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thursday…in the Lord

It has been a rough couple of weeks.  Theft is up.  Income is down.  Temperatures are up.  The well is down.  My nights out are many.  Desires to escape even more.  What do you do when the pressure is on?  Besides meeting personally with the Lord and walking with Him, I arranged to meet with a prayer partner, yesterday.  I shared it all.  The personal parts.  The work parts.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Then I slept pretty well last night, and this morning as I headed out for my daily time with the Lord, I did so with a heart that was doing OK.  What I got in God’s word I feel like I received.  Three thoughts.  None new.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Prov 3:5-6 NASB) 

Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psa 37:4 NASB) 

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. (Psa 37:7 NASB) 

When the pressure is on we don’t find relief in deep and complex doctrine.  The kingdom of God in its essence is always simple.  So we retreat to the simple, tried and powerful truths.

• Trust in the Lord
• Delight yourself in the Lord
• Rest in the Lord.

Trust is not real trust unless it is effective in the worst of circumstances.  Who can’t trust when all is well?

To delight myself in the Lord is like an invitation to take a holiday at the beach, and on the Boardwalk.  What could be better?

Rest in Him?  Just relax?  Take a nap in Him?  Have a casual day in Him?  Where is the stress in that?

What I received I give to you.  Today…trust in the Lord.  Delight yourself in the Lord.  Rest in the Lord.  I think it is all about “in the Lord!”

Greg

wednesday…having been with Jesus

What is it that makes us effective leaders?  What would give us confidence?  What would others recognize about us?  Here is how it came down for the apostles in the early church.

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 NASB) 

The rulers, elders and scribes, even the high priest were taken aback by Peter and John.  They had them arrested, and kept them in jail overnight.  Then on the next morning they brought them out to their court.  They questioned them about their activities, about healing and preaching.  And they did not get what they expected.  They thought that surely these men would cower before the-rulers, elders, scribes, even the high priest.  But cower they did not.  In fact Peter and John were not in the least intimidated.  They spoke with conviction and confidence.  They yielded not an inch to those who seemed determined to deter them from the mission they had been handed.

So the rulers and other leaders were quite amazed.  Where these men should have been humbled and pliant before them, they got extreme confidence instead.  The rulers evaluated these men’s preparation against their own.  They were uneducated.  They were untrained.  On their terms these men should have yielded.  They had none of the authority of the rulers and elders.  They could not match the influence and power of the high priest, at least on the terms of evaluation they were using.  What was it that made them like that?  Where did this confidence, power and authority come from?

Then they made this key observation.  These were men who had been with Jesus!  Had they had any true spiritual discernment, they themselves should have yielded to Peter and John, but they did not have it, and would not do it.  But key instruction comes our way.  Many things might go into the preparation of a man or a woman for ministry.  These rulers and elders looked for education and training.  None.  They evaluated whether they had any earthly or religious system power, like theirs.  None.  But then they looked elsewhere…these men had been with Jesus.

So here is the difference, displayed for us to take hold of.  Many things might go into the making of a minister of the gospel (we are all ministers of the gospel), many of which might be expendable in any given circumstance.  But one is never expendable, even if all the others are there.  The elders and rulers had all the other qualifications, but were missing the key one…these men had been with Jesus.  Work hard on many skills and gain much knowledge, but do not let even a day go by that does not include being with Jesus.  The real substance of both abundant life and ministry effectiveness comes from being with Jesus.  It is always a present tense qualification.

Have a great day.  And may all of us be recognized as having been with Jesus.

Greg

tuesday…he who comes to Me

John 6 is one of the most compelling chapters in all the Bible.  Near the end of it Jesus proclaims that the words He has spoken there “are spirit and are life.” (verse 63)   Central to these words is verse 35.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 NASB) 

What is this promise?  Not that we will not need to eat again or drink.  It means that our inner needs will be supplied, and satisfied.  And that this satisfaction or fullness will be sustained over time.

