Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Captivating Presence of Grace

David Jeremiah has started a new series of lessons on grace. Some very brief highlights from the first lesson are presented here:


"Whenever grace is displayed it short circuits our whole system of reasoning; it turns all our suppositions upside down. Grace is unexpected and undeserved and catches us off guard.

...

In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word for grace is "charis" ... . At its root, charis means "gift", and is the same word to describe the spiritual gifts in the New Testament. ... So charis became the word for the free gift of God's favor, or God's grace.

...

... mercy and grace work together, one protecting us from what we deserve and the other blessing us with what we don't deserve. ... Mercy releases us from the penalty of our sin; grace gives us abundant blessing besides."


No wonder it is called Amazing Grace!

Amazing grace,
how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost,
but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

John Newton

What a Pain

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’”
— 1 Chronicles 4:9

Can you imagine someone whose name is "Pain"? He's mentioned in today's Scripture. Why would a mother give her son the name "Jabez," which in Hebrew means "pain"? Just think of the razzing little Jabez got from his playmates.

Yet, Jabez didn't let his name get him down. In fact, Scripture says he was more honorable than his brothers. It even says that when he cried out to God, the Lord blessed him, and granted his request to be kept from harm. As a wheelchair user, I can understand a little of the stigma that Jabez must have faced. It's not fun to be looked on as different, even to the point of having your name become synonymous with your handicap, like someone saying, "Hey, crip." (That happened a lot in the hospital when older teenagers who were paraplegics teased us, younger quadriplegics.)

But I believe that being different — even having a stigma — can drive us closer to God.

Have you felt the sting of social stigma? Of negative stereotype? You may never have felt the pain of being called names like “Metal Mouth” (that’s what Rocky, my classmate, called me when I wore braces in 9th grade), but there may be something about your abilities or appearance that you wish you hadn't been landed with.

Can you, like Jabez, turn it around for good and not let it get you down? Can you let it push you into the arms of Christ? God has a special love for you; so look to him in your pain. Whether it be physical or emotional, you may find that you'll be as blessed as Jabez.

* * * * *

God, when life is a real pain, teach me to come to You with my hurts. And help me to be like Jabez and concentrate not on the negatives but on how to live honorably.


Joni's Daily Devotional


Walking by Faith

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith. Colossians 2: 6, 7


"For some, the concept of walking by faith seems indescribable. But it's actually quite clear and practical: Walking by faith simply means that you function in daily life on the basis of what you believe. Living out God's truth in your thoughts, words, and actions is the same as walking by faith. One benefit of consistently applying God's Word in your life is that your faith-walk will grow stronger."


Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Walking

The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

"As you walk according to the Spirit, take care not to sit in the Spirit (put your mind in neutral and wait for God to do it all), or run in the Spirit (become excessively busy in the Lord's service trying to do it all by yourself). Walk with the Spirit and He will accomplish great things as you do His will.

Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson

Gratitude: Express Thanks on a Daily Basis

"Gratitude is the best barometer to measure a church."

From Aaron's sermon yesterday three keys to acting more like the one than the nine in Luke 17: 11-19.

  1. Remember God gave us everything we have.
  2. Make positive comparisons. Help those less fortunate.
  3. Avoid complaining and grumbling.
Key observation from Aaron: "Our thankfulness and gratitude contain saving power."

------------------------
Philippians 2: 14-15

14Do everything readily and cheerfully--no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! 15Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night (The Message)

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe (NIV)


Knowledge Applied

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast

in obeying your decrees!


Psalm 119: 1-2, 5

-------------------------------

"The psalmist was interested in truth and orthodoxy, in biblical teaching and theology, not as ends in themselves, but as means to further ends of life and godliness. His ultimate concern was with the knowledge and service of the great God whose truth he sought to understand.

And this must be our attitude too. Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God himself better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God's attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As he is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God. It was for this purpose that revelation was given, and it is to this use that we must put it."

Knowing God, p. 22-23, J.I. Packer.

The Song of the Animals

Title: The Song of the Animals by Elizabeth Elliott

A very tall man, wrapped in a steamer rug,
kneeling alone by a chair. When I think of my
father, who died in 1963, this is often the first
image that comes to mind. It was the habit of his
life to rise early in the morning--usually
between 4:30 and 5:00 --to study his Bible and to
pray.

We did not often see him during that solitary
hour (he purposed to make it solitary), but we
were used to seeing him on his knees. He had
family prayers every morning after breakfast. We
began with a hymn; then he read from the Bible to
us; and we all knelt to pray. As we grew older,
we were encouraged to pray alone as well.

Few people know what to do with solitude when it
is forced upon them; even fewer arrange for
solitude regularly. This is not to suggest that
we should neglect meeting with other believers
for prayer (Hebrews 10:25), but the foundation of
our devotional life is our own private
relationship with God.

