Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:

[7] I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
[10] If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. [11] Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

Observation:

I’m going with this.. 2 John is written by the Apostle John to a church, “..the lady chosen by God..” and to the her congregation “..to her children..:”

John here specifically narrows down a set of false teachers who do not acknowledge the truth that Jesus came as God in the flesh and that He will come again to this earth.  This would include teachers of Islam and Latter Day Saints.  They teach falsely that Jesus was just a prophet or messenger from God, but not that He came to this earth, fully man and fully God.

John is not warning of being around individuals who have been duped into believing the false doctrine.  He is warning against being inviting or inclusive to the teachers of false doctrine, and reminding us not to let them teach in our churches.  He says that a person who teaches this false doctrine in this way is a deceiver and the antichrist.  He further warns that “[11] Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.”

Application:

We should be eating meat and not only drinking milk.  We should know the Truth and who Jesus is.  We should be able to discern easily what is false about these  false teachings.  Unfortunately, it’s not just our churches we need to worry about.  False teachers are all around us – at our work place, in our children’s schools, and in our government.  Even if it seems politically incorrect, we must turn them away, always being vigilant, watching out for them and what they teach.  If we have a question, turn to the only good source for the answer – the Bible.  Going to church once a week, or every other week, to hear the Word for 35 minutes is not nearly enough.  We need to be immersed in God’s Word every chance we can make.  We can’t afford to be confused or mistakenly help someone teach nonsense just because we are not aware it is false.  The last thing I would ever want to be labeled is someone who shares in the wicked work of an antichrist!

Prayer:

Lord thank You for giving us Your Word as our guide.  Let us not be fooled by these false teachers and especially Lord, help us to be vigilant and to never be used by them in any way to spread their false teaching. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Scripture:

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

Observation:  

John writes this for believers, not un-believers.  The implication is that believers can forget about the Gospel.  Imagine that…I don’t hear/read about that much except from Old Dead Guys…

Application:

Transparency: Most of John’s letters are difficult for me.  I don’t see the logic from point to point like I see in Paul’s letters.  Maybe it is because Paul is a religious lawyer by training and John wasn’t.

However, John’s letters are a part of the Holy Scriptures and are profitable for training in righteousness (among other things; see 2 Tim 3:16).  Therefore John’s letters, while difficult for me, are good to take time in and try to figure them out; to wrestle with them (like Peter says about Paul in 2 Pet 3:16; I also should take a look at Heb 5:11).

That being said, today 1 John 5 is confusing.  Maybe because I am looking for a “position, support, support, conclusion” type of format—and, if John is employing that format, it isn’t jumping out at me.  But the above scripture is.

John writes to Believers; not to Un-Believers.  1^st part is said plainly, the 2^nd part is inferred by sentence structure.  And the purpose of John’s writing is “that you may know that you have eternal life.”

The inference is that Believers can forget.  I can get all caught up with “things” that I forget to keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.  Note: I choose to define the Main Thing as the Gospel; eternal life is a by-product of the Gospel (an important and glorious by-product but a by-product nevertheless).

So there is the point that I read and gleaned for today: If John is writing so that Believers don’t forget, what am I doing in the same manner?  Am I stirring up the face in the mirror?  Am I not just taking an opportunity but MAKING an opportunity with those I fellowship with (especially in the Local Church) to remind each other about the Glorious and Majestic Gospel?

Here’s a thought: If I am not talking about the Gospel with the folks who should be the most receptive and eager to be reminded about the Gospel, do I really think I can talk about the Gospel with Un-Believers, folks who by nature don’t want to pay the price to find the Pearl?  Just thinking out loud…

Prayer:  

Lord God, I can write a good game sometimes.  Help me to put into practice what I am writing and not be a blockhead distorting words.  Fill my eyes with You.  AMEN.

Scripture:

1 John 4:7-8 – Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Observation:

John is again encouraging the believers who have received the love of God through Christ to share the love of God with others.  Love is from God and when we love others we truly have been reborn and know God. Without having love for others, it is impossible to know God who is love.  At the end of the chapter, John tells us you can’t claim to love God and not love your brother.

