Monthly Archives: November 2017

Awe And Wonder And Child-like Faith

25 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by in Kingdom, Spiritual Formation

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“…but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”- (Matthew 19:14 ESV)

There is something special about the lights, cool air and beauty of the Christmas season. I also feel a deep sense of gratitude to God during Thanksgiving, as our family gathers for our delicious meal that my wife prepares. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the reactions of our grandson who is almost two years old. Everything is so new to him and he reacts with priceless expressions of amazement, as he verbally expresses his Awe and Wonder of some new discovery of light, sound, or taste.

Each day that he awakens to a new adventure and he seems to cherish every waking moment and new experience. As I was musing about his reactions while eating my favorite desert of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup, I couldn’t help but pause. It may not be all that healthy but it was gift from God to overtake my senses with delight. I didn’t need it but I found myself eating much slower than usual – I savored it.

We need God and his presence and the illumination that he gives through his Word and Spirit more than anything. The more deeply I thought on the matter – the more I realized that I must recapture that Awe and Amazement that I had as a new follower of Christ. I believe I was born of the Spirit as a boy, but it was in my early 20’s before I began to see God in greater clarity and gain a sense of Awe about the things that his Spirit reveals.

Now that I’m approaching 60 years old I thought, maybe its time to rediscover child-like faith. Not some angry political activist kind of faith. Nor a self-promoting faith. But an Awed inspired faith.

A Prayer: Father restore to us the joy of our salvation and bring back the sense of Awe and Wonder to the lives of your people. And forgive us for being to busy to enjoy just being with you. Help us to pursue the simple pleasures of life as we value your presence and all your good gifts. And help us to cultivate hearts of deep gratitude. – Amen

A Thanksgiving Prayer: The Valley Of Vision

23 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Prayer, Quotes

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“O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.

 

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;

for the body thou hast given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;

for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures. Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.”

Secure In Christ

11 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by in Discipleship, The Gospel

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An ancient German Crucifix.

 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” – John 5:24

“…. since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” –  I Peter 1:23

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out..” – Acts 3:19

The great chasm or divide between God and man has been bridged by Jesus. As children of God we are forever secure in Jesus Christ. We have no need to strive, work, or in any way seek to earn acceptance with God.  Every human being is born with a sin nature which has caused us to be alienated from God. We have a debt that could only be paid by Jesus, the sinless Son of God, and he gladly paid it. The only thing left for us to do is repent and believe. It sounds too good to be true but it isn’t, because we are born again by the word of God. In our spiritual DNA is the desire to live a godly life and that seed (the word of God) produces good fruit in our lives. Even thought the process of spiritual growth is slow – the desire to live a godly life is in our hearts.

Sadly, some no longer preach repentance from sin. But real faith and repentance go together – they can’t be separated. Some Biblical scholars that I admire teach that a genuine believer can apostasize (renounce and fall away from the faith eternally). And that may be so, but what I see in the Scripture is both the incredible keeping power of God, as well as the warnings not to fall away.  (Read Hebrews chapter 6).

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that a the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:35 – 40

We find true satisfaction in the Son of God, as we taste and see the Lord is good (Psalm 43:8). Tasting and seeing are experiential in nature. His promise and power to keep us eternally secure is one of the most amazing things about God.  When I hear well-meaning Christians talk about losing the free gift of eternal life offered to them, it puzzles me. Even those Arminian scholars that I admire don’t believe you can lose your salvation like a coin, and then find it again. The apostasy they’re refereeing to is the slow process of falling away that results in a complete rejection of the faith.

This gift of eternal life in the presence of God is free to us, but it cost Jesus his life.  If you have turn from your old way of life and are looking to Jesus and believing Him for eternal life, you are secure. But, if you claim to know God and reject the clear teaching of Scripture about sin – you can have no real assurance of salvation.

