July 27, 2019 - - II Peter 5:17-18 - - Expecting to Grow in Grace

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

II Peter 3:17-18 ESV

There are a few good Christian friends I used to hang around with—it is the past tense because Carolyn and I recently moved from Ontario to Moncton, NB—and when we’d get together often this question would be asked: “What is God teaching you?” It is so easy to talk about politics, weather, fav sports team, most recent failings of our spouse or children, recipes and so on. Such conversations, while not bad in and of themselves should not be all that believers talk about. It is easy to get entangled in the things of the world and lose your sense of stability.

As Christians there is a dominant narrative over-arching our life—we are made to be children of the Living God by the grace of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we expect one another to grow in grace and we call each other to give a joy-filled account of all that God is teaching us. And if “joy-filled” is too much to expect, an honest account of what God is teaching us.

Perhaps He is using our suffering to recalibrate our ego and keep us from thinking too much of ourselves and re-teach us how to depend on Him.

It might be He is using financial stresses to teach us to ask for help—that is a humbling experience. When we have learned how it feels to reach out for help, in turn, when God places us in a position to be helpful to others, we learn to do so with much greater compassion.

We are new to Moncton and finding out how many people already have established social circles. While I am quite a social person, Carolyn is very content to be at home. I am finding out how to use this extra time I would have used for social activities to ask God—with whom should I be meeting and connecting? Before I fill up my calendar with new people and new events, maybe there is someone who is lonely, or needs a friend so that we can mutually build one another up in our precious faith.

Of course, church is an excellent place to learn. There is so much God places on the heart of His faithful preachers and teachers. Tomorrow is Sunday. Plan on going to church and expect to grow in grace and knowledge. If you haven’t attended church in a long time (or ever) get  your programme of spiritual fitness going. Phone a friend and ask to go to church with him or her. Your Christian friend will be honoured you asked and delighted to join you!

I challenge you today, or this week, surprise your Christian friend and ask: “What is God teaching you? I am convinced the answer will be a blessing to you both.

Teach me, O God, Your way of truth. By the powerful presence of Your Spirit help me to understand the Bible, learn about You through faithful preachers, and be sharpened by Christian friends. Let me be taught more about Jesus—Who He is, Why He is to be revered—so that with heart and hands, life and obedience I may serve Him instead of serving the tyrannical lusts of my flesh and the fading, slavery-making pleasures of the world. Heaven and earth will soon pass away, but You have promised, those who trust in You, Jesus, have a Father in heaven Who guards them and blesses them now and for all eternity. Thank You that Your are not some far deity, cold and indifferent, but You are the Father of the fatherless, All-Merciful to the sin-sickened, Guardian of the forgotten, and near as a prayer. Amen.

July 25, 2019 - - Colossians 1:6b-12 - -Who is on yours?

since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 1:6b-12 English Standard Version

What a meaty passage this is! So much is in here. Did you catch the focus here: Paul and his fellow leaders love the people of the church that meets at Colossae so much that they are constantly praying for these folks. Yesterday I read a great illustration of why this is so important:

J.O. Fraser was a missionary in Southwest China, ministering to tribal people living in that very

mountainous region. After some years on the field, he noticed a strange thing. The churches

which were miles away from the city in which he was living seemed to do better than the church

in his own town. He would visit the distant churches occasionally and discovered that they were

healthy, active, dedicated, and growing, much more so than the church in which he ministered

regularly. Why was that so? Finally the Lord showed him. He found out that he prayed far more

diligently for people who were miles away than for those with whom he fellowshipped regularly.

Leroy Eims The Lost Art of Disciple Making page 69

Dear readers, be assured that some of you who are receiving this devotion are regularly and faithfully in my prayers. It is one of the best ways I know how to pray for you. Others of you receiving these devotions are, by your own admission, not Christians—doesn’t matter, you are in my prayers and whatever God has placed on my heart concerning you I keep in prayer. And the others of you receiving this are sporadically in my prayers and God is challenging my heart to learn how to be more persistent in prayer. He alone brings the blessings. He alone is the source of every good gift—as James 1 reminds us.

As you consider the text from Colossians and what I have written, I have some questions for you! Who is the focus of your prayers? Certainly there are emergency prayers and crisis times when someone gets lots of your prayer attention—but who is long-term part of your prayers? As you read this and consider this, who is God nudging you to once again keep in prayer?

God our Father, thank You for the work of Your Spirit Who guards believers so that we are kept faithful in Jesus and directed in faithful living for Jesus. Thank You, God of Mercy and love, for the gift of prayer. Thank You that if we are praying right beside our loved one, or clear across the continent or the world, our prayers truly express love for that person. Thank You, Prayer-Hearing-Master, that You have chosen to work through the prayers of Your people. Thank You for the deep and clear reminder that we do not work in our own strength, but all our work is done in the strength of Your Spirit, based on Jesus’ finished work on our behalf. Forgive us for the times we have neglected to pray. Forgive us for the times we do not persist in showing love because we are failing to persist in prayer for our loved ones. Thank You, Spirit of All Comfort, that You never get weary of bringing compunction to our thoughts so that we confess our sins to God. Thank You God, that as often as we confess our sins, You are faithful and forgive us. God, please! Renew in us a zeal to be faithful. Hear the prayer words and the voiceless, in articulate pleading of our heart, the deep groans and longings we pour out to You—we ask this to honour Your Son, our Savior, Jesus. Amen.

July 24, 2019 -- I John 4:17-18 -- Perfect love drives out fear

17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

I John 4 English Standard Version

Perfect love casts out fear. There are enough things I fear. There are so many diversions I meander along rather than face these fears. The promise of the Bible is that perfect love casts out fear. The problem is that I don’t have perfect love. My love ebbs and flows, rises and falls and sometimes seems so thin. How can such love drive out fear? It can’t.

Perfect love refers to the love of God. Consider this translation of I John 4, it is Eugene Petersen’s translation:

17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

I John 4 The Message

Recently Carolyn and I moved to Moncton. There is a river running through the downtown—the Petitcodiac River. It has a tide—every six hours and twenty five minutes the tide rushes in and the river begins filling and swelling and when it reaches its peak, the river begins draining—going out with the tide—for six hours and twenty-five minutes it rushes out. And then the whole process begins again. For this Ontario boy, it is quite a sight. I am unaccustomed to a river with a tide! But the illustration is great. I feel there are times the tide pulls in and the waters of love rush in and displace fear. But all too often, with too much regularity, it feels like the courage that accompanies love is just draining out of me. This illustration is not what I John 4 is picturing. Look again at the passage—especially the Message translation.

God moves in. He takes up residence in the heart of the believer. His presence displaces fear. His grandeur and the weight of glory fills my thoughts and heart so that what is said earlier in this very same chapter is true: ‘for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” God is greater than my fears. God’s love is perfect and it is being perfected in me.

