A Perfect Prayer

                                         

                                              A Perfect Prayer

The Book of Daniel (in the Old Testament) has some profound prayers.

I am thinking especially of His prayer in chapter 2. 

Daniel had been given the king's malicious command to not only interpret the king's dream but also to remind the king what the dream was about! A humanly- impossible task!

If Daniel failed then he and the others would be killed.

So Daniel prays for God to reveal the dream and its meaning to him. 

He begins his prayer of thanks for God's answer with grand proclamations of worship and praise: "Praise be to the Name of God forever and ever, wisdom and power are His..." he starts.

It is a short prayer.

As he ends he thanks God for answering: "You have made known to me what we asked of You. You have made known to us the dream of the king."

We learn from this that we should be specific in our requests, and then specific in what we are thanking Him for!

Asking Him to bless generally ('bless everybody in the world' we might say) is sometimes appropriate but maybe just a lazy approach when communicating with our loving Father!

Let's be like Daniel and tell our Father exactly what we want from Him and what we are thanking Him for! 

Wouldn't our earthly father prefer that?

What's To Come?

An observation from Eric Metaxas --

"Conversion to faith in God is one of the great mysteries.

The signs of conversion are difficult to pinpoint, but one of them is this:

Many of those who have experienced it seems, now and again, to have a curious, distracted look, as though they have glimpsed something so beautiful they can never forget it, as though they've glimpsed the 'thing behind all things.'

And they have, and now they are turned toward it forever, toward that glorious faraway country that is their true home."

    -- From Everything You Always wanted to Know About God

[Part of that distracted look we display, for most of us, includes a longing, a yearning, a deep eagerness to get all "this" behind us and see Jesus face to face, and be with Him forever! YES, the best is truly yet to come and we know that! How can we help but display that?]

 

For This I Have Jesus!

 I have a new wrist band. I can wear it 24/7! The message works all of the time: "For This I Have Jesus".

If I win the lottery -- if I get cancer -- good news -- bad news -- For This I Have Jesus!

This wrist band is a reminder to me that God is with me no matter what. The question is: Do I let God shine through me in my most difficult times?

Do you?

That's the time people see that He is truly Lord of your life, not just in the good times, but also in the hard and difficult times.

As God works in us through our hardships, we display His perseverance and His character developing in us.

Charles Stanley wrote, "Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God's most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives."

Sometimes we don't see, or understand, how He is working. But we can always trust that He is working for our good.

As the song says:

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you don't see His plan, when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart."

We can always trust His heart! Always! 

For this we have Jesus!

Don't Think Less of Yourself!

 

                                        Don't Think Less of  Yourself!

Thinking about humility this morning. Praying about it, to be more accurate.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:3 -- "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think."

And we have Christ's supreme example of taking a servant's role continually.

So are we supposed to sit around counting our faults, listing our failures, considering how we don't (ever) measure up to what Christ wants?

I turn to C.S. Lewis who says the key is "not to think less of yourself, but to think of yourself less"!

Pretty smart, right?

We should stop thinking of ourselves so much! Keep our focus on Jesus. His beautiful holiness, His humility, concentrate on Him. Just stop thinking so much about ourselves, good or bad.

I think this is good advice! Just think of ourselves less and Him more!

What is Endurance?

 

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Everyone who competes goes into strict training. He does it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

I'm thinking about the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. An amazing young man, Rowdy Gaines, won the gold medal for swimming the 100-meter race in 49 seconds.

He had worked hard to win -- swimming laps daily for hours. He later figured he had swam over 25,000 miles as he prepared himself for the games. During an interview once, he said, "I swam around the world preparing myself so I could win a race that lasted 49 seconds!"

(The earth is just under 25,000 miles in circumference.)

WOW! That's perseverance! That's dedication! That's commitment! But that's what it took to win "the race set before him."

Who sets the race before us? Do we honor and glorify Him with our dedication and commitment? Or do we give up pretty quickly? Maybe take all the credit for ourselves?

The crown awaits us...that crown that we can someday joyfully cast before Him....

Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about that crown - "Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place. Till we cast our crowns before Him, lost in wonder, love and praise!"

That's the point of it all -- honoring and glorifying Him!

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! And all the people said 'Amen'!

What Is God's Will For My Life?

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

 Most of us, at some time, wrestle with knowing and doing God's will for us. 

These verses are very clear. You could teach them easily to a small child and they would  understand with no problem! 

Just 3 things to remember: rejoice, pray, and give thanks! All the time!

 That is God's will for us! That is what pleases Him!

Hundreds of books have been written about knowing God's will, thousands of sermons preached, countless study groups organized...maybe we should go back to the beginning and start with what we already know He wants us to do -- do that -- and wait for further steps.

