True worship lies in faith. And one of the foundation stones of our faith is that God is Three in One, the Trinity. Even though the word doesn't appear in the Bible, it is nevertheless absolutely true that God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And when we approach Him in worship, if we think of Him as anything less, we worship not Almighty God, but some sad construct of our own imagination. There is deep mystery here. Our minds demand to understand completely. But mystery does not excuse our responsibility to accept God's Word. God has given us what we need. He is known, ultimately and most intimately, in worship. And true worship comes through faith. If there was no mystery, there would be no need of faith. Are you coming to the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit when you worship? Ask the Counselor's help, whom the Father sent in Jesus' name, and He will strengthen your faith.
How many of us really know the Lord? If someone were to ask you if you know the President of the United States, what would you say? Know him? Well, not really; we know about him. In order to know him, we have to be with him, talk to him, listen and watch. The same is true of knowing God. To know about Him is not the same as knowing Him. Second hand knowledge just won't work! Knowing Him does not just happen. It takes a pressing on to do it; an aggressive seeking after Him - reading His Word, listening to His voice, watching for His providential working in our circumstances. His response is promised! What a privilege to know that if we seek God, He will respond to us. We can expect the unexpected! As surely as the coming of tomorrow or the next season, God will meet us where we are and reveal Himself to us, when we purpose to know Him. Make this your top priority, and you will know God!
What has been crucified is the ownership of the believer's life. Clearly, the body is still alive, but the believer does not control it if this verse has been applied as action. If it has been, then we are willing, even eager, to put aside plans, goals, needs, dreams, everything, and allow Jesus Christ to use us however, whenever and wherever He chooses. This does not come easily, nor without cost. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to purchase for us eternal and abundant life. Eternal life began at our conversion and will continue forever! Abundant life begins when the light of God's truth shines in our hearts and we relinquish everything. What joy there is in accepting things as they come, trusting in God's sovereignty and walking in peace through this crazy life. Do you find these things in your life? If not, identify with Jesus in His crucifixion and eternal and abundant life is yours!
David treasured his position with God so much that he refused to give God anything but the very best. David understood that God cared more about the motives and intentions of his heart than the physical object of the sacrifice or the act of offering it. God calls us all to sacrifice: time, energy, money, pleasure, our own way. But so often we give God the leftovers. Our time spent with the Lord each day should be our prime time, whether that is first thing in the morning or the hour just before lunch. If ever we should want to be alert and in tune, it should be when we are communing with our God! Giving the best of our time, energy, will and money should be our goal! How will you do things differently tomorrow?
This verse speaks of revival; we are in need of personal revival. We are required to make the first move: know who God is; humble ourselves; pray; seek His face; and turn from sin. Knowing God requires time spent in intimate relationship with Him. Humility is not feeling badly about what we have or haven't done; it is knowing how we stand before the holy God and how we obtained that standing. We should know what to pray. Seek God's face to determine what He is doing in our time; then we can do our part. We must be willing to listen and obey. Most of us think we have "turned from our wicked ways" until we discover the hidden sin in our attitudes, motives, secret longings. There are no secrets from God. "Then" lets us know that we must do our part before God will do His. Hasten to do your part so that God will hear from heaven, forgive sin, and heal the land! Is it time for personal revival in your life?
The training of a child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is not an option; neither is it an easy task. The difficulties involved might seem overwhelming and not worth it, if we didn't have that precious promise attached to the command: at some point the child will live the way he/she was taught. What comfort for parents who have given themselves to their children in response to God's commands! Even if our children are in rebellion at the moment, we can know that there is coming a day when the fruits of our labors will be evident to all. If you are presently raising children, you need to find out what God requires of you and do it. If you have raised some, and they are not following the Lord right now, trust Him to keep His word. He is faithful! If you have done what is right and your children are walking in the light, rejoice and find some parents who need your comfort and prayers!