My father, an honest and humble disciple of the
Lord Jesus, wanted to follow his example: "Very
early in the morning…Jesus got up, left the house
and went off to a solitary place, where he
prayed" (Mark 1:35).

Christians may (and ought to) pray anytime and
anywhere, but we cannot well do without a special
time and place to be alone with God. Most of us
find that early morning is not an easy time to
pray. I wonder if there is an easy time.

The simple fact is that early morning is probably
the only time when we can be fairly sure of not
being interrupted. Where can we go? Into "your
closet," was what the Lord said in Matthew 6:6,
meaning any place apart from the eyes and the
ears of others. Jesus went to the hills, to the
wilderness, to a garden; the apostles to the
seashore or to an upper room; Peter to a
housetop.

We may need to find a literal closet or a
bathroom or a parked car. We may walk outdoors
and pray. But we must arrange to pray, to be
alone with God sometime every day, to talk to him
and to listen to what he wants to say to us.

The Bible is God's message to everybody. We
deceive ourselves if we claim to want to hear his
voice but neglect the primary channel through
which it comes. We must read his Word. We must
obey it. We must live it, which means rereading
it throughout our lives. I think my father read
it more than forty times.

When we have heard God speak, what then shall we
say to God? In an emergency or when we suddenly
need help, the words come easily: "Oh, God!" or
"Lord, help me!" During our quiet time, however,
it is a good thing to remember that we are here
not to pester God but to adore him.

All creation praises him all the time--the winds,
the tides, the oceans, the rivers, move in
obedience; the song sparrow and the wonderful
burrowing wombat, the molecules in their cells,
the stars in their courses, the singing whales
and the burning seraphim do without protest or
slovenliness exactly what their Maker intended,
and thus praise him.

We read that our Heavenly Father actually looks
for people who will worship him in spirit and in
reality. Imagine! God is looking for worshippers.
Will he always have to go to a church to find
them, or might there be one here and there in an
ordinary house, kneeling alone by a chair, simply
adoring him?

How do we adore him? Adoration is not merely
unselfish. It doesn't even take into
consideration that the self exists. It is utterly
consumed with the object adored.

Once in a while, a human face registers
adoration. The groom in a wedding may seem to
worship the approaching bride, but usually he has
a few thoughts for himself--how does he look in
this absurd ruffled shirt that she asked him to
wear, what should he do with his hands at this
moment, what if he messes up the vows?

I have seen adoration more than once on faces in
a crowd surrounding a celebrity, but only when
they were unaware of the television cameras, and
only when there was not the remotest possibility
that the celebrity would notice them. For a few
seconds, they forgot themselves altogether.

When I stumble out of bed in the morning, put on
a robe, and go into my study, words do not spring
spontaneously to my lips--other than words like,
"Lord, here I am again to talk to you. It's cold.
I'm not feeling terribly spiritual...." Who can
go on and on like that morning after morning, and
who can bear to listen to it day after day?

I need help in order to worship God. Nothing
helps me more than the Psalms. Here we find human
cries--of praise, adoration, anguish, complaint,
petition. There is an immediacy, an authenticity,
about those cries. They speak for me to God--that
is, they say what I often want to say, but for
which I cannot find words.

Surely the Holy Spirit preserved those Psalms in
order that we might have paradigms of prayer and
of our individual dealings with God. It is
immensely comforting to find that even David, the
great king, wailed about his loneliness, his
enemies, his pains, his sorrows, and his fears.
But then he turned from them to God in paeans of
praise.

He found expression for praise far beyond my poor
powers, so I use his and am lifted out of myself,
up into heights of adoration, even though I'm
still the same ordinary woman alone in the same
little room.

Another source of assistance for me has been the
great hymns of the Church, such as "Praise, My
Soul, the King of Heaven," "New Every Morning Is
the Love," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Glorious
Things of Thee Are Spoken," and ''O Worship the
King." The third stanza of that last one delights
me. It must delight God when I sing it to him:

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the
plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

That's praise. By putting into words things on
earth for which we thank him, we are training
ourselves to be ever more aware of such things as
we live our lives. It is easy otherwise to be
oblivious of the thousand evidences of his care.
Have you thought of thanking God for light and
air, because in them his care breathes and
shines?

Hymns often combine praise and petition, which
are appropriate for that time alone with God. The
beautiful morning hymn "Awake, My Soul, and With
the Sun" has these stanzas:

All praise to Thee, who safe hast kept,
And hast refreshed me while I slept.
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless light partake.
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say;
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

Adoration should be followed by confession.
Sometimes it happens that I can think of nothing
that needs confessing. This is usually a sign
that I'm not paying attention. I need to read the
Bible. If I read it with prayer that the Holy
Spirit will open my eyes to this need, I soon
remember things done that ought not to have been
done and things undone that ought to have been
done.