As I read this verse last Friday morning on my day off, sitting outside at Starbucks, my soul soared.  It has need.  And there is nothing it needs more than what Jesus promises here.  I do not really want for anything physically.  Most of us do not in our society.  But we are also aware enough that we live in a physical world in which we are endangered every single day, and that we all travel a path that leads only to decline and death.  So our souls want.  And Jesus offers the eternal solution.

The completion of the whole of the human experience is bound up in His offer.  He brings color and substance to a world that is to us only a fleeting mist in the dusk.  So may your soul find all its true fullness in Him today, your work always beyond just striving for the food which perishes. (verse 27)

Greg

thursday…the portion of my inheritance

When things get stressful and heavy I get good redirection from the Scriptures.  Here’s how Psalm 16 opens.

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in Thee. {2} I said to the LORD, “Thou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee.” (Psa 16:1-2 NASB) 

I cry out to the Lord.  I am reminded that he is my Lord.  It’s good to have a Lord when you are in need!  I take refuge in Him.  I’m moved to say with David, I have no good besides Thee.

It’s easy to forget that.  It’s easy to get caught up in things, worldly blessings as well as worldly problems.  When I get too mired I cry out.  The Lord makes it clear again to me-the future of those who go their own way.

The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their libations of blood, nor shall I take their names upon my lips. (Psa 16:4 NASB) 

I know it’s really true, but I don’t always feel it.  It’s good to see it in print, to know the future.  What others without God are doing cannot end well.  And it leads me back to Him

The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot. {6} The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. (Psa 16:5-6 NASB) 

The Lord is my portion.  I have known, and know anew today that He is enough.  He is my inheritance (all my future).  He fills my cup (my present).  He supports me right now.  When I can get into this position my perspective gets much better.  Then I know that the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.  At least in the broader perspective.  My heritage in Christ really is a beautiful.

Hope your heart is encouraged by the God’s presence in your life as laid out in these few verses.  You really are a blessed person in Him.  One to be envied by those outside, who have bartered for another god.   He is your portion, your Lord.  We are not alone.

Greg

wednesday…attaining to all the wealth

Today-a mystery, and wealth!

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, {2} that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself. (Col 2:1-2 NASB) 

God really does want us each to be rich!  Rich toward Him (Luke 12:21, Prov 3:13-18).  In these verses the desire for us is that we would attain to (read: gain) all the wealth.  There’s a lot available, and He wants us to have as much as we can carry, so to speak.  This kind of wealth comes from assurance about our faith.  It is understanding, and true knowledge.  But the key is what that true knowledge is.  God calls it a mystery.  And that mystery is Christ Himself.

That mystery is a Person.  We are to come to know Him, God’s mystery, more and more, and to discover what He is like.  It’s like being in a good marriage.  We discover more and more what our spouse is like, to our delight and joy, and riches!  Such is my relationship with Lynn.  And such is my relationship with Christ.  We are all to delve into the mystery who is Christ, like a garden or a wilderness territory which has become ours.  What have we received?  What is contained in the land that has become ours? We are to explore, discover and enjoy. 

So I urge you to explore the Lord!  Find out about this mystery that God has given us to puzzle over, and discover.  Wander around in and assess.  Have a great time!

Share your wealth when you get it.

Greg

tuesday…continually grant you peace

Here’s my last offering for a time from 2 Thessalonians.  But it is a good finish!

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.  The Lord be with you all! (2 Th 3:16 NASB) 

What a prayer!  What could be better than this?  Part of the question each of us must answer is whether we really believe that God answers prayer.  Prayers like this one.  Prayers for you.  This is a kind a blessing invoked by Paul for his readers, as I reviewed earlier.  It is yours today-if you like.

Who is to give this blessing?  The Lord of Peace.  What a title!  He must know all about peace.  Perhaps He is the very embodiment of peace.  The request here is that the Lord of Peace Himself will grant us peace.  He’s the leader of peace, who is to show up in person, to bestow peace.  Not something sent by mail, not by shipment or with a servant.  Pray and expect Him.