I know that from my (long years) of experience -- obey what we know and then He will lead us on to more knowledge. Why should He give us the next steps if we haven't even obeyed the first instructions?

So today:  Rejoice, pray and give thanks....

[I remember reading a comment from Mark Twain, "It's  not what I don't understand in the Bible that bothers me, it's what I do understand!"]

How Loudly Must We Sing?

Germany - World War II

In at least one German  town the railroad tracks ran behind the church.


An eyewitness stated:


We heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because, we felt, what could anyone do to stop it?


Each Sunday morning, we would hear the train whistle bowing in the distance, then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!


Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sounds of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.


We knew the time the train was coming and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices.  If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.

Years have passed and no one talks about it now. But  I still  hear that train whistle in my sleep. 

    
        -- From How Do You Kill 11 Million People? by Andy Andrews

Are we doing the same thing now?

Mud Pies or Sand Castles?

Ephesians 3:20 -- "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly {immeasurably} more than we can even ask or think {or imagine}..to Him be glory...

    Thoughts from C S Lewis --

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and to earnestly hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion is no part of the Christian faith.

   Instead, if we consider the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak.

   We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday by the sea.

   We are far too easily pleased."

How Do I Get Through This?

The great preacher and writer, Andrew Murray, was once approached by a woman who said she was in dire trouble and needed advice. He handed his assistant a piece of paper, saying, "Just give her this. I have been writing it for myself. Maybe she will find it helpful." 

This is what he had written:

"First, He brought me here. It Is by His will that I am in this difficult place right now. In that I will rest.

Next, He will keep me here in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.

Then, He will make this trial a blessing, teaching me the  lessons He intends me to learn. 

Last, In His good time He can bring me out again -- how and when He knows.

Say - I am here --

1. By God's appointment.

2. In His keeping.

3. Under His training.

4. For His time."

[This story came from Alistair Begg, and I am grateful. It has helped me. It might not alleviate our circumstances, but I think it enables us to keep the right perspective and glorify God!]

.

Pre-tuned Radios

I remember when....


When I was a child, missionaries often visited our church. I remember one couple who worked in Bible translation ministry in South America. They had translated a  tribal language and had small schools set up in the area to teach the residents how to read and write, in their own language,  and to be able to read for themselves  what the Bible said about Jesus.

Some of the tribal people could not come to the schools, however, and were out of contact most of the time.

And so these missionaries were raising money for pre-tuned portable radios to give out to them.

These radios were pre-tuned to the Christian radio station broadcasting the gospel in the native language - available 24 hours a day!

What a great way to reach these people with the gospel message.

Today we would call this an example of intentional evangelism.

Maybe we should ourselves be examples of intentional evangelism-- be pre-tuned to give out the gospel - always ready to broadcast the good news of Jesus - every time we leave the house and every time someone "tunes us in" -- it's the only message we have to share of any real importance!

Someone "turns us on" and we speak about Jesus!

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you...1 Peter 3:15

Can you explain "the hope that is in you" to someone else?

Why now? - Why not now?

 Why now? Having some rough times now?

Sometimes things go nice and smoothly and you soar long with the wind beneath your wings! Then troubles come -- often in multiples! Illnesses,  family conflicts, tragedies, money problems...and you ask "Why me? Why now" and "What am I doing wrong?"

Wrong questions!

When we go through these times, C S Lewis reminds us that God is at work inside us -- forcing us up to a higher level, putting us in situations where we will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, forgiving, obedient, more trusting than we have ever dreamed of being before.

'It seems to us all unnecessary. But that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us!'

We thought He wanted to change some of our habits and make us more pleasant and easier for people to be around.

No! He wants to make us images of His Son! Like a pony who wants to be able to jump a small fence or pull a cart...But God wants him to be a Pegasus -- a flying horse! A winged creature that can fly  over the rainbows and throughout the universe!

God has a bigger plan for us. He wants to make us like Jesus!

There Is No Hurry

A Sort-Of Made-Up Story

Scene: Satan and several of his esteemed advisors are meeting secretly

Satan is worried. 

He is behind schedule. By this time he had planned to have God and His influence completely erased from American culture. But he has met far more résistance than he had anticipated. He calls an emergency conference with his top advisors.

"What can we do to speed up our work?" he begins. "We must get rid of all acknowledgment of our Enemy! We must erase him. We cannot let him win. We are too close to victory!"

One advisor speaks up. "We just keep telling them their god is a myth, that there is no god like that. There is no god at all. We are making progress on the campuses. It just takes longer than we thought."

Satan becomes angry. "That hasn't worked! We have been trying that for decades. The Enemy's followers just come up with more ridiculous propaganda. We need a new plan!"

Another suggests: "Let's discredit the Enemy. Tell people he really doesn't care about them. He does not love them! They are believing in a fairy tale."

