witnessing to the lost, interceding for our nation, and living as an example to one and all.

We are peculiar in that He has set us aside to be holy vessels filed with His love… because He calls us His own. We are God’s children, His people, nomenclature that once applied only to the Jews.

Because He has chosen us – me and you – we should surrender all that we are and all that we have to Him in love.

Because He has chosen us…

– before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. – Ephesians 1:4-6 NKJV

Now we can have…

redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace – Ephesians 1:7 NKJV

In return – out of love for Christ -we should…

abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV

No one has ever accused me of being holy, or perfect, because I am not. Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship – living like Christ – is something we do because our heart is filled with the love of Christ.

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In the Bible water is often synonymous with chaos, sin, or evil. In the beginning, the earth was formless, void, and full of darkness… Chaotic.

When the nation of Israel escapes Egypt, God not only defeats Pharaoh, he defeats the waters. For Christians, the next generation crossing of the Jordan symbolizes the passing of life and entering life eternal.

Baptism took on new meaning for us with the resurrection of Christ. It came to symbolize our death and burial with He who saves us and our subsequent resurrection.

In the psalms, water represents our enemies, physical or spiritual. In the Psalm 69, the enemy is represented as deep waters, mire or muck, a raging flood, and an abyss. David has come to an end of himself. He is helpless, powerless, outnumbered, accused, and (vs. 19) guilty.

We too must come to the end of ourselves before God may act in His fullness. Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Do you feel like you are drowning, like you are ready to die? Give it up. Surrender to Christ, and He will make you alive. For when you are weak, He will be strong for you.

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While missteps and straying from the path may happen. Christ warns that the entire journey will be hazardous.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of following Christ is that He tells us to deny ourselves, and take up our crosses and follow Him.

We cannot imagine the gut-wrenching terror of this statement. Even if we put it into a modern context, we cannot fully fathom it.

To even attempt to follow and appreciate this statement, we must stop thinking about the cross as a gold emblem to be worn around our necks or wrists. We cannot think of it as two 4×4 posts fit together to easily hoist on the shoulder. We must think of the cross as first-century readers thought of it.

So here is just a little context. Public executions were common in the Roman empire, nearly a daily event. Many crimes warranted execution by crucifixion, including theft, rape, and murder. Crosses were little higher than eye-level, so the one dying could easily hear and see those who mocked him, which often included close relatives and associates who betrayed the convicted for fear of being the next condemned.

A sign attached to the top of the cross announced the name of the condemned and his crime. The cross was low enough that the sign could be easily read.

The Roman’s were expert executioners who knew exactly how to beat the condemned to within an inch of his life (to beat the condemned to death when he had been sentenced to die by crucifixion was itself a crime). The executioner could tell you at exactly what time they expected the condemned to die and they knew how to prolong or hasten the death accordingly.

It was uncommon but not unheard of to find a road lined with crosses of the condemned. Jesus was, Himself, crucified near a road, “outside the gate.”

The Greeks used crucifixion before Rome was an empire. When Alexander seized Tyre, to the north of Israel, in 332 BC, he crucified 2000 people.

Crucifixion, to people conquered by Caesar, was the means by which Rome instilled fear and maintained control.

For Jesus to tell those who would follow Him to “take up their cross,” was to strike fear in their heart.

I can think of two modern parallels, and both fall short in striking fear. To compare the cross to the electric chair fails because the electric chair is not used to intimidate (it is carried out behind closed doors) so much as the cross was. To compare beheading to crucifixion fails because it too is uncommon, although that may be changing.

Why did Jesus tell us this? It makes for a lousy recruitment poster. What was He thinking? It speaks to easy-believism. Is it enough for us to simply say a prayer like reading a magic spell and then consider ourselves “saved?” Even if we exhibit no remorse for our sinful life? Even if we do not repent? Is it enough to simply say a prayer?

Taking up or cross is not a burden we must bear. It is not living with human frailty. It is following Jesus no matter where the path leads, even if it leads to job loss because we read our Bible on lunch break. Even if we are sued for refusing to bake a cake. Even if we are jailed for what we peach. Even if we lose friends because we don’t hang like they do. Even if we are targeted by terrorists for being Christian. We must follow in His footprints.

It means denying our human impulse for fun, thrill, and pleasure, and praying for God to replace it with His love. It is denying yourself – dying to self – daily.

We must follow Him.

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In an episode of M*A*S*H, a soldier tells how he was wounded. He had gingerly followed the footprints of other soldiers across a snow-covered minefield. So long as he could see their tracks, he knew he would not set off a mine. Problem was, half way across the field, the tracks disappeared. He stood contemplating his fate for what seemed like hours, and finally resigned himself to follow his instincts. He took one step and triggered a mine.

Today, we will discuss following footsteps that never fade away.

Here is something that I find remarkable about the American culture: the more we try to separate our society from Christ and Judeo-Christian Values (now there is a term you never hear – look it up), the more alternative spiritual systems pop up to take the place of Christianity.

• One can follow any number of thousands of God and be accepted by society, so long as one doesn’t follow the God, Yahweh, or His son, Jesus Christ.
• One can follow the Golden Rule, so long as they don’t quote the Bible.
• One can worship Mother Nature.
• One can follow any number of sages, so long as they don’t seek the wisdom of the Bible.
• One can follow Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, The Bahai Faith, Jainism, Hinduism, American World Patriarchs, The Grail Movement, The Order of the Golden Dawn, or any of a thousand other religions, and our “secular” society doesn’t care, so long as you don’t follow Jesus Christ.

Considering what Jesus has done for us, I don’t see a choice but to follow Him. He has filled our hearts with love, so how can we not follow Him?

In our study of holiness we have learned that only God can sanctify us, and that by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

We have also learned that discipleship is our response to God’s sanctification. Once He fills is with His Holy Spirit, we want nothing more than to follow in the footprints of Christ.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 ESV

Why do we love Christ? Because He first loved us.

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:22-25 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

God makes sanctifies us holy, and only He can do that, but – because of the love He has poured out for us – we should want to follow in the steps of Jesus. It is when we follow any one of these other paths – or a path of our own choosing – that we step on a land mine.

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Worf replies with a scowl, “What do you mean little?”

——

The word “by” is a tough, little word. It is powerful. When unpacked, it is found to mean:

• Identifying the agent performing an action.
• The means by which something is achieved.
• To go past or along.

This word, by, is perhaps the crux of today’s devotional, which is built around Galatians 5:16. If we don’t properly understand its meaning, we miss the point entirely.

Let’s take a look at the verse from the ESV:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

I have read that verse many times and, until recently, never gave it proper consideration.

My first thoughts are of a walk in a dark forest and being led by a beam of sunlight filtered through the canopy. That is not right, for that indicates that while I am walking, that light guides me. While that may be a nice thought, it is not, in this case, correct. It is more than guidance.

To understand the word by, we must take a look at the Greek word that is translated in to the English word. The word by is added to the translation to account for a variant of the word pneuma. That word is Greek for spirit, which -in this verse – means Spirit of God.

The word as found in this verse is pneumati, the ending indicates it is connected to another object or person; here the Spirit is connected to the one walking. The question is, how is the Spirit connected to the walker.

By example, we see the same word used in a few different ways:

Matthew 5:3 “poor in spirit…”

Mark 1:8 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit…”

Ephesians 1:13 “sealed by the Spirit.”

Throughout the New Testament, we see that the first two English variations of the word, by, apply most often: the acting agent or the means by which action is taken. It is also fair to say that the word can also mean, “along side” or “together with.”

So let’s take a look at the Galatians 5:16 again with a better understanding of those definitions:

But I say, the Spirit is walking for you and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

But I say, allow the Spirit to power your walk, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

But I say, walk alongside the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

But I say, walk together with the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Any one of these alternative definitions give us a more complete understanding of holiness. It may only be achieved through the might of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

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I’ll be working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside

Yeah, I’m working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died

I let it get away

That old hit (written by Denny Randall and Sandy Linzer) could easily be made into a Christian song, but it would be so wrong. In the song, released by the Spinners in late 1979, the story teller boasts to his love that, even though he has cheated and emotionally abused her, he begs her forgiveness and will be “working my way back to you.”

Too often, Christians feel the same way. We promise God that we love Him and will never go back to our habitual sins (this that we love so much). Then, when we fall into the same old trap and sin again, we set out to work our way back into His favor.

The thing is, that doesn’t work for God. When Christ died for us, His sacrifice was for all our sin, past or future. Neither salvation nor sanctification is based on our merit. We can earn neither.

Then how does one become sanctified? Through faith, just like salvation. Read Hebrews 10:10:

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We have been sanctified. Notice that the word “sanctified” is passive. We are not sanctifying ourselves; rather, God has sanctified us.

Because we are human, stuck in bodies, with imperfect minds, and fragile emotions, we are no more able to live a holy life than we are able to save ourselves from hell.

Why, then, so most Christians get hung up on how we live? Because we often confuse sanctification and holiness with discipleship. Nothing we do will get us into heaven. Nothing we do will make God love us more.

Likewise, so long as we are believers in Jesus Christ, nothing we do will lose is our spot in heaven, and nothing we do will cause God to live is less.

This may sound radical to many in A holiness church, but it is true. There is a place for holy living and Good sites call us to separate ourselves from the world, but we are unable to do either.

We cannot live a holy life. We can only have faith that Christ can live His life through me. Only He can sanctify me and only He can live a holy life through me.

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

 

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“Awww… Why do I have to take a bath?” Nancy complained as her dad called her into the house. “Yeah,” agreed her little brother, Billy. “We already washed!”

Their dad tried his best to suppress his grin, but didn’t quite succeed. Mother, on the other hand, was not amused in the least. She gently swatted at Nancy’s bottom as she came in the house. “Take a bath, now, young lady.” Turning to Billy with folded arms, she said, “and you, too, young man.” The children avoided Mom’s eyes and marched into the bathroom.

Billy, four, just could not understand why he needed a bath, for – after all – they had been playing in the rain. The rain is clean, isn’t it? When he climbed up on a step and looked in the mirror, he saw was a clean face and a bright smile. He licked his finger and smoothed his curly black hair. “But, Mom!” he called. “I don’t need a bath!”

“You did it now,” said Nancy, who had already crawled into the waiting bubble bath, and was dutifully scrubbing away mud and grime.

“Get in the tub,” Mom said, grabbing Billy by the ear with just a little less force than a bulldozer. She led him to the tub and made him crawl in. “WASH,” she commanded. She stormed out of the room.

“Now look, you made her angry at us,” said Nancy.

“Did not.”

“Did, too.”‘

“It’s your fault. If you hadn’t already started taking a bath…”

“It’s not my fault,” insisted Nancy.

Dad came in and sat down by the tub. Wash cloth in hand, he checked behind their ears, and rewashed their necks. “Now,” he said. “Good as new. Now, get dressed for bed.”

Billy climbed up to the mirror again. “I don’t look any different than before.”

“You still look like a wild pig,” said Nancy, laughing at her little brother.

“You don’t think the bath did any good?” Dad asked Billy.

“Nope,” replied the boy. “I had already washed outside in the puddles.”

Dad nodded at the slow-draining tub. “Then where did all this dirt come from?”

Billy and Nancy peered into the tub of dirty water. Their jaws dropped.

“It’s all from her, Dad. I was already clean,” said Billy.

Sometimes, even when we think we are clean, our Father knows better.

Source

There comes a time in every Christian’s life when God allows us to reap what we’ve sown. Specifically, immature Christians often see the wages of sin, especially sin from which we have not repented. I have.

I found myself flat on my back, having sunk lower than I could have ever imagined. I had nowhere else to turn… No one else to turn to, but to God.

Actually, that has happened a few times in my life. Call me a slow learner. Each low, after that first one, was more of a plateau. As a result, each crisis led to an ever closer relationship with God.

That’s our topic today: the life crisis that leads to surrender.

While the experiences that have led me to a deeper walk with Christ are certainly unique, the crisis experience itself is not. Most people endure at least two such experiences in their spiritual journey.

The first such crisis is the one through which God worked to lead us to salvation. Since I can rightfully assume that most of my readers and listeners are Christian, I won’t expound upon it.

The second crisis is the one that God uses to sanctify us. It is at that point that He fills us with His Holy spirit. It is that point that we realize that God is cleaning house, revealing to us or wicked hearts and asking us to repent of sins big and small. He sweeps those sins out the door and fills us with more of His love.

The great holiness preacher of the early 20th century, Buddy Robinson, described sanctification as a boiling pot in which sin rises to the top, and is skimmed away by God. At one point, he thought that if God didn’t turn down the fire, there would be nothing left to skim.

It is not a fair analogy to compare the journey of an Old Testament prophet to a Christian journey, but the parallel is so close, that I cannot resist it.

We read 1 Kings 19 where Elijah is exhausted. He’s flat on his back and tells God that he’s ready to die. He hit bottom. Here’s the lesson:

It wasn’t until Elijah told God that he was ready to die that God gave him the strength to live.

There is the parallel. Take a look at Ephesians 2. I urge you to read the entire chapter. Even will focus on verses 4 and 5 from the NIV.

…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved.

This – described in Ephesians 2 – is the crisis experience that leads to salvation.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

I encourage you to read Roman’s chapters 6-8. This describes the crisis experience and a before and after picture of sanctification. Here are some key verses: Romans 6:11-14 NIV

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Source

What is your favorite sin? Come on. I know your have one. All but the most mature Christians always have a favorite sin, one that is always in the back of our minds, waiting until we are physically tired, spiritually weak, or in emotional turmoil to pounce and take control of our lives.

For many, it is uncontrollable anger or rage. For others it is sexual perversion or pornography. For some it is overeating. For some it is out-of-control spending. For someone else, it may be abusing drugs or alcohol. For a few it may be a combination of some of these or all of these things.

Truth be told Christians still struggle with sin – correction: most Christians still struggle with sin. But, why? Christ came to rescue us from sin and death, not just death! Why, then do we struggle? Is it because we have never been taught that Christ conquers sin? Is it because we have never heard of anyone overcoming sin?

We cannot fathom eternal life. Yet, we accept God at His word that we will live in His presence eternally. If we can believe that, then why can we not believe that He will presently free us from sin?

Holiness is perhaps the most difficult concept for a Christian to comprehend. It is a paradox. On the surface it is at once an

While we will NEVER be perfect while in this life, God will help us to overcome sin and fill us with His perfect love.

act of faith and an act of discipline. Our sins flee from the presence of God never to return, but then God reveals to us sins that are rooted even deeper in our lives and gives us the power to overcome even those. And He does this again and again. Holiness is not a goal to be reached only upon death, rather it is a journey that begins on the day of salvation and ends only at the foot of His throne.

Holiness is an act of mutual love. God loves us even in our sin, and he beckons us to come to Him. He loves us too much to let us continue wallowing in the filth of our sins. He demonstrates to us that we must fully abandon or sins.

Once we acknowledge those sins and ask Christ to rid us of them, then He will empower us with the power and love of His Holy Spirit, so that we may overcome those sins. As a result, we love Him too much to continue in sin. That is sanctification. It is at once an act of surrender: we surrender our life to God and lay down our sins on the altar of the cross. And it is an act of the Holy Spirit: He fills us with His love and gives us the power to walk away from those sins, never to return.

And it is a journey of discipline, for God’s Spirit moves into our lives. Daily we surrender our will to Him and ask that His love continue to empower us; we die daily.

