Pleasing

7/14/2009

Hebrews 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. New American Standard Bible

In pleasing the Lord, we must approach Him in faith believing that He is and that He rewards the ones who do… Pleasing God means understanding that He shouts and sings in unbridled joy and infinite happiness that His divinity has taken root in our souls here on earth; our lives from that moment on are eternally changed as they become from that point on a repository of His reward: grace to carry on.

I for the most part, have been dull and flat in my understanding all these years of ‘walking with the Lord.’ God’s reward is a big deal and I just don’t (or haven’t) take(n) the time to think about it and enjoy it as I ought. But even in my dullness and flatness His grace is sufficient because His love is so great. He desires that I succeed in Kingdom living and He is doing everything He can (which is everything) to nurture and grow that divine nature He has planted in me by His grace.

So, today I walk in His grace and in the consciousness of His reward because I am a child of faith in Him.

Father in Heaven,

You have promised all that You are to the one who will surrender all that he has by living in faith, believing that You are Who You are, and that You do what You do. Father, I thank You for Your reward – Your grace – which is sufficient to give me every success I need in walking in the Abundant life promised to me in Jesus Christ and by faith in Him – it’s in His Name I pray, amen.

Forgiven and Forgotten

7/13/2009

Hebrews 10:18 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. New American Standard Bible

…because where sins are forgiven, they are also forgotten; and where sins are forgotten they are no longer powerful to condemn and corrupt. That’s why there is no longer any offering for sin because Jesus dealt with it by His sacrifice once for all. So what do we do when we do what we do? We repent and claim the sacrifice of Him who paid it all and we live in the freedom by which He has made us free from repeating the same stupid stuff over and over and over.

That’s why His sacrifice is so great because it cleanses completely and though we do stupid stuff we don’t remain in it because His power shows us how bad stupid stuff is; and recognizing how bad it is and how great He is, we avoid it. Simple.

When Paul said “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” he meant it. So, I will read and re-read and re-read until the day the Lord takes me home. And I will admit how weak and vulnerable I am; but I will also claim – as my very own – that where there is forgiveness of these things (my weakness and vulnerability) there is no longer any sacrifice for sin; I can’t do anything to fix what I break or change God’s attitude toward me…my sins are forgiven and forgotten. My home these days will be in the presence of the promises He has made and in the work that He finished on the cross. I will allow the Word of God to tell me what He's done and who I am as a result!

Father in Heaven,

You made a way because You paid my way. There is nothing I can bring to the table to assuage my guilt or atone for my crimes – You took care of it all by the blood of Christ! Increase my faith and help me to rest in what You’ve already done for me, then, now, and for all eternity – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Cleansed Changed and Enabled

7/12/2009

Hebrews 9:14 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

New American Standard Bible

Sin turned the minds of men away from God and to themselves. Sin sullies the hearts of people so that they are incapable of knowing God and doing what pleases Him. A dirty mind only serves a dirty self, and that service only ends in death. That’s why the apostle Paul said, “And you were (past tense) dead in your trespasses and sins…” Here the writer of Hebrews gives us another piece of the solvable puzzle that shows why the sacrificial death of Jesus is so important and so vital – it cleanses our minds from dead works – or serving self – to serving the Living God and His infinitely good purposes in the world. Wow!

It’s not that I won’t ever again make a selfish decision and suffer the consequences for such an action; it’s now that my mind has been cleansed, changed, and enabled to do what is righteous and good to please God and accomplish His will for my life.

Father in Heaven,

Your salvation is more than just mentally accepting Who You are and what You do – Your salvation results in the outworking of righteousness that without the cleansing blood of Jesus’ sacrifice, will not happen. You made a way for me to serve You in holiness, purity, and power when that first tiny drop of His precious blood splattered upon that dry Palestinian pavement. Through His blood You cleansed me and made me worthy to be called Your child – thank You. I can now serve You with a conscience that’s been made alive! In His precious Name, amen.

Law and Love 101

7/11/2009

Hebrews 8:9 9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers On the day when I took them by the hand To lead them out of the land of Egypt;

For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord. New American Standard Bible

Again this morning, like the brilliance of the sun cresting the horizon, the Scripture makes a glorious statement of encouragement and promise: “for they did not continue in My covenant and I did not care for them…” Massive, brilliant, glorious! The fault was with them and not with God. Why!? Because the first covenant was too much for them – they couldn’t handle it. And that is exactly what God intended.