Here I am preaching to my own soul this morning. When fear seems to have overtaken me, or fear seems to be all I see, then the Word of God reminds me—Jesus has taken up residence in my heart. Jesus, Who endured the cross, the punishment of God against my sin, that same Jesus lives in my heart and He brings His perfect love to me and as my love waxes or wanes, the flow of His love fills me up in every part. The love of Jesus Christ is taking up residence in every part of my life. When I allow myself to give in to fear, what I am doing is opening the small storage space of unbelief, the places where I keep the dilapidated trophies of my old life and every time these disappoint. Just as they did at first so they continue to do now, they fail me. Only the love of Jesus, perfect and relentless, drives out fear.

Read the Bible. Get re-acquainted, o my soul, with the grandeur of God. Think on His splendour and power.

Look at creation—God the Creator, never tires of calling out the sun to shine and at night giving the moon and the stars in their courses. For the last five thousand seven hundred and seventy plus years He has never tired of giving orders to the sun to rise and set. He never wearies of commanding sun rises and sun sets, or delighting in the ordering of the constellations. Know this, fearful heart, this same Majestic God of Power will never tire of directing His love into every part of my being.

Consider the cross, oh fearful and fickle mind, look—Jesus’ perfect love for His Father and great obedience unmanned the devil and disarmed all his fiery barbs. Jesus’ love is perfect and it is His love that is filling me and displacing my fear.

Father of all mercy, thank You for Your patient, steadfast love for a fickle and floundering Christian such as I am. Jesus, thank You for Your perfect love, which drives out all fear. I confess this morning that is not my experience of Your love: perfect and driving out all my fear; however that is the promise of Your Word. Your Spirit verifies as true all that the Bible teaches. So, Spirit of God, remind me over and over again of the royal resident, Jesus, Who lives in me. Spirit of God let the truth of the Word drive out any and all fear. Spirit of God clear out all the go-to-cupboards of my heart where fear would still linger within me. Spirit of God, Who ever points me to Jesus, in my heart, in my words, in my life, let King Jesus, be glorified to the praise of the Father in heaven. Amen.

July 23, 2019 -- Titus 2:11-14 -- You a lightweight?

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 2:11-14 ESV

What great grace God gives believers in Jesus Christ! We are transformed from hell-bound sinners into heaven-bound saints. The heaven-bound saint realizes worldly passions and ungodliness are weights and encumbrances which steal joy and cloud the vision of the glory of our great God and Savior.

Glory is a difficult term for us to understand. There is an expression that used to be more common. Remember when you’d call some “a light-weight”. It meant the person didn’t have much to recommend him in whatever field or area of supposed expertise he claimed to have. In the Old Testament “glory” originally means weight. God is the heavy-weight, He is substantial. In the New Testament, glory is brilliance, radiance, and bright light.

Paul writing to Titus notes that the glory of God outweighs any other consideration. The glory of God shines brighter than anything else we might consider worthy of praise. The radiance of God’s glory draws us, like a moth to the brightness. Ever have it, at night, you get up and there is a bit of light leaking through the curtains. It is dim, but enough to make your way to the hall. Where you turn on a light and suddenly you have to shield your eyes because of the brightness?! Then when you turn off the light, the darkness is deeper because you’ve just been exposed to the bright light? Even in a room that is familiar where you know the placement of your furniture you begin to stumble because your eyes are struggling to adjust to the suddenly gloom.

So it is for Christians, the eyes of our soul have seen the splendid glory of Jesus Christ—the things of this world are dim and shrouded in darkness. Suddenly the things that seemed important and weighed heavily on us are exposed as encumbrances and light-weight useless stuff to be discarded when compared with the gravitas of the majesty and goodness of God. No wonder Christians who understand Who Christ is have a zeal to do good works. The good works are not carried out in order to curry favour with God—the good works are enthusiastically pursued because of the glory of God—Who has already claimed us in Christ and called us sons and daughters. It is the joy of the soul, the heart, the mind and the strength of the Christian to serve God.

Thank You, God our Father, that grace has appeared and set the world ablaze with weight the Your splendour seen clearly in the work of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, that You would not leave us lost in darkness and hell-bound, but by Your sacrifice and the power of Your resurrection have rescued us and set us heaven-bound toward the never-ending jubilation of eternity in Your presence. Thank You, Spirit of God, that You stir up within us the awareness the greatness of the inheritance given us in Christ and that You keep us safe in path of obedience. Forgive us, merciful Father, for the times we have turned back to deeds of darkness and former sins. Forgive us when we stoked bitterness in our hearts or nurtured resentments. Sweep through the whole of our being—every part and place so that we are cleansed and fitted for holy service. Help us, Spirit of God, to hate the old ways of life more and more and to delight ever more fully in the things of God and the lasting pleasures which are found only in devoted service to You. Amen.

July 22, 2019 -- Psalm 8 -- The Glory of God

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[b]
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

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

Psalm 8 English Standard Version

The measure of man is mere millimeters compared to the greatness of the universe;

the splendour of the universe is a mere millimeter compared to the glory of God.

Richard T. Vander Vaart

One does not go the Banff National Park nestled in the mountains and gaze at Lake Louise and walk the Parker Ridge Trail in order to gain a sense of how great man is! If anything, at Banff one will get a marvelous sense of wonder, showing how small man really is. Or, like David, the author of this psalm, one does not gaze up at the heavens and think: I am great. Instead, we are reminded of how very, very small man is.

The great, breath-taking glory of God is revealed in creation. And then, greater still, when one considers the magnificence of Jesus. He, Who is the radiance of the Father’s glory, reveals even greater depths and heights of glory when He takes on the sin of mankind, and opens the way for believers to be called sons and daughters of the Most High God.

Today, I can think of no better prayer than repeating Psalm 8.

Shalom

July 20, 2019 - - Ephesians 4:17-18 - - Gentile or Believer?

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their heart.

Ephesians 4:17-18 ESV

What is the futility of the Gentile’s thinking? Simply this: they are alienated from the life of God—they refuse to acknowledge God and His right to command all our living. “Gentile” in this context is shorthand for non-believer. One description of the hubris of the Gentile that I recently heard stays with me. This one man, who claimed not to believe in God, was asked what would happen if he died and was confronted with God? The man had a response that was filled with pride and ignorance. What strikes me is this man had seriously considered what he would say to God. He had spent time thinking about what he’d say to this God, the same God he thinks doesn’t exist. Let me pose a different scenario.

Let’s say this same man (who claimed not to believe in God) were to be asked about the Easter Bunny: “If you are confronted with the Easter Bunny, what would you say?” Immediately we know this is nonsensical, right? There is absolutely no doubt the Easter Bunny is imaginary. However, in contrast even the hard-hearted unbeliever has a sense there might be a god or some supreme power. There are unbelievers who have hardened their hearts against God, claiming not to believe, but still saying things like: “I don’t believe in God. I hate Him.”

There is Gentile belief: the universe created itself (which is completely illogical—how can something which does not exist at one moment at the same time make itself to exist?). Gentile belief claims the self-creating universe also used non-life to create life. That takes great faith.

Then there is the believer. As a believer I am united to the life of God. The Spirit of the Living God resides in me. The Spirit of the Living God takes the Scripture and makes it plain so that I know all that exists was created by the LORD of Heaven and Earth—He alone is self-existent and outside of creation and time. Whether or not there is a universe, there was, is and always will be the Triune. As a believer I am united to the life of God because Jesus Christ has taken on Himself the punishment for my sins and given to me His right and holy life so that God the Father sees me as one who has the credit which belongs to Jesus. The Father in heaven has accepted Jesus standing in the place of believers, taking their sin on Himself at the cross, and in exchange giving them His righteousness. That takes great faith.