We have God’s promise, though: He that began the good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. He will never give up on you. So never give up on Him.

If the struggle you’re facing

Source

It seems that we – meaning the collective American Culture – are in love with horror stories. This is nothing new; America has been scaring herself since the days of Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving. In the 1970s, our love of being frightened reached new heights with a movie that left many teenagers (and adults, too) sleepless for nights. That movie, The Exorcist, seemed very real to this 12 year old boy. Today, more blood and gore appear on our TV screens and phones than ever previously dreamed of. Vampires and ghosts are passé. Zombies, pandemics, and alien invasions are fashionable. Why this fascination with the death and the dead?

While I am no psychologist, I would guess that much of the appeal comes from the fact that the horror genre is so black and white (even the post-apocalyptic stories that are so popular right now). Safety is generally found only within your camp. Danger is everywhere. And, no one may be trusted outside your own people. Evil is easily identifiable as an alien, a plague, or the walking dead.

I spent too much of my life as a dead man, at least as the Apostle Paul describes it. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV), he says this about life and death:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

So what does it mean that old things have passed away or died, and that all things have become new or reborn. Paul explains this further in Romans 6:4, when he says “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (NKJV).

First it means that we are no longer enslaved by sin. Think about the one temptation that you could never resist. Ponder the one thing that you could never overcome, no matter how bad it was for you, no matter how much harm it caused. When you are in Christ, it is no longer a temptation, because the old has passed away.

Remember how selfish you once were? How you were all about “ME,” “ME,” “ME?” When you surrender your life to Christ, you begin to care for Christ and others, and you care far less about yourself. All things become new. It is Christ for whom you live, and you express His perfect love in your love for others.

Yes, one day we will be transformed, in the twinkling of an eye, and we will receive a new body. Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth, but we don’t have to wait for that, for He has made in us a new heart – or He will, if you put your life in His hands.

After I became Christ’s, I was no longer dead, no longer a spiritual zombie, and sin no longer bound me. I was alive. I was free – I am free.

_________

Through you the blind will see

Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you all hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams
I am free
Yes, I am free

I AM FREE TO RUN
(I AM FREE TO RUN)
I AM FREE TO DANCE
(I AM FREE TO DANCE)
I AM FREE TO LIVE FOR YOU
(I AM FREE TO LIVE FOR YOU)
I AM FREE
(I AM FREE)
YES I AM FREE
(I AM FREE)

FURLER PETER ANDREW, EGAN, JONATHAN CHRISTIAN 

Source

Those of you who have children will likely know what I mean when I say that raising boys is completely different than raising girls. It is true in many different ways. For example, when my boys misbehaved, they world rarely confess to doing anything wrong, even when caught red-handed. My girl, though, when corrected would always tearfully repent of her wrongdoing – whatever it was – and promise to change. As Christians, we should be more like my girl, ready to repent when we’ve sinned.

Repentance is perhaps the most important aspect of our relationship with God. Without true repentance, there is no salvation. Matthew tells us in chapter 4 that, from the beginning of His ministry, Jesus began to “preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'” (v. 17 NKJV).

On the Day of Pentecost, at the birth of the Church, Peter – filled with the Holy Spirit – preached a moving sermon. Everyone within earshot was cut to the quick. “What do we do?” They asked.

“Repent and be baptized in the name of Christ Jesus for the remission of sins,” Peter answered, “and you will receive the Holy Spirit.”

If repentance was message of Christ, and if repentance was the message of the Apostles, then what role should it play in our lives – me and you, 21st century believers?

Repentance should be central to our relationship with Christ. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 that he died daily. As for myself, before I get out of bed in the morning, I lay down my life before the Lord, telling Him that I am a weak and lowly sinner who, without the presence of His Holy Spirit, can never change. And I beg Him to fill me anew and provide the power to make it through another day.

And, if I do sin, I immediately confess it repent of it, and pray for more strength so that I don’t do it again. John, in his first epistle (2:1-2 NKJV) tells us that we should not sin, but indicates that he knows we will.

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

And, that’s just it. We are liable to sin; we are only human. But if we fully surrender to God, He will live through us. If He lives through us, then we will find that those same old sins – those ones that always trap us in a snare – we’ll find they no longer tempt us.

Once God deals with the major sins in our life, then He will begin showing us sins that we thought we had kept hidden from Him, or that He didn’t care about. This is how we know that God loves us. He loves us too much to let us continue living in an manner that will rob us of His joy.

God is not a ruthless tyrant who restricts us from all worldly pleasure. On the contrary, He is a loving Father who desires only the best things for His children.

He loves us so much that He carefully watches over us. When we wander, he knows our every step, never letting us out of His sight. He collects all our tears like precious oils (Psalm 56:8).

God is like the dad who takes his child to the playground. He turns loose of the child so she may run and jump and climb and swing (how would she learn to grow, if he didn’t) but he never takes eyes off her, and he’s there to dry her tears if she falls.

I beg of you: confess and repent of your sins, and ask God to fill you with His Spirit, giving you the strength and the love to change, for we are unable to change on our own. He is not an abusive Father; He won’t be angry when you repent. He will try your tears, hold you in His arms, and fill you with the joy of His perfect love. What good father can resist hugging a crying child?

Source

An old story circulates throughout Southeast Kansas about a family that lived on the frontier in the days immediately after the Civil War. The family, named Bender, were infamous. They lived on a major trail that connected the Frontier to Indian Territory and took in boarders, some of which they robbed and murdered. When exposed, they slipped out of Kansas and onto Indian lands without ever getting caught. Their misdeeds were so notorious that they were mentioned in a novel of Rose Wilder Lane.

Father Paul Ponziglione, a Jesuit missionary, once encountered that family at their inn. The Benders were hospitable, offered food and a place to lay his head at a reasonable price. The weather was turning, and a storm threatened from the horizon. Thunder rolled across the sky, sounding like a barrel rolling off a moving wagon. The night promised to be frightful. At first, he agreed, for home was a day’s journey away. As the storm brewed, a voice whispered in his heart: “Leave this place. It is not safe.”

Embarrassed, the priest made his apologies and steered his covered wagon with its team of oxen up the road. An hour or so later, he made his way off the road and into a secluded grove, out of sight of the Bender family. Later, when recounting this story for a historian, he testified that he knew the voice he heard was the voice of God.

It is not always easy to hear the voice of God, especially in the midst of a storm, but it is possible if we train our hearts to listen. We read of a storm in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. Jesus and His disciples were on the sea of Galilee when a storm blew in. Some of the disciples were professional fishermen, from a long line of fishermen, and they were scared for their lives. The shallow-drafted, flat-bottom boat was nearly swamped. They cried out to Jesus, who was sleeping near the stern. With the words, “Peace, be still,” he calmed the stormy sea.

God does not always calm the storm when we cry out. Sometimes, he wishes to speak to us through the storm, as he did to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13. God’s voice is often heard in the midst of a storm. In my own life, I often hear him best when I have taken refuge from a storm, holed-up in a shelter of my own making, on a sea with fishermen who are in uncharted waters, or flat on my back, with nowhere else to turn but to the heavens. I cry out in desperation to God, “Please, Father, calm the storm before I am drowned.”

In the midst of every storm, without fail I hear my Savior speaking, “Peace be still.” In. Every. Single. Storm. I hear His precious voice.

Sometimes He says them to the storm. Other times, He says them to me.

“Steve, peace… Be still,” he says. Upon hearing His words, I no longer worry about the storm that rages around me.

_______

Sheltered in the Arms of God

So let the storms rage high
The dark clouds rise
They don’t worry me
For I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God

He walks with me
And naught of earth shall harm me
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God

-Jimmie Davis and Dottie Rambo

Source

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

Acts 10:9-23,34-35 NKJV

The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.  Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.  In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.  And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”  This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.  And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.  Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”  Then he invited them in and lodged them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him…

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

One Minute Prayer

Father, teach us that you are no respecter of persons, but that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 82:3-4 NKJV

Defend the poor and fatherless;

Do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Deliver the poor and needy;

Free them from the hand of the wicked.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 14:31 ESV

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,

but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

One Minute Devotion

I grew frustrated with a mission, where I volunteered. The mission was sponsored by a large, rich church, one of the largest. It reached many poor and homeless. It fed them, provided childcare, and church services.

I became aggravated when a lady in the sponsoring church said that she was glad “those people” had a church of their own, because they smelled! I never volunteered again.

The fact is, attitudes like that are unavoidable. They are natural. Had I talked to the homeless at the mission, I would have found similar opinions of parishioners in their sponsoring church.

I was wrong to judge the folks in the sponsoring church. Christ calls us to lend a hand to the poor and to share the Good News with them. We are not told how to accomplish this mission. We are called to do it.

I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

John 4:13-26 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to [the Samaritan Woman], “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

One Minute Prayer

Father, help us to reach out to the outcasts. Remind us that you died for sinners, the homeless, the poor, prisoners, and the sick.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 63:1-5

O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 25:25

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country..

One Minute Devotion

Comedian Mark Lowry understands this: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Mt. 9:12). He jokes that we should “Throw the doors open and let them in” –  the outsiders. He has a point.

In the Mark. 22:1-14 The king commands, “Go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” Christ says it is our job to beat the bushes and bring them to the marriage feast of the Lamb.

Jesus has a table spread Where the saints of God are fed, He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

Acts 2:37-47 NASB

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 116:1-2 NASB

I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications.

Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

One Minute Devotion

For most of the last 20 years, my motto has been, Live Life Desperately. Let me explain:

The day after Thanksgiving in 1997, I stood in my office watching a terrific rain when a firetruck flew by, sirens blaring. Seconds later, an ambulance and several police cars followed. I remember saying a prayer for the situation, whatever it was. My boss shortly took me to his car. “Your wife has been in an accident,” he said as we drove the same way as the firetruck.

Kathy had been on her way to work when an oncoming car lost control and slid sideways into her car. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

I began to pray desperately. I prayed non-stop. For days, I spent my every waking moment begging God for her life.

Seven surgeries and a pacemaker later, she was discharged to rehab. A year after that, she was again walking. Twenty years later, she is in pain daily, but she is alive and walking.

It took years for our family to recover. We eventually did. It took as many years to realize that, during the desperate and sad times that followed, I was drawn closer to Christ than I had ever been before. I have since practiced praying continuously. When I forget, I simply remember that there was a time that I didn’t have to be reminded to pray. I prayed because I was desperate.

Oh, fragile man that I am, though my eyes may be blinded to the evil that surrounds me, am I not always desperate for God’s guidance? Live Life Desperately!

This is my daily bread

this is my daily bread

your very word spoken to me

And I’m, I’m desperate for you

And I’m, I’m lost without you…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

2 Samuel 12:1-7 NKJV

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!

One Minute Prayer

Father, teach us the importance of confessing our sins.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 51 NKJV

Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 28:13 NIV

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

One Minute Devotion

A 12-step program Kathy and I led was full of love. We learned to love God and one another. We supported one another, and confessed our sins and shortcomings to one another. That little group that met on Tuesday nights became a true church. Confession was key, both to growing closer to Christ and growing closer to one another.

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

Luke 4:1-13 NKJV

​            Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,’

and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

One Minute Prayer

Father, teach us to absolutely rely on You, that we will resist when temptation.

One Minute Praise

Isaiah 12:1-2 ESV

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me,

Your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;

For the Lord God is my strength and my song, And he has become my salvation.”

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.

That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.

One Minute Devotion

I drove fifty miles daily from home to work, to school and back. I gave God that journey daily. He, in turn, made the drive joyous.

One day, though, traffic came to a standstill. I spied a fast-moving 18-wheeler in my mirror. I had no doubt that it would plow right into me.

Oddly, I didn’t panic. I told Christ that my life was in His hands. I was resigned to die if that is what God wanted. I said a prayer for Kathy and our kids. I intended to lie across the seat, but before I could move, the semi ran up over my trunk and through the rear window, up against my seat

When I read Luke 4, I realize that Christ was fully man and fully God. He was able to resist temptation because of His relationship with His Father. Abraham in Genesis 22 had faith to offer up his son as a burnt offering because of his long relationship with God.

Rarely does a man exhibit a solitary act of great faith. Faith comes from daily reliance on God in the small things. Faith is the result of intimately knowing God’s heart, trusting Him Whom we know, and obeying what He has taught us. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Source

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

Acts 16:16-29 NIV

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

One Minute Prayer

Father, we pray for faith in all circumstances. Lord, we believe; help us in our disbelief.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 37:5-6 NIV

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 28:26 NIV

Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

One Minute Devotion

Lesson for parents: never give a BB gun to kids at Christmas if the weather is too nasty to use it outdoors. That was the case when I was seven. My brother David got a new Daisy BB Gun for Christmas, and I was the only indoor target at which to aim. What’s worse, is that I was a willing target. The gun was unloaded. He removed all the BBs and shot it towards the floor a few times. Sure enough, the gun was empty.

So, I posed on the far side of the bedroom like a duck in a shooting gallery. On the third shot, a BB that had been stuck in the barrel dislodged and shattered my glasses into my left eye. After a trip to the ER and several follow-up visits, they at last removed from my eye all the glass.

I trusted David. I still would. He would never hurt me. Likewise, I have faith in God, for I am confident that whatever circumstances, blessings or suffering, it will be for the furtherance of His Kingdom, or to glorify His name, or to perfect my love.

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

 – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Previous Memory Verses

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –

One Minute Bible

Jeremiah 36:31-36 NKJV

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—  not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Thus says the Lord,

Who gives the sun for a light by day,

The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,

Who disturbs the sea,

And its waves roar

(The Lord of hosts is His name):

If those ordinances depart

From before Me, says the Lord,

Then the seed of Israel shall also cease

From being a nation before Me forever.”

One Minute Prayer

Father, give us the strength to remember the Covenant you’ve written in our hearts. Forgive us the times when we have ignored it. Remember our sins no more.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 13:5-6 NKJV

But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 2:1,2,5 NKJV

My son, if you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

One Minute Devotion

When I was four years old, I could see the mountains from our back yard in California. I was convinced that, if I tried, I could touch them when I swung high on my swing set. I never touched the mountains, of course.

Many people feel the same way about Christian holiness. Like the mountains a few miles away from the home of my childhood, holiness can be seen. One can swing toward it. One can reach for it. But one can never grasp it. We find ourselves chained in place, and end up swinging back from the mountaintop in endless cycles of gain and loss.

This is a sad misconception of Christian holiness. Holiness is the heart of the relationship between a Christian and the Lord. It is God’s will for us that we be sanctified (1 Thess 4:3). God commands us to be holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). He would not ask us to be holy if it were not possible.

Salvation writes the New Covenant on our hearts. Absolute surrender to God allows Him to work the grace of Sanctification in our hearts and mind, and imbues us with the power to live holy (as He has commanded).

I eventually tried to jump off the swing, in effort to fling myself to the mountain. I landed with a thud just a few feet away, scraping my knees and hands.

If one wants to grasp holiness, then one must let go of the chains that tether us, and trust Jesus. For only one who flings himself into the arms of God will know His holiness. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

One Minute Bible

Matthew 26:1-16 KJV

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.   Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.   But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.   But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?   For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.   When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.   For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.   For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.   Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.   And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

One Minute Prayer

Father, teach us the lessons of this passage: to lavish you worship without consideration of cost, for you have sent Jesus to us just as you did to Simon the Leper, to sup with us in spite of our frailties.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 145:14-19 KJV

The Lord upholdeth all that fall,

and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

Thou openest thine hand,

and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 3:9 NKJV

Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine

One Minute Devotion

Joe looked like he could take care of himself, but when life choices put him in prison for a year, he was scared to death. He had no doubt that he must return to God of his youth. He prayed desperately for God to intervene.