Herbert Lockyer, in his book ALL THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, uses the historical figure of Eve to show us how easily we can be corrupted; and to give us insight into the very real figure of Satan. The name Eve means life-giving or mother of all who have life and "her life is in us all." While it was her sin that brought death into our world, it was also her seed (Jesus) that vanquished death and swallowed it up in victory. She is truly a woman of unique distinction: the first to live upon the earth; the first to be called wife; the most beautiful woman the world has ever known; the first and only woman born without sin; the first to be assailed by Satan; and the first to receive the divine prophecy regarding the cross (see Genesis 3:15). The Apostle Paul urges loyalty to Christ and uses Eve to illustrate the ease with which one is corrupted. Heed his warning and guard your own mind.
Every deed we do can be explained as a habit. A habit itself is amoral. When someone speaks of a person as being this or that kind of person, they are speaking of the sum of that person's general habits. Jesus had a habit, or, as the King James English puts it, a custom. He customarily went to the synagogue on the sabbath. So what does this mean to us today? Today a person is still known by their habits. We need to ask ourselves if it is our habit to be in church regularly? If Jesus, true man and true God, made it His habit to worship regularly, then it should be ours too. Begin this week to make it a habit of attending church services regularly.
How well our God knows us! He is telling us today to cease the everlasting striving that life is, and just attend to Him. Have you asked a friend, "How goes the battle?" There is a constant tension in life that is frequently described as a battle. Our Creator directs us to ease that tension, for a time. Be still, from the battle of life; cease striving, for a moment. It is right at this point that God comes to us, because we have obeyed Him. And when He comes, we begin to realize the magnitude of God, the majesty of God, the righteousness of God. And as Psalm 46:10 tells us, there is a time coming soon when even the nations, which are merely conglomerations of people striving for mastery over one another, will acknowledge Him and exalt Him also. Take a moment today and purpose to obey this command: be silent and still, cease striving, stop the battle, and attend to God. He desires that you know Him.
When we find that one place in life which keeps us from growing in our calling as a child of God, then we must consciously decide we are dead to it. We may want to put it to sleep, even kill it. But we cannot. Rather, we are to be dead to it. Those places in life of sexual immorality, dirty thinking, unbridled ambition, malicious intentions, and the worship of anything other than God Almighty, will continue to exist as long as the world exists. But the Spirit instructs us to die to these things of the world. They will continue and the people around us will continue to practice them, just as we once did. Because of such things the wrath of God will come. Dying to these things is a constant process which must be taken up daily. Put off the old. But don't stop there. A vacuum will not exist for long, before being filled by something else. In place of the old, we are to put on the new. Copy Jesus.
There are things required in life. To drive a car, you must have a driver's license. To teach in a public school you need a teaching certificate. These things are required so that a person may "do" something, or "be" something. To be a follower of God, there are requirements. Fear God, not as the "Great Punisher in the Sky," but rather with a reverence for who and what He is! We can begin to see Him in His creation. To walk in His ways is to order your life, your walk, according to His Word, which must be regularly read to know Him more fully. And as you begin to know Him more fully, you grow in affection for Him. And this ultimately leads to the desire to serve Him. To know Him, to love Him, to serve Him. Is that your desire? Today draw near, read His Word and pray to Him. It is His desire you should.
Here is a test. Do we believe what God's Word tells us? Our verse today is elegant and simple. What are its conditions? First, one must know to whom one is addressing a request. Without that knowledge, the request is made nonsense. Second, there are no boundaries. You may ask anything. But then comes the hitch. What is asked, must be asked for in the name of the one to whom the request is being made, that is, Jesus Christ. We all know what it means when we hear, "Open in the name of the law." We know there is no individual by the name of "law." Rather, we understand that legitimate authority is making a demand which we cannot lawfully refuse. Just so here. The gospel of John records Jesus' directive to His followers that what they are permitted to ask is governed by the character of the person to whom the request is made. Ask today for your needs, in Jesus' Name, and trust Him to answer.
What happens when you strike iron with iron? Sparks fly! How fortunate the person who has such a friend, one who will share not only the joys and victories, but also the insights to personal things that might be somewhat painful. It is from the Oriental concept of countenance that we get the idea of "face." We sometimes say a person may "lose face" if such and such happens. In Scripture, this concept relates to all a person stands for. To be a true friend sometimes means being severe in what we must say to our friend. But just because sparks fly doesn't mean something is bad. Just the opposite! In this case, iron sharpening iron is one making the other more useful, more efficient, giving it a truer edge. Looking for a close friend in these "friendless" days? Find the one who loves the Lord and is willing to risk making sparks fly once in a while.