Application:

Jesus tells the disciples we will be known by our love for one another.  Love God and love others are the great commandments on which the Law depends.  To be born of God, I will love God as he loved me first and thusly my neighbor.  The two commandments are linked and one can’t exist without the other. In other words, I can memorize scripture, give to the church, but if I don’t love my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ I don’t know God.  The love of God is the most powerful thing in the world and the only thing with the power to change lives and hearts.

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your love and grace you gave me through Jesus.  Let me be someone who receives your love and shares it with others so You can be seen.

Scripture:

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. v3

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. v9-10

Observation:

I have read this passage a few times and these verses keep jumping out to me. John, has a funky way of writing and it can be a bit unnerving to walk though it, I want to do my best to make sense of it and point to something that I think is so beautiful and hard and real and what we actually need.

First observation is this:

Hoping (actively) purifies us and makes more like Jesus. Not hoped. 

Second observation:

If you make a practice of sinning, if that is who you are, not a believer who is wrestling with all of the Spirit of God against sin, but someone who practices, enjoys, relishes, looks forward to, sin, that sort of practicing of sin, you are not a child of God, you are not born of God.

Application:

Phew. What a doozy!

When we set our eyes on Jesus to save us (when we hope in him for our salvation before God) this is not a one time event. This is not simply a prayer that we pray, though many believe it is.

This is a supernatural awakening in which God wakes us up to see that he is everything, he is our hope and our life and so we turn to him, the veil is removed from our eyes and we look to him and realize, he is everything. And then, because of seeing him, we hope in him, we give our life to him, we die in him, as he died on the cross.

No longer do we live, but he lives. His desires. His goals. His love. His life.

This is hoping in Jesus. It is looking to him for all of our life and breath and worth before God.

But what about while I am doing that, I sin? Does that mean that I am not longer a child of God becaused I sinned? That seems to be what John might be saying?

But no, that isn’t what John is saying. What John is referring to is someone who practices, lives in, enjoyes, relishes, makes a habit of living in sin. This person, no matter what they say to contrary, does not have hope in Jesus.

Yeah, but what if they prayed a prayer? It doesn’t matter. God will not be mocked.

True salvation saves us from the punishment of sin, but also the presence and power of sin. If someone is still practicing sin, and living in it, and loving it, they have no hope in Jesus.

But what about when I struggle in sin? True believer, who struggles in sin, fights it, but falls, but loses sometimes, look to verse 3, those who hope in him are purified.

Even in your sin, hope in Jesus. Hope in him to save you from the punishment and more importantly from the sin now and here in this life. Hoping in Jesus, trusting in Jesus, looking to Jesus as your only confidence before a holy God, that is how you defeat this sin today.

We don’t defeat sin through being afraid of hell, we defeat sin by hoping in Jesus as our only hope. That is how we are purified.

Prayer:

I hope and pray that this speaks to the soul of our church and pushes them towards you. That is my only desire. Lord do a might work in our church family, move in Good Life that we would be a people who against all odds, hope in you and are purified from our sin.

Scripture:

“My little children: I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins—and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”  1 John 2:1-2

Observation:

John—hammering doctrine.  Blink and I would have passed it right on by…This is what potentially happens ignoring doctrine.

Application:

What is doctrine?

Once upon a time doctrine was something to be avoided.  Doctrine was an example of being “dead”: being a part of “dead religion” and of a “dead local church.”—“Ain’t no life here, Holy Spirit has done left the building”…I was soooo a classical Charismatic.

I was so short sighted that I couldn’t follow my foot as it passed my belt buckle taking a step forward.  Think I might have been a bit arrogant?  Uhh, maybe a little…

And then about 20 years ago a buddy of mine introduced me to Christian Doctrine—real, living, powerful, solid, Doctrine.  And not just rules and regulation type of doctrine—Doctrine that defines the Gospel in appropriate, systematic, foundational ways….and leads to LIFE.

