September 20, 2017 - - James 1:22-25 Hear the Word, Obey the Word

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25 NIV

About the love of horse racing, he complained, "My sermons are applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and say with mutual rivalry, 'This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,' and one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here."

Christianity Today Issue 44, 1994 on John Chrysostom

Where is the Word of God driving a point home to your heart? Are you harbouring anger against another person? Are you engaging in gluttony? Do you cheat your boss by not working diligently for the hours you are paid? Are you allowing lust to occupy a small corner of your life? Do you complain in your soul against those who have so much while you work and seem to have so little?

Perhaps you are listening to the Word and not implementing it and integrating it into your life. When you hear the word, act upon it. Pray about it. Ask God for His forgiveness in Jesus' Name with regards to your failures. Ask the Spirit of God to revive in you a renewed will to act and live in obedience to the will of God, which gives perfect freedom.

Ah, Father in heaven, don't You ever get tired of hearing my same confession day in and day out? I am ashamed to confess these sins. I am both surprised and weary to be in this very same place again. Yet I trust Your Word. I believe that Jesus came to bring You, my Father, glory by breaking down the strongholds of sin in my life. Send Your Spirit now to revive me in obedience, and to whet in my soul a greater appetite for all that is holy and true. The only reason You would have to hear me is Jesus Christ, He is my strength and my song, He is my salvation which brings You glory. It is in His Name alone I dare to lift my head and pray. Amen.

September 19, 2017 - - Matthew 16:24-27 Follow Jesus

The liberal says the end of religion is to make man happy while he's alive, and the fundamentalist says the end of religion is to make man happy when he dies.

But again! The end of all of the religion, it was proclaimed, was the happiness of man. And whereas the liberal says, "By social change and political order we're going to do away with slums, we're going to do away with alcoholism and dope addiction and poverty. And we're going to make HEAVEN ON EARTH AND MAKE YOU HAPPY WHILE YOU'RE ALIVE! We don't know anything about after that, but we want to be happy while you're alive!" They went ahead to try and do it, only to be brought to a terrifying shock at the first World War and utterly staggered by the second World War, because they seemed to be getting nowhere fast.

And then the fundamentalists, along the line, are now tuning in on this same wavelength of humanism. Until we find it something like this: "Accept Jesus so you can go to heaven!

You don't want to go to that old, filthy, nasty, burning hell when there is a beautiful heaven up there! Now come to Jesus so you can go to heaven!"

And the appeal could be as much to selfishness as a couple of men sitting in a coffee shop deciding they are going to rob a bank to get something for nothing! There's a way that you can give an invitation to sinners, that just sounds for all the world like a plot to take a filling station proprietor's Saturday night earnings without working for them.

Humanism is, I believe, the most deadly and disastrous of all the philosophical stenches that's crept up through the grating over the pit of Hell.

--excerpt from: Paris Reidhead "Ten Shekels and a Shirt"

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Matthew 16:24-27

Forgive me, Lord of Majesty and Glory, for thinking I could sell the idea of heaven and make the idea of serving You palatable to a world seeking only its own pleasure. Great are You, O LORD my King. Splendid and awe-inspiring are Your works. Therefore I despise my own feeble works and my so-called accomplishments and repent before You. Let my only reward, which truly is the greatest possible reward, be to know You more intimately and fully. I ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

September 18, 2017 - - I Corinthians 9:27 Hypocrisy and Integrity

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

Have you ever heard the expression: "Do as I say?" It is strange to observe how often a person's words and the very same person's actions do not align at all.

I remember, way back in college, when I wanted to quit smoking. I thought it might be good to volunteer for the American Lung Association (I went to college in Grand Rapids, MI.) It would be good incentive to quit. That volunteering stint was short-lived, as I knew the benefits of a smoke-free life, but was still smoking, so my words did not fit my actions. It was many years before I truly disciplined my body and its cravings and brought them into subjection. Thanks be to God I have been smoke-free for 15 years.

We are sinners. We are inclined to race after the sins which kill us rather than to pursue the holiness of Christ which is for us life. Examine your life today. In what area are you acting like a hypocrite? Where are your actions undermining your words? Confess it to Jesus. Repent--turn away from this--and renew your vows to follow Jesus. Ask the Spirit of the Living God to strengthen you so that you will not be disqualified.