Aaron's name may mean "enlightened." His elder sister was Miriam, and his younger brother, Moses. Aaron is introduced to us here as a man known to God, an excellent speaker. It would be Aaron who would address Pharaoh, one of the most powerful leaders in the known world at that time. He must have loved Moses, for the Lord mentioned how Aaron would be glad when he saw his younger brother. Aaron's role in Scripture is substantial, moving from being Moses' spokesman, to being the first of the priestly class of Israel, the first High Priest. He was a leader among Israel, and yet not without weaknesses himself. He shared almost everything with Moses, but was definitely subordinate to him. Are you a leader today? Check and make sure your service is humbly done, and respect given, even to the younger ones with whom you work.
The Puritans believed that Christian worship must express man's reception of and response to God's truth, to His good news. When we approach God in worship, is it as one who has received His Word? His Word is evangelical truth: all have sinned and are separated from their God, who sent His only Son to take the penalty for their sin, who died on the cross for those sins, was buried and rose again after three days. This is the evangel! If we have truly received it, there must be a response. And the first response ought to be to worship our God, who graciously and miraculously saved us from our sin. He is the Rock that will not crumble beneath us, for all He does is absolutely perfect. He acts in complete truth and there is no evil in Him. Reception and response to God's truth is at the heart of worship. Receive His truth and all it entails. And form an attitude of worship to God today, with His truth at its core.
All of the love in the world, romantic, familial and agape, comes from our Father in heaven. He is the sole source of love. Perversions abound on this subject, to be sure, and we need not elaborate. It is plainly taught in the Scriptures that God is a God of love, but He is so much more than that, being the one and only true source of it! Think for a moment about a snowman. We would not say that the snowman "has" snow, but rather that he "is" snow. Take the snow away and there is no snowman. The same is true of God: God is love. Without love, there would be no God. And because of this, our hearts are encouraged to trust Him more and more with our lives. Because GOD IS LOVE, we move towards complete commitment and total surrender with a sense of excitement and great joy! Are you completely committed? Have you surrendered your plans, dreams, desires, hurts, to Him? Do it right now, if you haven't already!
What has the Lord said to you lately? Have you been quiet in your "Quiet Times" so that He could speak to you? The Scriptures declare that if you believe what the Lord says, you will be blessed, and we all want to be blessed! Perhaps we should determine to listen with our spiritual ears to what God is saying. He speaks to us through the Word of God, through circumstances, through others, through that inner tugging at our hearts, and through thoughts placed in our minds by the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to listen to Him; it is another to believe what He says. There are many Old and New Testament saints who heard, believed and then acted. If your life was being written about, would it show you to be a listener to God? a believer of His Word? a doer of His commands? We would do well to seek God's blessing in this way and today is just the day to begin anew - to listen, believe, and act!
It is a sobering thought to know that God requires our hearts to be right and our motives to be pure in our service to Him. It is not enough to do "good" things, even though there are many worthwhile endeavors for us to become involved with. We must examine our relationship with God very carefully to ensure that we are pure and holy vessels fit for use. We must constantly recheck our motives and realign them with the Word of God when necessary, or risk having our labor be in vain. On that day when your works of service are examined, will they be burned up as if they were wood, hay, or stubble? Or will they stand the test of fire and remain as precious gold? Ask God to reveal to you the condition of your heart and mind before doing one more thing for Him!
This Old Testament account of a conversation between Jehoshaphat and Ahab speaks volumes to us today. They were trying to decide if they should align themselves together in war against Ramoth Gilead. Before Jehoshaphat made up his mind, he requested that Ahab find out what God wanted them to do. How many important decisions do we make without a thought to what God would have us do? More than we want to admit! We all know that listening and hearing from God is not easy. But it is required. So many of us run to this person or that person to get an opinion on a matter, when what we should do is seek God's direction. We can do this through searching God's Word and through communing with Him about the matter. How much better it would be for us if we determined to do nothing of significance without first seeking God's counsel.