Sometimes I follow confession of sin with
confession of faith--that is, with a declaration
of what I believe. Any one of the creeds helps
here, or these simple words: "Christ has died;
Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Lord, I
believe; help my unbelief."

Then comes intercession, the hardest work in the
world--the giving of one's self, time, strength,
energy, and attention to the needs of others in a
way that no one but God sees, no one but God will
do anything about, and no one but God will ever
reward you for.

Do you know what to pray for people whom you
haven't heard from in a long time? I don't. So I
often use the prayers of the New Testament, so
all-encompassing, so directed toward things of
true and eternal importance, such as Paul's for
the Christians in Ephesus: ''…I pray that you,
rooted and founded in love yourselves, may be
able to grasp…how wide and long and deep and high
is the love of Christ" (Ephesians 3:17, 18). Or I
use his prayer for the Colossians, "We pray that
you will be strengthened from God's boundless
resources, so that you will find yourselves able
to pass through any experience and endure it with
joy" (Colossians 1:11). I have included many New
Testament prayers in a small booklet entitled And
When You Pray (Good News Publishers).

My own devotional life is very far from being
Exhibit A of what it should be. I have tried,
throughout most of my life, to maintain a quiet
time with God, with many lapses and failures.
Occasionally, but only occasionally, it is
impossible. Our Heavenly Father knows all about
those occasions. He understands perfectly why
mothers with small children bring them along when
they talk to him.

Nearly always it is possible for most of us, with
effort and planning and the will to do his will,
to set aside time for God alone. I am sure I have
lost out spiritually when I have missed that
time. And I can say with the psalmist, "I have
found more joy along the path of thy instruction
than in any kind of wealth" (Psalms 119:14).



Copyright© 1989, by Elisabeth Elliot
all rights reserved.

Exquisite Love

How exquisite your love, O God! Psalm 36:7 (The Message)


"The Hebrew word chesed, narrowly translated as "love," is a large word. No single word in our language is adequate to translate it, so we revert to the use of adjectives to bring out the distinctive quality and broad reach of this love: steadfast love, loyal love. ...

Chesed is often used in biblical revelation to designate God's love. But we humans, who have been created in the image of God, are also capable of loving this way, even though we never seem to get very good at it. Chesed is love without regard to shifting circumstances, hormones, emotional states and personal convenience."

Leap Over a Wall

"Love is a Large Word", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Happiness

"Happiness, like winning, is a matter of right thinking, not intelligence, age, or position." Come Before Winter, p. 239.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Common Worship

Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo! Shout God--songs at the top of your lungs! Psalm 47: 1 (The Message)

"In worship the community of God's people assemble to hear God's word spoken in scripture, sermon and sacrament. The faith that is created by that proclaimed word develops responses of praise, obedience, and commitment.

At no time has there ever been a biblical faith or any kind of continuing life in relation to God, apart from such common worship. By persisting in the frequent, corporate worship in which God's word is central, God's people are prevented from making up a religion out of their own private ideas of God."

Five Smooth Stones


"Common Worship", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Led by the Spirit

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:18


"Being led by the Spirit doesn't mean you are free to do anything you want. It means you are finally free to live a responsible, moral life -- something you were incapable of doing when you were a prisoner of your flesh. This is a freedom available only in Christ; it's a freedom meant to be enjoyed. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!" (Philipians 4:4)"


Freedom in Christ, Neil T. Anderson.

Submitting

In talking about walking in the Spirit in his lesson "The Real Holy War" from the Spiritual Warfare series David Jeremiah makes this point:

"One verse that presents the balance we are looking for is Romans 13:14: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." The negative is putting off the flesh, while the positive is putting on Jesus Christ as Lord.

Making provisions for the flesh means to allow ourselves to get into situations where it becomes increasingly difficult for us to remain in control. But putting on Christ means, every day, asking Him to protect you, guide you, fill you with the power of His Spirit to remain clear of situations that might compromise your righteousness. When we submit to Jesus Christ, we will make no provision for the flesh.

The devil will attack the weaknesses of our flesh, but if we follow the admonition of James to "submit to God [and] resist the devil," Satan will flee from us (James 4:7). But our submitting comes before his fleeing."

A Moral Maelstrom

Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Luke 6:35 (The Message)

----------------

"We Christians should be well trained through our Bible reading to see how God's sovereignty is worked out through the lives of frail, willful, disobedient -- sometimes repentant and sometimes not -- men and women who are created to live to God's glory. That is what keeps us reading this story over and over again and finding it "good news."