King Jesus, let the words of my mouth truly match the actions of my life. I confess the times I judge others for the very things I myself am doing. It is easy to criticize without first examining myself. Hear my personal confession.... Forgive me. Teach me the way reconciliation. Spirit help me to walk with integrity in word and in action. Spirit of wisdom and healing help me to make amends where these are needed for restored community. Draw me to the Bible so that I will grow in faith. Let my life be a reflection of the glory of God, Whom I desire to serve with all I am and all I have. Amen.

September 17, 2017 Psalm 88:9b, 13-14 NKJV Sanctification and Spiritual Warfare

This sanctification is throughout the whole man, yet imperfect in this life: there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh

The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XIII.II

LORD, I have called daily upon You...

But to You I have cried out, O LORD,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

LORD, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

Psalm 88:9b, 13-14 NKJV

The wrestling of our soul against the will of God and the things of God is evidence of the great warfare the still takes place. Jesus, the Captain of our Salvation, has sent His Spirit to make war against the lingering, sinful corruption of our minds, our hearts, and our lives. We have read to the end of the Bible, we know that those Whom God has called, He also adopts as His Own, He pities and He protects, He makes holy and He preserves. Do not be discouraged by the warfare raging in your mind and soul-trust that God is working out His salvation and His holiness in every part of your being.

Join with other Christians this day. Sing together. Pray together. Encourage one another. Know that all of us face the same battle in Jesus' Name which is waged against our flesh. All of us who believe and worship serve the King of Glory Who will not let defeat rule the story of our lives, but has given His holy victory in Jesus Christ and this is now being fully work-out in every part of our lives and will be perfected in the world to come.

With the Psalm-writer, Father in heaven, I cry out: "Conquer whatever waywardness lingers within me!" Send Your Spirit to reaffirm the rule of Christ. When in battle-weariness I cry out, as did the writer of Psalm 88, feeling discouraged and faltering in strength, do not reject my cries. Do not interpret pleas as a lack of faith. Keep me in the grip of Your great grace so that Your purifying work will burn out of me whatever would block a deep and true relationship with You~My God and my Captain and my King. Amen.

September 16, 2017 - - Psalm 78:35-38b God's forgiveness

When He slew them, then they sought Him;

And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

Then they remembered that God was their rock,

And the Most High God their Redeemer.

Nevertheless they flattered HIm with their mouth,

And they lied to Him with their tongue;

For their heart was not steadfast with Him.

Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,

And did not destroy them.

Psalm 78:34-38b

When a brother sins against another brother, the one sinned against will often fold his arms, get stubborn and expect a groveling and humble apology. God shows a different way. He knows His people are duplicitous. Yet, as often as His people confess their sins, however sincere or insincere they are in asking forgiveness, He is full of compassion and forgives.

Asking forgiveness and accepting forgiveness moves the heart. The attitude changes when one begins the path of reconciliation. It is the work of God to make this path straight and encourage those wandering along it to go fully to restoration. It is the glorious work of Jesus Christ by which healing between people is even possible.

The sticking point for many reading this text will be the start of verse 34: When He slew them. It is a devastating picture, God putting disobedient people to death. The Bible shows this picture: all men and women of the earth are His creation. All the people of the earth belong to God and those who refuse Him are rebellious slaves and fit for death. People belong to God and those who confess His Name are still rebellious, but He is taming rebellious hearts by HIs Spirit so that such people will understand the fuller depths of His steadfast love.

Devotional times help believers to understand this complex pattern. Believers stop their accusations of others and rehearsing how they feel wronged and instead humbly hear God and His perfectly just accusations against their bad conduct. Under His scrutiny the believer humbles himself, confesses his sins and receives the great grace of forgiveness offered in Christ. Then, prompted by the Spirit of God, the believer forgiven by God will seek to be reconciled with others. Willingly enduring mocking and sarcasm, the believer will patiently and kindly work to make things right. This always done with a view to all that he has received from God.

Spirit of Power, help me to quiet all the thoughts strivings against one another in my head. Let me hear, truly listen to, the Word of God. Humble me so that I will live the life of reconciliation and grace that is mine in Christ. Thank You, Father in heaven, that You know my iniquity and falseness and in Your compassion You forgive me and work out Your saving purposes in my life. Glory be to Your Name, now and forever more. Amen.

September 15, 2017 Psalm 72:15d - - Daily Praise

And daily He shall be praised.