"No," Satan booms. "Our Enemy does love them - those ridiculous bi-peds! I don't know why but he does and they know it!"

The last advisor hesitates and then speaks up quietly, "I have an idea. Let's keep them on the fence. Tell  them not to worry about it -- there is no hurry...Just take their time and consider all possibilities. Don't be in a hurry to throw their lives away!"

Satan beams! "That's perfect! Don't make a decision yet. Wait. There is time. There is no hurry! I love it! That is now our official strategy! There is no hurry!"

(2 Corinthians 6:2 -- "Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.")

Remember Linus and His Blanket?

                                         Remembering Linus

Remember Linus and his blue blanket?  

Probably Linus, from Peanuts, is best known for that blanket. He carries it everywhere. He doesn't even seem to be embarrassed that he needs it for security and comfort. To calm his fears.

His sister, Lucy, is embarrassed and especially dislikes it. She buries it, makes it into a kite, and tries to get rid of it on various occasions. Even Linus himself, on various occasions, seems to think he is too dependent on it and lets it go from  from time to time, but he always retrieves it.

But then we come to that wonderful movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Remember when a frustrated Charlie Brown asks, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Linus, with his security blanket, steps center stage and quotes the angel's message to the shepherds that holy night outside Bethlehem.

              Fear not. I bring you good news of great joy...

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you;

 He is Christ the Lord.

You will find Him in a manger....

When he comes to "Fear not," Linus drops his blanket...permanently!

I like to remember that those words were spoken to the shepherds...A Savior has been born to you...not to mankind in general, but to you...and you can find Him.

Individuals, like the shepherds, like Linus, and like you and me.

And He is our Savior and we need never be afraid again! 

I have some security blankets  I need to get rid of. Maybe I should make today Christmas!

What Jesus Didn't Say

 "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the  Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John20:19-20).

   It was too good to be true! He was there - and gave them a loving greeting. What had He said? Did they hear the words correctly?

   What He didn't say was the surprise. Not "What a bunch of cowards you are!" "I  told you so!" "You couldn't even stay awake and pray with Me in the Garden." 
"I called you My friends. Where were you when I needed you? I must have chosen the wrong men for My Kingdom." 

   No. He brought peace. The one thing they needed most. Into their darkness, their shattered dreams, their hopelessness and fears and guilt, He brought peace. 

   He gave everything. They gave nothing.

   Isn't that the way it is for all of us today? Into our messed up lives, our brokenness and desperation, He brings us peace. Even if we have locked the door -- He still enters in.

   He gives everything, We give nothing.

   They call it 'grace.' Its first name is 'amazing'!

How to be Salt and Light

 Jesus tells us to be 'salt' and 'light' in this dark world that has lost its thirst for God.

The more evil this world becomes, the more righteous and holy we should become. (Yes, sometimes it's hard to keep up!)

Paul tells his friends at Philippi that they should "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (2:12).

"Work out" is a Greek term used in farming. It describes how a successful farmer works his soil to produce the best crop possible. He plows it, removes the rocks and weeds, provides nutrients and irrigation -- everything he can do to produce a bountiful, healthy harvest!

We don't work to secure salvation -- that is a gift of God's grace. But we are to live godly lives, producing farm land that provides an abundant harvest for God's kingdom.

Then in verse 13 he says, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do what pleases Him."

That's the secret -- God is already at work inside us -- giving us what we need to produce that wonderful harvest of goodness that changes and nourishes our society. God is quietly working inside making us into His image and we demonstrate that -- work that out -- by choices we make, the lives we live, partnering with God to yield the best results possible!

We pray, "Father, I want to live in Your Word today -- be obedient -- to  produce fruit that glorifies You. When people see me at work in Your garden, I want them to praise You!"

It takes effort to live a godly life. We are responsible to set the alarm clock earlier every day; to put down the phone; to turn off the TV; to focus His Word and listen to His voice. 

That's how we work out what He is working in us!

Are you an ordinary person? - C S Lewis

Remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw him now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption that you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.

All day long, we are, in some degree, helping each other toward one of these destinations.

It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealing with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.

But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

   -- The Weight of Glory, by C S Lewis

Good Morning! Godly Morning!

 

Scripture tells us that we need to hear from God our Father each morning and He wants to hear from us!

   "Let me hear of Your unfailing  love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk for I give myself to You" (Psalm 143:8).

   "In the morning, LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly" (Psalm 5:3).

  "In the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in the times of trouble...my God on whom I rely" (Psalm 59:16-17). 

   "It is good to praise the LORD and make music in Your Name, O Most High, proclaiming Your Love in the morning" (Psalm 92:2).

Has He heard from you yet?

       "In the morning, when I rise...give me Jesus!"