In the moral maelstrom of our age, people ask, "How do we keep our moral equilibrium with stories [about people with questionable lifestyles] in the middle of our Bibles?" and the answer is this: "By keeping them in the middle of our Bibles." "

"Bathsheba-Gate", Christianity Today


"A Moral Maelstrom", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Always glory! Always praise!

Romans 11: 33-36 (The Message)


Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out.

Is there anyone around who can explain God?

Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?

Anyone who has done him such a huge favor

that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him;

Everything happens through him;

Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise!

Yes. Yes. Yes.


Thursday, February 23, 2006

All Together Now!

All together now--applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of his glory, set glory to the rhythms of his praise.

Psalm 66: 1-2 (The Message)

Commitment to Encouragement

"I firmly believe that an individual is never more Christ-like than when full of compassion for those who are down, needy, discouraged, or forgotten. How terribly essential is our commitment to encouragement."

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, p. 213.


Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.
Hebrews 3:13 NIV


Charles R. Swindoll, Words of Encouragement.

Solomon's Wives

This morning's Talks for Growing Christians was based on 1 Kings 11: 1-13. Key lessons from these verses are:


1. Disobedience to the Lord results in departure from the Lord.

2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.



2. Disobedience to the Lord results in discipline from the Lord.

9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

--------------------

Dr. David Reid challenges "Read Psalm 72 to see Solomon’s love and reverence for the Lord. But little by little Solomon’s disobedience in the area of his passions caused him to turn away from the Lord. It could happen to any believer. It could happen to you. Are you speaking psalms to the Lord to show your love and reverence to the Lord? Stay in this frame of reference to keep your heart pure toward the Lord and to maintain your walk before Him. Remember the downfall of Solomon."

Relationship

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2

"Walking according to the Spirit is more of a relationship than a regimen -- it's a relationship with the indwelling Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is neither legalism nor license. "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh .. if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law" (Galatians 5: 16, 18)."

February 23, Freedom in Christ, Neil Anderson.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Praying for All the Saints

... and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

-------------

Ephesians 1: 18-19. He prayed they might have wisdom and power.

Ephesians 3: 16-19. He prayed they might have strength in the inner man.

Philippians 1: 9-11. He prayed they might have discernment.

Colossians 1: 9. He prayed they might know God's will.

1 Thessalonians 3: 10-13. He prayed they might have a growing love for one another.

2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12. He prayed they might be worthy of their calling.

2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17. He prayed they might be comforted and established.

2 Thessalonians 3: 5. He prayed they might be steadfast in their love for God.

1 Timothy 2: 1-2. He prayed they might live a quiet and peaceable life.

Philemon 6. He prayed they might recognize all they have in Christ.

Hebrews 13: 20-21. He prayed God would work in them that which is pleasing to Him.


"Praying Always with All Prayer", Spiritual Warfare, David Jeremiah.

----------------

Would you pray one of these today for one saint? You will be a blessing today to someone.

Sufferings Showcase

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm." — Ephesians 3:10

The powers and principalities, all the heavenly hosts and the dark rulers of the universe, millions of unseen beings are intensely interested to see just how "able" God is to sustain the weak and the weary.

Ephesians 3:10 tells us that God teaches the unseen world all about Himself, and He does it using you and me as His audio-visual aids. We are used of the Lord to show the universe how great, awesome, and wonderful God and his grace are. Let's say some demon dares waltz up to heaven’s throne and sneers, "God, people only trust You because You bless them with health and strength. But let me put a kink in the lower back of some missionary. Then allow me to take away his financial support. I just bet that missionary would end up denying you."

But God would answer, "Oh, no; you're wrong. That exact scenario happened to Mr. Brown, and he trusted me. I worked through his obedience, and because of his testimony, many more people heard of the Son's love."

At that point, the demon would shrink away, and the glory surrounding God would glow even brighter. Mr. Brown's sufferings not only helped him to grow in Christ, but they demonstrated to that demon and millions like him how powerful God's sustaining grace is. The result? Greater glory to God. One day it will be shown to all that God was able to rescue sinners, redeem suffering, crush the rebellious, restore all things, vindicate his holy name, provide restitution… and come out all the more glorious for it! What an honor to share in that.

When you feel surrounded by tough circumstances, remember, you have the chance to be a Mr. Brown. God will use that situation to build you up spiritually and to highlight His glory.

* * * * *

Lord, so much is going on in this world I can't see. But I sure can have an affect on what’s happening! May I do so to Your glory.


Joni's DailyDevotional

No Center-Point

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

Psalm 103: 11-13 (NIV)



"One of our persistent difficulties is that we are always looking to find meaning, purpose, and satisfaction elsewhere than the place where we should be looking. This reflects our restlessness. It also reflects our folly. Having come home, we find it difficult to abide there. Having come to the fountain of life, we fail to drink deeply from its waters. Having found the truth, we look for meaning elsewhere. Nouwen confesses in prayer, "I live as though there were something important to be found outside of you." We find it hard to remain close to the Father's heart. We find it hard to remain on course. The familiar soon loses its appeal for us. We lack an abiding center-point.