So here’s John.  “Dear friends: I am writing this so you may not sin…”  Goal, objective, vision.  That’s where I want to be—not sinning.

Whaaat?  I just looked and sin is running rampant in my mind, my hands, my feet, and oh no, my mouth.  I am crushed.

But no, John reminds me of Jesus the Atonement (a doctrine), Jesus the Advocate (a doctrine), Jesus the Sacrifice (Propitiation, a doctrine) as well as alluding to the whole Character of God—so that I can take comfort, take courage.  I can really be still and know He is God.  I can remember to be confident that He will complete His work in me.

Doctrine is the systematic backbone of the Gospel.  Because I am not God (surprise!!), I need artificial but Grace filled help in understanding the Gospel.  Even the Psalmist understood that in Psalm 119.s

Do I want to grow up, pursue maturity in Christ?  Then I can’t go wrong in studying the Word by studying Doctrine.

By the way: I still consider myself Charismatic…just a little bit more equipped on the noggin side of discipleship.

Prayer:  

Father, how wonderful You are!!  There is so much of the Gospel I still have to learn—but You walk me through it daily.  Please keep me focused as I am determined to be focused.  Keep me from an attitude of coasting and allow me to encounter Your Love daily.  AMEN.

Scripture:

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. v6

Observation:

Walking with Jesus requires us to not walk in darkness.

Application:

This is an easy verse to misunderstand & miscontru, that is why I wanted to tackle it today. See, John’s stating that if you walk in darkness, you cannot have fellowship with Jesus.

But I thought Jesus forgave my sin?
What if I find myself in sin, or struggling in sin, does that mean I have no fellowship with Jesus?
Does that mean I have fallen away or have no hope?!

By no means. 

To walk with darkness is to have your eyes set on & fixated on you. Your own way. Your own life. Your own hopes. Your own dreams. To walk in darkness is to walk your way, when you want to.

This means that if you find that Jesus is only a part of your life, the salt to your meal, and you are walking in darkness, then yes, you have no hope in him, you have no fellowship with him.

Having fellowship with Jesus means more than simply praying a prayer, it means to die to self, it means to give your life to him that he would own it and be king over it. To walk with Jesus is to give him all. 

Have you given him all? If the answer is yes, you have fellowship with him.
But what if I find myself in sin? Or struggling still?

Look to him. Run to him. Run from darkness.
The person fighting sin, struggling against sin is not “walking in darkness” as John puts it here. They are walking with Jesus but fighting the flesh.

Do not let the enemy use this verse to make you believe you aren’t walking with Jesus. Take hope in him, run from darkness. And also to the sinner, who claims Jesus, but still enjoys in and revels in darkness, John says there is no fellowship in this darkness with Jesus. Flee the darkness & run to Jesus!

Prayer:

I hope and pray that this speaks to your people! I pray they run from darkness & find hope even in their sin that you are enough.

Scripture:

Vs 1 I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder
Vs 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior …

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Observation:

Peter is stating his final thoughts in his second letter to the faithful.
Peter wants the faithful to keep a sharp mind about them because wrongheaded and faithless people will try to influence them to live opposing God.
Peter is reminding them to keep remembering God’s Word and the promises and predictions it makes.
Jesus will return! And when He does return it will be a day of judgement and a day of destruction.
But it will be so much more! He will return with a new heaven and new earth. The old corruption will be wiped away and the earth will be made new!
So, with this sharply in his readers minds, Peter tells them “what sort of people ought you to be”.

Application:

“What sort of people ought you to be”?
This is the ultimate question of “application” of God’s Word.
“What sort of person ought ‘I’ to be”?
Fortunately, Peter immediately answers it for us: “lives of holiness and godliness”.
I’ve heard many people make the argument, “if it’s all gonna burn, then why bother”?!
In other words, if this world is going to get destroyed in the end, then why should I worry about living a decent life now? “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die”
Peter gives me the error of this thinking.
The destruction of this world is not the end of this world!
A new heaven and new earth are coming!
And it will be a new heaven and earth “in which righteousness dwells”!
This will be my permanent home.
All will be made right again.