Have YOU forgotten to ask?

In John 4 we read the famous story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. He Himself might have told us the story sort of like this:

"Remember the woman at Sychar? She was a Samaritan and I purposed to meet her at the ancient Jacob's well.

I asked her for a drink of water. She was surprised at the request. But she didn't ask Me for anything. Right there -- in front of her-- the Creator and Sovereign Lord of the Universe, the One able to bestow any gift to any humble creature.

But she didn't ask. I had to call it to her attention.

'Look,' I said. 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Me and I  would have given you living water.'

She still didn't understand. She didn't 'know the gift' and she didn't know who I was.'

I explained it to her. Just as I have patiently explained it to you.

Now you do know. You know the gift I bring and who I am.

It delights Me to give My children gifts.

So why don't you ask for more?"

[So why don't we ask for more? C S Lewis compares us to children who are content to play in the city ghetto, just making mud pies, when God is offering us a holiday at a grand oceanside resort, and we could be building sand castles!

Maybe we should rethink what we are asking our omnipotent 'wealthiest Father ever' for!

Paul reminds us, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20).]

While You are Seeking Me, I WIll be Found!

                       

                        He promises - If we seek Him we will find Him!

I'm still thinking about how our God is delighted when we seek Him -- how He wants to be found by us!

Some years ago when we were in Israel we went out to the wilderness above the Dead Sea. It was desolate and bleak. We stood on a cliff and looked around the barren landscape. It was breathtaking and somewhat frightening.

Then a woman in our group stepped closer to edge of the chasm and began singing.

Her voice echoed throughout the deep canyons around us.

I can still hear her singing in my God-given miracle of memory. I will never forget the experience. It was more beautiful that any operatic aria I have ever heard...cool and refreshing as a glacial fountain.

I especially remember these words: 

"Ho, everyone who is thirsty in spirit! 

Ho, everyone who is weary and sad!

Come to the fountain, there's fullness in Jesus; 

All that you're longing for -- come and be glad!

'I will pour water on him who is thirsty; 

I will pour floods upon the dry ground.

Open your heart for the gift I am bringing --

 while you are seeking Me I will be found!'"

In our barren lives He daily brings showers of mercy. He is the Fountain that goes on forever and never runs dry. How blessed we are!

Isaiah 55:6 -- Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He Is near.

Jeremiah 29:13 -- You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7 -- Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

[Note: The author of this wonderful hymn is Lucy Jane Rider Meyer. She was born in 1849 and planned to be a medical missionary for the Methodist church with her husband. He died in 1875, before they were married. She decided to go on to  medical school and remained in the US. She also attended the Moody Theological Seminary for Women.  The hymn, written 1884, is in public domain.]

Revisiting an Old Truth

Lamentations 3:18-26

"So I say, 'My splendor is gone and all that I had hope for from the LORD.'

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall, I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion, therefore, I will wait for Him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

These  words were written by the prophet Jeremiah, who chose to rise above his emotions and base his hope on the truth of God's unfailing love, reminding us it is a choice we, too, can make.

Thoughts from Gayle Rogers Foster --

"You, too, should have a short memory about the sadness of yesterday, and an long memory about God's faithfulness. His mercies are indeed new every morning. Rebuke your foreboding spirit. It is not from God. Get up every morning and proclaim, 'This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it' (Psalm 118:24).

If you tried something yesterday and it didn't work, try it again. However, this time you will have more wisdom and experience.

 Don't determine how your day is going to go based on how you emotionally feel when you get up. Just do what you know is right. Your emotions will catch up. 

And never let your feelings simmer in your soul. When you allow Christ to meet your needs you can allow His love to cover up a multitude of other people's sins. Give the gift of a fresh start to both you and everyone else who may have offended you. 

Trust God when you don't feel like it. Trust God when you do feel like it. Trust God until you feel like it. Take the next step. Don't look back. God is already there waiting. If you trust your instincts concerning the future, based on the failures of the past, you could be in for a long and painful detour."

  -- From Front Porch Moments, by Gayle Rogers Foster

Because He Lives!

"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that, in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes -- I and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27)  

Isn't one of the happiest discoveries in reading God's Word the different ways He is described? Here it is "Redeemer." So special. A "redeemer" is not an accidental or coincidental relationship - a redeemer CHOOSES the one he is going to redeem!

Does this exclude us from the normal, usual earthly trials and afflictions? No -- it surely didn't exclude Job from his suffering. And, like Job, troubles crash in on us, driving us to our Redeemer for help. Sometimes we come humbly, sometimes angrily, scared, crushed in spirit, heartbroken.

But, as believers who trust in His sovereignty and faithfulness, we hold tightly to Him, look up and confidently declare that in the end time our Redeemer will stand victorious on this earth and we will be there to witness it!