In little ways, God showed Joe that He heard his prayers. Joe’s counselor and case manager were Christians, as were some of the guard. He was put in a cell block where he met other Christians with whom he could pray. He found caring chaplains who cared about the condition of his heart. Joe heard God’s voice in nearly every step of the year-long journey.

Joe attended every chapel service offered. On Sundays, he sat in both the Protestant and Catholic services. On Mondays, he went to a Gideon meeting. Tuesdays, he attended a “holy-roller” service. Wednesdays, a simple Bible Study. Thursdays, a singspiration. Joe learned to pray without ceasing, and grew nearer to God than he thought possible. He went to prison a lost sheep, and got out a lamb recognizing his master’s voice. There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse 

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

One Minute Bible

– Matthew 6:1-15

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

One Minute Prayer

Father, it is human nature to put ourselves, our needs, our wants, our selfishness, in the center of prayer. Father, give us strength to set our selfishness aside while we pray.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 27:7-11

Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 9:6

Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

One Minute Devotion

I was sick. I had not seen a doctor, and my cancer diagnosis was still in my future, but I knew was sick. That was not all. Because of recent actions, my family had lost all faith in me. All this was going though my mind as I stood in line to be prayed for by an evangelist.

The all black choir swayed to the music of an electronic organ, guitars, and sax. The line of seekers snaked around pews and into the foyer. Everyone wanted prayer. The pastor dabbed his fingers with oil, said a prayer, and sent seekers on their way. 10 seconds each; that’s all it took.

He looked me in the eye and smiled. He didn’t know me, but his heart did. “I pray for the health of my family: physically, psychologically, emotionally, and financially,” I said aloud. It was all I knew to pray. If you only had time for one short, desperate prayer, what would it be? That is why we learn The Lord’s Prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse: – Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

One Minute Bible

John 3:1-21

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”  Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

One Minute Prayer

Father, search my heart daily.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 51:10-13

Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence;

and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;

and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

One Minute Devotion

Dr. Christiaan Barnard, the doctor who performed the first heart transplant was threatened by with charges of murder. As you likely know, the new heart must come from a living person; it must be beating when removed from the donor body.

The donor, of course, was brain dead; prosecutors never carried out their threats. The sad fact is that to transplant a heart, the donor must die, and the recipient, must also undergo a type of death. He or she is put on life support while the old heart is stopped and removed, and the new heart is put in.

There can be no rebirth – no new heart – without death. To be born anew in the image of Christ, we must be willing to die. Christ was willing. He laid down His life that we may receive His heart. Change my heart O God…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse: – Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

One Minute Bible

Matthew 25:34-46 NIV

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.    All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.    He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?   When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

One Minute Prayer

Father, teach us to love others as you love them.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 37:23-28 NIV

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

For the Lord loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV

Open your mouth for the mute,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

defend the rights of the poor and needy.

One Minute Devotion

I was an Adult Student at Mid America Nazarene College, carrying a full load, working two jobs, and raising three children. It was Christmas, and Kathy and I had no idea how we would buy presents for our kids. One thing we did have, however, was food.

We loaded all three kids in the car and delivered bags of groceries to a fellow adult student. He and his wife and kids had no more than we did.

We quietly set the bags of food in front of their door, knocked, and ran away. We felt good; we had helped. When we got home, we thanked God for His goodness. The next day, my adviser called me into his office and gave me boxes of toys for our kids. God is good… All the time.

Source

One Minute Memory Verse: – Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

One Minute Bible

2 Samuel 24:15-25 ESV

So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.  And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded.  And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.  And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”

Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.  All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”  But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.  And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

One Minute Prayer

Father, give us a heart at peace with you.

One Minute Praise

– Psalm 40:5-8

Many, Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done,

the things you planned for us.

None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—

but my ears you have opened—

burnt offerings and sin offering you did not require.

Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—

it is written about me in the scroll.

I desire to do your will, my God;

your law is within my heart.”

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 14:29-30 NIV

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

One Minute Devotion

Here is a great story I heard once: I took a friend home when his truck broke down. He had had an awful day. Not only was his truck broken down, but he had broken an expensive power tool, and he had broken his toe. He was full of anxiety.

On the way into the house, he paused under an oak, reached out and touched the tips of a low-hanging branch.

“That’s my Trouble Tree,” he said when I asked. “I don’t take troubles home with me. I leave them at the cross, My Trouble Tree is a symbol of the cross of Christ. Funny thing is, when I go out the next morning, those troubles are not near as big as they were the night before.”

Source

One Minute Memory Verse: – Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

One Minute Bible

Acts 12:1-16 CEB

About that time King Herod began to harass some who belonged to the church. He had James, John’s brother, killed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter as well. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. He put Peter in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers, sixteen in all, who guarded him. He planned to charge him publicly after the Passover. While Peter was held in prison, the church offered earnest prayer to God for him.

The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound with two chains, with soldiers guarding the prison entrance. Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared and a light shone in the prison cell. After nudging Peter on his side to awaken him, the angel raised him up and said, “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell from his wrists. The angel continued, “Get dressed. Put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. The angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.”

Following the angel, Peter left the prison. However, he didn’t realize the angel had actually done all this. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. After leaving the prison, they proceeded the length of one street, when abruptly the angel was gone.

At that, Peter came to his senses and remarked, “Now I’m certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people expected.” Realizing this, he made his way to Mary’s house. (Mary was John’s mother; he was also known as Mark.) Many believers had gathered there and were praying. When Peter knocked at the outer gate, a female servant named Rhoda went to answer. She was so overcome with joy when she recognized Peter’s voice that she didn’t open the gate. Instead, she ran back in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.

“You’ve lost your mind!” they responded. She stuck by her story with such determination that they began to say, “It must be his guardian angel.” Meanwhile, Peter remained outside, knocking at the gate. They finally opened the gate and saw him there, and they were astounded.

One Minute Prayer

Father, we pray that you give us the focus and singular purpose to say that all we want in life is to dwell in your house.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

One Minute Wisdom

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

One Minute Devotion

Mac had served most of a 35-year sentence for drug charges in federal prison. He suffered diabetes and kidney failure. He would die alone in prison unless the warden granted compassionate parole. Although he was dying, Mac wheeled his chair to chapel and sang Victory in Jesus at every opportunity. Volunteers from a half dozen different prison Bible study groups prayed for Mac to be released so he could die surrounded by family. Their prayers were answered when Mac was discharged to a halfway house two weeks before he died. O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever… He sought me and bought me…

Source

One Minute Memory Verse: – Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last week’s memory verse:

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 

One Minute Bible Philippians 4:4-19

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

One Minute Prayer

Father, as we learn to turn our attention to you in all things, at all times, and in every situation, teach us not to be anxious. Give us peace.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 12:25

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

One Minute Devotion

For decades, Lloyd Colbaugh edited Pentecostal Evangel Magazine, but his passion and calling were in ministering to the incarcerated. For more than thirty years, Lloyd and his wife Nita led song services and prayer at the Federal Medical Center in Springfield, MO. Countless inmates there gave their hearts to Christ under Lloyd’s tutelage. Ask any one of them and they will tell you that they remember three things about Lloyd: his ear-to-ear grin, his faithful prayers for them, and his non-judgmental attitude, reflecting the fact that God is no respecter of persons.

I will always remember holding hands with inmates and other volunteers, as Lloyd led us in singing the Lord’s Prayer after prayer meeting.

Our Father… Who art in…

Source

The Five-Minute Quest

One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

Romans 8:26-31

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And He Who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those he justified, He also glorified.

³¹What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

One Minute Prayer

Father, I want to pray more. I want to be ever-mindful of Your presence. It is my heart’s desire to be as close to you as possible while on this world. But, I don’t always know how to pray. I yield to Your Spirit when that is the case. Intercede for me, Lord, with groans that my words cannot express. According to Thy will and in Jesus’ name.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 63

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 15:1-3

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

One Minute Devotional 

Paul is wordy in his writings, and sometimes talks in circles. A good example of that is the end of Romans 7 where he uses half a chapter to say that sin can be an overwhelming struggle. This section in Romans 8 (above) he does the same thing. In verses 29 and 30 he rambles on about “predestination” and such that he can sidetrack the reader. When he wrote the book of Philippians about 5 years later, he said the same thing much more succinctly: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6 NKJV).

Source

The Five-Minute Quest

One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NKJV

¹⁶ Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

One Minute Prayer

Lord, I believe that I am a new creation. Old things indeed have passed away, and all things have been made new. I understand, too, that I have it within me to turn my back on you, and return to the path to destruction, and I don’t want to do that. You, the Second Adam, the God-man who had never, ever sinned… You became sin so that I could become righteous. If you, my Living and Loving God, do not work through me, the only work I am capable of is sin. Keep me from all sin, I beg.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 1 NKJV

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverb 6:20-23 NKJV

My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
When you roam, they^[b] will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

One Minute Devotion

There is more doubt than ever in holiness churches about the nature of holiness. It may be grasped only through a “second work of grace (the first work of grace being salvation). Many Christians in holiness denominations, however, deny that second work of grace – commonly known as sanctification – and claim that we are only fooling ourselves if we believe God can make us holy one minute before we join him in Eternity. We must strive to live a holy life, but we must be realistic, they claim, and accept the fact that we will never achieve holiness.

Holiness is in fact both a second work of Grace and a discipline. We can no more make ourselves holy than we can save ourselves from hell. When Brother Lawrence sins, he reminds God that it is his nature to sin, and that unless God prevent him, he can do nothing but sin. It is God who makes us holy, not ourselves.

Yet here is the rub: we have been given the guidance and comfort of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have been given the complete Word of God that contains all that is necessary to lead us to eternal life and to live a holy life. We have been given “so great a salvation” (according to the writers of the Epistle of Hebrews) that we dare not neglect it and drift away. Change my heart, oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, oh God. Make I be like you

Source

The Five-Minute Quest- 8 Jan 18

One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

John 3:22-30

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

One Minute Prayer

Lord, be so much greater in my life, and let me be so much less that when I meet someone, they will see only Jesus. When I speak, let me speak only the Truth. When I act, let it be with the hands of the Lord.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 145:1-3

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 3:5-8 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

One Minute Devotional

In the classic sci-fi show, Star Trek: The Original Series, one particular episode tells the story of a being who had lived its life in a state of energy. This bodiless mass of living energy finds refuge in a human body, where it makes the comment that it feels isolated, in solitude, lonely. So alone. It’s true. We are solitary beings, alone, even lonely.

That loneliness often compels us to sin. It may rear its ugly head in many ways. Loneliness may lead to pride, infidelity, pleasure-seeking, overspending, envy, or even worse.

God’s perfect plan for the world was not for us live out our lives in solitude. Genesis indicates that His plan was to share our earthly existence. He seems to have made the Garden of Eden His throne room and there spent the cool of the day walking and talking with man.

Man was also made to find a partner. In the movie, Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise tells Renee Zellweger, “You complete me.” That is exactly the way God designed us. No man and no woman are in and of themselves complete.

Still there is a more spiritual aspect to our lives, and here it is: when God drove man from the Garden of Eden, and hid it from mankind, He already had a plan in place to resume an even more intimate relationship with his creation. He would personally take up residence in the hearts of all who would accept Him.

As Christians, God lives in our heart. Now, let’s give him the rest of us, our body, our mind, our emotions, our occupations, our entertainment, our all. Let us become less, that He may be seen more. All to Jesus I surrender; all to Him I freely give.

Source

The Five-Minute Quest

One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

One Minute Prayer

Lord, give me zeal for your presence. Make me fervent in spirit. Give me sight so that I may rejoice in hope and patient in tribulation. Teach me to pray.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 84 ESV

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God. Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 3:19-22 ESV

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.

One Minute Devotional

Sunday, the Lord’s Day; a day of rest. How often we forget that. Church duties wear us out. For most Christians, Sunday is not restful, and it is not the Lord’s. In the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, she tells that her Pa would compel her to sit in a chair for hours after dinner recite and rehearse the words of the Sunday morning lessons. How about this Sunday, we just curl up on our Daddy’s lap and comfort in the strength of His “Everlasting Arms.”

Source

The Five-Minute Quest 

One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

1 Peter 3:1-7 NIV

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way of the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

One Minute Prayer

Lord, rid me of anything that hinders my relationship with you, even if I don’t fully understand the hinderance, and even if I may not fully agree. Teach me obedience that I may grow in your grace.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 34:14-22 NIV

Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

And his ears are attentive to their cry;

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.;

He delivers them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

       and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,

But the Lord delivers him from them all;

He protects all his bones.

not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems His servants;

No one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 18:10-12 ESV

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

the righteous run to it and are safe.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;

they imagine it is an unscalable wall.

Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,

but humility comes before honor.

One Minute Devotional 

One rarely hears the passage from Peter (above) preached from a pulpit. If it is mentioned at all in Christian discussion, it is justified as a cultural reference that was made before Christians were enlightened; it doesn’t really – they say – apply to twenty-first century Christians.

The purpose of this study is not to give you a list of rights and wrongs, and if I told you, “Yes it applies today” or “No, it doesn’t apply,” it would take away the emphasis from the point I would like to make. Here, Peter is warning families to treat each other with respect. Isn’t it awful that we often treat strangers and acquaintances with more dignity than we do our spouses and children?

The reason Peter warns husbands and wives about their behavior catches my attention. The reason we are to treat one another with love and respect is so that we maintain a witness to those who love us and so that we don’t hinder our relationship with God. I am so thankful for my spouse and my children. And, for the family of God. I am glad to be a part of the family of God, washed in His fountain, cleansed by His blood…

Source

Jan 5

The Five-Minute Quest 

One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19  NIV –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

Luke 18:1-8 ESV

¹And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

One Minute Prayer

Lord, teach me persistence in prayer.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 27:1-6 ESV

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.

  Five Minutes in My Prayer Closet

Jan 5, continued

  One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

One Minute Wisdom

Job 2:11-13 ESV

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him, they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

One Minute Devotional

Job’s three friends did not always give him good advice. At times, they seemed as much the antagonist as Satan in this story. In the passage above, though, his friends displayed great wisdom in their silence. Sometimes, nothing helpful can be said. Sometimes, it is just enough to know that a friend is present.

The same can be said of God. At times, especially in times of distress, it is just enough to enter His presence and sit silently. Even in times of great joy, it is sometimes enough just to bask in the presence of God, our daddy.

The key to living in God’s presence is remembering that we do not have to enter into it (His presence). He lives in us. He is always present, even when you don’t “feel” Him, even if we don’t “want” Him present.

There is great comfort in His presence. I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And, the voice I hear… is His alone.

Source

Jan 4

The Five-Minute Quest

One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19  –

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

One Minute Bible

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 NIV

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

One Minute Prayer

Jesus, Teach me the importance of prayer.

One Minute Praise

Psalm 8 NIV

For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.

Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them, Five Minutes in My Prayer Closet

Jan 4, continued

  You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

One Minute Wisdom

Proverbs 15:8-11 NIV

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.

Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord—
how much more do human hearts!  

