The Certainty of God’s Promise (NIV) Heb 6:13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. I recall preaching a sermon one time where I said there is one thing God cannot do. Before I could go any further, a little girl said with a strong, loud voice, “God can do anything!” Midst the laughter, I replied, “That’s right, God can do anything, except lie.” That child was the last person I baptized before I retired. Our society has developed some phrases we use to affirm our truthfulness. If you notice Joe Biden frequently uses the phrases, “not a joke man,” or “no, I’m being serious here,” to be certain the audience knows they can rely on him. I wrote the following poem probably twenty years ago about the truth. And that’s the Truth Have we become so used to hearing the lie, that we amend and append and modify, just so that we can verify, that we, too, are not guilty of a lie? Must we prove our intention with a constant verbal mention of our own veracity, our inescapable tenacity to relate the reality to the extent of our capacity? If this is the case, and I think it must be, then what does this say about you and me? Shouldn’t we be more careful of what we hear and say, since our words linger long after the close of the day? In today’s scripture, we see that when God made a promise to Abraham, because there was no greater person for him to swear by, He swore by Himself. That one phrase tells me that human nature has not changed much. We needed even God to swear an oath. But the author of Hebrews goes on to say God’s promise is an anchor to our soul. Don’t you love that? In a world full of instability, God provides a safe place for you and for me. May we seek out the truth of God’s Word with the assurance that God never changes, and just as His Word is everlasting, so is His love for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

♦ October 22, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

But if it is from God…

♦ October 21, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

(NIV) Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Read this scripture again. Now read it out loud. But if it is from God, nothing will be able to stop these men. There is such sweet peace in knowing, really knowing, that if our work is kingdom work, then nothing can derail it.

I am reminded of John 15:4-5 (NIV) 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  

It is all about the fruit! When we are followers of the One, True and Living God then the fruit we produce reflects Christ. There will always be fruit and it will always look like Christ.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

A Long-Suffering God

♦ October 19, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

(Amp) 2 Peter 3:8 Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. [Ps. 90:4.]

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

2 Peter 3:15 And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul’s safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,

2 Peter 3:16 Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.

2 Peter 3:17 Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!

1 Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured–
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

The above hymn came to mind as I was considering today’s scripture. The song, written by Juliet Johnston in 1910, reflects the characteristic of God that allows sinful man to be reconciled to a Holy God—grace.

I skipped over several verses for today’s devotional, as these scriptures deal with the coming “Day of the Lord” and I wanted to focus on God’s patience in dealing with His creation. People have been looking for the return of Jesus since he ascended to heaven more than two thousand years ago, and we are no different today. But why has He delayed? Verse nine suggests that God is giving us time to repent, that none should perish.

Our God is gracious beyond anything we can comprehend. According to the writings of Billy Graham, “The motive of grace is the infinite, compassionate love of a merciful God.” Although we cannot fully understand God’s mercy and His grace, we can be thankful that God continues to extend to all mankind everything necessary to bring about salvation.

Peter finishes by urging us to grow in the grace of our Lord God, which we understand to be sanctification. For the Christian can never be dormant in living out our faith. Growth is expected in both the physical and the spiritual realms. And, as we grow in our faith and relationship with Christ, we should share our faith with others, for that is the meaning of intentional discipleship—first we learn and then we share.  

May we start and end each day in relationship with Jesus, sharing Him with all we meet.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

A Mother’s Prayers

♦ October 17, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

(NIV) Rev 5:8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song…

Today is my mother’s birthday. She has lived almost as many years in heaven as  she did on this earth.  

I have grieved over many things in my lifetime, and one of the things I have mourned was the loss of my mother’s prayers. You see, I awoke many times hearing my mother cry out to God on behalf of her children. Not long after she died I realized I had no one to cover me in prayer. I felt that loss almost as much as my mother’s physical presence.

But then one day many years later I read this passage in the book of the Revelation. What joy I felt when I realized my mother’s prayers are all still in heaven, stored up in golden vials for me, my brother and my sister. And I am amazed once again at how intricately woven together is God’s universe. He has left nothing to chance, nothing undone, making provision even for a mother’s prayers.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

May we each be comforted in knowing that every prayer ever spoken on our behalf is stored in heaven, and may we take a moment to praise God for His great love.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

May my words be acceptable

♦ October 16, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment

(NIV) Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD. 21 The wise in heart are called discerning,

and gracious words promote instruction. 22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,

but folly brings punishment to fools. 23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,

and their lips promote instruction. 24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

 

We are “immersed” in a Discipleship training course at Rock Creek, and we were asked to think about the idea that we have become so accustomed to noise that it is difficult to live without it. But all of this noise serves to block out not just our restless thoughts, or awkward gaps in conversations, but also the voice of God. We turn on music while reading scripture, we have television on in the background while praying—is it any wonder our prayer life is ineffective?

Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, so our struggle for solace, and indeed for a godly communion, is not original, but it is nonetheless important. We talk too much. Silence can be uncomfortable, so we fill the void with words—any words. Have you ever considered that discerning thoughts lead to acceptable words?

Today’s scripture tells us that when we are discerning with our thoughts, then our words are gracious, and that gracious words promote healing. What a wonderful word picture that sweet words are healing even to the bones! But I think even more important is the effect gracious, or kind words, have on those around us.

Kindness promotes kindness. Understanding promotes understanding. May we begin each day, not just talking to God, but listening—really listening with our hearts. And may we turn our thoughts into words, and our words into actions.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.