In the meantime, for now,  we endure. We experience His comfort and companionship. We anticipate that day when we shall see Jesus, our champion Redeemer, face to face, witness His victory and be received into His Kingdom where everlasting joy awaits us!

Maranatha, Lord Jesus....how our hearts yearn!

Overwhelmed and Forgiven

 

                                    Overwhelmed and Forgiven

"When we were overwhelmed by sin, You forgave our transgressions"

                                    (Psalm 65:3).

It's all due to His grace. So how should we live?

How can we display His grace each day?

"Lord, because Your grace is underserved I should be humble; because it is costly I should be holy and loving; because it is unconditional I should be at peace...and through it all I should  be supremely grateful every moment. Amen."

"Lord, help me be to others as You have been to me. Amen."

How to Live in the End Times

Thoughtful words from Jonathan Cahn --

  According to biblical prophecy, the end times will be marked by the increase of evil, but also by the outpouring of God's Spirit. It will be marked by both great good and great evil. 

Thus the end-time believers must aspire not only to goodness, but to greatness. 

They must seek to become great in faith, great in love, great in righteousness, great in prayer, great in purity, great in worship, great in zeal, great in hope, great in goodness and great in God.

      The end times will not only be marked by great evil but great good.

      As evil moves from bad to worse, the righteous must move from                goodness to greatness.

                               ****************

[Are we there yet? I think it's about time we were getting ready!]

God's Makeover

From C S Lewis --

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house.

At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you know that those jobs need doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently He starts knocking the house about in such a way that hurts abominably and does not seem  to make sense.

What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here and putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to make it into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace.

He intends to come and live in it Himself."

 

Once Forever!

 "By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."  Hebrews 10:14

What could be more amazing! God, because of the sacrifice of His perfect Son, declares us perfect forever.

The human priests had to stand in the temple and offer sacrifices regularly, even daily, to atone for their own sins and the sins of the people. But Christ's sacrifice was one time only and gave forever forgiveness!

Our debt -- PAID IN FULL!!!

At the cross, Jesus took all our sins, our filthy rags, and clothed Himself in them, but gave us His righteousness to wear!

He exchanged His perfection for our hideous evil. When God looks at us now, He sees us clothed in Jesus' own perfection. Literally, He sees no sin, only His Son's goodness. We have already been declared perfect in His sight.

As He looks at us and sees the righteousness of His Son, we will never be more perfect than we are now -- in position. 

Now His intent is to lead us into righteous living, so our lives will reflect our royal position.

2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we "are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord."

Josiah became  King of Judah at age 8 -- officially his position with all that title and honor entailed, but he had to grow into kingship before he could reign. 

That's like us --we have a lot of growing to do! Someday our lives will reflect our position -- what God has chosen us to be.

"He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy"!

....made perfect...being made holy...

It's Worth the Wait!

 Waiting for God's help in time of trouble is hard. We usually want to pursue our own solutions first, leaving God as Plan B! Even as we pray for God's will and help we are often already figuring out our own ways to proceed. Now that's really dumb! I should know!

The Israelites responded like that when they were threatened by their enemies. They sought help from the Egyptians instead of turning to God. Read about it in Isaiah 30.

"Woe to the obstinate children who carry out plans that are not Mine...who go down to Egypt without consulting Me..."

God tells them what to do instead in verse 15: "In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."

"In quietness and trust," God tells them.

Then Isaiah adds: "The LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, He will rise up to show you compassion...blessed are all who wait for Him."

Do we every consider that? Our Father wants -- longs -- to show us His grace and mercy. He is eager for us to come to Him!

BLESSED ARE ALL THOSE WHO WAIT FOR HIM!

Waiting is hard, but it is worth it, and it pleases God!

Father, help me learn to be patient. I know You are a good and loving God whose ways and timing are always perfect. How could I ever doubt Your love and faithfulness and wisdom? How could I ever forget that? Forgive me, my dear Father. Amen.

Understanding Truth from Narnia

Here's another provocative thought from C S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

From The Magician's' Nephew

In this passage Digory has just foolishly and disobediently helped the wicked witch to enter Narnia.

The Lion, Aslan, calls the Narnians together.

"You see, friends," Aslan says. "That before the new, clean world I gave you is seven hours old, a force of evil has already entered it, waked and brought about by this son of Adam."

They all turned their eye on Digory, till he wished the ground would swallow him up.

"But do not be cast down. Evil will come of that evil, and I will see to it that the worst falls upon Myself. In the meantime, let us make this a merry world. And as Adam's race has done the harm, Adam's race will help heal it."

                                         ******

I am so moved by these words from Aslan: "I will see to it that the worst falls upon myself." And He did. We see it pictured from the beginning of Genesis (re-read Genesis 3:15 - our protevangelium) all the way through the Bible to the closing chapters of The Revelation. 