God never intended for our relationship with Him to be written on tablets of stone; He always meant for us to be friends and to walk with us in loving fellowship in the cool of the day. Law 101 was intended to show the justice and fury and authority of God; Love 101, a better covenant was intended to show us His heart, His love and His affection; and to share His heart with our own.

I was never born under the Levitical Law. I am a Gentile by birth but I am under grace and the promise of a Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. I am not accountable to law but to love and because of that, I am able to live caring about what God cares about and behave accordingly. I live under a new Covenant where the love of God is inked in blood upon my heart and He is my God and I am His child.

Father in Heaven,

“If that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” How grateful I am for the Second Covenant and for Your law written in love upon my heart. Help me this day to love You more and walk in love with You. Help me to share Your love with others and to help them see who You really are. Thank You for the New Covenant and for the better promises that are mine in Jesus Christ – I pray in His Name, amen.

God Enjoyable

7/10/2009

Hebrews 7:25 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

New American Standard Bible

Richard Baxter, a 17th century English Puritan, wrote: “Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that He set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."” (1 Corinthians 10:31) When I read words like that in the light of Hebrews 7.25 the verse in Hebrews shines in a new light. Jesus ALWAYS lives to make intercession for His followers. If there is any truth I need to follow today, it is this: Jesus Christ prays for me so that I may successfully live every day for the ultimate purpose of pleasing, glorifying, and enjoying God.

Who knew God was enjoyable??? The child of God who understands and holds that Jesus Christ always lives interceding for him – that’s who!

Father in Heaven,

Yesterday when Your daughter said she was full of faith for no reason at all*, I think she was being sweet, but incorrect in making that statement. I think she's full of faith because Jesus Christ intercedes for her and that’s reason enough to fill the entire universe. Lord, I am humbled at the thought of You praying for me that I may please, glorify, and enjoy You this day – and every day. Help me to walk in that conscious reality today as I live my life and as I walk in worship of You – I pray in the Name of my Intercessor, amen.

*Posted on a Social Network...

Sure and Steadfast

7/9/2009

Hebrews 6:19 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

New American Standard Bible

Anchors serve the purpose of holding ships in place so that wind and water currents don’t push or drift theminto one another while in port or onto the shore; the bigger the ship the bigger the anchor needed. But sometimes the forces of nature can defeat anchors and ships wind up damaged as a result… think about the damage done to sea-going vessels when Katrina reared her ugly and powerful head.

The writer assures us in Hebrews 6 that the hope we have in Christ is an anchor big enough to hold our faith in place regardless of the storms of life that come up. This morning I awoke and prayed for three in prison, another with cancer and two others with serious marital storms brewing. The storms of life are definitely out there and often they come in here; the question is do I trust Christ and does hope anchor my soul sure and steadfast to His finished work? It does and it must, or I will be swept away just by the squalls long before the tidal surge of any hurricanes.

Hope is a gift that enables me to weather the storms because of what Jesus has already done for me. Hope enables me to see beyond the storms and trust in the One who has entered as a forerunner for me, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for the gift of hope. May my life be a beacon of hope to the imprisoned, the sick and the troubled. Help me to remember my hope – what I long for and expect simply on the basis that You have said it is so – and You cannot lie. Father, may I help others remember their hope, the anchor that holds them sure and steadfast when the dark clouds come and the wind turns fierce and the waves crash against them – in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Practice Makes Perfect

7/8/2009

Hebrews 5:14 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. New American Standard Bible

I offer up my devotional thoughts each day for the edification and encouragement of others. My hope is that someone will read them and think about God. In the cacophony of daily human communication, my goal is to offer a word of help or encouragement to someone. That’s why I do what I do.

Today, I landed here in Hebrews 5 – and I saw the word, ‘practice’ and I thought about what that means. I thought about the adage, “Practice makes perfect.” And though I’m not sure what ‘practice make perfect’ means to you, I do know that it seems to fit in this verse and this verse seems to be implying there is a manner in which we are to intentionally live that by doing so, we mature and become trained.

So I look for ways to train myself by daily practice. I daily think about what I read in the Bible and I think of how it applies in/to my life and practice so that I might become trained to discern good and evil and live a godly life. Practice does make perfect according to the Word of God. As a servant/child in the Kingdom of God, practice is the least I can do.

So my word today is this: practice, practice, practice and when we’ve done all we think we can do, practice some more. Our world is an increasingly evil and difficult place to live and to have our senses trained to discern good and evil is vital to our success in living the lives God has called us to live. I hope in reading this you’re encouraged and challenged this day to practice looking at life from God’s perspective and see what it is He’s called you to…

May God richly bless your practice this day – in Jesus’ Name, amen.