Psalm 72:15d NKJV

Weird isn't it? We need to plan a day without coffee. Otherwise we'd get a huge headache. Some people make a HUGE deal of going off Facebook for a day or two. Yet, we casually skip a day (or several) of our devotional times. No headache follows. No palm-sweats of withdrawal follow.

People beloved of God: perhaps we are so indifferent in our daily praise because we have forgotten the Majesty of our King. Perhaps we are so lackadaisical in our worship because we love our coffee more than we love our true God. The half-hearted times of worship show that we have not spent time in the Presence.

Daily praise is used by the Spirit to stir our souls.

Daily praise brings us to Jesus' throne where we understand our failures and His victory.

Daily praise becomes an integral part of our life and our heart's truest and best habit because we know our Father better.

Daily praise reminds us He is God and we are not; it is His plan and His will alone we must follow, not some illegitimate formulation about God of our own making.

Find the praise-worthiness of God in passages such as: Job 38-42:6; Isaiah 40:10-31; Psalm 104.

You, O LORD God, laid the foundations of the earth! Blessed be Your Name. You set the limit to the seas and oceans and declared: here your proud waves must stop. You control the treasury of snow and rain. Great are You, and worthy of glory! By Your great love sinners are reclaimed in the Name of Jesus. Who has power over life and death, but the very God Who made us?! Rulers are overthrown and You, long-ago, declared the path of history. Nothing is outside of Your Sovereign appointment. You, Spirit of God, hear the cries of the widow and the orphan, and bring the help of the God of Justice. You, Mighty King, are preparing the one, final court, to judge every person who ever lived. At this Final Judgment sinners will be cast into hell and torment and those You have redeemed and sustained by the blood of Jesus will be brought to the new heavens and new earth. I had heard of such things, God of Renown and Splendour, but now my eyes will behold You alone. You are my God and I am Your willing slave. Bring me utterly--heart, mind, emotions, physically, spiritually--into whole-hearted submission to You. In Jesus' Great Name I pray. Amen.

September 14, 2017 - - Psalm 68:19 Devotions: God's feast for us

Blessed be the Lord, 
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Psalm 68:19 NKJV

Imagine this: the feast is spread, the finest of foods and wonderful exotic drink. Everything is perfectly prepared and suited for each individual. Rather than sitting and eating and delighting, the man for whom it is prepared rushes by it and on the way to work goes to a drive-in coffee shop and waits in the line of cars for 15 minutes just to get his coffee. Imagine that same feast, so beautiful and tenderly prepared and a young mom ignores it and begins a routine of starting laundry, and cleaning and getting children up and dressed.

You and me, we are that rushing man and that distracted young mom. God has prepared the Word for us. It is loaded with His blessings. It is filled with His promises. It is bursting with the peace we need. It is laden with the correction that will help us understand our lives and His mercy. But day after day, though the devotional time is loaded with the blessings and benefits of God,we rush past it. Surviving on scraps. Wondering why our walk with God lacks power, and joy.

Today, know the feast is spread for you. Spend time with God. Expect that He has loaded up the Word with benefits tailor made to suit you. Remember you are made in the image of God. So He Who made you, knows what You need. Remember You were made for fellowship with God and to delight in Him forever. He knows your joys and He knows your grief and burdens. Jesus said: "Come to Me all You who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (That is found in Matthew 11:28-29). Do not pass by. Stop and feast on the Word of God. Spend time speaking with God. Read the Word out loud and listen to what God is teaching you. You will be satisfied with the richest of foods. You will be loaded up with His blessings.

Arise, O God, and scatter the enemies which would crowd out our time with You! Dispel the myth of our own importance and busy-ness and let us delight in the feast of time spent with You. Feed our souls. Challenge our brains. By Your Spirit lead us to Jesus Christ, Who is for us Living Water that wells up to eternal life. And from that place of plenty, let the righteous be glad and serve as bold witnesses to Your glory. Amen.

September 13, 2017 - - Psalm 62:1,5 Wait for God

Truly my soul silently waits for the God;

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:1,5 NKJV

Much of life is spent waiting. Each morning I pass by a long, long line of cars, filled with people anxiously waiting at the local coffee shop for their first cup of joe. People wait for their cable or internet installation date and time. We live in an age of instant gratification, but must cope with the fact much of our lives are spent waiting.