I will want it to feel like a home, like a place I belong, and where things make sense!
If I am acting selfishly now and consumed with my own wants, and desires, and unrighteousness, then that new earth would seem foreign and nonsensical to me.
It would not feel like home.
So, Peter tells me to remember the Holy predictions and commandments.
He also tells me to live holy.
I can’t just “know” God’s Word, I must “live” God’s Word.
And even though Peter acknowledges this is a time of waiting and patience, I must “be diligent” and “at peace” … knowing one day I will dwell in the new earth and all will be “righteous”.

Prayer:

Thank you God for your promises
Help me to know and remember them
Help me to live them out
I pray your kingdom come

And your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven

In Jesus name
Amen

Scripture:

v1-2, 14, 18

[1] But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them..
[2] Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
[14] With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
[18] ..by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

Observation:

This epistle was written to Christian believers just like us, warning them of false teachers and false prophets and that God will judge this sin.

It is a fact, not just merely a possibility, that false teachers are among us.  These are people who distort the Word of God by adding to it or removing from it.  Just as Christians should have been concerned in the time this was written, we must be careful not to get fooled by false teachers and their lies.  They can be very convincing deceivers.

Application:

False teaching is not just simple differences between denominations.  That is the small stuff.  False teaching communicates false doctrine different from the fundamental truth of Scripture.  It teaches ideas such as having many paths to God, or saying there is Heaven but not hell, or saying that since God gives us Grace we basically have the license to sin.  Beliefs like this are straight from Satan and not from God. Doctrine like this does not line up with Scripture and yet, it leaks into Christian beliefs by way of false teaching through susceptible believers who are not well grounded.  These are not the little things and if we treat them as if they are, before you know it we will be fully on the other side of a line we should never cross – believing in our own god.

How does this happen?  Satan is a master liar and very sneaky.
– “They will secretly introduce destructive heresies..”
– “..they seduce the unstable..”
– They appeal “..to the lustful desires of the flesh”

False teachers don’t give us warning that they are deviating from the Word.  They interpret the Word “for us”, telling us what it “really means”.  Individually, we are the only ones who can really validate what we hear.  Whether we like what we hear or not, validate it.  We need to read and know the Word well enough to ferret out the lies.  If it still seems confusing, validate theology that doesn’t seem right by talking with trusted Christian friends.  God is not a God of confusion but Satan is the master deceiver.

As for the false teachers and false prophets, God will judge and take care of them.
– ..swift destruction on themselves.” v1
– “..hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.” v9
– “..like unreasoning animals..born only to be caught and destroyed..” v12
– “..paid back with harm for the harm they have done..” v13
– “Blackest darkness is reserved for them.” v17

Yeah, that’s good, while it may seem that some false teachers and false prophets prosper in this life, they will be righteously judged.  Forget about what God will do to them though.  For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, it will be even worse for us than it will be for the false teachers and false prophets if we fall into their evil ways.

[20] If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  [21] It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

Wow!

We need to be vigilant, always looking out for false teaching and false prophets.  Validate what we hear or read with Scripture, and be stable in our faith, built on a rock as our foundation and never sway from that.

Prayer:

Lord thank you for your Word.  Thank you that we can always fall back on it as Your perfect balance of grace and truth.  Help us to discern false teaching and false prophesying and to never fall prey to anything spoken in Your name that does not align with Your Word or Your will.

Scripture:

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…

For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue; and virtue with knowledge; and knowledge with self-control; and self-control with steadfastness; and steadfastness with godliness; and godliness with brotherly affection; and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Excerpted from 2 Peter 2:2 and 5-8)

Observation:

An emphasis on the word Maturing, not necessarily the word Mature—the Verb rather than the Noun—gives my Walk in the Lord a different meaning and outlook…

Application:

I have experienced reading the Scriptures in such a way as is soothing and peaceful.  I can read the salutation of verse 2 like “Yes, I will accept Grace.  I will accept Peace…good stuff!  I am not feeling full of grace or full of peace—I would very much like multiplied Grace and Peace.”