One Minute Devotional 

Whenever a Christian sets his or her heart toward God, Satan interferes. Since the fall of Man, it has been the same. I am Adam; I am Man. I have fallen countless times, and I likely will again. Yet, if we are aware of some of the dangers inherent in beginning a journey like this one: prayer, fasting, devotionals, and learning an in-depth journey through Scripture, we can possibly avoid such falls.

Let me give you a peek at two people I know who have undertaken this journey and forewarn you of the results of one that didn’t end up so well.

Mona Jacobs was in her nineties. She had learned to pray continuously; her every thought was a prayer to God. She was humble, meek, and had a glow about her. As faithfully as the sun rose daily, God revealed to Ms. Jacobs new areas in her life that she must surrender to Him. She never quit growing closer to her Master.

Arthur, on the other hand, undertook the same journey: to learn to pray continuously so that he might grow closer to God. The last I saw of him, he was proud, vain, unyielding, argumentative, a bully, and convinced that he had been perfected.

The truth of the matter is this: left to our rebellious, human ways, we would all be Arthurs. Lord, build my hope on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Source

WEEK ONE

REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT
CEASING, GIVE THANKS IN ALL
THINGS; FOR THIS IS WILL OF GOD
Paul urges us to pray continuously – pray without
ceasing – yet 21st century society trains us to
concentrate for 140 characters, or short sound
bites. So how do we learn to pray continuously
and grow closer to God?

Types of Christian Growth

• Paul: you are a Paul if you have studied hard and devoted your entire life to Christ without falter.
• John Mark: if you jumped eagerly from the starting blocks, ran hard and fast, but have since been told you were lacking. You may have even been asked to take time away to reflect on your life, then you
  are a John Mark.
• Timothy: if you earnestly follow Christ, but possess doubts or express a certain lack of confidence in your abilities, then you are a Timothy.
• Lydia: if you are a soul-winner, church-builder, or quiet unpresumuous leader you are a Lydia.
• Peter: if your life has been a teeter trotter, up and down up and down, and often falling to the ground… if you only learn the hard way, then you are a Peter.
• Corinthian: If you are Christian in name, but your life is little or no different from those who don’t even claim to be Christian, then you are a Corinthian.
• Judas… If you have betrayed Christ, you are a Judas.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and
disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what
is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.

-1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

Why We Need to Grow

Most of our readers are mature Christians, or so it seems. You read this blog because you wish to continue to grow in Christ.  Some of us, I fear, have reached the point in our walk with Christ where we feel we have “arrived.” We have no more to learn, no growing to do. We await only that moment when we will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye whether through death or rapture. Worse yet, a few of us may believe that, while we may be able to grow more,
there is no point, for there is nothing we can accomplish for God.

Q&A About Growth
1. Do you ever feel that have not grown in your spiritual walk with Christ?

2. Do you ever feel like you have grown as much as possible while on this earth?

3. Have you ever known someone who believes they have “arrived?”

4. Which of these is the biggest obstacle to continued spiritual growth in your walk with Jesus?

A. Lack of time

B. Lack of prayer closet

C. Someone in my life who is an obstacle

D. Lack of motivation

E. I just don’t know how to grow more

F. I don’t need to grow

G. Other:

Brother Lawrence

It is enough for me to pick up a straw from the ground for the love of God.
Crisis and Salvation

A pastor I know is a rare bird. I’ve known him since he was 12. He grew up a Christian and has known since a young man what God would have him do. He has never faltered, never stumbled. Most of us, though, must face a crisis before we are saved. Most must face a second crisis before finding sanctification. We often hit a crisis before major life changes.

A few, like me, must face many crises in our maturing process. We are like Peter, ashamed of our falling away, and, in the end, we are better off for our experiences (although I never wish to repeat many of mine). Brother Lawrence hit a crisis in his life and, in the four hundred years since, generations of people have benefited because of it.

The World to Which Brother Lawrence was Born

Because he was born into an impoverished family, Nicholas Herman (later known as Brother Lawrence) left home younger than he might have. He joined the army where he would be fed and paid, and perhaps earn enough to send money home to his mother. The place was France. The year, about 1625.

1625: John Smyth had only recently begun the movement that would lead to the first Baptists. Virginia had just become a British colony. King James had just passed away.

The Soldier
Not much is known of Brother Lawrence’s service in the army, but given his age and location we can surmise that he served King Louis XIII and likely fought the Huguenots in Southern France. From his writings, we understand that war had a profound affect on his life. He immensely regretted causing harm to others, and that was the crises that eventually drive him to Christ; “it wasn’t, characteristically, a supernatural vision, but a supernatural clarity into a common sight” (Christianity Today. “Brother Lawrence: Practitioner of God’s Presence.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/innertravelers/brother-lawrence.html. 2017. Accessed 23 May 2017).

Gradually Nicholas came to realize that to please God and to properly deal with his regret, he must close himself off from the world and concentrate on growing close to the One who saved his soul. He joined a Carmelite Community as a lay brother and spent the remainder of his long life as a menial laborer, washing dishes and cobbling shoes.

Frank C. Laubach

Prayer at its highest is a two-way conversation-and for me the most important part is listening to God’s replies.

Filling the Need
Many people were more capable than of revolutionizing the world through the  development of the desktop computer, if they had only recognized the need and focused solely on filling that need. Only 4 people did so: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Likewise, Christians cannot see or focus on the needs around them.

Frank Charles Laubach felt called to preach the Gospel and was assigned by his church to be a missionary in the Philippines. From 1915-1930 he allowed God to build His church through him on the island of Mindanao. The mission grew quickly, compelling him to build a Christian college, Union College in Manila. Laubach served as its president. When his term was up in 1930, he was 46 years old and could have left the Philippines and taken a comfortable job as a college president or lecturer in the U.S. He didn’t. God showed him another need.

The Need Seen by Frank Laubach
Laubach could not shake the fact that, despite all the good he had done in the Philippines, his work was not yet complete. Before the end of 1930, he had returned to Mindanao and moved into a Muslim Moros village.

The Teacher
Laubach didn’t try to convert the Muslims with sermons or confrontation. He lived among them, and demonstrated Christ’s love. He soon realized yet another need.

First, Laubach had identified the need of a mission, then, of a college, then he made intimate contact with the Muslim population of 90,000. Now, God revealed the need at the heart of the matter: the Mohammedans could never learn the Gospel because they could not read the Bible. They were illiterate.

At the age of 71, Laubach finally left the Philippines. He had taught half of the 90,000 Muslims in Mindanao how to read (Renovaré. “Living each moment with a sense of God’s Presence: Frank Laubach. 3 Feb 2016. https://renovare.org/articles/livingeach-
moment-with-a-sense-of-gods-presence-frank-laubach Accessed 2 Jun 2017).

Still, he did not retire. In the U.S., there was a significant number of adults who could not read. In 1955, he founded Laubach Literacy which to this day has helped teach 150,000 people a year to read. It now teaches people in 34 nations worldwide.

There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it
be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.

What Lessons?

5. One can find, even in this brief introduction into the lives of these two Christian mystics, many lessons to apply to our lives. What lessons can you see already?

6. Have you ever done something, like Brother Lawrence, that you so horribly regretted that your remorse compelled you to alter your entire life?

7. Do you see value and growth from crisis within your own life?

8. The Nazarene Church was birthed in a revival that emphasized a crisis experience in the lives of individual seekers. The embers that caused the fire in which it was forged were the hot coals that remained of a series of national crises stretching back to the Civil War. Are we better off not emphasizing the Crisis Experience?

9. Is one ever too old to stop growing or too old to be of use to God?

10. Can one ever grow so close to God that there is no longer a need to grow closer to Him?

We really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences
of our souls… We need to struggle for more richness of soul.” – Frank C. Laubach

General Discussion

What Classic Christian works have you read?

What Christian writers have influenced you most?

Besides Thessalonians, where else does the Bible speak of praying continuously?

How do the words “without ceasing,” “continually,” and “continuously” differ?

What are some of your favorite prayers of the Bible?

Source

Not only was I unplanned, I turned out to be a disappointment to my mother. Mom died before I was 28. I lived in another state by then, but I hurried home when I got the call. I was there for her final 12 hours in this world. I am not sure if she knew I was there. I am not sure she would have cared. After Mom’s funeral my brother told me that Mom had written down some thoughts about each of her children. He refused to show it to me. It would be painful, he said. That confirmed her disappointment in me.

As sad as that sounds, my regret is not that she was disappointed in me, rather my regret is that I gave her bountiful reason to be disappointed.

I have a parent, though, whom I can never disappoint. My Heavenly Father knows my ending from my beginning. Before He spun the world like a top, He knew every sin I would ever commit. He knew every time I would go astray. He knew before I took my first breath when and where I would breathe my last. God cannot be disappointed in me because He knew exactly what I was when He invited me to follow Him.

That ledger that God keeps, with my name on the top, with two or three good things in the right column and thousands of bad things in the left column… It lists every sin I ever committed and ever will commit. Lately, though, that list has disappeared. It’s gone. No one can find it. The ink faded away. The paper burned up. In its place, God wrote my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

A few years ago, I surrendered to Jesus as my Lord. I committed to live like Him. I can never make up for disappointing Mom, but I have a proud Father that I can never disappoint.  He killed the “fatted calf” when I came home. I tell Him I’m sorry when I sin. He says, “That’s covered by the blood of the Lamb – and has been before the foundation of the world.”

Fear Not for God knows all and loves us anyway. We will never disappoint Him.

Source

Isaiah is comparing God’s grace, lovingkindness, goodness, and protection to a mother. He poses this question:

Can a woman forget her nursing child? And not have compassion on the son of her womb? (NKJV)

Here is the way the NIV reads: Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

My immediate answer to that question is NO. It would seem impossible. I mean, MOM remains faithful when all others have turned their backs on us. How many times have you seen the mother of a mass murderer or a serial killer on TV, speaking or standing in defense of her grown child? Dads may walk out… friends may fall aside… brothers may turn their back… but moms remain faithful forever. Right?

Yet, Isaiah’s words were not his own; they were inspired by God. We live in a fallen world, a world where – like it or not – a mother sometimes abandons her child. We live in a world that is not only fallen, but one in which it is nearly impossible to survive. Some mothers believe they have no choice but to forget their children. What is Isaiah’s inspired answer to his question?

Though she may forget, I [God] will not forget you!

We serve a great God. We serve a God whose goodness is impossible to comprehend. We serve a God who will never leave us nor forsake us.

Fear Not, for God is more faithful than even a good mother.

Source

There is no one who can fully discern Him and His plans, no one who can understand His ways. His love for us, us who are His creation… His overwhelming care for us, His children… defies all logic. We are entirely unworthy of His love. Yet, He cares enough for us to have given His son to die in our place. He gave that which knows no sin to die for those who are sinners.

He strengthens those who diligently seek to serve Him. He gives power to the faint. He gives strength to those who have no might. They that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings of eagles.

Eagles are remarkable birds. Incredibly strong, an eagle which has an adult weight of 8-14 pounds can lift half again its body weight. Its mighty wings, with a span of up to eight feet, can lift its own weight and the weight of a good sized fish or rodent. When God says that those who wait upon Him shall mount up with wings as eagles, He is telling you that He will give you the strength to lift yourself from your present circumstances, and the strength to help others up, also.

The eagle’s wings take it to unprecedented heights, as well. Eagles have been documented to fly as high as 10-15,000 feet, and some speculate that they can fly up to 30,000 feet. They fly alone, leaving all other birds well below. Only the eagle can fly that high. The life of following Christ and continuous prayer will take the believer to unbelievable heights.

Fear Not, rather mount up with wings as an eagle.

Source

Talk to me…

I bow before you in the morning.

At noon I praise your name.

Fall at your feet in the evening.

And, tomorrow I’ll do the same.

Just talk to me… Oh, to hear you breathe.

Let me see…

I’m searching for you in the morning.

At noon I seek your face.

Find your glory in the evening.

And, tomorrow grant me thy grace.

Just let me see… Lord, to only see.

Lord, I wait…

I am weary from so much running.

I feel like I could faint.

Please, let me rest in your presence.

Under your wings with no complaint.

Just let me wait…renew my strength.

-Talk to Me, S.J. Hager

___

Fear Not, Just Wait Upon the Lord

Source

In my local church a couple of nights ago, the pastor gave a lesson on sharing your testimony. I was reminded that some folk are just not so willing to speak about Jesus as others. I know some extremely shy people, quiet as a church mouse. I know others who simply don’t want to be the subject of ridicule. I suppose that they are afraid that they will be seen as a “church lady,” a “Bible thumper,” or a “lunatic.” If that’s the case, then so be it. As for me, let folks think that I am a lunatic; I will not deny Jesus Christ, and I will not pass up an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone who needs to hear it.

I have heard all kinds of excuses for not sharing the Good News: “Well, I just didn’t feel led.” “There simply wasn’t time.” “They looked too busy.” “They seem like good people; they were probably already a Christian.”

It seems to me that Christians may not share the Good News of Jesus Christ because they have never been taught how, or because they don’t know how to intelligently speak of God’s Word.

Here’s the thing, many of the readers who contact me have called themselves Christians for most of their lives, but have never followed Jesus. If we want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to study God’s Word; we need to know it inside/out. We need to commit it to heart. If we “hide God’s Word in our hearts,” then we will be less likely to sin and more likely to share that Word when God steers someone to us.

Before we can share it, we must know it. The motto of the missionary Frank Laubach was “Each One Teach One.” That is a pretty good thing to put in practice. Are you afraid of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Fear Not, Just Study.

Source

This is one of the more controversial verses in the Bible. Many people believe it is a promise to believers that if we turn away, we still keep our salvation. Others believe that this verse means that God will not tolerate an unfaithful believer because He cannot be joined with that which is sinful. This begs the question, “Does God remain faithful even when we are faithless?”

Here is the verse in context:

This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

I cannot answer that which theologians have been debating for two thousand years, but I will say this. The question is moot if we die with Him. Put to death the carnal nature by surrendering to Christ.

Brother Lawrence said this (paraphrased) –

“Now that I see God by faith, here is what comforts me: I feel what faith teaches us. I see what it teaches us. And, in that assurance… in that practice of faith, I will live and die with him.

Brother Lawrence taught that to have faith was to “live and die with Christ.” Continually. If he faltered for a brief moment, forgetting for just a while about his Savior, Jesus Christ, the he felt he had sinned and immediately confessed it to God. He puts it this way (paraphrased):

I know my weaknesses. I God let’s me alone for one moment, I would be the most wretched man alive. I don’t see how He could ever let me alone, though. Faith gives me as strong of a conviction as sense can do. I am convinced of this: He never forsakes us unless we first forsake Him.

We should fear to leave Him. We should always be with Him. We should live and die with Him, in His presence. You pray for me and I will pray for you.

Did you catch that? He never forsakes us unless we first forsake Him. I think that is what Paul is telling Timothy in the verses above. It fits right in:

If we die with Him, we will live with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us. He will never forsake us unless we forsake Him.

Fear not, He will never forsake us unless we first forsake Him. Just keep the faith.

Source

When I was a boy, my grandpa and grandma had a dog named Mutt that had lived, I think, its entire life on a chain. I felt so sorry for it. My own dog, Taffy, the Cocker Spaniel that I had grown up with, had never spent a minute on a chain. Mutt was not so fortunate.

Mutt’s dog house was in the corner of the yard between the chicken coup and the barnyard. From fence to fence, for ten feet not a blade of grass could be found. That patch of mud – the result of paws and chain running back and forth over the same ground year after year – was the entire world where Mutt lived.