It was no different for the writer of this Psalm. He had celebrated, perhaps early in the morning, the fact that his soul waits for God's salvation. Sin is vanquished by the power of Christ. The punishment for sin has been paid. The believer knows the justice of God will be meted out at the end of history. All wrongs, every single evil, will be paid out in full against every perpetrator. The torment of hell awaits those who refuse Jesus and His salvation. It is sobering.

In the next verse I have referenced, the psalmist is clearly telling his soul to wait for God. Read the whole of Psalm 62. You'll read of turmoil and how life is just a morning fog. The evil continue to do evil and it seems the people of God have to wait to see God's mercy and justice.

When the turmoil, wickedness, and scheming of mankind, or a co-worker, or a family member, or a fellow pew-sitter threaten to overwhelm you, tell your soul: "wait on God." Quietly trust Him. The Spirit of God will hold you fast in Christ until justice and peace take hold. As you wait on the Spirit, you may notice also, sins you must confess and wrongs that you need to make right. Commit yourself to walking this difficult way. It is the reason Christ the King has come to this earth, and now rules in heaven, so that sins may be confessed and forgiven. Christ can bring restoration to ruined sinners so that from the wreckage we make of our lives He forges saints by the fires of those trials of offering and receiving forgiveness from real people and real painful situations.

Spirit, Who brings order out of chaos, still the boiling and bubbling of my soul. Let me wait in quiet confidence for the salvation of Jesus to unfold. Help me to be a light-house for Jesus' peace when so much around me is stormy. Remind me to preach to my own soul also the sure hope that is mine in Christ. Let me wait on You, so that I will know what needs to be confessed, what needs to be made right with You and with the people You have placed in my life. Then prompt me to pray for those around me and to witness to them, knowing that in the Name of Jesus, others can know the joyful expectation of His salvation. Amen.

September 12, 2017 - - Hebrews 13:15 Continuous praise to God

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

Some of us will open the fridge and stand there long enough, scrounging around until we find something that appeals to us. We're not really hungry. Others will pick up the controls of the video game. We are bored really. But we know the game will eventually catch up. Still others, restless and half-interestedly, will flick through channels, or You-Tube, or scroll through Facebook until the time has run away from us.

All of these things, and so many others, which we use to waste time will then be lodged in our brains and become part of the endless narrative of our sub-conscious. We rehearse all those things we used to waste time.

Diametrically opposed to this is the glory of the Word--the Bible and the Living Word, Jesus Christ. When we spend time with Him in prayer and read the Bible, even if we don't feel like it at first, such phrases and thoughts and images become the narrative of our brain. We reflect on Jesus. We sing songs of praise.

Trust God enough, that when you are restless and bored and about to go to the fridge or the game or FB or whatever else will waste your time until it catches your interest--I repeat--trust God enough to go to the Word. Listen to praise songs. Sing a hymn of praise--there are plenty on line you can listen to and learn. Know the blessing of having the sacrifice of praise as the narrative running through your brain--praise fueled by Bible reading, prayer, holy music and time with God.

Spirit of God, I beg of You, displace the wicked thoughts of my heart and brain. Spirit of power, work in and through my prayer times and reading times so that I will know Jesus Christ more fully. Spirit bring my attention to the things of God throughout the day so that I will continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of my lips which overflow with the blessings of Jesus~in Whose Name I pray. Amen.

September 11, 2017 - - Ephesians 5:15-17 Walk Circumspectly

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

What is it to walk "circumspectly"? Imagine your car is making a clunking noise and you walk around it to check it out. You want to see if anything obvious is out of place--muffler damaged, or a tire low, that sort of thing.

When we have the word of God in our hands during our devotional times, we walk circumspectly. We ask the Spirit of God: "what is clunking? What is slowing me down in my walk with Jesus?"

The days we live in are not neutral. These are wicked days. Like roofing nails on the road which puncture tires, so the evil of our days will puncture our hearts and affect our walk with God. Spent time with the Lord. Let Him repair your soul. Ask the Spirit of Jesus to guard your heart. Times spent in prayer and Bible reading will reveal to you the will of the Lord.

Great are You, Lord! Mighty is Your reign, Lord Jesus Christ. All Your enemies will fall before You. Blessed are You, Spirit of the Living God. How much my soul needs to be repaired and my heart renewed. Use the times of bible reading and prayer, quiet and reflection, so that I will be fit for the service You require. Amen.

