Stand
(NIV) James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. (NIV) sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
Perseverance: persisting even in the face of conflict. During my life I have heard more than once a person ascribe tragedy as being caused by or brought about by God. In insurance, such an event is often termed an “act of God,” and while some events are covered, others, such as flooding, require a special rider with additional premiums.
The only premium we can pay to successfully traverse the trials of this life is found in a sustaining relationship with Jesus Christ. James clearly lines out in today’s scripture that temptations are not rooted in God, but begin with our own desires.
I often use the example of Eve, who, although she was aware of God’s restrictions upon eating of the fruit from the tree of good and evil, lingered in its vicinity. The more she looked upon the tree, the more she desired it, and when Satan twisted God’s words the hook was set. But James says blessed is the one who perseveres—not the one who wavers, or the one who makes excuses, but the one who holds fast, even in the face of trials.
May we begin each day with the knowledge that we have all we need to be world overcomers.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God Moved the Fence
(NIV) Eph 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.
Do you ever think about mercy? Mercy is not just a sad feeling for someone–true mercy will always drive us to action. Mercy causes us to do for others what they cannot do for themselves.
Why? Because just as God showed mercy to us when we were yet sinners, and incapable of freeing ourselves from the chains of sin, it is incumbent upon us to show mercy to others.
Receiving and giving mercy is part of our Christian heritage, and thus part of our spiritual responsibility. To receive mercy from God, but yet refuse to give mercy to others, marks us an insincere Christians.
In William Barclay’s study of the book of Ephesians, he tells this story:
In France some soldiers with their sergeant brought the body of a dead comrade to a French cemetery to have him buried. The priest told them gently that he was bound to ask if their comrade had been a baptized adherent of the Roman Catholic church. They said they did not know. The priest said he was very sorry but in that case he could not permit burial in his churchyard. So the soldiers took their comrade sadly and buried him just outside the fence.
The next day they came back to see that the grave was all right and to their astonishment could not find it. Search as they might they could find no trace of the freshly dug soil.
As they were about to leave in bewilderment the priest came up. He told them that his heart had been troubled because of his refusal to allow
their dead comrade to be buried in the churchyard; so, early in the morning, he had risen from his bed and with his own hands had moved the fence to include the body of the soldier who had died for France.
That’s what mercy can do. Rules and regulations put up a fence; but love and mercy moved it.
When we start moving fences with our own hands, then we will know we are becoming holy. When we cannot rest because of a wrong done to our fellow man, when we must rise from our beds to right that wrong, we will then know the holiness of God.
May we be quick to show mercy today and every day, and may love and mercy drive us to move fences.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Land that Is Fairer Than Day
John 14:1-3 (NRSV) 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
Has there ever been such hope as that given to us through Christ Jesus? First we have the hope of salvation found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Then we have the hope of the resurrection, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live,” John 11:25. And finally we have the hope found in John 14
Can anyone exist without hope? Merriam-Webster dictionary says that the definition of hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true..
The use of the word “hope” has become so overused, and really, the meaning has been watered down to the point that “hoping” is not much more than wishing that something unlikely will occur.
Conversely, hope in the Bible is a confident expectation, not because of our efforts, but because of God’s promises. There is a solidity in godly hope, whereas the hope found in the world is nothing more than a wispy trail of smoke that dissipates into the atmosphere.
So, I ask again; can anyone exist without hope? I think not. May we today grab hold of the hope found in the scriptures and in a personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
I would like to share an old song of the church with you. My maternal grandparents, born in the 1880’s, sang this and other songs that pointed toward heaven.
In the Sweet By and By
There’s a land that is fairer than day
And by faith we shall see it afar
For the father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
There is a land that is fairer than day, and because of hope we can trust not only in that grand reunion on heaven’s shore, but in living daily a life that reflects Christ in all we say and do.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (NIV)
1 Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Close to forty years ago, I picked up a rock from bottom of the Buffalo River. It was a section of the river that was clear and shallow. I could see how the constant movement of the water reshaped the stone until it was round and smooth.
Do you know that the constant movement of God in your life can round out the rough edges and make your spirit smooth? I’m not saying that our lives will be smooth, but the Holy Spirit can take away the rough edges of jealousy, unforgiveness, pettiness and pride, and when those qualities are washed away we will no longer cut ourselves and others on the jagged rock of our sinful nature.
In today’s scripture Moses is nearing the end of his life and he is not just talking to God, he is talking to the heavens and the earth and he is proclaiming the greatness of God. When Moses referred to God as a rock, he was saying that God was strong, reliable, immovable and he went on to say that all of His works are perfect and His ways are just.
Our Creator serves as the ultimate foundation for all integrity and justice. God’s justice does not mimic man’s justice. Man’s justice is based on our idea that people should get what they deserve. God forbid. Because what we deserve is death because we are sinners, but God judges us in light of the redemptive work that Jesus did on Calvary. Where we deserve judgment, God chooses to give us mercy.
As Christ followers, may we always seek the justice of God over the justice of man. And rather than returning evil for evil, may we choose mercy over vengeance.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Hiding Place
(NIV) Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
I am not sure how many times over the years I have turned to this Psalm for strength and for solace. I crave the peace that comes only through a relationship with Jesus. I thirst for the living waters and hunger for the bread of life, not because I do not have them, but because once you have Jesus in your life there is no substitute.
The Word of God washes over me, and I know, believe and understand that
He is my hiding place. When life overwhelms I dive deep into the truth found only from Genesis to Revelation, and emerge quenched and refreshed.
May we hide the Word in our hearts so that it comforts and consoles, guides and directs, informs and transforms.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 