One summer day Grandpa told me that Mutt had spent so much time on that chain, and that the dog had become so used to his limitations, that if he were ever to be set free he wouldn’t step foot on the grass; the dog, said Grandpa, would simply stay put.

Many Christians are like Mutt. They are chained by sin. They spend their entire life repeating the same set of sins, traveling over the same familiar ground. Christ has removed the chain, but they refuse to leave their old stomping ground.

Ask most Christians what the Bible means when it says we are free indeed from sin, and they will tell you that Christ saves us from the punishment of hell.

Ask them about the power of the Holy Spirit to free us from sin, and they may tell you that when we die we will be like Jesus and  – at last – be free from sin.

Few Christians – very few – will tell you that being free from sin means that sin and Satan has no power over you. Fewer still will tell you that through the power of the Holy Spirit, the discipline of prayer, and the study of God’s word we can overcome sin. Rarely will a Christian tell you about how the Spirit sanctifies us and makes us holy, slaves to righteousness.

Yet, the life freed from sin is integral to the theme of the Bible. Christ’s victory over Satan and sin is as fundamental to the Christianity as His victory over death.

Without the power to resist sin, there is no victory in the life of a Christian; the Christian only finds victory in death. If that is the way we live, then we may as well rip out chapter after chapter from the Bible, including most of the Psalms, much of the Gospels and all of the works of Paul.

That few ministers of the Church educate parishioners in the power of the Holy Spirit over sin explains why many local congregations are dying. That the church is no different than university campus coffee house is why fewer than 5% of Millennials go to church regularly. There is nothing of substance offered in most churches. Our churches entertain us by mimicking Hollywood. A significant number of worship leaders are performance artists and pastors try to be stand-up comics.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV)

The power of the Church is its Message not its marketing.

Would you be free from the burden of sin?There really is power in the blood of the Lamb.

By the way, when Mutt got loose, he took off  and never looked back, another good lesson for us to learn.

Fear Not for there really is Victory in this life.

Source

Still, we all endure loss. Some more than others, but it is a universal experience. As someone who is middle aged, my experiences with death are probably quite common. I have lost all my grandparents, both parents, a handful of friends, a couple of childhood playmates, an old high school girlfriend, and a couple of coworkers. Still, I have always had this nagging feeling – as we all do – that death has a particular grudge against me, and that few others have witnessed so much death as I.

The Bible tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die; every one of us shall die. Job declared,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Take another look at that passage. You have probably heard it at funerals. You almost always here it on television depictions of funerals. “The Lord giveth… and the Lord taketh away.” The part that I find astonishing is that Job praises God. “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Can you praise God in the midst of such tragic loss? Can I? Can we look death in the eye and say, “I don’t understand God’s plan, but I will praise Him nonetheless?”

I could if it is my own death to which I refer; I have been ready to go for a while. What kind of faith does it take to say that when faced with the death of someone as close as a spouse, a son, or a daughter?

Church tradition tells that the Apostle Peter’s wife was led first to her death at the hands of Emperor Nero. As the guards led her away, Peter called to her, “Remember the Lord!” What faith. What wonderful faith!

In correspondence with a friend from Africa who has seen friends and family martyred, he has reminded me that we can be certain of a few things pertaining to death. Take comfort in them:

• Everyone will die, even those who persecute us.
• Death is not the end, look at the story of Lazarus. Our bodies will be restored at the Return of the Lord.
• The very day that we die, we will see Jesus is Paradise.
• We will see our loved ones in heaven. 2 Samuel 12:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Death is certain, but so is eternal life for those who have aloud Jesus to be Lord of their life. I have always known for certain that God took my mother because He loved her too much to allow her to suffer longer.

There is one more thing I know for certain. We must faithfully love those whom God has given us, because they are just on loan to us. He will want them back again someday.

Fear Not, for we shall see our loved ones again.

Source

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 to approach God with thanksgiving. It says it this way :

If we want to be rid of fear and anxiety, then we must…

• Pray 
• Plea earnestly 
• Give thanks 

Giving thanks is not always so easy. 

This week torrential rainfall hit the central parts of the United States. I know of one family whose home floated off its foundation and was destroyed. They were left only with an automobile and the clothes on their back. It’s easy to say they should thank God they are alive. 

It is not so easy when it happens to you. Giving thanks takes sincere introspection. It takes dialog with God. Ask Him to search your heart and show you those things for which you should be thankful. 

It’s not enough to make list and read it off. Thanks should come from the overabundance of joy within your heart. When you can speak to God like that, candidly and joyfully, then you begin to overcome all fear. 

Fear Not, rather be thankful.  

Source

My grandparents raised most everything they ate. I often helped Grandma make homemade egg noodles and peanut butter cookies. I resisted trying some of their recipes, though. I steered clear of hogshead cheese. I begrudgingly ate zucchini or spaghetti squash. I was fooled into eating pumpkin pie made of squash. I liked rabbit, however. It tastes like chicken. 

My job when visiting their farm was to collect eggs. More than once, I faced off with black snakes that wanted the eggs worse than I. I even helped butcher the chickens and pluck the feathers. 

I think that someday, when I am old and my memory has faded, the thing I will remember most about that farm will be keeping the newborn piglets warm under a heat lamp in the wee hours of a cold winter night. I laugh when I think that I named them. I may as well have named them Bacon, Ham, or Pork Chop. I was maybe nine years old, so what did I know? I made friends with the piglets and the sow (mother pig).

I only thought I made friends with the sow. I feel asleep in the barn. Later Grandpa carried me into the house. The next morning, I went out to check on the piglets. Grandpa had already let out the sow. As I crossed the barnyard, she was busy at the slop trough. Before I could enter the barn, she snorted and squealed and chased me to the gate. This hog was no friend. 

Instead of opening the gate, I dove for a small gap under the fence. I thought I was safe. I wasn’t. The sow bit into my leg. Grandma spent the next couple hours doctoring it. I spent weeks milking attention from it. 

That sow was vicious, just the opposite of the verse in Philippians 4:5 – 

Let your gentleness be known to all men…

That verse brings to mind Christ’s words in Matthew 10:16 –

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

The verse in Philippians is part of a larger context that speaks about the peace of God. 

Don’t worry… Be gentle. 

Don’t fear… Be meek.

Don’t fear… Be like a lamb.

Stop being anxious… Be like a dove.

That begs the question, then, how does gentleness bring one peace?

Take a look at the rest of that verse – 

…the Lord is at hand.

The Lord is at hand.

He is by your side. Within reach. He’s your Guide. Protector. Defender. You have no need to worry. Your wellbeing is His concern. Vengeance is His concern, too.

Fear Not, for the Lord is at hand. 

Source

When I speak of loving the doctor or hating the doctor, I am, of course, using hyperbole; I merely mean to say that we have a choice in how we view every situation in life. Within that one man, I find reason to rejoice or to begrudge. I choose to rejoice in the things I love about that doctor. 

The Bible tells us to rejoice. Always! Rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). 

Just two breaths later, Paul tells us to worry about nothing (Philippians 4:6). 

Rejoice always. Be anxious for nothing… Be afraid of nothing. Those are tall orders. Some would say those are impossible orders. Yet, here is Paul writing to the Philippian Church and telling them to be anxious for nothing.
The two thoughts are tied together, rejoicing and the lack of anxiety. One may live more easily without fear and anxiety if she rejoices in everything. One worries less if he sees the bright side to even dire situations. 

What was the bright side about removing a cancerous lump on my leg that even today gives me so much pain that I cannot walk more than a few yards without having it spasm? At the time, I could only rejoice in the fact that the doctor saved my leg and my life. In hindsight, I have much more to celebrate. 

Had it not been for that cancer in my leg, the doctors never would have found colon cancer lurking silently in my gut. At least, they never would have caught it in time. 

Had it not been for my leg, I would not have grown into a much deeper relationship with God. 

Had it not been for my cancer, I would not have grown so much closer to my wife. 

There are many more positive things that I could tell you that came as a result of a grave situation. I don’t have to list them; you see what I mean. 

Fear not. Instead, rejoice.

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For most of my life, I have been one to take action when afraid. Before I could even think of the consequences, I set myself hard at work dealing with the issues that scare me. My actions, though, inevitably lead me into worse trouble. 

Only of late have I begun to turn things over to God when I am afraid. If your life is crumbles around you… if you are face health problems… if you encounter financial troubles… if you face family issues… Whatever it is that you are afraid of, don’t just become paralyzed with fear. Don’t just take action, as I do. Rather, pray. 

This passage in Ezra, however, does not tell us that the people of Israel prayed when they were afraid. Instead, they worshiped God. 

Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord,

– Ezra 3:3a

I would bet few of us think to worship God when we are frightened. Yet, our God is a good God, loving and generous. He deserves to be worshipped. Whether we be happy, sad, angry, in mourning, in love, or afraid, our God deserves to be worshipped. 

When we learn to worship God in all circumstances, we find peace that surpasses all understanding. 

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The call to worship had just been pronounced starting Easter Sunday Morning service in an East Texas church. The choir started its processional, singing “Up from the Grave He Arose” as they marched in perfect step down the center aisle to the front of the church. The last lady was wearing shoes with very slender heels.
Without a thought for her fancy heels, she marched toward the grating that covered that hot air register in the middle of the aisle. Suddenly the heel of one shoe sank into the hole in the register grate. In a flash she realized her predicament. Not wishing to hold up the whole processional, without missing a step, she slipped her foot out of her shoe and continued marching down the aisle. There wasn’t a hitch. The processional moved with clock-like precision. The first man after her spotted the situation and without losing a step, reached down and pulled up her shoe, but the entire grate came with it! Surprised, but still singing, the man kept on going down the aisle, holding in his hand the grate with the shoe attached.

Everything still moved like clockwork. Still in tune and still in step, the next man in line stepped into the open register and disappeared from sight. The service took on a special meaning that Sunday, for just as the choir ended with “Allelujah! Christ arose!” a voice was heard under the church shouting…”I hope all of you are out of the way ‘cause I’m coming out now!” The little girl closest to the aisle shouted, “Come on, Jesus! We’ll stay out of the way.”​​​​​–Contributed by: Darren Ethier

Another Illustration:

A man was walking down a street when he noticed in a store window a beautiful painting of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He stood there gazing at the picture for the longest than realized that a little boy was standing beside him. He patted the little boy on the head and said, ”Son, what does that mean?” The little boy said, ”Doncha know? That there man is Jesus, an’ the woman that’s crying is His mother, an’ them others is Roman soldiers. They killed Him.” The man smiled and then started walking away. In a few moments he heard someone running, turned and saw that it was the little boy. He came running up to the man, out of breath, and said, ”Mister, mister, I forgot to tell you that he didn’t stay dead.”

And today we are here to celebrate the Living Lord—Resurrected, Crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb—but He didn’t stay dead. He arose! And today He is at the Right Hand of the Father Interceding for each of us, and someday soon He is Coming Again as King of kings and Lord of lords!

Over the years I have spent much time thinking about the events of Good Friday—how Jesus hung on the Cross, tortured to death for our sins. And, I have celebrated the fact of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, and. contemplated the meaning of the Resurrection from many different perspectives. But I don’t believe I have ever spent any time thinking about the Saturday Sabbath that occurred between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But I read a sermon this week that caused me to consider the mood of that Saturday

I. The Somber Saturday

a. In our Sunrise Service we heard monologues of Peter, John, Thomas and Mary Magdalene as to the thoughts they must have had just before the dawn of Resurrection Sunday. The Scriptures do not tell us anything about what occurred on that Saturday. On Friday we read how the body of Jesus was taken down from the Cross and placed in a new tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus supplied 70 pounds of spices for preparing his body and there were woman at the tomb who prepared those spices and perfumes. But they were not able to finish the preparation of His body because of the approaching Sabbath. Luke 23: 56 says, “”But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandments.”

b. The disciples were devastated. I’m sure Peter did not spend time on that Saturday thinking about what he was going to say to Jesus on Sunday—No, he believed Jesus was dead and it was all over. ​​​None of the disciples remembered how Jesus had told them on multiple occasions that he would be crucified and placed in a tomb but would rise again on the third day.​​​​I doubt that any of them thought to do the math—“Let’s see, He died on Friday, that’s one day. Today, Saturday, is the second day. Tomorrow will be the third day—that’s the day He said he would rise again.”​​​No, Saturday was a day of gloom and hopeless despair. Jesus was dead. They had watched him die. They had seen his body placed in the tomb. It was over. All the hopes they had of Jesus leading a revolution to over thrown Rome and establish himself as King were crushed. The words, “”It is Finished” to them meant that all hope was gone. ​​​​​ John the Beloved Disciple was heartbroken. ​​​ Peter was in the torment of guilt because he had denied even knowing Jesus in that crucial hour. ​​​​​Thomas remembered the words he had said as they had returned to Judea –that they would go and die with him. Now Jesus was dead. Which of the disciples would be next?​​Mary Magdalene from whom Jesus had cast out 7 demons was in shock. Jesus, the One to whom she had devoted her life, was now just a recent memory. Hope was gone.​​The women who left before dawn to go to the tomb that Sunday morning fully expected to find his body lying on a slab, rigid in death, cold and lifeless. Total despair.​​​​​No one was thinking of Jesus’ promise of rising from the death. No one was expecting a Resurrection.

c. I wonder this morning how many people are living their lives like it was that Saturday. Life has not been kind. Youthful dreams have long since been forgotten. Time has been cruel physically and emotionally as age and sickness has had its effects our bodies. Maybe tragedy has robbed them of a loved one. And now life is just an endurance marathon. No wonder Suicide ranks among the top killers in our world today. Why go on? All hope has been erased.

Such was the mood of that Saturday.

II. AND THEN CAME SUNDAY…

a. Early in the morning, just before Dawn, 3 women made their way to the tomb. They were coming to finish what they had started on Friday—the Anointing of His body so that it would be properly laid to rest. But when they arrived the Stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. And as they starred at the empty tomb, 2 men, obviously Angels, told them that Jesus wasn’t there-that he was alive. And then the angels told them to go and tell Jesus’ disciples.

b. Peter and John, both who probably had not slept very well that night, heard the women’s report and raced to the tomb. They had to see for themselves. John arrived to the entrance first, but hesitated. Peter stepped right in and John followed. The grave clothes were lying discarded to one side. The napkin that had covered his face was lying by itself. At that moment, John remembered what Jesus had said, and He believed. And Peter finally recalled the instructions Jesus had given them to return to Galilee where He would meet with the disciples there.​​​​​​Mary Magdalene lingered at the tomb, uncertain as to what had happened. In her heart she feared that someone had stolen Jesus’ Body. But when Jesus called her by name, all fear fled away. The hopelessness of Saturday was replaced with the thrill of Sunday. Jesus was alive!

c. And, we no longer have to live in that gloom of that Saturday. No matter what has happened, The Resurrection of Jesus has restored our hope. Death no longer has the same grip on us as before. Someone has described death as the exit ramp from this life to the next. . The Grave cannot hold us. Because He lives, we know we too shall live!​​In 1 Corinthians 15: 26-26 we read…”But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as to Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits, then, when he come those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death”

d. Saturday was over. Sunday had arrived. And with Sunday there was the miracle of the Resurrection. And the Gloom of Saturday was replaced with the Ecstasy of Joy. Jesus is Alive! 

e. Illustration: There was once a small boy from a non-Christian home had been brought into the Sunday school. His mother was not only unsaved, but she had a morbid fear of death. After her little boy became interested in the Sunday school he begged her to come to church with him, but she persistently refused his entreaties because she was afraid that the preacher might say something about death or dying. On Easter Sunday the teacher noticed the lad’s rapt attention while she told the beautiful story of the risen Christ. The child hastened home with a shining face, and exclaimed, “Oh, Mother, you needn’t be afraid of dying any more, for Jesus went through the grave and left a light behind Him!” Gradually the fear in her heart melted under the influence of her son’s words about “the light behind Him.” Early one evening she had put to bed and heard him pray as he did nightly that Christian, “and do it right quick!” he added. ​​​Later that evening a neighbor persuaded the mother to go to church. The Heaven-sent message brought conviction, and that night her little boy’s prayer was answered!—Sunday School Time

Conclusion:

There is so much that can be said about the Resurrection of Jesus:

➢ It tells us Death has been defeated.