The worst fell on Him, by His choice. 

He would rather die than live without us. And so He did. But we must  help heal the damage while we are here. Someday, maybe soon, He will take us to our new home, where no damage can ever be done again. Maranatha!

How Satan Works!

 Satan's work in the world today and in past history is no laughing matter! But as we see in Revelation, our God has the last word, and Satan is doomed!

But as a wild animal, dying from fatal wounds, uses all his strength to do as much destruction as he can, we see Satan still at work, causing as much damage and taking as many hostages as possible.

But when we see Satan at work in our own lives, we can find humor and ridicule his futile attempts to bring us down.

Imagine him now, the great "accuser of the brethren," before God. Maybe he is calling your name -- 

  "This one you call your child. He is a failure. He is selfish. Goes for days without praying. Often his so-called good works are for show only. Even this morning he chose to ignore his time with you again!"

You hang your head in shame. "Yes, I am guilty," you mumble.

Satan asks, "Okay, your honor, what is your sentence?"

The  Judge answers, "The wages of sin is death. But that death has already occurred. For this, My child, died with Christ. My Son Jesus paid his debt. He is free from all penalties of sin! And that means ALL! Case dismissed!"

We need to get in the habit of laughing at Satan's attempts to trap us. See how  pompous and arrogant he is.

Keep reminding him of what Jesus did...ignore him...and best yet, interrupt him and begin praising God, loudly and joyfully, for rescuing you and saving you from all his attacks!

Turn his attacks into victory cheers - God is on the throne! You are His beloved Child! Forever!

Remember what God said: you are "NOT GUILTY" - and He is the Sovereign Judge - He is the final word!

  

Satan Always Ready to Pounce!

 Is Satan hanging around looking for your weak spots? He usually is.

Getting ready to pounce? Probably. It's his strategy.

Satan is sowing seeds of shame and guilt -- often concentrating on sins that are most difficult for you to battle against, especially those you repeat the most. 

Thoughts from Max Lucado --

"If he can't seduce you, he'll let you sink in your guilt. Nothing pleases him more than to see you cower in the corner, embarrassed that you are still battling some old habit. He's probably telling you 'God is tired  of dealing with this,' or 'Your Father is weary of your petitions for forgiveness. He will shut the door this time. You'll never beat this!'

Maybe you are thinking, 'I must not be His child. I must be an orphan. I can't keep going to the well of grace so many times. I don't deserve to keep asking for forgiveness. He will shut the door this time.'

But now stop and think. Who told you you deserved forgiveness the first time? 

When you came to Christ, did He already know all the sins you had committed? Yes. 

Did He know the sins you would commit in the future? Yes.

So He saved you, knowing all the sins you would commit, every mistake you would ever make? YES.

Sounds like God has already proven His point. If your sins were too great for His grace, He would never have saved you in the first place!

Your sin does not surprise God. He saw it coming. And sees it coming.

Is there any reason to think that the One who saved you in the first place won't receive you every time?"

Remember - He promised to! And He knows you better than you even know yourself.

"If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

The fountain of grace is still full and flowing....

Our Golden Journey

 

There is an ancient Japanese art of pottery repair called "kintsugi."

Sometimes the word is translated "golden journey."

The goal is not to repair the shattered pottery by hiding the cracks, but by highlighting them!

The artist uses a special lacquer to mend or seal the fractures and then he covers them with a fine gold or silver powder. The result is a unique and beautiful masterpiece, with gold and silver designs winding their way across the pottery. Each is truly unique - one of a kind!

The repaired piece announces to its admirers the story of its past -- with every crack and fracture, once hopelessly broken, now gloriously redeemed by the artist-potter!

We should let God do that to us. Don't hide your past faults and failures -- let the world see how He is changing you. Remind them that you are not what you used to be...and are not what you will be...but you are His  Child...loved by Him! He loves us as we are, but He doesn't want us to remain the way we are...He has a higher goal for us. He wants us to be like Jesus!

Years ago we had a phrase we used often: Please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet. We even had t-shirts imprinted PBPWMGINFWMY to remind ourselves of our godly make-over.

That was a good way to look at our mistakes. I think I need to find one of those old t-shirts - or make one to wear now! 

PS Remember this song?

     Something beautiful, something good

     All my confusion He understood

     All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

     But He made something beautiful of my life.

Thank you, Dear Jesus!

Broken and Unfit for Service?

 

Feel broken? Feel you are unfit for service for Jesus?

Max Lucado reminds us:

   "God does great things through brokenness. Broken eggs give life. Broken skies give rain. Broken soil gives crops. Broken crayons still color. Broken alabaster jars give fragrance. The broken body of Christ on the cross is the light of the world.