Tomorrow is Sunday. Get to a Bible-believing church and learn more about the God Who exists. You’ll never be sorry you did! It is nothing short of the greatest adventure to serve Him.

Mighty God of Untold Splendor and Majesty—thank You for making Yourself known through creation, and through the Bible and then most beautifully in the Person of Jesus Christ. Increase our faith and our hunger to participate more fully in the life of God. We pray, urgently and persistently, for the people in our lives whom we love who are living as Gentiles, hardening their hearts against believing in You. Spirit of God, break through the shell of their unbelieving and give to them a heart that is tender towards You, Creator, the God of mercy. Prepare us, this Sunday, to receive all whom You will bring to church so that we will welcome them, in the Name of Jesus, and share with them the depths and heights of joy that You give in Jesus our Saviour. Amen.

July 19, 2019 -- Galatians 5:22-24

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24 ESV

This is a rather well-known portion of Galatians. It is easy to lift it from its context and miss the weight of what is being said. Paul had just written a really harsh letter, bawling out the Galatians for what seems to be their bewitchment at the teachings of heretics and then quickly abandoning their sure faith in Jesus. He was calling them to account. He wants them to examine their foolish ways and return to Jesus.

I am reminded of the fact that the fruit of the Spirit, those nine attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control come to fruition in the believer through hardship. One must beat down the passions of the flesh, ignore contrary teachings denying the faith and resist the urgings and temptations peers constantly throw about.

We are funny people. On the one hand we can get enraged if we have to stand in line at the bank or grocery store for what we think is too long a wait. We want preferential treatment. On the other hand, if we see someone else getting preferential treatment, perhaps going to the front of the line the very line we have been standing in for the past ten minutes, we can begin to fume and wonder: “what’s so special about that person?!”

The fruit of the Spirit develops and matures under conditions where there is hardship and ease. Think of regular fruit what it requires and it endures. Fruit grows with sunshine and needs rain. However hard rains and storms that threaten it. Ripening fruit endures high winds and insect predations or drought conditions. For believers, the fruit of the Spirit is both the gift of God and it matures as the believer exercises his or her faith in each and every circumstance of life. An immature tree produces only a little fruit, appropriate to its age. A mature tree has a strong root system and the ability to produce much fruit. As we show the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, God is honoured and glorified, and the people around us marvel that we have characteristics which are evidence of the grace of God.

Jesus, we need more and more of Your grace as we navigate the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We are easily pricked to reactions that are disproportionate to the wrong we perceive has been done against us. Thank You for the fruit of Your Spirit growing within us. Spirit of God, by Your presence in us, direct our living so that we walk in step with Jesus in the light of sacred Scripture. Spirit of God, forgive us for the times we do not exercise the fruit of faith You give us. Spirit of Comfort and Power, there are many believers around the globe who have much greater trials as they face great persecution for their faith at the hands of their government, their employers, and even their own families. Aid them in our precious faith so that they will mature in the fruit of the Spirit to the glory of Jesus and the honour and credit of God’s Name. Even so, increase our faith and our maturity also that in all things God our Father is blessed and honoured and Jesus Christ will reap the harvest which exalts His sacrifice and His victory. Amen.

July 18, 2019 - - II Corinthians 10:17-18 - - Our Boast is in Jesus

Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved,

but the one whom the Lord commends.

II Corinthians 10:17-18 ESV

A four year old child hands you her most recent picture. It is supposed to be you—your head is bigger than your belly and you have no feet, but you do have one hand, with nine fingers. She is so earnest, seeking your approval and showing you her love. As an adult you know it is all messed up. As a parent you know it is age appropriate and beautiful.

In so many ways I feel like that four year old. The gifts I give to God are so misshapen, so haphazard and yet given with love. The offerings I bring are done quickly, so often it is just scribbling and rushing, rather than thoughtful, patient, and completed over a longer time to allow for maturing and improvement.

Knowing the effort I put into something and the effort that is lacking, I am still looking for validation. I want to boast. I want to say “I did that.” Or I’ll post something and wait for someone to approve. Commend me. Tell me it is good. Disappointed if no one comments. Disbelieving even if they do compliment knowing the work is not good enough.

Paul is writing to the Corinthians. Ah, we know all about those Corinthians. They are tolerating gross sexual immorality (until this letter, part II where we learn they heeded Paul’s admonition against such sin). They boast about which leader they follow. They have dissensions among them. There are some who are dying because they are abusing the Lord’s Supper. What a raucous, motley group. And yet, there is a reason to boast.

Their boast is in Christ alone. He has lifted them up from the grave of their sins. Jesus has clothed them in His righteousness. Their boast is in Him alone. That is our boast too. We have been brought from death in our sinfulness, to life in Christ. That is why He is our boast and our song.

At the end of this second letter Paul encourages them to aim for reconciliation and to live at peace. He reminds them of this: the grace of the Lord Jesus is with them. Of course these Corinthians will fail. So do we!Of course their best works are as dung and poorly drawn pictures. Just as are the works we do, rot and incompleteness. The point is not one of us has any reason to stand before God and say: “Look at how good I am”. When we go before God, as sons and daughters of the Most High we joyfully say, “Look how good Christ is. See the beauty and perfections of Your Son—all that He has given me so that I am qualified in Him to be adopted as Yours. Great is Jesus—the Captain of our Salvation!” And our Father in heaven sees the our poor efforts as perfected and lovely because of Jesus Christ.

Thank You God for the great promise that You, Who began a good in us, will see it to completion in Jesus Christ. Spirit of God, make the Word of God and the promises we find in it, food for our soul, and increase for our intellect and cheerful obedience. Amen.

July 16, 2019 -- I Corinthians 4:20 - - Power

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

I Corinthians 4:20 English Standard Version

That single, simple sentence jumped out at me this morning as I was reading the Bible! We all know the expression: “He’s all talk but no action”. The believer who is part of the Kingdom of God is one who experiences the power of God and lives in the power of God. Talk and action are bound together by the power of God. Let me explain.

The power of God for us

We cannot save ourselves. We cannot pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and somehow present ourselves to God as acceptable. He is holy. He is a consuming fire. Nothing impure can come into His presence. That is why the power of Jesus’ work on our behalf is so awe-inspiring. While we were yet sinners, Jesus took the punishment God was going to pour out on us because of our on-going state of sinfulness and He took it on Himself. Then Jesus’ holy living—the fact that all through His life from the very start to the very last moment as He was cursed on the cross and dying, He lived without sinning in word, or action, or thought—has been credited to us.

The power of Jesus, the Kingdom of God, is given to believers in Jesus Christ. Our sins are wiped clean. Our past, present and all future misdeeds, sins we commit as well as the sin of knowing the good we should do and not doing it—all these sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. And God our Father sees us as His beloved children, pure and holy because He sees us as those who have received the credit belonging to Jesus.

The power of God in us.

