What’s Really Important

Colossians 1:5  –  “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel…”

      The hope of heaven is an indispensable element of the true gospel.  We live in the dispensation of God’s grace as He patiently waits on mankind to receive the sacrifice of His one and only Son that they may be reconciled to Him.  This is the highest calling of believers and the primary focus of God at this time… reaching the lost while there is still time.  As John Wesley said, “we have nothing to do but save souls.”

            However, this divine purpose exists only for a time and a season.  For soon, this dispensation will come to an end, and the eternity of all men and women will be sealed.  The glorious hope of heaven gives us great purpose to convert souls, and great strength to endure hardship for the gospel’s sake during this “vapor” of a lifetime.  As a matter of personal experience, I have found no better way to encourage myself in the Lord in a time of weakness than to set my mind on things eternal… the hope of heaven, and the horror of hell.  The hope of heaven causes me to overflow with thankfulness unto God, strengthens me to endure hardship that Paul called “light and momentary affliction” compared to the eternal glory of heaven, and produces a zeal for evangelism when I imagine the great, glorious, eternal future God has for my friends and loved ones who have yet to imagine it and receive it.

 Heavenly Father, by the Power of Your Spirit, make real to us the glories of heaven.  Make real to us eternity.  In doing so, may You so radically change what is quite often our near-sighted perspective in such a way that our focus and desires in this life would line up with what is truly and eternally  important in Your eyes. Amen.

It is Fitting to Praise Him

Psalm 40:16 “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You. Let such as love your salvation say continually, the Lord be magnified!”

Rejoicing and gladness will be seen in the lives of those seeking the Lord and loving His salvation. In the same way that my five year old son says “thank you daddy, thank you daddy!” all the way out of the store, half way home, and the next day for his newest favorite toy… true gratitude unto God will manifest through thankful praise. The Christian who attains a proper realization of the daily glory and goodness of God’s free gift of salvation will be regularly heard proclaiming praises unto the Lord. The slightest encouraging word on the radio, the reading of a simple, yet profound proverb, or the mere mention of the depth of God’s love is enough to cause them to overflow with a thankfulness that cannot help but express itself with a proclamation of praise unto God. “Bless the Lord!”

Heavenly Father, awaken my soul to the vastly profound beauty of Your loving provision of the free gift of salvation. May I never shout a praise because it is expected of me by my “religious” peers, but only as a natural, suitable response to who You are and what You’ve done for me.

His Guiding Voice

“For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

Solomon knew from experience that the Lord responds speedily and abundantly when we ask Him for wisdom. This proverb reaffirms the truth that He freely gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Take note, however, of God’s method of delivery… “from His mouth”.

You can search the depths of God’s written Word, but there is a greater wisdom, a more relevant knowledge, and an understanding to be gained in every situation that comes only from hearing the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We function in the highest levels of wisdom and knowledge when we commune with our heavenly Father and He breathes on the “logos” and it becomes “rhema” to us. Read your Bible regularly, but do not come overly dependant on it’s printed pages. The safest way to understand the deep, hidden principles contained in Holy Scripture is to develop an intimate relationship with the author and allow Him to reveal them to you.

Heavenly Father, remind me today by Your Holy Spirit, that I, like others, am capable of distorting the purest truths of Your Holy Scripture to fit my desires. I invite Your still, small voice, or megaphone if required, to awaken me to Your specific will and wisdom I need in each situation. I am totally dependant on You to lead me and guide me into all truth.

A Warrior’s Hiding Place

Psalm 119:114 – “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”

The same psalmist who celebrated a God who “trained his hands for war” also celebrates a God who is his “hiding place”. The feared warrior David knew when to fight and when not to. He recognized that military might and victory came through God alone. “Not by might, not by power”, but by the Spirit of the Lord. With wisdom and revelation from the Spirit of God as to what His purposes might be in any given battle, David could discern whether he would step forward into combat, or retreat into the safety of God’s covering. This discernment and wisdom was beyond valuable for David, and is for us today as well. In constant prayer, we develop the ability to follow the whisper of God into every work He has laid out beforehand for us. Whether it be a great victory, or a wise retreat. Seek with all of your heart this nearness to God; that you may live, and live well to bring Glory to your heavenly Father.