I am pretty sure I see that the Holy Spirit may be trying to get a point across—there is an implied expectation to put attention and effort in being a Christian.

Learning, adding knowledge, and being persistent to pursue Him so that I increase in effectiveness and fruitfulness is not just important, it is paramount in being a disciple.  It is an attitude that not only comes from the Holy Spirit, but also my pointed and determined engagement with Him.

So, knucklehead that I am: How should I respond?

One way is to place these scripture references in front of my eyes such as writing them out and putting a frame around them.  Make them a part of my daily devotions; refer to them often; figure out one or two ways to do each point so that I can make habit out of doing them.

As I want to be an effective Disciple applying stuff like this is imperative.  After all, it is a waste of time coasting around to be an “ineffective disciple….”  How would I like Jesus’ words to me be “Welcome you sometimes faithful but generally ineffective servant…?”  Phooey on that!!

Prayer:

Lord God—this posting is kind of clunky…but is true.  There are a lot of times that my following You is clunky; it isn’t smooth or without bumps in the road.  Even so, O God, it is profitable.  Pursuing You, Lord, is always profitable…AMEN

Scripture:

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on your him because he cares for you.

Observation:

Peter is encouraging the elders to Shepherd the flock with humility not to be domineering over them. The elders as leaders and all believers need to humbly submit before our all powerful God. We are not to worry or have anxieties over what we are facing, rather give them over to God as he loves us.

Application:
I must humbly submit myself under God before I can expect to lead anyone else to humble themselves before God. In other words. I must be under what is to be over me before I can be over that which is to be under me. We are not called to live a life of anxiety and fear. We are promised freedom through Christ who overcame death for us. Therefore, it is foolish for me to walk around with a burden of anxiety on me when I can give it to the Lord as He cares for me.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for loving and caring for me. Let me humble myself before you and encourage others to do the same.

Scripture:

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Observation:

Peter is chatting throughout this chapter about suffering. These people, this audience was suffering and needing to be taught how to do it, why it was happening, etc. And yet in the middle of this, Peter encourages them with this verse above. Even in suffering, Peter is calling them to share life and to be hospitable and serve each other within this local body, this local church.

Application:

That is a huge takeaway for me and I would imagine for our church body at large. It is so easy to want to share life, or to make time to share life when it is convenient. 

“Ok, this week our schedule is pretty free, so let’s spend time serving or sharing…”

But I would imagine that in the midst of suffering it isn’t all too convenient to share with others, or to show hospitality.

But what would it look like as a body if we lived this as a reality? We serve one another with the gifts God has given us because we couldn’t help it. What if it was our joy? What if, by God’s grace, it was just what we did and who we are? What if it was our only hope?

Peter is encouraging us to see that living this way, sharing life is not a “when you can” sort of a thing, it is the very fabric of what it means to be a believer in the local body. I hope to live this out together and by God’s grace we will.

Prayer:

I pray for my own heart when it wants to slam my front door when I get home and forget about the world outside of it, when I want to “turn off” the gospel in my mind & heart and just veg. That isn’t the gospel, it isn’t even the best thing for me. You are better. Loving others & sharing life is better. I pray that we would fall in love with this & get it as a body. Do this work in us Lord.

 

 

Scripture:

“Likewise husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life—so that your prayers may not be hindered….but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy—always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you YET do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience… 1 Peter 3:7 and 15-16a

Observation:

Husbands.  Wives.  Relationships.  Minefields to walk through in our generation.  It was the same then as it is today.  Main issue?  Honoring Christ in everything that we do…

Application:

God is so good to allow me the opportunity to address this.  I could have selected a less controversial passage to write about, but nooooo—the Holy Spirit had other ideas today.