Knowing the power of God for us almost makes me freeze, like a deer in the headlights. Anything I do will be wrong—I want to do right and end up making a mess of things. It seems tempting to freeze and not do anything good or bad so that I won’t commit any further sin until Jesus returns. But that would make my faith all talk and no action. As if God had the power to save us from our sin but had no power to preserve us and let us live in His blessings. Here is some of the glorious truth of the Gospel that brings comfort and hope. God’s power is in us as well.

God has given believers the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Power. The very Spirit of God lives in us. He is, as the letter to the Ephesians declare it, the Spirit is both the deposit guaranteeing our new life in Jesus and the Spirit is the Giver of knowledge of the Bible so that we learn to live more fully for Jesus (Ephesians 1:14 17).

The Spirit of God and the Word of God give us the power to not only talk about the will of and work of God, but the power to do the things of God so that we bring to God pleasure! Don’t take my word on this, check out Philippians 2:13.

God has given us the powerful gift of forgiveness. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that as often as we ask for forgiveness, God is faithful and for the honour and glory of His Son, forgives us our sins. The fact we need forgiveness points to the wondrous work and the mighty blessing Jesus is for us who believe. Jesus’ work is miraculous and powerful, our sins prove His inestimable worth as these sins have been emptied of the power of hell by the Almighty Power of Jesus which is power to save from hell and keep for heaven those who believe in Him.

More than this—Jesus gives us the power to delight in His blessings. The old proverb: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” doesn’t apply to Christians. We are not saved and then stare backwards longingly at the sins of non-Christians and sigh and say: “I gave up so much to follow Jesus.” No way! The former way of life led directly to hell. The former way of life was blindness to all that is beautiful, all that is true, all that is excellent and noble. Jesus Christ gives us the power to rejoice in knowing God. It is the power of Jesus to give us joy in following Him, no matter the cost.

All-powerful Saviour Jesus, we confess this day, that we feel weak. The great things which this short text hold out to us today can seem so far away, so unlikely to apply to me—maybe it is for others, but it is really for me? Thank You, Father in heaven that Your Kingdom is not just a bunch of empty words, but that Your Word is power. Thank You Jesus that Your resurrection power lives in us. Thank You Spirit of God that You guarantee the great and awesome things of God to those who believe. Increase our faith. Increase our capacity for joyful believing and faithful obedience so that people see us and know the Kingdom of God is not all talk but it is the power of Jesus. Amen.

July 15, 2019 -- Daniel 3:1, 4-6 -- Who is God?

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits…And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:1,4-6 ESV

Yesterday our preacher at Mt. Zion here in Moncton, NB, was a divinity student named: Tim Collins. He did an awesome job explaining this text. What really stood out for me, among other things, was this statement he made: “I am not sure how one commissions a god”. We might chuckle at foolishness of the ancients. A king who sets up a god and people who are naïve enough to bow down. Collins made a great point that shows the relevance for us today.

Consider the idol our own government has set up. While purporting to be a federal government, ruling all the people and respecting all kinds of people and their practices, yet the requirement to apply for federal funding has this despicable basis:

Employers from the not-for-profit, public and private sector may apply for wage contributions under the Canada Summer Jobs initiative.

Private sector employers must have 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada to be eligible. Full-time employees are those working 30 hours or more per week.

To be eligible, the core mandate of the organization must respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The attestation is required for the application to be considered complete and eligible for assessment.

Note: That an organization is affiliated with a religion does not itself constitute ineligibility for this program.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/canada-summer-jobs/eligibility.html

This is reprehensible. Believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, who are faithful to the Word of God cannot apply for federal funding where the requirement is to endorse the murder of children, let alone the other stipulations which elevate disordered sexuality to the point where even Christian values are required to be subservient to it. If you spend a bit of time thinking about it, you realize, this is how a government today commissions a god. The Canadian government has set up a god by mandating a belief system contrary to the rule of God—the very rule of God which once governed our land. For the Christian the Word of God and allegiance to Jesus Christ supersedes all these false gods.

How then shall we live as Christians?

Pray for our government—that Christian MP’s and MPP’s will be heard. Pray for bold Christian advisors to our government who will speak against the errors of commissioning these false gods. The glorious highlight of Daniel 3 is the confession of Nebuchadnezzar that God is true.

Pray for fellow believers and for yourselves, that we will be able to stand against these draconian regulations. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego defied Nebuchadnezzar’s decree. They were thrown into a fiery furnace, but God spared them. Yet before they knew whether or not the LORD would spare they, they made this declaration to the king: “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Live in obedience to Jesus Christ. This is the most potent witness to the world around us. When a non-Christian sees the follower of Jesus Christ living joyfully, boldly, and thankfully in a world that is in rebellion against God, it is such a powerful witness to Christ our King. Remember the words of Daniel 3:17, “we serve” it is an on-going action, faithful service to the Living God, day in and day out, week in and week out.

God of Glory, You spoke through the prophet Isaiah, witnessing to Your majesty when You declared:

“To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

An idol! A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts silver for its chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skilled craftsman

to set up an idol that will not move.

To whom will you compare me,

that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out the their hosts by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might,

and because he is strong in power

not one of them is missing.

There is no power, no authority, no might, no dominion that is anywhere that is in Your league or even comes close to Your greatness. Sovereign of Heaven and Earth thank You for the men and women who serve in government here in Canada who acknowledge You alone as Lord. Thank You for their dedicated service. Everlasting God, You Who give power to the weak, strengthen us to live as faithful servants of Jesus Christ in this difficult day and age. Rule us by Your Word and Spirit. Amen.

quotation: Isaiah 40:18-20; 25-26 ESV

July 14, 2019 -- Romans 6:20-22 Whose Slave are You?

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?

For the end of those things is death.

But now that you have been set free from sin

and have become slaves of God

the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end,

eternal life.

Romans 6:20-22 English Standard Version

The passage is, in many ways, offensive to those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ. It is offensive because such persons likely do not see themselves as “slaves of sin”. Our world has this concept of neutrality. We can see the world without bias. That is a lie. All of us have a starting point. All of us have our own compass that guides our thinking. In this brief passage, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is taking direct aim at the lie of neutrality.

There are many people today who do not attend church, do not claim a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the King of their lives, and yet, they believe they will enter heaven. Why? Such people claim many excuses, you’ve heard them, things like:

My good deeds outweigh my bad deeds

God is love and He wouldn’t throw me into hell

There are many people far worse than I am

If you are not all-in for Jesus and serving Him, you are a slave of sin. You have no claim on God, no claim on His righteousness, you are caught up in the tangled webs of your sins and the lies you tell yourself have no impact on God. You are ‘free from righteousness’. God is under no obligation to save you, help you, or bring you into His heaven. The result of being free from righteousness and embracing your own way of life apart from God is death and hell.

Conversely, God in His great mercy, provides freedom from sin for those who are slaves of sin. At the cross on Calvary the penalty for our sins has been fully paid upon the body and mind, soul and life of Jesus. He stood in our place. Those who confess their sinfulness; those who realize they are not “neutral” with regards to sin and wickedness are released from the kingdom of darkness are brought into the kingdom of God and of His Son. The Spirit of God then rules our hearts and minds, our hands and our souls so that we are slaves of God.