September 10, 2017 - - Psalm 37:35-37 Culture war

I have seen the wicked in great power,

And spreading like a native green tree.

Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more.

Indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;

For the future of that man is peace.

Psalm 37:35-37 NKJV

Times of Bible reading help us to understand our world. God created the world and Adam and Eve perfect and without sin. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned. All people today are their descendants and without God's direct intervention are wicked.

When we read the Bible we learn that those who believe in Jesus Christ are blameless because He has taken away the punishment for their sins. Jesus is the shield of the people of God so that their sins are forgiveness and their hearts are changed.

It is a lie to say there are many paths and many truths. There is only the path of the blameless, those who deny themselves, confess their sins and follow Christ; and the path of the wicked.

Joe Boot noted: "Culture is one's religion externalized." If you are a pagan, you will oppose all things Christian. If you are a Muslim or a Hindu your culture will express your faith and whatever it is you oppose. We live in a culture that is humanistic. It is self-serving and increasingly opposed to Jesus and His followers.

Yet, those who read the Word, who pray, and who seek after Jesus Christ are kept by the Spirit of God and peace is the joyful present reality and its fullest expression is our sure hope for eternity. It is not our actions that make us right with God. God has, in His great love, called us His Own in Christ. Our thank-fullness response is to desire to know Him more and believe in Him more deeply.

It is Sunday, get to church and renew your walk with God.

Blessed God and Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ. Lord and Saviour, Jesus, forgive my waywardness, my foolishness and sins. Send Your Spirit to renew my zeal for Your Word and Your ways. Give me a discerning ear for those who are hungering and thirsting for something more than this sin-riddled world is peddling so that I may speak peace in Jesus' Name. Amen.

September 8, 2017 - - Psalm 34:19-22

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
Psalm 34:19-22 NKJV

Life means suffering. Those who follow God and are obedient to Christ will suffer many troubles. These are purposeful. It is the transformation from death to life, it is the squeezing out of the pus of evil. The Spirit of the Living God takes hold of the Christian and works into us, rotting, stinking corpses that we once were, the breath of life. As the Spirit works in us, evil things become hateful and obedience joyful. Knowing God becomes the greatest joy.
Life means suffering. Those who follow evil will face troubles--mental, spiritual, emotional, physical. There is a pervading purposelessness, emptiness in all things when one attempts to enjoy them without God. Ultimately, one who pursues evil and thinks he is free and enjoying life will face the reality he has prepared himself, all life long, for hell.
There is no middle ground. Either one is hell-bent in all living or one has his heart held by Christ and is being redeemed by the LORD. Devotional times clearly emphasize the happiness, the great blessing, which God pours into the life of those who trust in God. Times of Bible reading and prayer bring healing to the mind and the soul, life and strength to the body in times of suffering--it is evidence of the refreshing of the Spirit.

Thank You Father for Your great deliverance in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Spirit Who is bringing new life and breath to these once dead, dry bones. Cause the devotional times to be fixed in my day so that Your Spirit can continue to fix my heart. Give me the perseverance I need to stay true to You. Amen.

September 7, 2017 - - Psalm 30:2-3a

O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.
Psalm 30:2-3a, 11 NKJV

There was a big moment in our household yesterday: Carolyn got a cellphone! Now, in order to reach her you need to know the exact area code and the exact sequence of the seven numbers. Of course that sounds silly to spell out. We are so used to this. One wrong number in the sequence and you'll contact someone entirely different. Your message will go off to who knows where and you'll reach who knows whom.

The glory of our text this morning is this: we cry out to God. He hears us. There is no need for a correct number sequence. There is no need to have a 2-year contract. Jesus Christ has taken away the shame of our sins and by His blood opened up the glory of heaven. The Spirit of God takes the sighs, the tears, and hopes of our heart and brings these to our Father in heaven.

Spend time with God. Read the Bible. Pray. Sing praise songs. Know that Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Victor over death and hell, and the One Who makes order out of chaos, the One, Triune God, hears you. Get to know Him better each day.

Thank You, God of mercy, that You know us, each of us, intimately. You invite us to daily conversation. As our tender Father You welcome our joys and our tears. Thank You that the way into Your presence has been opened up in Jesus Christ. Thank You that Your Spirit always keeps the line of communication open. Forgive the times we stubbornly refuse to speak. Forgive the times we get busy with ourselves and our schedules rather than acknowledge, our days and nights and the all the activities therein belong to You. You never leave us or abandon us. Blessed be Your Name. Amen.