This passage (and the related one in Ephesians) is something I have walked through all my years as an adult and married man—a significant part of my life getting my head and heart straight concerning the Scriptures and then being able to: 1) Defend my position and; 2) Try to relate the Word of God to others objectively and without trying to have a personal benefit clouding my judgment.

So what is the Word of God and what is my position?  The Word stands without explanation or a need to defend it—it says what it says; no interpretation necessary to change it to something less provocative.  My position though?  That is another kettle of fish…

Long ago (like this morning) I read this section and immediately went to thinking about “weaker vessels.”  From there I went to Eph 4 and “respect your husband.”  My selfish and self-absorbed nature rode my bohunkas right into that mindset like the Lone Ranger—“Hi Ho Sinful, Away!!”

The truth of the matter is not that the Holy Spirit is denigrating wives or women—it is slapping husbands and men in the chops to “wise up!!”  I am called to serve Jesus my Lord in a specific manner—showing and treating my wife with the Grace with I am shown by my Lord.  If I honor Jesus as holy and the reason for my Hope, then in the same manner I must treat my wife.

Words.  Words are cheap.  Do I want to know how mature I am as a Christian?  Ask my wife.

Self-examination is good; it ought to be done often.  The Word says “Test yourself!  See if you are in the faith.”  This self-examination is about whether or not I am walking in functional unbelief.  James says (paraphrased) if I say I believe but do not exhibit works testifying to my belief then perhaps I don’t believe.

Do I treat my wife with love AND respect?  Do I show her honor?  Do I consistently treat her with gentleness and respect and patience and add all the Fruit of the Spirit here…If I fail (and I often do) do I confess with detail my sin; digging into the depths of my wicked heart type of confessions?  Do I short change or soft pedal my “mistake?”  If I offend publicly do I confess publicly?  And etc. etc. etc.

I have come to this conviction (and this from Eph 5): The only person I will specifically have to answer for is my wife.  Maybe I will have to answer about other people like my children and others.  Scripture isn’t real clear about that.  But my wife?  I will be expected to present her before the Lord of Hosts—there isn’t any question about that from the Bible.

How well do I want that to go?  Pay more attention to how I act and perform as a Husband honoring God and less about forcing my Wife into a mold of my own un-Biblical pre-conceptions.

Prayer:

Lord God.  There is a benefit from this section of Scripture I don’t want to lose: I want my prayers to be unhindered.  I want You to hear my prayers all the time, no speed bumps, no barriers.  I want to hear from You in the same manner.  Change whatever needs to be changed in me that I can treat and conduct myself before and with my wife in honor in and of You.  “Let my life be a prayer to you; I want to do what you want me to; no empty words, no white lies, no token prayers, no compromise…” (Keith Green) AMEN and forever AMEN.

Scripture: 

“Concerning this salvation the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he (the prophets?) predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 

It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you—in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, (by the way) things into which angels long to look.

Therefore, (prepare) your minds for action…” (Excerpt from 1 Pete 1:10-13a)

Observation: 

The Gospel—prophesied by the prophets and searched through the scriptures for validation—and we are the recipients of such largess by God.

Application: 

At times it is good for me to step back and contemplate the enormity and majesty of the Gospel.

I am guilty from time to time of thinking the Gospel is a message only for salvation.  Once the salvation box is checked off, go to another biblical topic.

How shortsighted I can be.  For hundreds of years Prophets of God saw and were vaguely aware of the Gospel—this through the Spirit of Christ bubbling and percolating in their heart.  According to the Word they sort of knew when a Gospel prophecy was spoken and then they dug and dug and wrote and wrote so that the generations to come would know and could validate the Christ when He appeared.

I wonder if they went through periods of frustrated joy: frustration that this Grace wasn’t to be theirs until a time in the future bookended by joy knowing that were serving generations yet to come.  How faithful these guys were.  Totally faithful.

I need to contemplate the mystery of the Gospel more.  How mysterious is the Gospel?   The scripture is blunt in saying “angels long to look into” this Mystery—they couldn’t understand it.  I can imagine angels around the kitchen table eating (of course) Angel Food cake and saying “I just don’t get it?  Tell me; explain one more time what is up with the Son becoming Man?  What does that accomplish?  Why is that needed anyway?” and all the same questions I should be asking the man in the mirror.  Astounding.  Inconceivable.