Wait—I don’t want to be a slave—I can hear many protesting right now. The fact of the matter is all of us are slaves. We are either slaves of sin or we are slaves of God. There is no middle ground. There is no neutral place. It is not my opinion, it is the Word of God that teaches me this difficult truth. And life experience shows me the reality of it. When I set out to do the right thing, it never ceases to amaze me (and shame me) how quickly and easily I compromise! All any of us needs to do is think of our New Year’s Resolutions—they’re usually knocked down and forgotten quicker than we’d care to admit. We are slaves.

For the Christian, it is the power of God which is restraining our unbridled sinfulness. He rules us by His Word and His Spirit. We are changed from the inside out. In the light of Christ and the high standard He sets for holiness, we see how far we miss the mark of right living. And thanks be to God, we confess our sins and acknowledge our wrong-doing and the righteousness—the holy-living of Jesus—is credited to our account.

As slaves of God He brings the fruit of sanctification—the life of holiness takes hold of us and sin becomes more and more distasteful to us. Sanctification means we grow to admire, love and follow Jesus more whole-heartedly. We begin to see clearly the demarcation between being a slave of sin and being a slave of God and the later is the only way of hope and peace and joy!

This is a difficult teaching. However, if the Spirit of God is giving you a sense of dissatisfaction with your life and an awareness of the power of sin in your life, if you are tired of lying to yourself about how good you are, speak with a Christian friend. Know God is reaching out to you and showing you a new way of life. Jesus Himself says of His followers: “I no longer call you slaves…but I call you friends” (John 15:15). Oh, it is my prayer, that all of you reading this devotion today may find this great joy—being the friend of Jesus.

King Jesus, thank You for the power of the cross. Thank You that You have paid for all my sins! Thank You, Merciful Father in heaven, that You declare men and women, youth and children to be Yours by the power of the cross. Thank You Father in heaven for the gift of Your Holy Spirit—taking the Word and by it wrestling our consciences to the ground until we hate our slavery to sin and become Your slaves. Thank You Jesus, that You call the slaves of God Your friends—for when You walked this earth in Your flesh You lived as the slave of God and did so perfectly and with great joy and perseverance. Jesus, Captain of Salvation, there are many friends, many family members who are lying to themselves and think they are “okay” while in fact they are dead to the things of God and slaves of sin. Break the power of sin, Great Jesus. Help these people who are dear to me, become slaves of God and Your friends. Amen.

July 13, 2019 -- Acts 20:1-4 -- You--make disciples for Jesus

After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.

Acts 20 English Standard Version

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ final words were the Great Commission. Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations. What I so appreciate about Luke’s record of Paul’s ministry is that Paul is always making disciples. He is always teaching others the way of the Master. Such disciples accompany him on his trips. They receive encouraging letters. They pray with him. They join him in his ministry efforts. In all his life and work, he is always bringing people with him who see the reality of his faith and his passion for Jesus.

While reading a back-issue of Christian Renewal I came across this awesome, penetrating quotation:

I find that every church I go to is talking discipleship and disciple-making

as a core value - but I somehow don’t see it. It is what I call a preferred value

rather than an actual value, much like evangelism is in many church

situations. It’s what we are supposed to do - rather than what we do, and I

guess it is because our culture of individualism sees it as a program rather

then a lifestyle of sacrifice and inconvenience.

Christian Renewal April 19, 2019 “Talking a Good Game”, page 5

We are ALWAYS making disciples in one way or another. We are either discipling others in sin and rebellion against God or we are teaching them the joy of obedience. In our rebelliousness we talk about movies, we speak of sports, we analyze our fav TV show endlessly and talk politics and economics, we recruit for our clubs—but we studiously do not talk about Jesus. Not wanting to be offensive to the people in our world we offend the King of Glory. In our work and play, in our social times and school times, do we talk about Jesus? If not, we are discipling for evil, rather than good. All of our life is sacred, it is to be consciously lived in the presence of Christ our Saviour.

Do not embark on a program of disciple-making—let it be how you live. In all your life, work and play, social times and structured times, in sickness and in health, retirement and school times live as a disciple-maker. Here are some suggestions to carry this out:

Ask God: Who have You placed in my life as a potential disciple? I recall a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. She committed this to God and said: “Because of this cancer I’ll meet people I wouldn’t normally meet, help me to witness for You.” As a result, in the oncologist’s waiting room, she invited a couple to church (and they came). She witnessed to her doctor, who was so surprised that she was calm in the face of death—because, she testified, Jesus has defeated the power of the grave!

Commit to God that you will continue your activities with that person (golf, running, coffee visits, meals, whatever it is) and you will speak of God in very conversation. You will shine the light of Christ always.

Expect God will bring into your life someone to disciple and teach. We live in a culture of lonely people—we have cell phones and instagram, Facebook and Zoom, you name it, there are hundreds of ways to connect, and many, many people in our lives are hungry for real friends who talk about things that matter. Be that friend. Intentionally involve that person in various aspects of your life and meet regularly.

Be prepared to be surprised in this wonderful way—the more you share your faith in God and the joy of serving Him, the more you’ll delight in your faith in God and the deeper will be your joy in serving Him.

Sovereign LORD of Heaven and Earth—thank You for choosing me to be Your child by the blood and grace of Jesus Christ. Send Your Spirit to me so that disciple-making will be for me a way of life; send Your Spirit ahead of me so that the person, or people, You intend for me to disciple will be obvious to me. As I pray this, I may feel too old, or too young, too inexperienced or too shy or in some other way unusable as a disciple-maker—but I know this: You chose the foolish things of this world, the weak ones so that no one will boast in their own strength but will boast in Jesus Christ alone whenever and wherever there is victory. Therefore I know this: You chose me to be Your witness and a disciple-maker. In my life, King Jesus, reap the reward of Your suffering all to the glory of our Father in heaven. Amen.

July 12, 2019 -- Numbers 12:3 - - Meekness or Weakness

Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

Numbers 12:3 ESV

The original language in which this verse is written is: Hebrew. The word “meek” is actually used two times in a row. Since the Hebrew language does not have an exclamation point, the doubling up of a word means it is emphatic. The context and remainder of the sentence confirms this, that Moses is more meek than all the people who were on the face of the earth. What an unusual word: “meek”.

Recently I was reading something written by Eric Liddell, the British Olympic Champion of 1924 who refused to run his best competition race, the 100 meter, because the Olympic trials were to be held on a Sunday. Instead, he then registered for the 400 meter trials because these were not held on a Sunday. His biography is the basis of the movie: “Chariots of Fire.” Liddell was also a very well-known missionary to China.

Liddell sketched out a wonderful, simple way to distinguish what it is to be meek. When reading his bible he asked himself what is the difference between “meekness” and “weakness”? Here is what he wrote:

What is the difference? Both may be kind and gentle. Is the difference the element of fear?

Meek—kind and gentle and fearless.

Weak—kind and gentle and led by fear.

Meek—is love in the presence of wrong.