How good is the peace He is ready to come Himself to give?  The expectation is that this peace would be offered continually.  I think He’s ready to do that for any who ask.  At least that’s my experience with peace.  He’s always there with it.  But I’m not always ready to receive it, to turn His way.  But He will give it continually.  Do you need it?

It’s also a peace that is good enough for every circumstance.  Not a few circumstances.  Not even most of them.  All.  Not just when things are cruising along and when our attitude is already positive.  How could Paul make such a request?  How could God confirm this by making it a Scripture that cannot be broken (John 10:35)?  Because He is ready to do it, for any who are ready to appropriate it, to take His yoke and learn from Him how to have it all the time (Matt. 11:28-30).

Paul closes with a request that the Lord would be with us.   After all, He is our peace (Eph. 2:14).  The peace we need really only comes in the presence of Christ.  It is finally how it works (Phil. 4:9).

So…may the Lord of Peace continually grant you peace in every circumstance!

Greg

PS  A study about peace in the Scriptures will radically change any life!

monday…may the Lord direct your hearts

Our true hope always rests on what the Lord is doing.  The outcome is played out in what we are doing.  So Paul prayed as follows for the Thessalonians.

And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. {5} And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. (2 Th 3:4-5 NASB) 

Paul expressed confidence in the Thessalonians that they would be doing the right things, things commanded by God through Paul and others.  He expressed this confidence in the Lord  concerning them.  In other words, that he knew that the Lord would work the necessary works in them to make the outcome happen in them.

Then he prayed for them.  I share this same prayer with you today, and pray for you.  In his prayer the primary mover is the Lord-May the Lord direct your hearts.  If God starts moving to make things happen, they will happen.  Thus, if we can pray this way, or receive such a prayer prayed for us by others, we can have confidence that what is asked for will also be.

Paul asks for two things that the Lord would direct their hearts into.  One, the love of God.  My experience with the love of God is that if I can dive into it, or get all covered with it, then I know all else will be OK.  I just don’t always stay in such an enveloped place.  I would like to.  May God direct my heart there today, and yours.  Perhaps we can intentionally put more focus on His love, and then stay in it better.  I think a reservoir of it is always waiting for us to dive into.

Two, the steadfastness of Christ.  Wow!  He was steadfast.  Even through suffering and death.  That’s what Paul prays we would be directed into.  His steadfastness.  If we’ve lived any time at all on this earth, and have tried to make it through the maze of problems and pressures that confront us everyday, we know we need steadfastness.  Where do we get it?  Through prayer, as Paul prayed here.  We can then receive steadfastness, the same kind that Christ had that helped Him finish His work all the way to the cross, the grave and up in resurrection.

So may the Lord direct you heart TODAY, into God’s love.  Please enjoy it!  :)  It’s your life!

May He also direct your heart (not just your activities) into the steadfastness of Christ.  May your strength and determination rise to overflowing levels. 

May you finish your work as Christ did His.  Press on!

Greg

thursday…the Lord is faithful

Sometimes the word to us from the Scriptures is about what the Lord will do.  Like the following one.

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Th 3:3 NASB) 

Here’s a promise for us from the Word of God.  God is faithful.  None of us can say that about ourselves.  We might be pretty good, better than many, most of the time.  But really, we’re not faithful entirely, ever.  But God is.  In that faithfulness we are given a promise. 

The next time you feel afraid, like maybe something bad is about to be inflicted upon you by powers unknown and beyond you, or you are facing temptations to do something unethical or immoral that seem like they will overwhelm you, remember this promise.  The Lord will strengthen you.  Call on His name.  You will receive what you need to bear up.  Your strength will be enough, you will prevail. 

I’ve discovered something about myself that I don’t like very much.  There are realms of temptation which I know are beyond me, which I know I would yield to if they came under certain conditions.  I think there are likely more of these than I would even like to admit, or possibly that I can at this moment comprehend.  Therefore, my hope is not in me.  I know what I’m like.  My hope is in the Lord.  He protects me from those levels of temptation, whether that is to commit a given act, or yield to pressure and give up. 