September 6, 2017 - - II Corinthians 3:18

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
II Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Carolyn and I have been married for 30 years. What is funny and interesting to me is how we are thinking more and more alike. Since we will be moving soon, we have let our food stores at home dwindle so that we don't have to move as much foodstuff. Well, we were very low on Tuesday, so I went to the store and picked up a few items. Carolyn as she returned home from work, thought to herself, I'll pick up a few supplies. Oddly enough, we picked up almost the exact same items. The longer we are married and live together, the more we understand and mirror one another.

So it is in our relationship with God. We contemplate, think about Who God is, we spend time with Him each day in our prayers, in our Bible readings and in conversation with other Christians, the Spirit uses all of this so that we become more and more like Jesus. The Spirit is transforming our hearts, our minds and our words. It is a glorious process in us and reveals the glory and the kindness of God.

Like a magnet, attract me to Your Word. Like a sponge let me soak it all in. Like a sprinkler in a dry and weary land where there is no water, let me share the Good News of Jesus. In all of this, Spirit of God, help me to become more like Jesus, to the honour and praise of God the Father. Amen.

September 2, 2017 - - Pray without ceasing

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

I Thessalonians 5:16-17 NKJV

There is a portion of a hymn that keeps scrolling through my heart and mind: "teach me the patience of unanswered prayer." The glory of our devotional times is not to put a checkmark beside our "to do list" and mark the time done. The goal is to know God better. The desire is to understand the greatness of Christ's sacrifice for us and His right to command obedience. The goal is for the Spirit to conquer sin within us and help us to overcome in Jesus' Name. Our formal times spent with God in Bible reading and prayer are supplemented throughout the day by the times the Spirit reminds us to pray, or give thanks, or shows us the glory of our salvation and our hearts rejoice in Him.

Spirit of God, Who dwells within my heart

Teach me to feel that you are always nigh;

teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;

teach me the patience of unceasing prayer.

Hymn "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart"

Author: George Croly, 1854

Public Domain

September 1, 2017 Word Alive Press

http://wordalivepress.ca/blogs/459

Check this out! I am the spotlight author at Word Alive Press. That is so cool.

August 1, 2017 - - Revelation 1:5-6

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a
kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:5c-6 ESV

Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who by His crucifixion on the cross bore God's just punishment against our sins, is the One Who loves us and freed us from our sins. Jesus rose from the dead and is seated at the Father's right hand. He is our High Priest--He is praying for us before the Father in heaven.

Those who believe in Jesus and follow Him are priests. As Jesus' priests we renounce sin. As priests, who are such in the power of the Holy Spirit, we offer the parts of our body as instruments of righteousness. As priests in Jesus' Name
we pray for those around us. We pray for those caught in sin that they may be set free. We pray for those who do not know Jesus that they will taken from darkness to light. As priests who know Jesus we bring praise to the Father in heaven. He has chosen us for Himself before the world was created. The Father
loves us and in Jesus has given us every good gift, so our hearts and words and lives bring praise to the Father.

And note well that Jesus, by His resurrection, is gathering a kingdom. The
Spirit is given to believers so that in Jesus' Name we have the moral authority
to judge the world. The followers of Jesus are set free to follow Him, to live
according to the boundary lines set down in Scripture. The world follows Satan,
the Father of lies. The world cannot be neutral or benign. Jesus our King is
restraining the full effects of humanity's sinful rebellion until the full
number of the saints is brought into His Kingdom. Speak the truth about sin and
its consequences. Do not fear what the world can do, our King is reigning and
praying for us and wields the sword of justice which is gaining the victory. The
Day of Judgment will reveal Jesus' complete victory. Glory be to the Father,
Glory be to the Son and Glory be to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Spirit of Truth grant believers to have the eyes of faith so that the victory of
Jesus Christ will be clear to us. Jesus forgive the times we have been
half-hearted soldiers and wavering witnesses. Spirit of Power renew in us the
courage necessary to follow Jesus in all things. Spirit, Who convicts men of
sin, make us bold as witnesses for Jesus so that we will speak to those around
us who are wallowing in the latrine of this world's rottenness and sin. Father
in heaven, thank You that You have revealed glimpses of You glory through the
Bible and shown the radiance of Your glory in Jesus the Savior. Triune God,
preserve Your kingdom of priests in these tumultuous times until the Day when
Your glory will be fully revealed. Amen.