➢ There is eternal life

➢ Jesus is able to do “exceeding and abundantly above all we ask or think.

➢ Jesus is alive and has given us the Holy Spirit—His Spirit—to be with us and to live in us and to empower us and energize us as we strive to live for Him.

➢ All the Promises of God are validated—and are “Yes” and “Amen” in Him!

➢ We don’t have to live in the Gloom and doom mentality—we can claim His Promises and become “More than Conquerors through Him.”

➢ There is Help for today and Hope for Tomorrow.

➢ FEAR NOT, FOR  JESUS IS ALIVE AND COMING AGAIN TO CLAIM HIS OWN!

➢ PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!

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16 Essential Scriptures for Easter 

John 1:29 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Matthew 20:17-19 – Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Luke 23:1-2 – Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

Luke 23:4 – So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”

Luke 23:24 – But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.

Mark 15:25 – Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS

Luke 23:34 – Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

John 19:28-30 – After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Mark 15:43 – Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Mark 15:46 – Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

Mark  16:2-4 – Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

Luke 24:2-3 – But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24:6-7 – He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 – So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:17-18 – And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

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Have you ever been scolded by a boss, or a  parent, or a spouse, only to think, “They wouldn’t yell at me if they knew what I was going through.”  Christ gave up His home in heaven, was born as a baby, and lived His life fully as an average man, but with the faith of a perfect God. He came to earth to know you, to love you, to sympathize with you, to laugh with you, and to cry with you. He came to save you from sin and death, and from yourself, but He didn’t come to judge you. He knows what you are going through. 

Christ was that perfect man. He was the very image that God had created in the beginning, man without sin, the second Adam. At the same time, he was just like you and I, tempted in every way. He hungered. He tired. He angered. He loved. He feared. He endured every temptation you could ever face or will ever face. Temptation is not sin. Acting on temptation is a sin, or even indulging in temptation in your heart is sin. He didn’t sin. 

That Jesus was just like you and me is difficult to imagine. It is, however, true. Isaiah tells us He even looked like you and I, an ordinary Joe. 

“For He shall grow up before Him [His Father] as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

– Isaiah 53:2

Fear Not, for that ordinary Joe knows you, for He is human in every way. He is also a God in every way.  Sinless. Perfect. He came to forgive, not to judge. 

Fear Not, for serve a God who knows you and loves you. 

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This is the beginning of Holy Week. And the Triumphal Entry of Jesus begins the final countdown to His destiny. Last week we reflected on Luke 9:51—“As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” I would declare to you that on this day, when Jesus had reached the Mount of Olives and was beginning His descent down the Mount and into Jerusalem, that His face was still “resolute,” or as is stated in Isaiah 50:7, his face was still “ set…like flint.”The verse in Luke 9:51 notes the Jesus was aware that the time “approached for Him to be taken up to heaven.” That meant that the time for his death was approaching.

This was not the first time Jesus had been in Jerusalem. His parents had brought him to the Temple to be dedicated when he was only a baby. And again at the age of 12 Jesus had made the trip to Jerusalem and then had stayed behind in the Temple until his parents came searching for him. We know that during his 3 years of public ministry that he was in Jerusalem on at least 3 occasions and maybe 4. And once, when the time of Feast of the Tabernacles was at hand, his brothers had taunted him about “making his appearance” in Jerusalem but instead of making a public entrance, Jesus slipped into the city and then begin teaching in the temple courts. (See John 7: 1-14). And it is very likely that Jesus came to Jerusalem on other occasions that are not reported in the Scriptures.

 But that was then and this is now. Then “His Time had not yet come.” But now, “His time is at hand.” And with this very public, very deliberate, very prophetic fulfilling entrance, the final countdown has begun!
Mark 11:1-11
 Let’s consider:

I. THE ENTRY

a. The Prophet Zechariah in chapter 9, verse 9 had written, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.” Every Jewish scholar and probably every Jewish male who had been schooled in their synagogue knew that this was a prophecy about the long-awaited Messiah. And Jesus would have known that passage as well. During his public ministry many had wondered whether or not he was the Messiah. This Triumphal Entry was a statement by Jesus declaring, “I am indeed the Messiah!”

b. The public demonstration of Praise with the waving of Palm Branches and the roadway covered with coats, and the crowd crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!. Hosanna in the highest heavens!’” (Luke 11: 9-10) says that the crowd certainly understood the message!

c. Luke tells us that there were Pharisees there who asked Jesus to stop the crowds from shouting their praises. (Luke 19:39-40).But Jesus refused, saying, “if these be quiet, the very stones would cry out.

d. As I consider this Triumphal Entry of Jesus, I cannot help but think of the time when Jesus is to return in what we call His “Second Coming.” It would seem that everyone in Jerusalem witnessed Jesus enter on that Palm Sunday. And the scriptures tell us that when He returns, it will also be a very public affair. In Revelation 1:7 John wrote, “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him and all peoples on earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.” And at the Triumphal Entry his followers cried out in praise. In Philippians 2:10 & 11 Paul wrote concerning the coming of Christ, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” In the Triumphal Entry Jesus came riding on the colt of a donkey, but when He comes again He will be riding the clouds. Then he was accompanied by his disciples, but when he returns it will be with the Hosts of heaven!.

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God…” (1 Thessalonians 4: 16a). “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24: 30-31).

e. But on this day, Palm Sunday, we remember the flint-like determination as Jesus continued His march to His destiny. That day was a Sunday—In 5 days He would be hanging on a Roman Cross—sealing the covenant that would provide for our salvation!

II. THE EVENTS OF THE COUNTDOWN

a. His entrance into the city caused quite a stir, but what He did when He arrived lit the fuse! Matthew, Mark and Luke all three tell us that the first thing Jesus did was enter the Temple. He was deeply distressed at the corruption that He saw and was so moved that He overturned tables, released animals that were caged to be sold for sacrifices, and using cords to make a whip He drove out the money –changers. His words resounded throughout the Temple, “It is written that My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations! But you made it a den of robbers!” (Mark 11:17). This triggered the determination of the corrupt religious leaders to have Jesus put to death. But Jesus very publicly continued teaching in the Temple Courts.

b. But the Countdown was ticking. In a few hours Judas would conspire with the Temple authorities to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver—the price of the life of a slave who is gored to death by an ox (see Exodus 21:31). And by Thursday evening, Jesus had eaten the Passover Meal with his disciples, and had gone to the Garden of Gethsemane where He in agony had prayed. There He was arrested and brought before the Religious Authorities who had conspired against Him, and then turned over to the Roman authorities to be crucified.

III. HIS TIME ARRIVED

a. In the early morning hours on Friday, the Roman Governor Pilate in a cowardly act, washed his hands of his responsibility, and turned Jesus over to the soldiers who led Him to the outskirts of town to a hill called “The Place of the Skull”—a place we call Calvary—-and there Jesus was nailed to the Cross where He hung for some 6 hours before dying—The Sinless Lamb of God who became the Atoning Sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world (see 1 John 2:1-2).
CONCLUSION:

His time was approaching, so He set His face like flint resolutely to go to Jerusalem.
 On Palm Sunday He publicly announced His Messiah-ship as He entered Jerusalem in fulfillment of prophecy.
 Five days later His time arrived. He met his destiny—the Old Rugged Cross. There He offered Himself in exchange for our souls—the Sinless Lamb of God paying the penalty for our sins—and the Sins of the whole World (See 1 John 2:1-2).
 And someday—it could be soon—He is coming again to claim His Bride—the Church—all those who have accepted His provision for our salvation. I want to be in that number!
 Let’s join the Jerusalem Crowd and add our voices to the Praises of those who recognized their Coming King.
 Let’s Praise Jesus!

Fear Not, for Jesus paid for the sins of  world

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These are the heart-wrenching words of a dying son to His Dad. He reaches out his hand and calls out to Him in despair. 

I wish His words were hyperbole. Instead, they very accurately describe Jesus’s final hours, the tortuous hours spent hanging br three nails to a cross. 

“I am poured out like water…” Very accurately describes the feeling of one’s life slipping away. 

“All of my bones are out of joint…” Because of the position of the feet and arms after nailing them to the cross, the only way Jesus could breath was to push on His nail-pierced feet and pull up with His nail-pierced arms, thus ripping at his wounds, and dislocating his shoulder sockets, elbows and hips. 

“My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me…” Jesus bore the sins of every human who has ever lived our will ever live. It may very well have affected his heart in a literal sense. Many physicians have described the effects that intense stress can have on the heart and blood vessels, which may have also caused his sweat to turn bloody, as described in Luke. 

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws…” Jesus was beaten to within an inch of death, kept awake all night, nailed to a cross, lost a great amount of blood, and given no water for His thirst. 

“YOU have brought Me to the dust of death…” He directs these words to His Father. How can a perfect God sacrifice His Son? Because He loves us just as much as He loves His Son, and wishes that no man or woman perish. 

Remember, Jesus died, but three days later he was resurrected from the dead, a plan that was set into motion before the earth began spinning. The death of the Living Son of God is not an afterthought, rather it was ordained before time began, the only way that a just God can redeem a rebellious and sinful world. 

Fear Not, for God sacrificed His Son to rescue you and me. 

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I heard a father mocking his daughter a few days ago. I wanted to teach the guy a lesson, but I remained silent. I still wonder if I did the right thing or if I should have spoken up. Mocking hurts. It is devastating when it comes from family. 

Have you ever witnessed mocking or ridicule in your family? Or in your church family? Have you witnessed cruelty, backstabbing, or abuse in your family or church? Or among your friends? It hurts so much worse when it comes from someone you know and love.

Think about this: Jesus knew those who stood around the cross mocking Him. He knew the name of those who taunted Him and urged Him to call on angels for help. They may have once been followers or disciples. They may have been shopkeepers with whom he dealt. They may have seen each other in the synagogue or temple. As God, He knew them intimately. Those who cried for His death were Jews, so, in a sense, they were a part of His family, brothers and sisters in God. 

As Christians, we will endure – or have endured – mocking for His sake. I have. I do, even from others in body of Christ. When you do, consider yourself blessed. But do so with patience and love. Such an attitude finds favor with God. 

Fear Not the mocking of others, even our brothers and sisters in Christ, for God will bless us if we lovingly and patiently endure. 

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David in his prophetic psalm labels them with animalistic designations. He calls them wild bulls, lions, and dogs. After reading those verses in the context of the cross, one is inclined to believe these qualities were more demonic than bestial. That the forces of Satan influenced those who carried out the trial and execution of Christ, there is no doubt. 

“Many bulls have surrounded Me…”

The attack of a bull is quick, full of force, and vigorous. Its horns pierce deep into the torso. It upends its victim, and tosses him high into the air. It tramples the injured under foot with not an iota of regret. This was the attitude of many who surrounded the cross of Calvary; they wanted violence, blood, and they showed no regret. 

“They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion…”

Lions rarely hunt alone. They stalk their prey in a pride or family group, cutting them away from the herd, separating the weaker animals. When on the prowl, the lion’s mouth is open. This aids in tracking prey, for a special olfactory gland is located in the roof of a lion’s mouth. The herd mentality is very obvious in the account of the crucifixion. Mob mentality, egged on by mocking and jeering, lies and deceit, were influential upon the decision of Pontius Pilate. 

For dogs have surrounded Me;

Wild dogs also hunt in packs, but, unlike the lion which can chase down its prey with short-lived bursts of speed, wild dogs have been known to chase their next meal for up to ten miles. They rarely give up. The Jewish authorities who determined to be rid of Jesus would not give up. 

Every one of these descriptions represent the attitudes of the throngs of the people who called out for Jesus to be crucified. They also describe the enemy, Satan, who prowls like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

The Good News is this: Jesus defeated Satan and death through His resurrection. He defeated the prowling lion, the angry bulls and the packs of dogs. And, because He did defeat them, we can be free from fear. Any attack on us is but temporary. The victory has already been won. 

Fear Not the wild animals seeking to devour you, for Jesus has already defeated them. 

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One of the most heart-wrenching passages in the Bible is that in which our Lord cries out to His Father. Doubly so, because we know that it is for our sins that He died, and because of our sins that His Father diverted His gaze. 

Yet, the Son knew that His sacrifice was the only payment sufficient for sin. Only the death and resurrection of a perfect God-man could pay for the rebellious sins of a world of people. Before the foundations of the earth were set, before the sun was lit, before He blew life into the nostrils of Adam, a plan of salvation was in place for all who would repent and believe. 

A thousand years before Christ was crucified, and five hundred years before the Roman Empire constructed its first cross, the Holy Spirit inspired David to write the following lyrics that prophetically describe Jesus’s death on the cross. 

As you read the 22nd Psalm, remember it is for your sins that He died. 

Fear Not. Because Christ was forsaken, you never shall be. 

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That generation – my generation – learned more than “duck and cover” during their impressionable childhood years of the Cold War. They learned that by keeping a nation in fear, they could keep them bound in chains. The truly sad part is that, whether they realize it or not, those who create an atmosphere of fear are in the employment of Satan.

Yes, Satan uses fear to manipulate and bind believers. If he can plant fear in your heart, then you will begin to lose faith, doubt the power of God, fail to seek divine guidance, and take matters into your own hands.

God on the other hand creates peace in your heart, gives you comfort and guidance, even in the turmoil of this frightening world. And, He creates unity in the body of believers.
Fear Not, for when God rules your life, you discover peace in your heart and unity in the church.

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I will praise You,

For You have answered me,

And have become my salvation.

The stone which the

builders rejected

Has become the chief

Cornerstone.

Think of the cornerstone not as the ceremonial stone with an inscription, a date, or a dedication. That is not what is meant in the Bible. Rather, think of a builder attempting to layout his work level and true. The first stone set in place must be perfectly cut and perfectly placed, else subsequent stones will stray far off course. 

Paul, in Ephesians 2, calls Christ our cornerstone, but couldn’t the same be said about Mohammed, Buddha, or any such person?

What makes this stone so perfect that it acts as a guide for every part of the house? Are there not, in fact, many stones that can be a guide?
Dropping the analogy, let’s look at that question in a practical sense. Jesus was a good man, a great teacher, an advocate of the poor, a philosopher, and one who exemplified faith in His death… But, the same might be said of the founders of other world religions? What makes Christ different than they?

What makes Jesus the one true Way, the Truth, and the Life… What makes Him the only door into God’s Kingdom… Is this:

Jesus is the only one who lived a perfect life, thus overcoming sin, and He is the only one who rose from the dead, and conquered death. 