I’m pretty sure you’ve discovered similar things about yourself.  If you haven’t yet, you will.  I hope and expect that you also have discovered what is promised here.  The Lord will strengthen you against the evil one.  He will protect you from him.  May your heart be encouraged this morning in the Lord’s faithfulness.  He will also make you faithful.  May He also make you bold in doing all His today.

Trusting His faithfulness and protection.

Greg

wednesday…in every good work and word

Here’s another Thessalonians prayer.  May it all be yours!

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, {17} comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. (2 Thess 2:16-17 NASB)

The blessing is to come directly from Jesus Christ…Himself!  Not from an emissary or some appointee. 

It is also to come from God…our Father!  He is lots of things, but His role in this prayer is as our Father.  Very special and personal.

~ He is the Father who has loved us, already.

~ He is the Father who has given us eternal comfort, already.

~ He is the Father who has given us good hope, already.

~ He has given us these things by grace, not merit, already.

The request now is that our Heavenly Father and Jesus our Lord Himself would now do more.

~ That they would comfort our hearts.

~ That they would strengthen our hearts.

~ The comfort and strength would apply to every good work we are about right now.  Not most of them.

~ That comfort and strength would also apply to every good word we are uttering in His name.

As you navigate today, appropriate both the comfort and the strength you need in both your works and your words.

They are yours for the embracing (taking).  And both are so necessary.  We don’t succeed without this kind of help.

Greg

tuesday…that you may gain the glory

Paul talks about the Thessalonians, to whom he is writing.  As we discussed yesterday, you can appropriate the truth and blessing for yourself.  Read it as coming to you personally.

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. {14} And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. {15} So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. (2 Th 2:13-15 NASB)  

What can we draw into our hearts from these verses to encourage us this afternoon?

1.  We are beloved by the Lord.  This is a most difficult truth to accept for most of us, to hold onto, to receive with depth.  But if we can, and we must, our lives are never again the same.  You are considered part of God’s beloved.  Almost all else will follow well if we can hold onto this.

2.  God has chosen us.  This does not fit well with a lot of modern theology, but makes a tremendous difference.  We didn’t just choose God by asking Christ into our hearts.  He chose us first!  He made this choice from the beginning, long before you were born.  Chosen for salvation!  This Calvinistic doctrine needs balance from the Scriptures which talk about the other side of the issue.  Nevertheless, never lose the sense that you have been chosen.

3.  We were chosen for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit.  You were chosen to become a different person, a sanctified one.  This is both an immediate work and an on-going work.  It isn’t your work, it is the Spirit’s work.  We cooperate with Him, our counselor and teacher.

4.  We were chosen for salvation also by faith in the truth.  Truth has been put before us.  We respond with faith.  It’s always a faith issue.  Like sanctification, we start with a certain amount of truth and accept it, but then we grow in truth as we move along in the kingdom.  The truth God puts before us daily helps us grow in character in Christ, and develop in effective ministry.

5.  We have all been called by God.  Each of us has been designed to accomplish a portion of kingdom work in our era, and in some limited arena of God’s choosing.  God wanted you!  And He called you to serve Him.  We are all called-forth people.

6.  We have been called through our gospel.  There is only one, centered in Jesus Christ.  It is our gospel.  The gospel calls lots of people, and then puts them together.  It is our gospel.  The kingdom can never be accomplished by a bunch of independent people.  Our calling by our gospel requires us link our hearts and arms in Christ, and pull together in the work.

7.  Why did He do all this?  So that we might gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He wants you to bask in glory!  With Christ.  This is His ultimate goal, that we might each be honored eternally with His Son.  This goal of God’s makes me love and trust Him like no one else.  He doesn’t just want a slave.  He wants to glorify me, in the appropriate way.

So, Paul says, stand firm.  Hold onto all you were taught, and press on.

Gaining the glory together!

Greg