So the greatest response that we are frequently called to make is not the call to move forward. It is the call to return -- to return to the simplicity of our faith, the generosity of our first love, the willingness to obey, and the intimacy of our relationship with the God who lovingly calls us home. The call to return means that we can only truly live from a center-point in the love and presence of God."

"No Center-Point: Returning to the Simplicity of Faith", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma.

Dancing with God


When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get
guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God
abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for
you in your life,
please share this message with someone else,
for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lots of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance


From Jimmy Turner

Unity

Circle of Fire: Barton Stone and a Spiritual Model of Unity by Gary Holloway
January - April, 2006

A short excerpt. See new Wineskins for the full article.

This review of Stone's first three models of unity should remind us of the inadequate models we have followed in the past. Let us not dwell on past failures. Instead, we should embrace his final model or type, "fire union" or "the unity of the Spirit." In Stone's words,
How vain are all human attempts to unite a bundle of twigs together, so as to make them grow together and bear fruit! They must first be united with the living stock, and receive its sap and spirit, before they can ever be united with each other. So must we be first united with Christ, and receive his spirit [sic], before we can ever be in spirit united with one another. The members of the body cannot live unless by union with the head—nor can the members of the church be united, unless first united with Christ, the living head. His spirit is the bond of union. Men have devised many plans to unite Christians - all are vain. There is but one effectual plan, which is, that all be united with Christ and walk in him.11




Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Prayer is Asking

Here is something I have heard twice today: "You have not because you ask not." Maybe God is trying to tell me something.

--------------

And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it. James 4:2 (New Living Translation)

You do not have, because you do not ask God. James 4:2 (NIV)

You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? James 4:2 (The Message)

Pray at All Times

"Prayer is so hard because it shows we are powerless."

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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Ephesians 6:18 (New Living Translation)

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Ruth Paxon has written, "[Satan] will use every device to keep us from praying. He will cause physical fatigue and lethargy; unfit us mentally for prayer through the cares and burdens of the home and of business; and destroy our power and prayer through doubt, discouragement, and depression. So when we feel least like praying is the time we need most to pray, for Satan already has gained a foothold in us."

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1One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. 2"There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. 3A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. 4The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. `I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, 5`but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' "

6Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this evil judge. 7Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"

Luke 18: 1-8 (New Living Translation)

God Accomplishes Good

Show me how you work, GOD;

School me in your ways.

Psalm 25:4 (The Message)

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"We cannot afford to be naive about evil -- it must be faced. But we cannot be intimidated by it either. It will be used by God to bring good. For it is one of the most extraordinary aspects of the good news that God uses bad men to accomplish good purposes ... .

If we forget that the newspapers are footnotes to Scripture and not the other way around, we will finally be afraid to get out of bed in the morning. Too many of us spend far too much time with the editorial page. ... We get our interpretation of politics and economics and morals from journalists when we should be getting only information. The meaning of the world is most accurately given to us by God's Word."

Run with the Horses


"God Accomplishes Good", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

God Takes Us Where We Are

Monday, February 20, 2006

Where are you today? Spiritually, I mean. Are you on an upswing, or headed downhill? Do you see spiritual progress in your life, or does it seem futile and empty? Are things going your way, or does it seem like you take one step forward and two steps backward? I want you to know that wherever you are, God takes you right at that point.

I was reading 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and verse 9 stopped me cold. It says, "So we make it our goal to please God..." I thought to myself, Lord, my desire is truly to please You. Yet I recognize that so much in me is not at this time pleasing to You. I can see some progress, but there's still so much to do in order to be really pleasing to You.

At first the thought just overwhelmed me and discouraged me, as I realized anew how far from the goal I am. When will I ever please God in all my ways? At best my motives are tinged with selfishness and pride. In spite of all I know, I do not always practice it consistently. I truly had a mini panic-attack, just thinking about where I was in my spiritual life versus where I should be and wanted to be.

But the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit began to speak to my spirit. He brought to my mind the relationship that a child has with a parent. How do we relate to our children? If they are growing and progressing as they should be even though they are not yet totally mature, even though we see areas that need improvement, even though we know they have many lessons yet to learn, we can still say, "I delight in my child." We see their potential, and we love them for who they are right where they are.

God is our heavenly Father and He can delight in us, though we're still incomplete, as long as we are growing and becoming. As long as we are open to His voice, as long as we seek His face.