Liddell “Sermon on the Mount: For Sunday School Teachers”

That’s a great aid in discerning what meekness is. I found this very helpful. There are many instances in my life when I am faced with the wrong and it is tempting to get angry—as if a show of anger or temper will help me get my way. But to be kind and gentle, fearless and to speak in love in the presence of wrong, what divine power that has.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus taught: “blessed are the meek”, also written as “blessed are the poor in spirit”. Here meekness is to be filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His victory over our sin, His punishment in our place for all our wrong-doing, and humble willingness then to serve Him in every place and every situation we find ourselves in so that Jesus is lifted high and His Name is credited.

Sometimes I have thought being meek is like being a doormat to everyone in every situation. No way. It is the holy boldness in Jesus Name to stand up for the right in the presence of wrong with and to do so with gentleness and kindness and without fear. Jesus is our Captain. Jesus has our back. Jesus will bring us to the place of Victory whether or not in that particular moment we were able to win the day, by our holy meekness we were able to guard the reputation of Jesus, making His reputation great in our own eyes and before the watching eyes of the world.

Holy Jesus, enable us to walk in meekness before the majesty of Your greatness and live out meekness in every situation You place us in. Remind us that the circumstances of our lives are not happenstances or accidents, but You know all things, direct all things so that we will grow in grace and the people around us will be presented with the glory of Who You Are by how we act. Jesus, forgive us for our willfulness. Forgive us, King Jesus, for the times we have been weak, rather than meek. As the Lord of our lives we ask You to direct our words and actions by Your Spirit living in us and the instruction of the Bible so that in all things we will bring praise and credit to our Father in heaven. Amen.

July 11, 2019 -- Acts 9:10-19 -- Most Unlikely Convert

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

Acts 9 ESV

Name the most unlikely convert in your circle of family or friends. Think of the person you know who is most unlikely to become a Christian. What are the chances this man or woman or youth would ever yield to the grace and glory of Jesus Christ? Humanly speaking: no chance. But our passage today shines with the radiance of Jesus Christ and the power of His Kingdom.

In our reading today Ananias is presented as a faithful believer. He has been commanded to pray for Saul (who, one day would be known as Paul the Apostle). Saul killed Christians. Threw Christians in prison. He would be the most unlikely convert ever, certainly as far as Ananias was concerned. Yet God took hold of Saul’s heart and changed him from a man who inflicted suffering on Christians to a man who one day would willingly suffer for the Name and the glory of Jesus, his King.

There is surely a person in your life who needs to know Jesus. A person who, like Saul (Paul) is resisting God and violent in his attitude towards believers. Pray for that person. God’s power and His salvation is greater than all that person’s sin. Be persistent in prayer for the person whom the Spirit has placed on your heart. Pray, knowing if your stubborn and rebellious heart can be conquered for Jesus then so can the life and heart of the one for whom Jesus has commanded you to pray.

King Jesus, as I read the Bible, increase my faith. Help me to see You and know You more fully as the Son of God, full of grace and truth. Give me a greater measure of Your Spirit so that I will pray faithfully and persistently for that person whom You have placed on my heart. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit let Your glory rise on new believers like the dawn of a new day. Amen.

July 10, 2019 -- John 14:18-19 -- Does the world hate you?

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own;

but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,

therefore the world hates you.

John 14:18-19 ESV

To whom are you accommodating your words and actions and behaviour? If you are trying to be more and more like the world, the devil would have no reason to threaten you and tempt you from this path of destruction. If you are trying to be more and more like Jesus, walking in obedience to His Word in the power of His Spirit, the world will hate you. Do not be surprised by the onslaught of troubled heaped up against you by the world.

So, the first issue is this—follow Jesus Christ. Know that the consequence of obedience to Jesus will be hatred by the people of this world. They will question you, mock you, and find you bewildering. They will try to undercut you at work. They will speak evil behind your back, or perhaps to your face. Christians around our world are facing: job loss, imprisonment, death, daughters being kidnapped and married off in order to force their renunciation of Christianity. Closer to home, those who are masquerading as Christians will be exposed as frauds when they tell you “tone it down” or “stop being so radical for Jesus, you are causing a scene.”

Then notice Jesus’ words of great assurance: “I chose you out of the world.” If we are out of step with the world, it is a blessing to know that Jesus chose us. If we are privileged to suffer for Him that means by His Word and His Spirit He will give us the strength and the grace we need to withstand the hatred of the world. When we fail and recognize our failings, Jesus will also intercede with the Father on our behalf, pleading His sacrifice to cover our sins. And His righteousness to be applied in the place of our sinfulness. What a glorious Saviour.

If today is a particularly tough day, know the Jesus is praying for you. Remember Your Father in heaven is guarding you as the apple of His eye. Find a Christian friend to pray with if things are difficult. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you, He has chosen you as His own.

King Jesus, thank You for the protection You give: Your cleansing blood, Your righteousness and Your prayers on our behalf at the Father’s right hand in heaven. Armed with such beautiful knowledge and deep assurance, give us the bold confidence we need to be Your representatives in this world. Give us the quietness of spirit and peace to see others around us who might be struggling in their faith and in Your precious Name, Captain of Salvation, may we stalwart encouragers and prayer warriors on their behalf. Amen.

July 7, 2019 - - Numbers 16:1-5

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. 2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, 5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.”

Numbers 16:1-5 ESV

In the book of Numbers many rebellions are recorded. The people of Israel, newly delivered from Egypt, rebel against the LORD and grumble because He is feeding them manna and they wanted meat, like they had when they were slaves in Egypt. Moses own sister and brother rebel against Moses and so they rebel against the LORD. The spies, sent to spy out Canaan—the Land of Milk and Honey which the LORD had promised on oath to give to His people—ten of the twelve spies rebelled against God and said the land’s people are giants and too mighty to be conquered. So, our reading this morning is just part of the long list of rebellions against the rule of God.

Why does this matter?

Well, when I read this I am tempted to say, “Okay, LORD, deal with Your people and wipe them out. Pay them back for their sins.” What does Moses do? As with every other time the people rebel, he prays. He falls on His face and intercedes for the people who are rebelling. Moses, though just a man, weak himself, is a forerunner of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Perfect Leader, the Captain of our Salvation, Who ever lives to pray for us.

This passage is a strong reminder for us to check the rebel-uprising in our own hearts. How easily we grumble and complain against God and His anointed. Though we have been delivered from the chains of our sin and bondage to the addictions of our sinful lusts—instead of humble, awe-filled thanksgiving and gratitude, we are found complaining.

What does this teach us?

Sin has so infected our thinking, our intuition and every part of our being, that we cannot live without a master. We will either be Mastered by Jesus Christ and by His Spirit be brought completely under His rule, or we will be mastered by the devil and the tyranny of our own lusts, the world, and the wicked philosophies of this world. There is no neutral position.

What we can take away from this?

Why does Scripture record all these rebellions? To highlight the mercy of God. He is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, full of compassion. As often as we recognize our sin and repent of it, so often does He show mercy and forgiveness. It is the glory of God to rescue the very people who know that their sins are constantly trying to drag them away from Him. The humble in spirit, the people who know their own hearts well enough to know their rebelliousness are the ones rescued and saved. The proud, the people who refuse to recognize their haughty rebellion against God are the very ones who will, at the Day of Judgment, be cast into hell.