Which is precisely the point. God does great things through the greatly broken. It's not the strength of the vessel that matters. It's the strength of the One who can use it.

You are not the sum of your sins. You are the sum of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. You are as righteous as Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:15 -- 'For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.')

You 'give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way to salvation -- an aroma redolent with life' (2 Corinthians 2:15).

Remember, God uses broken people to build His Kingdom! It's not the condition or strength of the vessel that matters -- it's the strength and power of the One who is using it!

(The Bible gives so many examples: David, an adulterer and murderer; Jacob, a liar and deceiver; Paul, a persecutor of the early Christians...and you can put your on this list, too! Not what I was, but who I am now and what I will be!)

But He's Mine!

I have a dear friend whose 28-year-old son is severely handicapped. He has a special wheel chair and she has to feed him every meal. The obvious love she has for this son takes my breath away, as I watch her carefully spooning specially prepared food into his small, deformed mouth, and wiping his lips, and gently patting his hands. The love shining through her eyes cannot be explained to some people. She tells me, "Well, I love him because he is mine."

Her son will never cross the stage in a cap and gown, never walk down the aisle to marry, never lovingly hand her a grandchild to hold and rock. Actually, he will never be able to perform for her at all. He will never be able to take care of her in her senior years. Her love is a love that receives, and expects, nothing in return. "Because he is mine."

I think of John 10: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--and I lay down my life for the sheep...no one takes it from me but I lay it down on my own accord..."

We are His sheep -- the sheep of His pasture....

We are just as helpless as my friend's son. Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

He loves us and cares for us "because we belong to Him."

Jesus, my Lord, will love me forever. From Him no power of evil can sever.
He gave His life to ransom my soul--now I belong to Him.
Now I belong to Jesus. Jesus belongs to me.
Not for the years of time alone--but for eternity.

What's on Your Schedule Today?

We are in the life-saving business. We rescue people and bring them to Jesus. 

What about this woman?

She was 70 years old when she came to Jesus. She lived in a small village in Africa. She was blind and uneducated, but wanted to do something to help other people come to Jesus.

She took her French Bible to her local missionary and asked him to underline John 3:16 in red. He did.

Then she took her Bible and a chair and sat each day in front of a boys' school.

When dismissal time came and the boys began leaving, she called out: "Please come here. Do you read French?"

As they approached she asked them, "Please read to me this passage underlined in red."

Then she would ask if they knew what it meant. She explained the verse and told them about Jesus and what He had done for them.

Due to the boldness and obedience of this aged blind woman at least 24 of those young men became pastors!

What's on your schedule today?

How To Fill Your Day With Good

1 Peter 3:8-12, Paraphrase from The Message

"Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.

That goes for all of you - no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm.

Instead - bless. That's your job - to bless. You'll be a blessing as well as get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here's what you do: say nothing evil or hurtful, snub evil and cultivate good, run after peace with all you're worth.

God looks on all this with approval."

[That's the kind of life I want, so I guess that's the kind of person I want, and need, to be!] 

Paul and Timothy Pray for Their Friends

The New Testament gives us great insight on how to pray for our friends -- especially in the epistles where the writers record exactly what they are praying for when they are praying for their friends.. .

Consider these words from Paul and Timothy in the letter to the Colossians:

"Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. 

We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. 

We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul -- not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us." (Colossians 1:9-12).

Lots of ideas here of how we should pray for each other. I love especially the glory-strength that spills over into joy petition, and also the idea that as we learn how God works we can learn to do His work ourselves!

And that He can make us stronger so we can take part in all the glorious things He has prepared for us!

Holiness - Intend to fly? - William Law

 This selection is from William Law's (1686-1761) The Holy Life:


Just as we cannot live a holy life without prayer, so we cannot have prayer without a holy life. To be foolish in the way we spend our time and money is no greater mistake than to be foolish in relation to our prayers.

If our lives cannot be offered to God, how can our prayers?
.....

Our lives should be as holy and as heavenly as our prayers. It is our strict duty to live by reason, to devote all of the action of our lives to God, to walk before Him in wisdom and holiness...and to do everything in His name and for His glory.

If our prayers do not lead to this, they are of no value no matter how wise or heavenly.

No, such prayers would be absurdities. They would be like prayers for wings though we never intended to fly.

Who was the Prodigal?

 

                                                           Who was the Prodigal?

The story about the prodigal son (Luke 15) touches so many hearts.

A self-centered boy, asking for his inheritance early, runs away and squanders all of it, sinks lower than imaginable, desperately returns home to face the consequences of his prodigal lifestyle....

He expects to be treated as a slave and punished. But he is joyously received, forgiven and restored.