Many people have the mistaken idea that they've got to get themselves all fixed up and cleaned up before they are acceptable to God. Well, my good news to you today is that God takes you right where you are. You'll never be able to make yourself acceptable to God; He'll do that for you, when you simply come to Him without any pretense just as you are.


Tuesday, February 21, 2006

My friend told me about her experience with her two-year-old granddaughter, which is a wonderful illustration of this truth.

Grandmother Nonnie was playing hide and seek with Dana, which was a new game she had just learned. Nonnie stayed outside while Dana went inside to hide. After a few minutes, she went looking for her. And there was Dana, with her head stuck under the sofa and her little rear end sticking straight out for everyone to see. But as far as Dana was concerned, she was hidden because she couldn't see Nonnie, so she figured Nonnie couldn't see her. She was playing hide and seek to the best of her ability, though of course it wasn't exactly effective.

Of course, to a grandmother's heart, it was delightful and joyous to see this little one performing to her limits, enjoying her new game, though she still had lots to learn about playing hide and seek. But at two years old, in her stage of development, she performed delightfully and as far as Nonnie was concerned, she performed perfectly.

Now, if grandmother did not have the heart to understand a two-year-old, she might have sat down with Dana and discussed the game of hide and seek. "Dana, my dear, let me explain to you the purpose of this game. You did not play it correctly and in order for us to keep playing hide and seek, dear, you'll have to get it right. Understand?"

What grandmother would do that to her granddaughter? No, we delight in them at their various stages and adjust ourselves to meet their needs. Neither did Nonnie say to Dana, "Please observe how the six year olds play hide and seek, Dana, and do it like they do." We don't ask a two-year-old to live up to the expectations of a six year old. We don't compare. We accept and love.

Dear friends, isn't it marvelous to know that our God takes us right where we are. I can't tell you how often I go back to Him, feeling just like a little child, apologizing for the mess I've made in one area or another, and thanking Him that He continues to take me where I am. What great relief and freedom this is for us to know.

I want to encourage you today to know that our Heavenly Father accepts us as children in a growing process, and He takes us right where we are. Let that knowledge encourage you, and bask in the love which He gives to you so freely and unconditionally.

Transcript, The Christian Working Woman

Grace Unadorned

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." — Philippians 4:12


"The winter of our discontent" is a line from Shakespeare, but it's also a line people tend to mumble this time of year. In February, many grow discontent; people are restless with the long winter. We are tired of trees that look stark. The landscape is barren, the ground, hard like iron.

But look deeper into February. There's beauty in the barren landscape. Earth is stripped of its foliage, and we see the uncluttered foundation of ground and sky. It's as though nature wears no makeup. Earth's face is unadorned and plain, like the scrubbed face of a woman whose wrinkles add to her elegance. February is not pretty; it is handsome in an unembellished manner. For those who take time to look, they will discover a deeper beauty.

Something else is hidden from view, and there's no better time than February to uncover it. Now is the time to learn the secret of contentment Paul talks about in Philippians. To live "hungry" or "in want," as Paul puts it, is a little like looking for beauty in a stark landscape. Life, stripped of its trappings and reduced to its bare essentials, shows us how lean and in need of God we really are. Embrace spiritual poverty as you would embrace the strange beauty of February. When you do, you’ll find the grace of God.

If your life feels as cold and barren as the hard ground, take this month to learn the secret. God's grace will furrow the ground of your cold heart and turn its sod to the sunshine of hope. God's grace will warm and revive you, like the early breezes of spring reviving the earth.

* * * * *

Father God, I confess a restless spirit and a roving eye. Teach me to sit contentedly in the warm embrace of your grace this cold day.

Joni's Daily Devotional

Monday, February 20, 2006

Loving Shepherd

I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20 (New Living Translation)

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"When you pray, do you suddenly think of a million things you need to do? When you read the Bible, are you unable to concentrate? When you have the opportunity to serve God, are you plagued by self-doubt? If yes, remember that no matter what you think or how you feel, God is a loving Shepherd who will always tend for and feed you daily ... because you are precious to Him."

February 20, "Freedom in Christ" by Neil T. Anderson.

God Gives Joy

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

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"One of the most interesting and remarkable things Christians learn is that laughter does not exclude weeping. Christian joy is not an escape from sorrow. Pain and hardship still come, but they are unable to drive out the happiness of the redeemed. ...

Joy is what God gives, not what we work up. Laughter is the delight that things are working together for good to those who love God, ... an overflow of spirits that comes from feeling good not about yourself but about God.

A Long Obedience


"God Gives Joy", God's Message for Each Day, Eugene H. Peterson.

Besor

Yesterday Aaron shared from 1 Samuel 30. He talked about three groups at the banks of Besor:
  • Lonely: Finding strength in the Lord starts when we're honest with God. (v. 6)
  • Tired: 1/3 were too tired to continue. If you need rest, you can find rest here. (v. 10)
  • Strong: 2/3 continued to fight. Ultimately, God makes provision for the strong. (v. 11-15) The reward and victory came from God. (v. 23)
Whichever group you are in God will meet your needs.