It is on this explanation that calls me to seriousness: “Therefore (because of this Salvation, the depth and breadth affecting through all Creation) —prepare my mind for action…

Lucy, I have some ‘splaining to do…

Prayer: 

Lord—grip me with the Majesty of the Gospel.  Allow me to grow in perception of the pervasiveness of this Mystery wherever I am.  AMEN.   

Scripture:

vs 1 – 4

[1] Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
[2] Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid.
[3] Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”

Observation:

In this psalm, David thinks of the Lord as a great warrior, brandishing shield, armor, spear, and javelin.
David, being chased by armies, has faith that the Lord can protect him and ruin his enemies.

David relies on the Lord to protect him.

Even though David knows the Lord is his salvation, he prays for the Lord to personally remind him of that truth by telling him “I am your salvation.”

Application:

As He was a great warrior for David, God is a great warrior for us as well.  He also gives us His power living in us, through the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of the attacks, have faith that, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can brandish the full Armor of God and crush the evil one as he attacks us.

Rely on Him when the devil uses circumstances or other people to attack us. Rely on Him even when situations and circumstances seem hopeless.

Pray and ask God for reassurance – for a reminder that He is our salvation, for the peace in knowing that as we are filled with the Holy Spirit we have full power to fight back against evil, and that there is no room for the evil one in our lives.

Prayer:

Lord thank you for our salvation.  Thank you for providing us with essentials everyday of our lives.  Protect us from the enemy.   Lord as the enemy attacks through the words and actions of other people and through circumstances that seem beyond our control, remind us that you are there for us.  That you are our rock.  Help us put on Your full armor to defend ourselves and to actively destroy the enemy.  In the mighty name of Jesus we pray this.  Amen.

Scripture:

“Shout for joy in the Lord O you righteous!  Praise befits the upright…For the word of the Lord is upright and all his work is done in faithfulness.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield…For our heart is glad in him because we trust his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.”  (Excerpts from Ps 33:1; 4-6; 20-22)

Observation:

I notice that the Psalmist seems to be “assembly focused”; that is, I might say he is “preaching to the choir.”  From my own experience (focusing on myself) there is plenty of functional unbelief to preach to the face in the mirror…

Application:

During the past few years I have been thinking, analyzing, and imagining the purpose and function of Worship—not for any reason other than pursuing God and the health of the local church.  Maybe this sounds uppity but it is the way I am wired—and the Holy Spirit has been faithful in these meditations.

So far I have categorized Worship in 4 ways:

• To God in praise and inquiry;
• To my heart in exhortation and remembering;
• To my brothers and sisters in encouragement to remember, and finally;
• To unbelievers in declaring the majesty and glory of God.

These feel unfinished but…I will see how God fleshes them out for me in the future.

In Psalms 33 it appears that the Psalmist is making a strong point concerning the Word of the Lord and then what the consequences are, both calling for a personal response and a corporate response.  There is also an active response for me (“Shout for joy) and a passive response (“Our soul waits for the Lord”).  Both perhaps should be considered active I suppose, but…

And that is where I am contemplating this morning: Praise befits the upright; Let your love be upon (me) as (I) hope in you.  How can I integrate these two into my life?  Active praise… Hoping…

Two words come to mind: Remembering and Practice.  Remember the Gospel and all of the things that God has done with His works and His ways to bring the fact of the Gospel to us.  Practice remembering, contemplation, meditation, STUDY, fellowship, worship.  Let these things be in the forefront of my mind always.

How?  I have to figure that out but my guess it involves a nose and a grindstone…

Prayer:

Lord, as the prophet Micah has written, I want to walk humbly before You.  I don’t want to be pharisaical in my heart and attitude.  Please keep me from arrogance; make me walk humbly before You and to love Your word.  AMEN.