Many have a head knowledge about Jesus but those who have a heart knowledge of him, seek to live a life of repentance. They hate what He hates (unrighteousness) and they love what he loves (righteousness). Eternal security is not just a doctrine: it’s found in knowing and trusting in the person of Jesus, not some impersonal force or theory. Knowing and treasuring Jesus above all else comes through regeneration, which is a gift from God. If you’re not in God’s family yet, ask him to help you to turn from your sin, and to follow Jesus. If you don’t have faith, ask Him for it. This gift of salvation is available to all who will trust in and obey the call to follow Him.

“What is it to believe in Him? It is not merely to say, “He is God and Savior,” but to trust Him wholly and entirely and take Him for all your salvation from this time forth and forever as your Lord, your Master, your all. If you will have Jesus, He has you already. If you believe in Him, I tell you that you cannot go to hell, for then Christ’s death would be in vain. A sacrifice cannot be made and then withheld from the one for whom it was given. If the believing soul could be condemned, then why a sacrifice? If Jesus died in my stead, why should I die, also?” ( Charles Spurgen, All of Grace, page 41)

 

The Radiance Of Jesus

08 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by in Apologetics

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Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. – (Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV)

Jesus Christ is not an angel, avatar, or some guru who obtained enlightenment. He is the only true God-man who has ever lived. Everyone has an opinion about him. All major religions have something to say about Jesus of Nazareth. His brief time on earth changed the world forever. Ancient historians wrote about him, which was unheard of since he was not born into earthly royalty.

Historians of that time didn’t record the exploits of ordinary people. Yet accounts outside of the Bible as far away as Rome mentioned this miracle worker from the tiny nation of Israel. Many historians agree that the Jews would be the last people on earth to worship a man. They expected a Messiah, a political leader, but not God in the flesh. The fact is, something extraordinary and clearly supernatural happened for Christianity to grow so fast and spread so rapidly.

The Apostle Paul gave up everything to follow Jesus, and he had a lot to give up! In fact all his early disciples  sacrificed everything to follow this humble carpenter. What was it about this Jesus that so many were willing to even die for? They saw the radiance of his Glory and in him they beheld the very nature of God. These early converts from Judaism experienced His transforming power, his Divine embrace, and the forgiveness of sins.  It was a life altering, worldview shattering, encounter with the One through whom the whole world was created.  And this same experience is available to all that seek Him today.

Grieving God And The Culture Wars

01 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by in Worldview

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“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” –  (Ephesians 4:30 ESV)

Some say that most of the violence in American is caused by guns, others blame it on prayer being taken out of public schools. This is all part of the current culture war being fought in America. A war of words, thoughts, and ideologies. I believe when people become arrogant and refuse to acknowledge their Creator – spiritual darkness and violence increase. The United States is experiencing an evil spiritual invasion which has sought to desensitize  both young and old alike through exposure to images of violence and all sorts of perversions. God is grieved by so much evil.

During the 1960’s the U.S. experienced a spiritual invasion from the east. We are all ‘gods’  is what the eastern mystics told us. That view of spirituality combined with self-centered western materialism make for a really bad combination. The new ‘priest’ of our society are psychologist,  university professors, the news media, and those from the entertainment industry. Many of their ideas form the minds of the American public. And science seems to have the final word on everything in the western world. A Christian worldview doesn’t reject all science, because God gives knowledge to the world through many different sources. But followers of Jesus understand that the supernatural cannot be explained scientifically.

Holding to a strict scientific, naturalistic, anti-supernatural worldview grieves the heart of God. We saw the results or the fruit of this atheistic worldview from the communist regimes of the twentieth century. Education, counseling, and passing better laws can be helpful, but until the human heart is changed we are only putting a band-aide on a terminal wound. Religion without the love of Christ doesn’t work either, that is why Jesus told Nicodemus “you must be born again.” When Jesus returns to the earth  to set up his kingdom those that follow him will experience the Utopia that so many long for. But until then we must share the life transforming truth that only Jesus Christ can give.