Rhema

Take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)

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"There are two words for "word" in the Greek New Testament. The most common is logos, found in John 1:1. ... But logos is not the word found in Ephesians 6:17 to refer to "the word of God." "Word" in Ephesians 6:17 is the English translation of the Greek word rhema. It is this word of God that we are to use as the sword of the Spirit, our offensive weapon in spiritual warfare.

The best way to define rhema in English is to translate it as the "saying" of God rather than the "word" of God. To use a military analogy, think of the completed Bible as an armory where the military stores various weapons until they are needed in a war. The sayings of God, stored in the Bible (the armory) are our weapons of warfare. Therefore, the Bible is not the sword of the Spirit. The Bible is the armory in which are stored the swords of the Spirit which are the "rhema's" of God -- the sayings, or truths, of God.

Romans 10:17 is a good example of the use of rhema: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhema] of God." Most people who read this verse in English think they're reading the logos of God, not the rhema of God. They apply this verse by saying that the more we read our Bible, the more our faith will increase. So they read their Bible diligently but their faith doesn't increase and they wonder why.

We definitely need to read our Bibles (go to the armory); but when we are reading the Bible, the Spirit applies something the Bible says in a way that quickens your faith. When that happens, your faith increases. Perhaps you've memorized a verse of Scripture without much impact on your life, only to have it take on a brand new relevance in a certain situation. That's an example of the logs becoming the rhema to you -- a sword of the Spirit in your hands.

...

And if you are not daily reading and meditating on that Bible, the Spirit will not have the rhema of God to work with in your life when you need it most."


David Jeremiah, "The Sword of the Spirit", Spiritual Warfare.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Live generously and graciously

43"You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.' 44I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. 46If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. 47If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)

There's no God like Jehovah!

Try saying that seven times without getting excited!

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Days of Elijah by Robin Mark

These are the days of Elijah

Declaring the word of the Lord

And these are the days of your servant, Moses

Righteousness being restored

And though these are days of great trials

Of famine and darkness and sword

Still, we are the voice in the desert, crying

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord!"


chorus:

Behold he comes, riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun, at the trumpet's call

So lift your voice, It's the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion's hill, salvation comes.



And these are the days of Ezekiel,

The dry bones becoming as flesh

And these are the days of your servant, David,

Rebuilding the temple of praise.

And these are the days of the harvest,

The fields are as white in the world.

And we are the laborers in Your vineyard,

Declaring the word of the Lord!


chorus

There's no God like Jehovah,

There's no God like Jehovah,

There's no God like Jehovah!

Poverty

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

"God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is given to you.

Luke 6: 20 (New Living Translation)

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"We always seem to be better at giving than becoming. We can give love even when we are not intrinsically loving. We can be generous even when we are not truly compassionate. We can be concerned about others and yet essentially still live for ourselves. We can be giving to the poor and yet withhold the very thing they most urgently seek: companionship in the journey.

Nouwen reminds us that "being poor is what Jesus invites us to, and that is much, much harder than serving the poor." If we wish to journey with the poor, we need to be poor ourselves -- poor for the sake of the gospel and poor for the sake of our neighbor.

This poverty does not only mean that we voluntarily lay aside our time, our power, and our priorities to serve others. At a deeper level, it means that we discover our own poverty, weakness, and brokenness and can thus journey in true companionship with the poor. We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travelers toward light and liberation."

"Poverty: Learning to Give Ourselves", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Balance and Energy Drains

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Where do we get the strength we need to give to others as we want to, to keep from being burned-out and frayed around the edges all too often?

Shakespeare said something to the effect that no man could be a philosopher when he had a toothache! A. W. Tozer puts it: "While it is possible to be a weary saint, it is scarcely possible to be weary and feel saintly."

When our bodies are not in the best condition, either from sickness or fatigue, our strength can fail us. That's why we must be good stewards of the bodies we have, doing everything we can to preserve them and keep them vital.

Now, let me point out some things which drain our energy. First, there are the inescapable drains on our energy, such as getting up in the morning! Children, mates, family, housework, jobs. But many times we expend energy, even in these areas, unnecessarily. Let's identify a few of the foolish things that often drain our strength:

  1. Our strength is used up when we try to do more than we can do.

God has not called us to be all things to all people. Jesus was careful where He went to minister. He didn't try to go to every city; He didn't heal every sick person; He didn't preach to everyone on the face of the earth. Yet He could say at the end of a very short three year ministry that He had accomplished what His father had sent Him to do.