The stones used to build the House of God may be all shapes and sizes, all different qualities, and even different colors. All are imperfect. The Cornerstone is alone perfect.

Fear Not, for Jesus is the Cornerstone. 

Jesus is the Cornerstone,

He came for sinners to atone;

Tho’ rejected by His own,

He became the Cornerstone.

O Jesus is the Cornerstone.

When I am by trial oppressed,

On the Stone I am at rest;

When the seeds of truth are sown,

He remains the Cornerstone.

Jesus is the Cornerstone.

Lari Goss, 1976. (copyright 1976 Bridge Building Music, Inc.). 

Source

Let me back up. God tells Jonah that the sins of the city of Nineveh have come to His attention and He wishes Jonah to deliver to them an ultimatum: repent of your wicked ways or be destroyed. 

Nineveh sits about 500 miles east of Jerusalem in modern-day Iraq. Jonah does just the opposite. He buys passage to southern Spain, near Gibraltar, 2500 miles in the wrong direction. 

Jonah later tells God that his reason for fleeing is that he didn’t want to see Nineveh spared. “That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” 

What you may not know is that Nineveh was not just depraved, it was mighty, intimidating, and frightful. It had perhaps the largest army in the ancient world. It was in a constant state of war, and had conquered many neighboring nations. It was a real threat to Israel. 

Nineveh had incredibly abusive laws. The death penalty was dispensed as easily as parking tickets in today’s world. To enter the gates is the city, one had  pass through mounds of skulls, put there to inspire obedience to the king. 

While Jonah no doubt hated the people of Nineveh, he would be a fool not to be afraid of them as well. He ran away and found that God delivered him to the ocean to be swallowed by a great fish. 

God had showed Jonah that, though he may not like the job he had been called to do, the alternative was much worse. 

The message? It is God who gives us life and salvation. It is God who sustains us. Without God, we sink to the bowels of the earth, to the deepest trenches of the sea. 

It is God’s grace that delivers us, and He may give it to whom He pleases. 

Considering God’s love and how He demonstrates it to us, we should be content with the situations in which He puts us, for things could be much worse. 

Fear Not, for things could be much worse.

Source

If we love God with all our heart and soul, all our strength, and all our mind, then we need not fear. God gives us the Holy Spirit which fills us with love, power, and a sound mind. 

Don’t miss that. I read those two passages for years before I saw the connection. Let me show you again.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 1 Timothy 1:7

If we love God with all our heart and soul, in as much as we are humanly capable, the Holy Spirit perfects our efforts by filling us with His love. 

If we love God with all our mind, at least as much as we are humanly able, then the Holy Spirit perfects our efforts by giving us a sound mind. 

If we love God with all our human strength, then the Holy Spirit will perfect our efforts and fill us with His power, the power to overcome sin and death, that which we fear. 

Fear Not, for God has given us the spirit of power, the power of His Holy Spirit. 

Source

I just don’t get it. I seriously do not understand how I spent most of my life searching for satisfaction in life by chasing after the wrong things. I am dumbfounded that I finally found fulfillment in the same place that I first saw it as a toddler, not much more than a year old, at an altar in a church. 

Like some people, I went looking for the wrong things in the wrong places. I thought I was searching for myself. I mean that’s what kids in the sixties and seventies told ourselves. “I’m searching for meaning in life.” “I’m trying to find myself.” “Wow, man. Someday, I’ll figure out who I really am.”

It took me five decades, hitting bottom several times, financial tragedy, nearly losing my family, bodily injury, and three bouts with cancer. In the end, I wound up back where I started when my mother took me to the front of the church and dedicated me to Christ. When I found Jesus, I found myself. 

Are you still looking for satisfaction in life?

The fear of the Lord leads to life,

And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;

Proverbs 19: 23a 

Fear Not, for there is satisfaction in Jesus Christ. 

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As part of the treatment, they placed our boy under an oxygen tent to keep him cool, something that he was too young to understand. He was afraid. As parents it was difficult to watch him cry and reach out to us and not be able to hold him. 

We neither one could resist; our son wanted us… needed us. One at a time, we would crawl under the oxygen tent and into bed with him. We held him and reassured him until he was ready to come home a week later. 

If we, as fallible human parents, possess the irresistible urge to treat our children with such loving care, can we ever begin to imagine the loving care of our perfect Heavenly Father?

Reach out to Him, and he will comfort you and hold you. 

Fear Not. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 

Source

There was no reaching get through the well. Workers sent a camera down to monitor her while digging a parallel shaft beside her. 

As the world prayed for baby Jessica, she was heard singing Winnie the Pooh. 58 hours after she fell, rescuers miraculously reached baby Jessica and brought her to the surface. In the aftermath, she underwent 15 surgeries. Thirty years later, she has no doubt that God was on her side. He comforted her during those desperate hours in the dark well. 

In what kind of dark place do you find yourself? Call out to God for comfort. Do you need prayer? Ask God’s help. The Holy Spirit knows your need and will help you to pray. Delight in God’s comforts. 

Fear Not. Delight in the comforts of God. 

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Here is an email from one of our faithful readers in the U.S.:

Dear Christian Holiness Daily,

I have seen a decline in holiness preaching over the past 30 years. There is very little emphasis placed on how the Holy Spirit works in our lives in empowering us to live above sin. The church we attend now is wonderful but I think there has only been one time that I have heard the word sanctification, sin, salvation, saved, holiness, or Holy Spirit over the last year! This is not an exaggeration. In years gone by, every Sunday morning service ended with an open altar.

The changes I’ve seen seem to be pulling our denomination away from its roots in the message of holiness. The preachers who used to preach holiness are either retired or passed away. The younger ones ‘teach’ but don’t preach. I guess they each have their own style, but I feel like I’m attending a college pep rally followed by a college seminar on generalized topics. Sorry if this sounds like I’m complaining or ranting. I’m just really concerned.

Do you see the same things in your church?

Thanks,

Southern Gal

Here is what we’d like her to know:

Dear Southern Gal,

I am fortunate that I go to a church where the pastor still preaches holiness. But, your letter actually addresses two very important and timely issues, and I see a third issue that stems from those two. Your first question is, do I see many pastors abandoning the message of holiness. Your second question is, do I see many pastors that still “preach?” 

Like you, I see a great number of pastors and evangelists who no longer preach that Christians can draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to live above sin. I’m sad to say that I am not surprise that you rarely hear the doctrine of holiness preached in your church. 

I, too, see a great number of ministers whose priority seems to be to entertain their congregations. God’s Word seems to come in second place behind professional performances. Some ministers, it seems, would rather rely on talent than the Spirit. They would rather appeal to the congregation’s egos and emotions than their hearts. As you adeptly word it, they would rather give a “pep rally” than an altar call. Because of this trend (and many others), many believers – including myself – fear that the Church in America may soon be unrecognizable. 

This is the third issue I see in your letter: Is there hope for the Church in America? 

Honestly, I don’t know. I fear that the Church in America has been marginalized so much, and has so forgotten what it means to be a Christian, that its immediate future seems relegated to a cultural minority, devoid of spiritual power. America’s only hope is a true revival on a national level, and soon. 

Here, though, is the hope for the Church found within the tragedy. From what I see and hear from my readers, the decline of Christianity is limited to parts of the western world. I hear of revivals and growth in India, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The church is strong in the Philippines, Nigeria, Argentina, Columbia, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. The Church in America may be in decline, but it is on the rise elsewhere. 

Fear Not. The Christian Church will never die, for God always has a people. The Church is alive and well. 

Source

It’s not that certain scriptures are lost, misplaced, or denied. Rather, they’re usually surrounded by other better-known texts that tend to suck all the air out of the room. This is one such passage:

“Now, when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25 NKJV).

Is it possible that for some to believe in Jesus and still not be saved?

Doesn’t Scripture make belief in Him the essence of salvation?

Immediately after our text, we find the Lord’s encounter with Nicodemus with the iconic John 3:16 which states that “whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Earlier, John 1:12 had said “…to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

And yet, our text makes it clear that some who “believed” in Jesus were not born again.
The reason given is a fascinating one: Jesus did not believe in them.
When have we ever given thought to whether Jesus believes in us?

The problem, Jesus said, is twofold: a wicked people want a sign, or a miracle; (wicked, meaning no faith), and even when they get it their loyalty is adulterous, meaning it does not last. If it takes miracles to give you faith, miracles would be required to prop up your faith.
Faith may produce miracles, but miracles do not produce faith.
 In salvation we come to know Jesus, but He also comes to know us. Jesus said that at Judgment He will say to some, “Depart from me; I never knew you.”

Perhaps we should ask ourselves, “Does Jesus know us?”

###

Editor’s note:

How does one get to know and love another? By spending time, talking and listening. Commit to one another. 

An interviewer once asked Mother Theresa, “When you pray, what do you say to God?”

Mother Teresa replied, “I don’t talk, I simply listen.”

Believing he understood what she had just said, the interviewer next asked, “Ah, then what is it that God says to you when you pray?”

Mother Teresa replied, “He also doesn’t talk. He also simply listens.”

It’s time to get to know our Lord. Pray, read His Word, and listen. 

Fear not if you know Jesus and He knows you. 

Source

It is the work of the Holy Spirit to rid us of sin, remind us of God’s Word, and guide us in His ways.  The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to resist temptation and overcome sin. He replaces our sinful nature with the nature of Christ. 

If our relationship with Christ rests on whether we choose to sin or not, then we are relying upon OUR WORKS and not the work of Christ at the cross. Our job is to surrender, to commit God’s Word to our hearts, and to pray continuously. Only then may we find strength to resist temptation. The Christian walk, the walk of Christian holiness, is a mystery. It is surrender and discipline. It is study and prayer. It is not a list of rules and laws and works, rather it is submission to the Creator in love.

Christian holiness may best be described by John who calls it “perfect love.” When we grow to know God so well that we love Him more than we love ourselves, then we are guided by His love. He keeps us from sin. We need no longer to fear sin or Satan, because God leads us in paths of righteousness. We need no longer to fear God’s retribution because we are forgiven; we live within the Light of His holiness.

C. S. Lewis in “The World’s Last Night” points out that there are other things besides God’s perfect love that rids us of fear. “Perfect love, we know, casteth out fear,” he writes. “But so do several other things – ignorance, alcohol, passion, presumption, and stupidity.”

His point is that perfect love rids you of fear. Sin numbs you and desensitizes you. It’s your choice.

Have no fear; rely on God’s perfect love.

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Whereas we hope for His return, Jesus in this passage tells us that we should celebrate His departure. Look at the entire passage and you will see two reasons for celebration. Jesus has gone to be with the Father, who, in Jesus’s words, is greater than He, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, bringing peace to the hearts of believers. Herein is the hope for this life. 

You see, being a Christian is more than victory over death, more than eternal life. It is victory over sin in this life. Being a Christian is an inexplicable relationship that involves the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit and the surrender of the believer. That is just the beginning, though. Salvation is just the first step in a wondrous relationship between the Father and His child. 

The Christian life is a life of peace. It is a life of comfort. It is a life that can be free of fear. 

Fear Not, for the Father sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. 

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Finding oneself alone, in the dark, with no idea as to your location, though, must be terrifying. A couple times during chemotherapy, I became confused while driving alone. It’s called “Chemobrain.” For a few minutes, that was frightening. 

Many people travel through life in the dark. They are alone. They have no idea where they are at, not really. They are confused about their destination. They may not admit it, even to themselves, but they are terrified. They are lost. 

Those who truly surrender to God and follow daily in His footsteps do not live in darkness. They live free, in the light and love of the Loving Heavenly Father. They know their destination; they see it clearly. They know where they’ve been. They are never alone. Never confused. Never terrified. They are in the Light. 

Fear Not, the Lord is our Light…

Source

The next few days were tough. He was inconsolable, and withdrew into himself. He had three older brothers and a sister at home, but he preferred to be alone. At school, he wouldn’t talk to the other kids. He chose to play alone at the far end of the playground, away from the swings and merry-go-round. 

Only the discovery of a box turtle in his back yard seemed to cheer him. He and his brother painted the turtle. Within a few days, though, it had disappeared. A few more days, and they found it dead on the highway in front of their home. 

Little Joe hid in back of the house and cried. He prayed. He desperately wanted the turtle to live and couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t bring the turtle back to life. That’s what he thought he was praying for, but he was overwhelmed with emotions. 

Now, what happened next may sound insane to some. To others, it may sound like the overactive imagination of a grieving child. To this day, it is as real to Little Joe as the memory of that box turtle or any other childhood memory. 

All cried out, Little Joe sat down on the grass and wiped his eyes to see two glowing men. He immediately knew they were angels. They were there, they said, to let him know that his dad was okay. They told him that he would see him again some day. 

“What’s your names?” asked Little Joe. 

They told him, but he couldn’t pronounce them. 

“I’ll just call you Pinky and Bluey,” he said. One Angel glowed with a pinkish hue and the other glowed with a blue.

They laughed. Little Joe had two guardian angels, at least for a while. He is not sure when they stopped visiting, but within a few weeks, winter set in. His grief began to subside. The angels stopped coming around. 

The Bible indicates that angels work behind the scenes in this world. They fight battles against demons. They deliver messages. They protect nations. Maybe they comfort children. 

The passage in Daniel 10 is one of many examples. In this case, the angel tells Daniel that God had heard his prayers and sent the angel to answer them.

Ask Little Joe, and he will tell you the same thing about Pinky and Bluey. 

Fear Not, for God sends angels to watch over His children. 

Source

At that moment, I felt like he loved me more than anything else in the world. 

Sometimes, we are so wrapped up with anxiety that we forget our Heavenly Father is nearby, watching us, smiling, proud of us. He is just close enough to reach out and grab us if something goes wrong. 

There are many pictures of God in His Word, but the one of a loving Heavenly Father is my favorite. 

In Daniel chapter 10, the prophet is visited by an angel. At its appearance, Daniel is stone-cold scared. The angel greets him by calling him “a man greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11).

The words didn’t sink in right away. Those are wonderful words. One wants to know God’s love. Daniel though, trembled with fear. 

Father, help us not to be so wrapped up in the things of this world that we cannot hear you’re words and feel your love. 

Fear Not, for you are a beloved child. 

Source

Whoever came up with that instinctively knows what scientists spent a fortune to prove. Electronic devices are as addictive as heroin. 

Some of us spent hours daily in front of a screen, looking for fulfillment that once came from personal relationships with Jesus Christ, friends, and family. The hope of finding anything more uplifting than momentary pleasure in the internet or in an app is a false hope. At most, one might find a pale substitute for face-to-face relationships. 

Real significance is derived only from personal interaction with God and with others. Texting a loved one, whether it be a spouse, or a parent, or child, is fine in a pinch, but how long would a marriage remain stable if we ignored time with our spouses? How would a child grow up who never knew a personal touch of a parent?

How would we grow our relationship with Christ if we never bow in prayer?

Do not swap time with your earthly family for time with your electronic devices. Do not swap time with God for time with your handheld false gods. 

Lock yourself away from all electronic devices, grab a Bible – in book form – and bow down in prayer. 

Fear Not, for God hears you. He will answer your prayer. 

Source

Regardless of Gideon’s lack of experience, and in spite of his doubts, he agrees. The first task that the Lord assigns him, though, is not to go out and face his enemies. Rather, it is to tear down the altar of Baal. 