What does 'prodigal' mean? The dictionary tells us it means to spend your money or resources freely and recklessly, with wasteful extravagance;  to distribute lavishly and without thought for the future; overly generous to people you hardly know; to be careless with your money without considering what  will happen when it is all gone. What a short-sighted fellow! How foolish! Did he really think he was making true loyal friends with his conduct? Who was he impressing?

He ended up alone and desperate with no place to go but to crawl home and beg a crumb of bread!

But maybe the real prodigal was not the son -- but the father. Didn't he give of his love with reckless abandon? Probably his neighbors considered him foolish to waste his love on his ungrateful son? He was lavish and extravagant with his grace and forgiveness. He didn't even stop to consider if he should welcome his son home - just impulsively received and forgave him - and then restored him to his original position. Extravagant generosity! Talk about being 'prodigal'!  

But, wait -- isn't that the picture of our heavenly Father? 

Maybe we should change the name of the story of "The Prodigal Son" to "The Prodigal Father"?

Have you come home?

Feeling Out of Place?

               Are You Feeling Out of Place?

Great comments from Donald Grey Barnhouse:

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, writing on Revelation, wrote this:

There are four things out of place in the universe.

The church is out of place. She ought to be in heaven.

Israel is out of place. She should be in the land that has been sworn to her and possess every part of it.


The devil is out of place. He ought to be in the lake of fire, but he's still roaming free.

And Christ is out of place. He should be through with intercession and seated on His throne, reigning, instead of upon His Father's throne interceding.

So here in the vision (Revelation) we begin to see all of these things that are out of place being put in their rightful place.

The church is in heaven.

Israel is about to be given back her kingdom and her land and salvation.

The devil is going to be bound and cast into the lake of fire.

And Christ is about to reign.

And those in heaven know this. And so in verse 8 of Chapter 5, we read "after He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb."

And that initiates immense worship--extreme worship.

And everything is put back the way it is supposed to be!

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Fixing What's Broken

 Everything looks so broken now...seems beyond repair! Such wreckage everywhere ...politics, people, families. 

We caused it ourselves through our own disobedience to our Father, our stupid selfishness, our poor thoughtless choices. 

Remember what Aaron said to Moses when he came down from the mountain with God's Law in his hands and encountered the Hebrews in their acts of idolatry? Aaron said, "I told you these people were prone to evil!"

Looks like nothing has changed. But in spite of the wreckage and ruin we have caused through our sin, God's promise of ultimate restoration still stands.

In Revelation 21 we read about Jesus at His Throne saying, "Behold, I am making all things new!"

How we yearn for that day.

It is coming!

In the meantime we have the unique privilege of partnering with God -- co-workers with the Almighty Creator -- in the beginning of that renewal of creation...starting today. We can help mend what is broken, promote what is good, restore what is missing, and lead the challenge to resist evil. 

We can work on that today! And that means we are partnering with God in bringing His Kingdom to earth. We are helping to answer Jesus' prayer, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth, as it is in heaven." 

Then when  Jesus comes back as the rightful Sovereign King of all creation, His Kingdom will arrive in its ultimate eternal glory!

As we spread the gospel we are recruiting His subjects all over the earth!

A King needs territory and subjects. And we are His subjects and our hearts are His territory.

Until then, we can help get ready for that day! We can start the process!

Still Amazed by Grace - John Newton

                             Remembering John Newton....

The following is written on the grave marker for John Newton, redeemed and forgiven atheist slave trader, the author of Amazing Grace and other hymns, and active participant and leader in the abolitionist movement of the 1700's.

He was born in 1725 and died in 1807 -- roughly an English contemporary of George Washington.


His epitaph:

John Newton, a clerk,
once an infidel and libertine,
a servant of slaves in Africa,
was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and
appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.

* * * * * * * *

Some of his remembered quotes:

I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I want to be; I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.

God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzles, not storms.

If we seem to get no good by attempting to draw to Him, we may be sure we will get none by keeping away from Him.

This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus.

Near death, he said,

Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

 

His most famous quote:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.

[He also wrote the great hymn, Glorious things of Thee are Spoken, Zion City of our God! Today we sing those stirring words to a familiar tune by Franz Joseph Haydn.]

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds is another hymn by John Newton:

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer's ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and

Drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole

And calms the troubled breast

'Tis manna to the hungry soul

And to the weary, rest.

Dear name -- the rock on which I build

My shield and hiding place

My never-ending treasure,

Filled with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my shepherd, brother, friend,

My prophet, priest and King

My Lord, my life, my way, my end

Accept the praise I bring!

Imagine the miracle: a confirmed atheist; cruel, self-serving slave trader; transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit - writing the gentle, loving words above.

 A transformed life is the greatest miracle of all! - restored and pardoned, as the words appear on his grave stone.