Have you got too many irons in the fire? Are you trying to prove something to yourself by being all things to all people? Or perhaps, like me, you just have so much you want to do that you can't resist. Maybe you have a hard time saying "No." Whatever it is that causes you and me to over-commit, we need to get this area under control.

2. Our strength is used up when we have too much stuff.

Did you know that the more you have, the more energy it takes out of you? Cleaned your closet out lately? Might be a good idea. A home or apartment full of valued "treasures" is a real drainer of energy. Now I'm not suggesting we can't have things that we enjoy, but the question is, do you enjoy them or are they just sapping your time and energy?


Transcript The Christian Working Woman

Demolishing Strongholds

and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon.
Ephesians 6:17 (The Message)

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 (New Living Translation)

We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (New Living Translation)

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"A stronghold was a fortress in the ancient world -- a place where an enemy became entrenched. In the realm of the mind, a stronghold can be established based on willing participation in lies, habits, lusts of the flesh, envy, jealousy, suspicion, or any number of carnal attitudes and practices. Because those are worldly, fleshly practices, they become a place where Satan can become entrenched in the mind (the life) of a person.

.....

As we read the Scriptures, God will use the rhema of God (the living, experiential word of God) to speak to us about a particular part of our life. It's the same logos (written Word) we may have read before, but God makes it new for us at that moment. And we see how to deal with the stronghold in our mind. Whether it's greed, pride, anger -- whatever the stronghold -- God shows us what it is and how, in the wisdom of Christ, to begin pulling it down by renewing our mind according to His Word (Romans 12:2).

When you identify a stronghold in your mind, subject it to the relentless renewing daily by the Word -- the logos and the rhema. Put on the helmet of salvation and let the wisdom of Christ begin to pull down that stronghold until it is gone.

You must get in the battle; and protecting your mind with the mind of Christ -- His wisdom and His power -- is how you will win."


David Jeremiah, "The Helmet of Salvation", Spiritual Warfare.

We Need God

... put your hope in GOD and know real blessing!
Psalm 146:5 (The Message)



"We're always aware of something we need or lack most of the time. We're not complete. We're not fully human. This sense of being unfinished is pervasive and accounts for a great deal that's distinctive in us as humans. We then attempt to complete ourselves by getting more education or more money, going to another place or buying different clothes, searching out new experiences. The Christian gospel tells us that in and under and around these incompletions is God; God is who we need. The God-hunger, the God-thirst is the most powerful drive in us. It's far stronger than all the drives of sex, power, security, and fame put together."

Leap Over a Wall


"We Need God", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Some Biblical Expressions of Praise

Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15)
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Clapping hands and shouting (Psalm 47:1)
Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

Musical instruments and dancing (Psalm 150:4)
praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,

Singing praise songs (Psalm 9:11)
Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19-20)
19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Making a joyful noise (Psalm 98:4)
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

By lifting our hands (Psalm 134:2)
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

By being still (Psalm 4:3-5, 46:10)
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.
4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.
46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

By being loud (Psalm 33:3, 95:1-6)
33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;


Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Mighty and Faithful

O LORD God Almighty!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, LORD?
Faithfulness is your very character.

Psalm 89:8 (New Living Translation)

I praise you God because You are mighty and faithful.

Fighting Fair

"[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." -- 1 Corinthians 13:5

My husband is a pretty fair fighter. For the most part, he can get angry without getting destructive.

But not so the other night. We were arguing in the living room, and his temper got a little hot. So he stomped out of the room and shut the door. I put a lid on my own temper and reminded him that shutting doors was a low blow. With that, the door cracked open. I was able to wheel into the kitchen where, I am happy to tell you, our silly argument was resolved.

Fighting fair is essential if Ken and I are going to air our differences and effectively deal with them. We have four fair-fighting rules. First, stick to one topic. The issue becomes clouded if you start to drag in past offenses. State your complaint in one sentence such as, "It bothers me that you always speed up when the light at an intersection turns yellow."

Second, allow the other person to respond. Don't use the door-slamming technique as a punctuation mark. Third, don't keep a list of wrongdoings. Like it says in 1 Corinthians 13:5, "Love keeps no records of wrongs." Fourth, take the initiative in forgiving. God didn't wait around until He had an apology from you and me before He sent His Son. If God can take the initiative like that, so can we.

Conflicts come up in any relationship. But with patience and some good, fair-fighting rules, they can be resolved. Besides, making up is much better than fighting.

Read over the list of rules again, this time asking yourself if there’s a conflict in a relationship that needs resolution. Do one thing to take the initiative to settle your differences. And then follow the rest of those fair-fighting principles.

* * * * *

Father, thank You that You took the initiative when my sin separated us. You have given me this example to follow in my own relationships. Give me the courage to settle differences.


Joni's Daily Devotional