Lord, there are thousands of words to describe Your greatness and magnificence. You are our shield, our hiding place, our sword, our strength, a high tower, living water and and all consuming fire. May You grant us wisdom to call upon those facets of Your character and glory that we need most in any and every situation, for Your Glory. Amen.

Daily Worship

1 Chronicles 16:23 “Sing to the Lord, all the Earth, proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

A song of joy is one way to proclaim the good news of salvation offered through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the ability for the believer to express this joy through song is often limited to Sunday mornings, or worship services.

Have you found YOUR song? We can deliberately sing our way through each day. It is easier than ever to locate and enjoy worship music that can animate your soul with the joy of salvation, both for your sake, and for the sake of proclaiming God’s goodness before others. If you find that you are only worshipping Heavenly Father in song in church… get to work preparing your daily worship playlist, whether it be in your car, at home, or on the job. Join the entire Earth in the worship that our Heavenly Father is worthy of EACH DAY.

Heavenly Father, I submit myself to the working of Your Holy Spirit now. Increase my longing to worship You, every day. Amen.

Wisdom for Tomorrow

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” Psalm 111:10

In the fourth chapter of proverbs, wise king Solomon said “wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom”. This word principal means first or beginning. Wisdom is the foundation for a vibrant, productive, healthy spiritual life. Without wisdom, it is possible to exercise what might otherwise be positive spiritual characteristics without discernment. For instance, Jesus could’ve been patient and long-suffering with the salesmen in the temple, but His wisdom and discernment of what was happening and what it could lead to caused him to crash all their tables and chase them away with a homemade whip.

While the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, this psalm clearly implies that a good understanding has a beginning as well… doing His commandments. The wisdom and the understanding that we must develop to create a sure foundation for a healthy spiritual life is realized as a result of fearing God and obeying His commands. Early on in our relationship with Jesus, we require His guidance to successfully navigate the smallest difficulty. This dependency on Christ’s leading continues always, but experiencing His guidance through life’s past trials gives us priceless experiential knowledge to draw from during our toughest tomorrows. Learning the ways of God’s wisdom for tomorrow is a result of obeying His voice today.

Heavenly Father, I do not know what my future holds, I do not know for sure what tomorrow will bring, but I trust You will be there. Strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit to obey Your leading today, because I know You are preparing me for what is to come. The success You have planned for me will manifest in the fullness of its time, when I’ve allowed You to prepare me for the good works that You have laid out beforehand for me to accomplish, for Your glory. Amen.

All My Hope

“Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone.”  Psalm 33:22

      This is the prayer of an “all your eggs in one basket” kind of Christian.  The believer who truly realizes that there is no hope outside of Christ has a great hunger to receive the fullness of our Lord’s unfailing love.  What a gift it is, when we come to the realization that this life offers nothing that will not fail us in some way.  For it is then that we walk in true wisdom by intentionally placing our hope in Christ alone, and hope in Christ does not disappoint. 

    We receive present fulfillment from rightly placed future hope, and this fulfillment increases our trust in our Lord.  With this increase in faith, we find it easier to expect our Lord to answer our prayer for His unfailing love to surround us.  You will not experience the heavenly delight of being completely surrounded by our Lord’s unfailing love until you place all of your hope in Him alone.  When you completely surrender, He can completely surround you.

Heavenly Father, I take this moment to intentionally withdrawal any misplaced hope and direct it toward You.  I do not hope in finances, I do not hope in my employer, I do not hope in my spouse, my parents, my friends, or my pastor… ALL MY HOPE is in You.  I know that You always have my best interests in mind and have the ability to accomplish anything and everything on my behalf.  May Your unfailing love surround me today and forever. Amen.

