Relentlessness and Tenderness

"The Lion who will kill all that separates us from him; the Lamb who was killed to mend that separation -- both are symbols and synonyms for Jesus. Relentlessness and tenderness; indivisible aspects of the Divine Reality."


Brennan Manning, Reflections for Ragamuffins, p. 118.

The Weapon of Prayer

Elizabeth Elliot Devotional

News came one day which indicated that a matter I
had been praying about had deteriorated rather
than improved. "What good are my prayers,
anyway?" I was tempted to ask. "Why bother? It's
becoming a mere charade." But the words of Jesus
occurred in my Bible reading that very morning
(and wasn't it a good thing I'd taken time to
hear Him?): "If you, bad as you are, know how to
give your children what is good for them, how
much more will your heavenly Father give good
things to those who ask him?" (Matthew 7:11,
NEB).

Are you as often tempted as I am to doubt the
effectiveness of prayer? But Jesus prayed. He
told us to pray. We can be sure that the answer
will come, and it will be good. If it is not
exactly what we expected, chances are we were not
asking for quite the right thing. Our heavenly
Father hears the prayer, but wants to give us
bread rather than stones.

Prayer is a weapon. Paul speaks of the "weapons
we wield" in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. They are "not
merely human, but divinely potent to demolish
strongholds" (NEB). The source of my doubts about
its potency that morning was certainly not the
Holy Spirit. It was the unholy spirit, the
Destroyer himself, urging me to quit using the
weapon he fears so intensely.

Fear

Transcript, The Christian Working Woman

Friday, April 28, 2006

Why is it important for us to deal with these pockets of fear? Because any area of fear is an area where we are not trusting God, and without faith it is impossible to please God. So, when I have a pocket of fear, I know that God is very displeased since it shows I don't have faith in that area.

You'll remember that Abraham, that great man of faith, had a pocket of fear when he was in Egypt with his beautiful wife. He feared the Egyptian men would kill him in order to have his wife, so he asked her to lie for him. That led to a very disgraceful episode in the life of Abraham. How could such a man of faith have such a pocket of fear?

Well, Abraham found himself in this predicament because he was not totally obedient. God never intended for him to go to Egypt ; that was Abraham's idea to avoid a famine. Again, Abraham couldn't trust God to feed them in a famine, so he came up with his own plan and did it his way–by going to Egypt . One fear led to another, and that caused Abraham to sin. Disobedience will get us into these places of fear, and fear will cause us to disobey.

John wrote that "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear... The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (I John 4:18 ). So, that pocket of fear reveals an area where our love of the Lord is not perfect. Perfect love is synonymous with perfect trust. I can't say I love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind if I have a pocket of fear. I may love Jesus a lot, but the pocket of fear reveals an area where my love for him is not strong enough, and therefore my faith is weak.

Back to Jesus–loving Him supremely, making Him Lord in every area of our lives, focusing our thoughts on Him, spending time in His presence, knowing His Word better and better. This will drive out those pockets of fear. When we dwell in any pocket of fear, we tend to spend less and less time with Jesus, less and less time in His word, and more and more time focused on ourselves. That just makes the fear worse, and destroys our faith even further.

What is your pocket of fear today? Will you bring it out in the open, confess it, find scripture to counteract it, and then focus on loving Jesus more perfectly in that area? If so, that fear will have to go, and you'll be free from the control it has over you know. Truth sets you free, and Jesus is Truth. I urge you to pursue His victory over the pockets of fear in your life. You will please Him when you do.

Warmth and Sunlight

His face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1: 16, RSV

"When Moses returned from the mountain of revelation, his face was shining so brightly that the people could not look on it. The Aaronic benediction prays, "The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you" (Num 6: 25, RSV). In Christ the blessing of God is made personal in the shining face: "His face was like the sun shining in full strength." God in Christ is warmth and sunlight."

Reversed Thunder


Warmth and Sunlight, God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Unreserved, Unqualified, Undaunted

"God wants my unreserved love, my unqualified devotion, my undaunted trust."

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, p. 397.


Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.
Job 13: 15, KJV

Change Agents

You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James 2: 18


"Faith and action are inseparable. Sadly, many Christians today gladly profess their faith yet show little action. They are passively cowering in fear of the world, waiting for the rapture. But we are under orders to storm the gates of hell. We are to be change agents in the world, taking a stand, living by faith, and moving forward for God. Ask Him to enable you to live according to the truth of God's Word."

Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.

Compel

"The Apostle Paul wrote that Christ died that we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him (2 Corinthians 5: 15). To live no longer for ourselves but for Him is the essence of discipleship. That phrase sums up all we could include under the headings of disciplines, holiness, and service. But what is it that will motivate us to live not for ourselves for for Him? Paul said it is the love of Christ: "For Christ's love compels us" (2 Corinthians 5: 14).

...

It was not the thought that "I ought to do this or that" or a feeling of guilt for not doing something that motivated Paul. Rather it was his overwhelming sense of Christ's love for him that spurred him on."

The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges.


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

14Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.

15He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 (The Message)

14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 (NIV)

God Saves from Sin

"If your sins are blood-red, they'll be snow-white."

Isaiah 1: 18 (The Message)


"I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12: 13, RSV) is a sentence full of hope. It's full of hope because it's a sentence full of God.

The Latin phrase felix culpa, usually attributed to Augustine, puts the hope in a slogan: "O happy sin!" Only when I recognize and confess my sin am I in a position to recognize and respond to the God who saves me from my sin. If I'm ignorant of or indifferent to my sin, I'm ignorant of or indifferent to the great and central good news: "Jesus saves!" "

Leap Over a Wall

God Saves from Sin, God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

Talk to Yourself

Talk to yourself today. Look at these verses from Lamentations and notice that the writer "called to mind" and "spoke to himself" about the reality of God's nature. Do two things today: Call to Mind and Talk to yourself. The result will be hope.


Lamentations 3: 21-24

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

Encourage

"I know of no one more needed, more valuable, more Christ-like, than the person who is committed to encouragement."

Encourage Me, p. 85


We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ... if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12: 6, 8 (NIV)

Justification

Joni's Devotional

“Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.”
-- Romans 5:18

Someone once said that Jesus, when he hung on the cross, bore the weight of the sins of more than 40 billion people in the space of nine hours. We haven’t a clue to that horror; let alone the love. We can only drop to our grateful knees that Jesus justifies. Amazing love! How can it be that “he forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13b-14).

Your justification happened at the cross. It means God has acquitted you of your sins, vindicated and pronounced you righteous in his eyes. You are as much justified the hour you first came to Christ by faith as you will be for all eternity. It’s a finished and complete work — a special reference to your person, to your position before God. When the Father looks at you, he looks through rose-colored glasses, stained red because of the blood of Christ. Jesus is “our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:30b-31).

Pause today and boast in Jesus. Boast in his love. Boast in his mercy. Boast that he has given you a title to heaven and boldness to enter in. When it comes to your justification, he’s it!

* * * * *

Not the labors of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save and Thou alone. You, Christ, are my justification. Thank you.

The Power of Darkness

Elizabeth Elliot Devotional

When the chief priests, temple officers, and
elders came to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest
Jesus, they succeeded only because a sovereign
God permitted them to succeed. Jesus pointed out
that He was teaching daily in the Temple, yet
they never laid a finger on Him. Now they were
after Him with swords and staves. "But this is
your hour, and the power of darkness is yours"
(Lk 22:53 JBP). Who gave them that hour? Who
allowed them the power to capture Him? It was
God, without whose leave not even a sparrow can
fall to the ground. God is omnipotent, never
slumbering, just, righteous, and forever in
control. He was not taken by surprise. All was
working then, as it is always working, into a
pattern for good.

Our own difficulties often appear to be random.
Our tragedies look wildly uncontrolled. They are
not. They are subject. Limits are set. God is
quietly at work, standing in the shadows,
ceaselessly watching over His children.

"The light shines on in the dark, and the
darkness has never mastered it" (Jn l:5 NEB).

Your Day

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."

Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace.

Three Ways

The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1 John 2: 16

"There are only three ways Satan can entice you: the lust of the flesh (physical appetite and gratification), the lust of the eyes (self-interest and testing God's Word), and the boastful pride of life (self-exaltation). Satan used all three to deceive Eve, and she failed. But Jesus met Satan's threefold strategy head-on and succeeded triumphantly (Matthew 4: 1-11). In Christ, we have the resources and power to do likewise."

Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.

Be Honorable

¹¹Dear friends (Beloved), I urge (appeal to, beg, invite, request) you, as aliens (Dispersion related) and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your (whole person) soul. ¹²Live such good lives (beautiful, good, noble) among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong,

they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 2: 11-12 (NIV)

The goodness and beauty of our lives should silence our critics. Even in the midst of trials, our good works and beauty should be evident.

What is the environment the church faces today?

How important is example and “right living in the Body of Christ?”

The “separated” life of a Christian, a true believer, is one of the most powerful means God has of convicting the world of its sin.

Jimmy Turner

Endless Possibilities

You are Christ's body -- that's who you are! You must never forget this.
1 Corinthians 12: 27, The Message


"Important in any community of faith is an ever-renewed expectation in what God is doing with our brothers and sisters in the faith. ... We refuse to predict our brother's behavior, our sister's growth. Each person in the community is unique; each is specially loved and particularly led by the Spirit of God.

A community of faith flourishes when we view each other with this expectancy, wondering what God will do today in this one, in that one. ... They are new persons each morning, endless in their possibilities."

A Long Obedience


Endless Possibilities, God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson

Pockets of Fear

Transcript, The Christian Working Woman

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

What is your pocket of fear? One thing we know from scripture is that fear is not of God. Second Timothy 1:7 assures us that God does not give us a spirit of fear, so whatever you are I are fearful about, it's not coming from the Lord. Of course, we have an enemy who loves to scare us to death about anything he can, because when we are fearful, it means we're not trusting God.

Remember, we may have great faith in some areas, and still have pockets of fear where we find it difficult to trust God. What is your pocket of fear?

Maybe it's money; it often is. Are you fearful of not having enough, of losing your job, of losing your house, of going bankrupt, of not being able to afford what you need or want? Frankly, this often is a pocket of fear for me. I am responsible for this ministry, and we depend on financial support from our listeners. Sometimes I find myself thinking: "What if enough money doesn’t come in? How will you pay your staff? You could lose your house, all your assets, and everything you own–you could go through all that in no time flat. What in the world will you do then?" That's a pocket of fear for me.

Here's what I've learned to do with this pocket of fear, when it starts to possess me. I say, "Okay, imagine the worst–no money, have to shut down the ministry, no income, no house, no savings. Will God desert you then? Do you not believe He can and will take care of you even if you experience total financial loss?" Then I make myself–and note that it is usually an act of my will, not my emotions–I make myself claim a promise from the Bible.

Some good ones to use for this pocket of fear are:

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet you heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26)

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

By exposing that pocket of fear to the light, by bringing it out in the open and forcing ourselves to face the fear, it loses its teeth. It can't bite us any longer, because we've accepted that the worst may and could happen, and if it does, God's Word is still steadfast and He will deliver us.

A good first principle in dealing with pockets of fear is to bring them out in the open and talk to God about them. Then find a verse of scripture to counteract that pocket of fear.

Who Is A God Like You

Amazing God!

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18 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7

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Reminds me of a fragment of the Indescribable (by Chris Tomlin) lyrics:

You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God

Too Hard?

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah 32: 26-27

A Smooth Path

Elizabeth Elliott Transcript

The work of heavy highway equipment is to smooth
the way for travelers by exalting valleys, making
low the mountains and hills, straightening the
crooked. Obstacles--trees, rocks, houses, even
mountains themselves--are put out of the way.
This is what the Lord can do for his travelers
(it is promised by the prophet Isaiah), but He
does it without fuss, and in response to the one
who simply thinks of Him: "Think of Him in all
your ways, and He will smooth your path" (Prv.
3:6 NEB).

The mind can build barriers, produce huge
obstacles, collide with boulders of
impossibility. Strangely and wonderfully, when we
turn our thoughts to Him with whom nothing is an
impossibility (and to turn thoughts takes an act
of will), He smoothes the path for us. We find it
possible, maybe even easy, to move forward.

Don't waste time, energy, perhaps sleep-time,
thinking of all those rocks in the way. Think of
Him. Think of Him! You may find your path
suddenly smoothed.