Today is the Day of Salvation. Today is the day to hear the voice of God, knowing full-well the full measure of sinfulness that keeps washing over you and cry out: “Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In the New Testament one of the emotions most often credited to Jesus is this: compassion. He will have compassion on the one who cries out to Him for rescue. Hallelujah! What a Saviour.

Blessed Jesus, it is very tempting for me to come to you, resume in hand, boasting of what I think I have accomplished. The reality is, the very best I can do is no better than used, pus-filled bandage, a sight of horror, spreading infection, and disgust. Great and Glorious are You, Jesus, Healer of the Soul; Victor over sin and death, conqueror of evil. Forgive me, yet again. By Your Spirit and the Bible, enable me to live for You with all I have and all I am. Jesus, be the Master of my life, every part of my life: finances and politics, work and play, morning and night, rest and activity, social times and when I think I am alone. Jesus, Intercessor, bring me, cleansed and healed into the presence of the Father, for Whose glory and great praise You have rescued ruined sinners and returned lost sheep. Direct me and rule me, so that all rebellion against You, Living God, is finally thrown down. Be Thou, Lord Jesus, my vision and highest joy. Amen.

July 8, 2019 -- Joel 2:12-13 - - Repentance

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.

Joel 2:12-13 ESV

Yesterday I had the privilege of hearing seminary student John Nymen preach in Woodstock, NB. It was a blessing to hear him as he preached from this text (and his sermon included verse 14 as well). Nymann quoted Thomas Watson and his work: “Repentance”. Here is what Watson said of repentance:

The two great graces essential to a saint in this life are faith and repentance.

These are the two wings by which he flies to heaven.

Faith and repentance preserve the spiritual life

as heat and radical moisture do the natural.

In order to “rend one’s heart” and turn from sin, one must acknowledge he has sinned. Nymann noted [and I am following my hastily scribbled notes made from his sermon as he was preaching so this is as accurate as I can get it]:

Sin is in us—we are prone to hate God and our neighbour…

all sin is actually against God Himself, our sin goes directly against

the Being of God Himself. He is love. Love is not part of His character,

it is Who He is. When we do not show love, we sin against His very Being.

God is merciful. When we do not show mercy towards another,

we sin against the Person of God.”

It is the Word of God brought to light in our heart and imagination by the Spirit of God which together make us aware of the full extent of our sinfulness. Then, aware of our sin and our guilt before God we turn to Him with unclean hands and heart.

Imagine a little child on the playground. She has been on a swing and suddenly motion sickness grabs hold of her. She falls off the swing hitting her head as she is throwing up. She is covered in blood and her own vomit. She trustingly turns to her mother to make her clean. Our sins are stains grosser and worse than vomit and blood. Yet, God invites anyone who hears this invitation from our text in Joel to turn away from their sins and come to Him, stained and gross as they are. Jesus, Precious Jesus, has the cleansing power to wash away our sins and make us clean within.

How can I be sure God will accept me and not turn away in disgust? Listen to the attributes of God given by God Himself through His prophet Joel:

Return to the LORD your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love”

Ah, what a glorious God we serve. No only do our sins get acknowledged, but they find a healing remedy in Jesus. As the prophet Isaiah said, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow…if you are willing and obedient” (Isaiah 1:18). Willing to acknowledge your sins. Obedient to the invitation of God to turn to Him, hating your sin and desiring to turn from it and follow Jesus.

Thank You, God, for the gift of Your Word. Thank You, that in it, You Who created us, show us how to live so that we can fully live out all that You made us to be: those who glorify God and delight in Him forever. Blessed Jesus, thank You for the cleansing and healing work of the cross—the very place where our sins are punished upon Your Person and Your holy life is credited to our account. Spirit of God, let this be our story and our song—marveling at the new life which is ours in Christ and winging our way to heaven with faith and repentance. Amen.

July 5, 2019 -- Psalm 25:1 -- What is your soul?

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1 ESV

Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. Psalm 25:20 ESV

Jesus asked:

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:20 ESV

How often do you think about your soul? It is such an abstract concept for so many of us. Something I read recently helped to make the concept of the soul more concrete to me. The Scottish theologian Henry Scougal (1650 - 1678) wrote:

The worth and excellency of a soul

is measured by the object of its love.

from “The Life of God in the Soul of Men” H. Scougal

When no one is looking or listening in, what is it you love? What do you think about many times during the day? This will give you a pretty good sense of what your soul is lovingly fixed on.

The psalmist realizes how his soul is prone to wander and begins his psalm, inspired by the Spirit, to write: “to YOU, I lift up my soul, O LORD.” At the start of the day, at the beginning of any endeavour, I offer my soul to God. Notice the soul is lifted. It is delivered from low and measly thoughts and brought to the glories of the presence of God—at the invitation of Christ Who has cleansed us by His blood.

As the psalm continues, and the writer acknowledges the challenges of the day, the battles engaged in, and the temptations of his own heart and the enemies gathered around him, he pleads with God: “guard my soul and deliver me!” It takes the very power of the Spirit of God to break the chains of sin that would bind our soul to worthless loves that would drive us from the most excellent, great and extravagant love of God. I can imagine this prayer being repeated often in a difficult day or when someone is keenly aware of his inattention to God: “guard my soul and deliver me!

Sin has trained our thoughts and been allowed so much leeway do not be surprised at the despicable objects of your soul’s loves. It might be harboring bitterness against others. Your soul might love the idea of hard, mean revenge against someone who has hurt you. Your soul might love an ideal image of who you might be, shaped by the ideals of this world. You can fill in the blank. What is the object of your soul’s love?

Today, when you are aware of an unworthy object of love, join with the psalmist and lift up your soul to the LORD—the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth—magnificent in power and worthy of praise.

Today, when your soul goes back to the old objects of lust and contemplation, go to prayer: “LORD, guard my soul and deliver me!” Pray this. Plead this as often as is necessary. Remember sin is persistent. It has had free reign in some areas of your life and only now is caught in the Light of Christ.

Today, know this: your soul is of inestimable value. The Spirit of God awakens your soul to know Jesus Christ so that your mind and body are enlivened by faith to see Jesus as the greatest Person, the highest good to which our soul can be lifted.

God of Compassion and Tender Mercy, I confess the worthless thoughts that so often crowd my thinking.

God of Holiness send Your Spirit to cleanse my heart and mind and soul of all the filth that threatens to be hoarded there which obstruct the view of Your excellencies.

To You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I lift up my soul.

Spirit of God, guard my soul. As often as I become aware of the distracting things and lesser things inviting me to take my attention from Jesus, guard and deliver me!