“The God of my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3

The prophet Samuel writes of God during a time, and in the midst of a people, who experienced the violence of war firsthand. The promised strong hand of God’s deliverance meant life or death for Israel’s warriors, and it meant the difference between freedom and captivity for Israel’s woman and children. The words that Samuel employs to describe their God, like strength, shield, stronghold, refuge, and Savior… all held SIGNIFICANT real time application for God’s chosen people.

As Christians in the church age, we look back over Israel’s recorded history through the lens of Jesus Christ. In describing God as Savior, Samuel further clarifies the types and shadows of Christ found in every Old Testament narrative. We now know that Christ is our strength, shield, stronghold, and refuge, who saves us from the violence of enemy greater than China’s modern 2 billion member army, or the most vicious terrorist cell group. These enemies can threaten God’s chosen people with death, but death itself has been defeated in Christ. The refuge of Christ is a realm of peace and safety, which we enter now by faith, and dwell eternally; praising the One who protects us, intercedes for us at God’s right hand, and makes our enemies His footstool.

Heavenly Father, I humbly offer the praise due Your name when I consider the enemies You have saved me from through Christ. Like a soldier running for his life from a victorious, bloodthirsty enemy who sees the strong tower of his home city and runs into it’s open door to safety, I catch my breath, weep thankfully, and praise mightily for the salvation You’ve offered me. Thank You and Praise You Forever.

Examine Yourself

“The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice” Psalm 37:30

Righteousness comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. At calvary’s great exchange, Christ became sin for us, so that we could become righteousness in Him. This psalm identifies how the fruit of our mouth can help us examine ourselves, to see if we are indeed “in the faith” as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?”

It is highly unlikely that a man or woman who is presently found in a righteous state; in Christ, will lack wisdom, for all the treasures of wisdom are found in Christ. It is also highly unlikely that a man or woman who is presently found in a righteous state; in Christ, will found themselves to be unconcerned with issues of social justice. Thus, we arrive at the question… “Have I heard wisdom and justice in my speech?” An honest answer to this question will help us keep a sober estimation of ourselves, as we determine the degree, if any, we are indeed in the faith. Thank our Heavenly Father for the many fail-proof ways that He has provided to save us from self-deceit.

Thank You Heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ and the reconciliation I can now experience with You through His sacrifice. May Your Holy Spirit assist me as I examine the fruit of my lips to honestly determine if Christ dwell within me. If yes, help me to celebrate the glory of it with due praise and worship. If no, work within me as the author and finisher of the saving faith I am in need of. Amen.

The Psalm of the Cross

“I will declare Your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.” Psalm 22:22

The 22nd Psalm has been called the “Jesus psalm” or the “Psalm of the Cross”. In the verses leading up to verse 22, we see a detailed description of many of the particular events that occurred surrounding the crucifixion of Christ, written from the suffering Christ’s point of view. The fact that the details of the crucifixion were prophesied thousands of years before it happened is fascinating. However, we should not be surprised that a God who exists and operates outside of the realm of time and was slain “before the foundations of the world” could then, by His Holy Spirit, write in the first person narrative the 22nd Psalm; describing what He experienced.
I have always found great comfort in the lowliness of Christ in this verse. Imagine the humility of our Lord to, first of all, call us brethren, and secondly, stand in our midst to praise God alongside us. This is not the position I imagined Jesus taking during a worship service. But He says, “in the midst of the assembly, I will praise You.” The unimaginably magnificent Christ who was slain before time began, recorded His experience before it happened in human history, and attached the deepest meaning and purpose to the occurrence… that is, His relationship with us, and our united praise unto Father God.

Heavenly Father, imagining Jesus stand in the midst of my church and lift His hands and voice in praise to You challenges my thinking in a good way. It also challenges me to grow deeper and closer to You in my worship. May the Holy Spirit lead me and guide me to become one who worships in spirit and in truth. Amen.