Lot, along with his wife and two daughters, were aggressively rescued by two angels from the impending destruction of Sodom. We know that the Lord deals with us as individuals; but what we sometimes forget is that the Lord created us as part of a family, a holy institution, to bring Himself honor and glory. The mercy extended to this family unit acted as an umbrella, a covering of protection from the coming destruction. We know from this account that Lot's wife stepped out from under this umbrella, disobeyed, and was lost. What makes us think that we can step out from under the boundaries for family life set out for us in God's Word and not be in grave danger? Does each of your family members understand God's restrictions for protection? If not, you would do well to review them for immediate implementation into your family life!
Herbert Lockyer, in his book ALL THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, defines the name of Anna as "favor or grace." While her biography is brief, it is truly rich. She was very old; she is the most renowned Bible widow; she was a prophetess; and she served God with fastings and prayers in the temple. "Faith, through her long years of waiting, was rewarded and she became the first female herald of the Incarnation to all who looked for the Redeemer in Jerusalem." Who among us today patiently and prayerfully waits for anything! We have forgotten that we are called to wait upon the Lord; we would rather rush out and do our own thing. Just think what Anna would have missed if she hadn't waited and prayed! We echo the words in Hebrews 9:28, "Blessed are all those who patiently and prayerfully wait Christ's second appearance."
The first born of both man and beast was sacred to the Lord, and so were the first fruits of field and vineyard. This represented the first production of the farmer's labor, proof of God's goodness, and usually the best of the yield. The farmer gave thanks to God, acknowledging that the food which would keep his family through the year was a gift from God. And the natural result of this acknowledgement was heart worship to God from the farmer; a bowing down of body and spirit before God Almighty. How appropriate that the first result of the farmer's sweat, hard labor and wise care should be given as a gift to God, combined with worship! And what can you give as first fruit? Perhaps it is the first result of your education or training; or perhaps a bonus or reward from work well done; or perhaps, your time. Decide today. It is the Lord's.
This is not a debate. Men knew God from the beginning. Adam and Eve walked and talked with Him in the garden of Eden, and men called upon His name in prayer. They knew Him from the creation around them. People were no different then than today. In an outline you have a major heading with topics below. In this verse, the statement that men did not glorify, or honor, God is a major heading. All the sins of humankind could easily and logically fit under that one heading. Yet the Holy Spirit had Paul add, "nor gave thanks to him...." Do you sometimes ask yourself whether you really know God? How thankful are you as a person? Don't look for exceptions, look for the general character of your life. Do family, friends, co-workers and neighbors think of you as a grateful person? Take a spiritual pulse check today. You can't be growing in your knowledge of God and not be consistently thankful to Him.
How well do you know yourself? The answer may be, "I'm still learning." Growth in our Christian walk starts with this fact, God has searched me and knows everything there is and ever will be to know about me. In our pride we may say, "Of course I know myself, my strengths, limitations, etc." But when was the last time you had an argument ... with yourself ... or were confused about your feelings or response to something?! Depend on the Creator to know you better than you can ever know yourself. Ask Him to show you things about yourself you need to know. When He does, you are started on the path of personal growth in Him. Thoughts will be revealed; those honoring God will be clear; those not honoring will be clear. As we do this regularly, God will strengthen the good, and give power to change what is not good. Make this a daily habit of life. Ask the Creator to reveal what His searching has found today, and the sumtotal of the experience for you, will be growth in Him.
Jesus tells us we are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. He instructs us to let the light that we are, be seen by others. Our light is not just in what we say, but what we do. We must act in such ways as to reveal our God, His love, purity and righteousness. It is our actions that define Him to the unbelieving world. What good is a light that stays in lighted places? Jesus tells us to go to the dark world, to the poor, the fatherless, the widows, and the unlovely and unlovable. And as we do, our Father will be revealed and honor given Him. But be warned. As we act out the Light within us, there will be resistance, there will be persecution. Ask yourself today, am I living out the Spirit in me so others may know Jesus?