July 31 - Zeal

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, in your hearts honor Christ Jesus the Lord as holy...
I Peter 3:13-15a ESV

Zeal is a great descriptive word. You can imagine someone who loves soccer committing time and energy to improving his skills. Even in the hottest weather or in rain he is not deterred from his practice nor his game.

Such is our zeal for Christ: He is our prize; He is our lasting and great reward. Though others might mock us for our dedication to Him and ridicule us for our willingness to forego sins and the things of the world in order to stay true to Him, we are blessed.

Spirit of God, increase my knowledge of Christ and deepen my intimacy with Him. Forgive my sins. Strip from me whatever would disqualify me from prizing Christ above all. Lead me to many who need to know the Savior's greatness and from my heart's overflow of blessing and zeal enable to speak. Amen.

July 30

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.
John 17:12a ESV

This is Jesus' prayer which He prayed in the time leading up to His betrayal and crucifixion. He already knew Judas Iscariot was leading a band of soldiers towards Him. Jesus knew that His disciples would scatter and abandon Him. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times. Why does this matter? Jesus knew the full extent of the sins of His followers. It is not a surprise to Him. It matters because Jesus kept the eleven remaining disciples in the Father's Name at the cost of His Own life. Their sin, and the punishment their sin deserved, would be covered by the cross. Nor is Jesus surprised by our sins. He knew the fullest extent of the blackness of our heart and thoughts and actions. Jesus stood in our place and received the punishment our sins deserved.

Jesus' death and resurrection means that those who believe in Him are guarded for fullness of life--right now. Our sins are continually being defeated, not in our strength--for we don't have that kind of strength--but by the power of Jesus' Spirit poured out at Pentecost. Those who believe in Jesus have His Spirit. Those who believe in Jesus are receiving the Spirit's ascendancy so that the root causes of sin in us are thrown down and Jesus is becoming our greater joy. Jesus made known to His followers the Father's love and He will continue to make the Father's love known to us. Christ has died and conquered death, therefore He is fully able to save all who believe in Him and bring us to our Father in heaven.

We know the Father's love:
~By the Spirit of God
~through the Word of God
~through the preaching of the Word
~By Jesus' continual intercession/prayers for us
~through confession of our sins and the assurance of forgiveness
~through the love of other Christians

Ask for the Father to forgive your sins in Jesus' Name. Ask for the Spirit to reveal the impulses in your heart which are prompting particular sins and ask that these be rooted out in Jesus' Name. Ask for the courage to forgive those who have hurt you--and then forgive. Join with believers and worship God. Join with believers and encourage one another in holiness.

Thank You, Father in heaven, for the greatness of the love You have shown this world in Jesus. Thank You, Spirit of God, for showing us Jesus. Help us, Spirit of God, to confess our sins and hate them more and more. Increase our love for Jesus. Build into us a greater capacity to truly follow Jesus. Triune God as believers gather for worship, all around the globe this day, may Your praise be magnified in our hearts and in our minds. Equip us for holy service. Through Jesus bring many sons and daughters to the glorious knowledge of You, our Father in heaven. Amen.

July 29

And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

There will come a day when all deeds will be judged. There will be a moment, when Christ returns with all His holy angels and the secret thoughts and sins of all people will be exposed. On that day those who believe in Jesus, by Whom their sins' punishment has been taken away at the cross, will be ushered into eternal life. On the Day of Judgment those who refused Jesus will then be sent to hell. It is a terrible thing to contemplate.

Tomorrow is Sunday. There is the opportunity to be stirred up in faith which is bears of the fruit of love and good works. One sign that you are faithful in Christ is the fact you attend church and encourage others in this important time. When the Bible is faithfully preached believers catch a sense of the greatness of God and His vast mercy shown in Christ.

Tomorrow I'll be preaching at 10 AM in Faith Presbyterian Church, 14 Glendale Dr., Tillsonburg. Plan on going to church and getting spiritually fit.

God our Father by Your Spirit equip Your preachers and missionaries, Your evangelists and chaplains to preach Your Word with power so that Jesus Christ is lifted high and many will be drawn to Him. Amen.