Baal was a false god originally worshipped by Israel’s enemies. Many in Israel found it easier to worship Baal than the real God, because Baal-worship appealed to human lust and emotions. One of those who worshipped Baal was Gideon’s father, and it was his altar that the Lord commanded be removed. 

Gideon did exactly what the Lord asked. He tore down the altar, chopped off the idol, and built an altar to God on its foundation. 

Before we can serve God in the way that He asks, we must be rid of the false gods in our lives. We must tear down the altars of pride and self-indulgence and chop off the idols of materialism and vanity. 

If we wish to be holy as God is holy, we must solely focus on Him. Our lives are to be built on His foundation, even if it means we anger those around us for tearing down the altars of false gods. 

Fear Not. Tear down the altars to the false gods and construct an altar to the holy God who created us. 

Source

This is one reason Jesus was hated by the religious/political powers of His time. The Bible tells us that Jesus was followed by masses of people. Rarely, though, did Jesus spend time with those in power. Instead, he hobnobbed with fishermen, tax collectors, Roman soldiers, and women of ill-repute. He changed their lives. He frequently blessed the poor and the meek. He often scorned the rich and the powerful. He healed those without hope. 

He still does. God never changes. And Jesus never fails. 

Gideon was one such person. The Angel of the Lord told Gideon, “You shall save Israel from the hands of the Midianites.”

Gideon, is dumbfounded. He is not qualified to lead an army into war. “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” He is an unlikely choice (Judges 6:14-15 NKJV).

Gideon is remembered by history as a mighty and cunning warrior. Read his story, though, and you will see that he is neither. What made him shrewd and powerful is that he obeyed God’s Word and instructions. 

Feeling inadequate for the task God has given you? Fear Not, for God chooses the least among us so that His greatness may be easily seen. 

Source

I have known a few people like that, people who glow with the glory of God. 

On the other hand, the glory of God is said to be so powerful that any man who looks upon His face will die. That may be what Gideon was thinking when he met the Angel of the Lord. 

The Angel of the Lord, I should say here, is not an angel in the conventional sense. He is not described with wings and does not shoot arrows at star-crossed lovers. In spite of the fact that I chose the image of an angel to emphasize today’s text, the Angel of the Lord is believed to be a theophany, or a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus Christ. 

In the text (Judges 6), Gideon has seen God, or he thinks he has, and he asks the Lord to stay with him while he prepares a sacrifice. When the Angel of the Lord later consumes the sacrifice with fire, Gideon is convinced that this is indeed God. He trembles with fear. 
There are times when the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is so strong, we don’t know if we can bear it further. Fear Not, for we won’t die. 

Father, fill us daily with your Spirit, even to the point that we think we can bear no more. And, let that Spirit flow from us, compelling others to follow you. 

Source

They had sinned, and God was demonstrating His displeasure, in hopes that the nation would repent. 

Often, when we blatantly disobey God’s will or continuously live in sin, God allows storms in our lives. Frightening storms. Fierce lightning. Terrifying thunder. 

If you’re living outside of the will of God, and storms are raging around you, then stop. Listen. God is speaking to you. Somewhere in your life is a Samuel, calling you to repentance. 

The storm won’t last long, though. God may discipline us, but He will never forsake us. Return to Him. Seek  God’s forgiveness. Follow in the steps of His Son. 

Fear Not. Serve Him with all your heart. 

Source

God appears to the young King Solomon and says, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

God is no magic genie that we should ask anything of Him, but, in this case, He does exactly that: He offers Solomon his heart’s desire. 

You and I could probably not be trusted with such a wish, but Solomon had learned well from watching the failures of his father. He does not ask for wealth, or power, or love. He knows that riches may lead to evil, and excessive power could lead to abuse. Lust leads to infidelity, and sometimes to death. Instead, he asks for wisdom. 

If we look back to 1 Chronicles 22:12, we read that David had prayed that God would grant Solomon wisdom and understanding. In chapter 1 of 2 Chronicles, God answers David’s prayer and grants great wisdom to King Solomon. 

Much of Solomon’s wisdom was eventually recorded in the Bible, in the book of Proverbs. One proverb that catches my attention is 15:29, which reads, 

The Lord is far from the wicked,

But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

– NKJV

I wonder what Solomon thinking when he wrote that proverb? Did he think of that prayer, the prayer of his father, asking God to give Solomon wisdom? Was David perhaps the righteous man Solomon thought of when sharing that piece of wisdom?

If you’ve stayed with me to this point, you may see a paradox here. In one paragraph I suggest that Solomon learned from his father’s failures, and in another I propose that David was the model for the righteous man praying. 

This is really no paradox. Both may be true. You see, there exists no truly righteous man but Jesus Christ. Not David, not Solomon, not Peter, not Paul; none are righteous. With a broken heart and true repentance, David sought forgiveness for his sins. By faith, he learned to trust in God, and by faith, through the sacrifice of the Son of God, he was found righteous in God’s sight. In the same way, you and I, through faith in Jesus Christ, can be counted righteous in God’s eyes. 

It took David most of his life to develop the faith necessary to live a holy life. I can relate. I’m not there yet, but I am finally headed that direction. 

By the way, James refers to Solomon’s proverb, and his thoughts contain sound advice for the Christian journey:

…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

– James 5:16 NIV

FEAR NOT, for God hears the prayers of the righteous. 

Source

In 1 Chronicles 22, David turns over the construction of the temple to Solomon, his son, and tells him to have no fear. David has gathered the materials for its construction. He has received the plans for the temple from God. 

That’s the easy part, though. God, we learn, has denied David the opportunity to build the Holy Temple because David is a man of war. He is, in fact, too rebellious. 

Although David is later called a Man after God’s heart, he has spent most of his life following his own paths, walking wide-eyed into desperate situations, and remaining in dire straights until he hits rock bottom. Only when he hits rock bottom does he ever repent and fall on his face, asking God’s forgiveness. It is a circuitous pattern. 

By the time David commissions Solomon to construct of the temple, he had reigned over Israel for forty years. He was full of days and full of wisdom. He assures his son…

“Courage! Take charge! Don’t be timid; don’t hold back. Look at this—I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to stockpile materials for the sanctuary of God: a hundred thousand talents (3,775 tons) of gold, a million talents (37,750 tons) of silver, tons of bronze and iron—too much to weigh—and all this timber and stone. And you’re free to add more. And workers both plentiful and prepared: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, artisans in gold and silver, bronze and iron. You’re all set—get to work!” 

– 1 Chronicles 22:13-16 MSG

Back up a few verses, though, and one sees the foundation upon which David based that entire conversation. It is the same foundation upon which, by that time, he had learned to base his life. 

Verse 12 NKJV: Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 

The Message makes the verse a little easier to understand. “And may God also give you discernment and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you will rule in reverent obedience under God’s Revelation.” 

Like David, I struggle to give God control of my life. Like him, I must sometimes hit rock bottom before I do. Like him, it has taken me forty years to begin to mature in my spiritual life. Readers, take this lesson to heart: surrender and study God’s Word. Seek the knowledge that builds godly wisdom. For only God’s wisdom protects you from the slavery of sin, and allows you to keep God’s Law. 

Fear Not, for God will give you wisdom and understanding and keep you free from the slavery of sin. 

Source

Still David prepared for its construction by gathering the building materials, and turning over the materials and plans to his son (1 Chronicles 22), Solomon, who, in fact, constructed the most splendid temple ever conceived. It took seven years to build. Solomon employed seventy thousand men to bear the burden of construction. He hired eighty thousand men to quarry the stone. He sanctioned 3600 foremen. It was a wonderous achievement. 

As glorious as the temple was, it is not what Solomon is remembered for today. Solomon is best remembered for his wisdom.

In Psalm 127, Solomon tells us, 

Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

You and I are just as wondrous as Solomon’s temple if we are truly children of God. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Apostle Paul tells us that we- Christians – are God’s temple. 

We can take care of our bodies, and should, but the construction of the entire temple (our lives) must be turned over to God.  

God has gathered the materials to make you into His temple. He has lined up the workers. He spares no expense. He has drawn up the plans. He is the builder.  He is the foreman, and the head craftsman. Allow Him to construct your life. 

Do not be afraid, for He has taken much trouble to prepare a house for the Lord… The house is you. 

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Take the verse above. By itself, it seems uplifting and positive. Keep reading, though, and you discover that Rachel delivers a boy named Benoni, or Son of My Sorrow. She did so because she was dying. It’s difficult to find inspiration in this passage, for she died soon after delivery. 

While we may not draw inspiration, we can paint a lesson. Five chapters earlier, Rachel was concerned that she had born no children for her husband, Jacob. “Give me children or I will die,” she told him, and demanded that he father a child with her handmaiden. Instead of taking her problem to God, she took her problem into her own hands. 

God, though, had a different plan for Rachel. Sometime later, she gave birth to Joseph, not because of her threats, but because “God remembered” her. We don’t know for sure, but it may not have been His perfect plan for her to have a second son. On her death bed, during the birth of Benoni, she declared that God had judged her by giving her such a difficult delivery.  

It’s never a good idea to lose patience with God, make threats, scheme, and act immorally. Many bible commentaries speculate that, had Rachel waited on God to give children in His own time, that she wouldn’t have faced judgement and death. God gave Rachel her heart’s desire, and gave her two boys, but, because of her schemes, she didn’t live to enjoy them. 

Fear Not, but instead of taking matters into your own hands, take them to God. 

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As Christians, our citizenship is in heaven.  We are merely visiting this world. Our lives here are but a blink of an eye. This time, though it be short, is very important. Our time in this world is a proving ground for eternity. This is our time to pick a side, to pick a god. 

Our purpose in life is actually much more than that, but that one decision – the choice of whom we will serve – is paramount, and foundational to our purpose. 

Our choices: the real God, creator of the universe, who made Himself a man to offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sin, or the gods of this world-class false gods all – lust, strife, envy, power, greed, and so many more. 

What do they offer: the Creator offers freedom and life. The gods of this world offer bondage, addiction, and death. 

Who do you choose? Really choose? Are you sure? 

With whom do you spend your time and money? That is the whom you have chosen. 

Fear Not – worship not the gods of this strange land in which you dwell. 

This world is not my home I’m just passing through

my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

the angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

This World Is Not My Home

Words and music by Albert Edward Brumley October 29, 1905 – November, 15, 1977

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God, though, was there with them. His very presence could be found in a tent dedicated to Him called the tabernacle. Within this dwelling place of God was a smaller chamber called the Holy of Holies. Within that chamber one could find the Ark of the Covenant, which could contained the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments. 

Before the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land, the tabernacle and all that was within it would be taken across, in front of them. God literally led the way. 

Jesus, in his 33 some-odd years of human life, was the embodiment of the tabernacle. This is signified in John chapter 1, where we see the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove. Though Jesus was fully God and also fully man from the minute of his miraculous conception, John paints a picture with which the Jews can identify by recounting the baptismal of Christ: the presence of God can be found within the person of Jesus, the Christ. 

In Acts 2, we see the twelve Apostles together with well over a hundred other believers, gathered in the upper room. It is a full 7 weeks after the resurrection of Christ. They are waiting. And, praying. 

On the first day of the eight week, the Holy Spirit descends on those believers in a miraculous fashion, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that God was present. It is on that day, day number fifty, the Day of Pentecost, that the very presence of God, the Holy Spirit, filled the lives of that small band of believers. From that day forward, all believers, even you and I, are the Tabernacle of God. 

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:16 calls us the Temple of God; it’s the same concept. We are the house of the Lord. You and me. God lives in us. He goes with us and before us into battle. He fights for us. The victory is His. 

Someday, when we cross over the River Jordan into the Promised Land, we have the assurance that He crossed over before us.  He will be with us, too, on that final journey. On that day, we meet Him face-to-face. 

Fear Not, for the Lord goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

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On a school trip halfway across the state for a track meet, I reached over the back seat of the school bus to grab something from the back only to discover that the principal’s kid and his girlfriend were behind the seat, half undressed, making out. 

They saw me. I took off, probably as embarrassed as they were. I wouldn’t have said a word, but they didn’t know that. The kid I startled and three of his buddies chased me down and gave me a pounding, warning me that I would get worse if I told what I saw. They gave me a busted lip, a black eye, and broke the nose piece of my glasses. 

Though I haven’t thought of that incident for a long time, I thought about it a lot in my teen years. In my imagination, I fought those bullies a thousand times, and each time I was brave and strong and skilled in marshal arts or boxing. Of course, it was to never happen like that outside my mind. Life is often much different than the movies. 

I am not saying that those boys, now men close to retirement age, deserve to face judgment for their bullying; there is a selfish part of me that thinks their deeds should be judged, but that is between them and God. There are, however, a great many people around the world, a few of which contact me me regularly asking for prayer, who face far greater persecution. They are not persecuted because they are skinny little wimps like I was. They are persecuted for being Christians. 

It is a comfort to know that those hidden things, atrocities done in the darkness of sin, persecutions hidden from the world… vile acts ignored by others… those things that mankind do because they love darkness more than light…

Those things – all things not covered by the bliss of the Lamb – shall be exposed in the light of God’s truth and judged by Jesus Christ.

So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 

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Joshua and Judges are exciting books. I love the action and intrigue. In this passage from Joshua 10, Israel has just won a brutal war, rather God has won it for them. Some of their enemies surrendered and became allies. Those who did not surrender were completely defeated; leaving buy a few survivors. Those few went home telling of the Israelites mighty God, and as a result, many of Israel’s enemies were gravely frightened. 

The story is a terrific one, with God sending hailstorms, and kings locked up in caves. The earth stops turning, allowing the Israelites to finish the battle, and in the end, when the battle is won, Joshua delivers God’s promise:

… “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”

Not every promise found in the Old Testament applies to 21st century Christians. Three things can be taken from this passage, though. The first is that this really happened. God really did intervene on Israel’s behalf. The story of the sun standing still in the sky is found in the tribal memory of ancient cultures worldwide. He still intervenes on behalf of Israel. See the link at the end of this post to read one such story. 

Secondly, God really did direct Joshua to kill the kings that he had taken captive. In the same way, He sometimes directed the armies of Israelto kill every man, woman, and child in the cities of their enemies. This today seems cruel and savage, but there is no denying that it happened. I could try to excuse these actions a dozen different ways, but the truth is our God is not only merciful but just. Mercy and justice go hand-in-hand. One without the other is meaningless. If He does not mete out justice to those who are beyond redemption then His mercy for those who seek Him would mean nothing. We can only begin to comprehend the slightest spark of the mind and actions of the holy God. We should never dare to pass judgment on Him or His people. 

Finally, the Old Testament is full of illustrations that help us understand our relationship with the living, indwelling Lord of our lives. How can we apply this passage to our lives? Think of the Nation of Israel as the life of a Christian and her enemies as the sin with which we struggle. There is no way we – fallible beings that we are – can defeat sin: not on our own, without God’s help. There was no way Israel could have defeated her enemies had God not intervened. Only with God’s divine intervention can we be rescued from the bondage of sin. Deliver us He will, if we surrender to Him. 

Surrender, though, is just the beginning. Good also demands discipline from His children. Don’t be surprised if God directs us deal the final blow (the death blow, one might say) to the sins from which He has delivered us. Don’t worry, though, for He never calls us to a task for which He has not empowered us. 

Are you struggling with your deepest, darkest secret sins? Don’t fear. Don’t be discouraged. In the same way that God destroyed the enemies of Israel, He will defeat the sins that bind you. 

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