Spiritual fatigue is a real malady. If we never experienced it, we would never really be alive. There are a variety of reasons that spiritual fatigue sets in. Perhaps we have ceased habitually feeding our spirit on God's Word. Perhaps our time with the Lord in prayer has taken a lower priority. Or it could be that we have just accomplished a great deed in the Lord's service and think we "deserve" a break. It is true that prayer, dedicated, thoughtful, worshipful, intercessory prayer, takes energy. When we merely draw from our own resources, we may experience spiritual weariness. This kind of prayer puts us before the Perfect, Holy God and we become conscious of the imperfection in ourselves. When spiritual fatigue sets in, we become weary with our God. Remember that Jacob persevered with God, struggling all night. The result was a blessing, a new name. Feeling weary? Immediately ask for God's strength, and you will receive a blessing.
Often we hear the phrase, "That's unfair!" Fairness is discussed in classrooms, labor halls, the workplace, everywhere. A father responding to his child's complaint that God sometimes was unfair, told him, "Son, if God was fair, we'd be cinders right now." Consider that! We do want justice in all our dealings. We need to be righteous in all we do. But thank God for His mercy. Because of His love and mercy we can be victorious, even when we are treated unfairly in the world. Scripture instructs us to do our work as unto the Lord, not men. With this in mind, remember the next time the person in authority over you treats you unfairly. As long as it doesn't require you to be immoral or do something illegal, obey. And then wait upon the Lord, who will care for you in your obedience, because it is Him for whom you labor, whom you obey, and it is from Him you will receive your reward. Watch the impact on the one being "unfair," because God will do business with that person.
Abram, "son of height" was renamed Abraham, "father of many nations." A signal event for all time. Abraham, the first Jew, founder of a spiritual people. Abraham is a good type, one that gives encouragement because he was no plaster saint. He was a plain man, who made some serious mistakes, but who is known as the "father of the faithful" and "the friend of God." Also, we can see the importance of names with Abraham. What we call something, that is what it becomes to us. Call a child your "little froggy," and the most beautiful child may become that froggy to you; call another person an idiot, and you may find an otherwise intelligent and interesting person become unbelievably dull...to you. Today take encouragement from a common man with an uncommon relationship to God, and remember the power of a name.
Of all the elements of a worship service, the early believers in America held preaching to be the most important. Those coming to worship were encouraged to listen to the preacher, not the man, but the words he spoke. Because the words the preacher preached were the words of life, the very words Jesus had shared with the people of Israel, and later the same words the Holy Spirit brought to mind to the disciples. And today, when we attend worship, we too must remember that the words being spoken in Bible preaching/teaching churches, are Jesus' words. Begin to form a new habit today of listening to your preacher with awe, attention and expectancy. Awe because these are Jesus' words; attention because this is the message God has for us today; and expectancy that this living message will accomplish its purpose in the world, and in us.
Oh, the immutability of God! We have only to think of the many friendships which were once so precious and wonder what happened; of the trust we placed in another, only to be betrayed. Malachi 3:6 says, "I the Lord do not change." Who He is in the Old Testament, He also is in the New. What He did for Moses, He will do for you! While it is true that our ways are not His ways, it is very comforting to know that His ways remain firm. So few things in our lives are firm, stable, or solid. Relationships come and go; jobs evolve or disappear; wealth remains elusive or fleeting. Families fall apart or die one-by-one. God, however, remains as He has always been - from eternity past to eternity future. As believers, we should find great comfort in this precious truth! When you find yourself in the next crisis of transition, stabilize yourself with the great truth of God's immutability!
Nothing could be more verifiable: In the world you will have trouble! We have trouble with our health, marriage, children, career, finances, even in our Christian walk, and the list goes on forever! How in the world can we have peace? This scripture clearly shows that peace and troubles can go together! But how, you say? The key is knowing that God is in complete control of everything and that troubles in our life very often cause us to seek Him more. "In Me" suggests that there is a place of refuge, a place of peace, even in the midst of real life problems. How can we be found "in Him?" If you want to be in Seattle, and you are not there, you must go there. Take steps in that direction. The same applies to the peace of being in Him. If you are searching for peace in the midst of the storm of life, spend time reading His word; speak often and long to Him; listen for His still, small voice of comfort. And peace will come!