O God, the Joy and Life of all who believe, increase the capacity of my soul to love You more nearly and purely until this life is no more and my mind, body and soul will never again be troubled by sin or temptation, and You Triune God will be all in all. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

July 4, 2019 -- I Peter 2:9-10 -- Who do you think you are?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I Peter 2:9-10 English Standard Version

Edward T. Welch writes:

The church changes our identity. Notice the difference between “I’m Jim. I’m an alcoholic” and “I’m Jim. I am part of the body of Christ. I am part of ‘a royal priesthood, a holy nation. a people belonging to God’ (I Peter 2:9).” For those who have put their faith in Christ, it is Christ himself who unites us and defines us—not race, financial status, hobbies, interests, or particular problems. Our family—those closest to us—are those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. When our core identity is “alcoholic,” “drug addict,” or “sex addict,” we are saying that our problem defines us, and our church consists of the people who share that particular problem.” ADDICTIONS: A Banquet in the Grave—Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel Edward T. Welch, page 250

Notice that in Christ we are utterly remade, completely new. We are His chosen people. Washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, His perfections are credited to our account. Therefore we put away sin and malice and evil and foul-talk and whatever is unholy so that as His redeemed community we may declare the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Perhaps you are like me in this: I have tried to change ten times, thirty times, a hundred times, times without number. And I shake my head and think: “You can’t teach this old dog new tricks.” This is why the Sovereign LORD has placed us in community. Together we encourage one another. Together we bend our knees at the throne of grace where Jesus Christ is seated, the very King Who laid down His life for us. He will hear our cries. He will encourage His people and use the community of faith so that no man or woman is left behind to battle in sorrow alone. Though we may fall one hundred times, God will, in Christ, raise up a Spirit-led brother or sister who will take our hand, help us up for the hundredth time plus one and point us to the cross, where mercy and love flow mingled down.

Why are things only changed by prayer? Michael Green has written on this: “If we do things for God without praying, he cannot afford the risk of allowing us to succeed. For we would get proud and would be hardened in our conviction that activism, not dependence on God, is the way for Christians to serve the Lord” (Michael Green, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, page 22). As a child I remember when a new ice cream shop was set up just a few blocks from our house. I wheedled and pleaded. I asked and begged. The coup de grâce was the argument made to my dad (himself a fan of ice cream treats) “Dad, if we walk to the ice cream place and walk back, then we are getting a treat AND getting exercise.” I still remember the wonderful taste of that delicious ice cream. I smile whenever I drive past that particular ice cream place! What is my point? We are persistent in asking for the things we want. God invites us to pray. He will teach us holy persistence. To learn to think His thoughts after Him. To realize who we are in Christ and to learn to ask persistently and urgently so that our desires are honed to be more in line with Christ and our attention is focused on the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

Finally, in our passage, notice the exalted place of community. “Royal priesthood, holy nation, chosen people”—all of these expressions show a rich and varied community committed to Jesus Christ and warmly encouraging one another. We need each other. We need brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us, leading us to the Word of God, praying with us when our words fail us amid circumstances that are overwhelming…and, well, we need people who love us enough to kick us out of our slothfulness and self-pity when such seem to rule the day. We need people whose struggles are so different from our own so that they with a blessedly strong, naïve, child-like faith, they take our hand and lead us to Jesus. “Look” they cry with wonder and conviction “Jesus will help you!”

Remember this, we have been lifted from death to life by Christ. We are a forgiven people. As such we declare His praises and in the declaration of such praises our hearts soar and rejoice in God our Mighty King and Father. If you are having trouble sounding the trumpets of praise and having your heart delight in such glories, call a friend, or go to a fellow Christian and say: “I need your help. Pray with me, until the glories of who I am in Christ revive my soul.”

Whether or not I feel Your excellencies, You are Great and Wondrous beyond imagining, God Who lives in unapproachable light.

Spirit of the Living God, take hold of my heart and prompt me to prayer that is courageous and persistent. I dare ask this because Jesus Himself promised You would be given to believers. I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief. Help me withstand the onslaught of depression or sorrows that threaten to flood my heart and mind, white waters splashing and washing through my thoughts and drowning out my aspirations. Spirit of God, lead me to the Rock that is Higher than I, stronger than the flood waters and raging, frothing currents and set me where He is. Spirit of Mercy, bring to mind prayer-warrior friends and fellow Christians who I can call, who, prepared by Your grace will pray with me and for me until I know who I am in You, O Jesus: part of a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called out of darkness into Your wonderful light so that I may proclaim the excellencies of Your mercy, love and grace. Amen.

July 2, 2019 -- Matthew 11:20-21 -- Cursed or Blessed where do you stand?

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Matthew 11:20-21 ESV

Strange words. Difficult to understand. Jesus was denouncing Jewish towns where He’d performed His miracles. Chorazin and Bethsaida were villages that along with the whole of the Jewish people were supposed to be awaiting the Messiah, the Anointed One, of God to appear. Yet, when by miracles and His powerful preaching He showed Himself to be that very long-awaited and anticipated Messiah, they did not accept Him!

Tyre and Sidon were Gentile towns. They were not expecting a Messiah, certainly not in the sense that a faithful Jewish man or woman would be awaiting Him. Yet, as we read on in Matthew there are some Gentiles, non-Jewish people, who hear of the miracles and believe! (See Matthew 15:21ff where a woman from the district of Tyre and Sidon approaches Jesus on behalf of her daughter for healing!)

We are far removed from the days when Jesus walked the earth. How can we be sure of Who He Is?

First and foremost: Jesus rose from the dead. More than 500 people witnessed this (I Corinthians 15:1ff). If His resurrection where a lie, the Romans or the Jewish leaders who hated Jesus would just need to produce His body and all such stories would end. They couldn’t. He arose victorious—Hallelujah!

Second, the Bible bears witness to Jesus. It remains the top selling book of all time. Why? Because it is true. John 20:31: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Third—the Spirit of God bears witness to the fact that Jesus is fully the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus is 100% God and 100% human. Only God could bear the punishment of the Father’s just anger poured out against sin and only a human being—one with flesh and blood and a soul like Adam, our representative in the Garden of Eden who fell into sin—could be our representative bearing the punishment for the sin of all humanity. I Corinthians 2:10ff shows us the work of the Spirit—the Spirit of God reveals the deep things of God. Those who are materialists, people who have chosen not to accept there is any power like God’s power will—no matter how much evidence there is piled up in front of them—refuse to believe.

Friends, though we are far from the times when Jesus walked on the earth, we have advantages they do not! We have the Bible. We have the testimony of the Holy Spirit. We know the resurrection is true. God cannot lie. What He has promised He has given and all who believe in Him are not under the woes, the condemnation, which Jesus pronounced on unbelievers. All who believe in Jesus Christ will, by the Spirit of God, feed on the Word and grow in understanding and faith. It begins with “God, I believe.” And as we believe the fruit of this is joy-filled obedience. For there is no god, no authority, no blessing to be found anywhere else than in Jesus Who brings us as beloved sons and daughters into the presence of God the Great and Glorious.

Jesus, thank You for revealing Yourself to us—down through the ages and centuries! Thank You for the beautiful testimony of Who You Are, given in the Bible and preserved by the Spirit. I think of the words of the hymn writer, Horatio Spafford: “My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious though, my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!” In view of the vast mercy You have shown in forgiving my, forgiving our, sins—let us all then walk in obedience to You. Strengthen us for such obedience. Bring us into fellowship with other believers who also find great joy in You. For our friends and family members who do not yet know You and are therefore under the curse of woe for their rebellion, Jesus, bring them to Yourself in love. Let the words of my lips and the testimony of my life be used to bring many to the glorious knowledge of Who You Are. Amen.