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Strength in contentment

07 Feb

Strength in contentment

Philippians 4:11-13     Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This point in Paul’s letter was most likely the reason he wrote the letter; he had received a gift from the Philippians, and he wanted to express his gratitude. It seems as those this church had continually sought to take care of Paul, even when others had forgotten him; he recognized this and he wanted to show his genuine thanks for it in this epistle. Paul was encouraging them to be content themselves in this epistle, and he used his life as an example of it. He found his every need satisfied in Christ. Contentment is a state of being that is not bred into our society of today: we are either feeling we are entitled to more, or we are so focused on our own abilities, that we feel we can obtain anything we desire. We are never happy with our current state.

Likely the most abused scripture in the Bible: 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We take this scripture, weave it in with pride, and believe that with Christ on our side we can do anything we put our minds to. We believe we can hit home runs, secure business deals, run a marathon, be successful by worldly standards, be anything we put our minds to. This is the opposite of what Paul is teaching! Paul is saying he cannot do anything without Christ! He is saying that through Christ’s strength he can face whatever state he finds himself for the day; he is content in that strength of Christ. Here is is teaching contentment, obedience, and strength, not empowerment of oneself for the means of accomplishing a self satisfying goal.

Matthew Henry says of this contentment; “This is a special act of grace, to accommodate ourselves to every condition of life, and carry an equal temper of mind through all varieties of our state. This was an account of Paul’s learning, not which he learned at the feet of Gamaliel, but at the feet of Christ.” The strength you need to face whatever you may, is the strength found in the contentment of abiding in Christ in that current situation. He has taken you to, what He will deliver you through. That strength in contentment is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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This is our God

06 Feb

This is our God

Isaiah 25:9 And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

I wish every morning could be like this. God planted a partial worship song in my head early; and I knew I had to find it. I had a great prayer and began my search, which lead to being moved to tears running down my cheeks with my hands in the air upon hearing it. MOVED by the presence of God engaged in worship to him alone very early this morning. Setting the tone for the day in the realization of a heart of thanksgiving………I could not start the day better reciting the lyrics, “I will fall at your feet”. I decided to do a word search of “this is our God”. I came to the passage in Isaiah 25 above.

Isaiah is not only pointing us to his faith and hope of our God, but he is pointing us to the coming Christ. He speaks of how God will humble and destroy the prideful throughout this Psalm. Of how those haughty in spirit will be brought low with their cities. Of how He will judge the wicked and gather and 10b As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap. 11 And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands. There is God’s judgement that the wicked and those that deny him will pay the price for their decisions eternally in Hell coming. In this Psalm praise is woven in with the coming judgements; those secure in Him will be eternally blessed as a result of his removal of sin. 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.

I guess I don’t get it; I don’t understand how people don’t see the evidences before them; don’t see the need of a Savior for them; don’t see there is more to life than selfish desires for our time here. Surely in your mind somewhere you must realize that there has to be more to life than this. That ? is God stirring your soul. That ? is a small glimpse of God pursuing you. That ? has your eternity hinged upon your response to it. Deny it and He will deny you. Respond to it and your eternity will be paradise with the One who created paradise. You will possess the blessing of peace and security that will enable you to endure your time here until He returns. 4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, 5 like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down. (ESV) He is the answer to every ?; He is our God.

 
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Posted by on February 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Peace in an out of control world

05 Feb

Peace in an out of control world

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Christ was giving his disciples their marching orders. He was telling them of how he was about to leave them and return to heaven. He was telling them that it was about to get really hard for them as followers of Christ. He told them of persecutions and death to come, as those who hated Him, persecuted those who loved him. He told them they must suffer as his disciples, but to rejoice in this suffering; in the honor of this suffering. John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” They had spent time in the wonder of walking with Christ; now they must take that knowledge and witness of Him, and stand on their own in the strength He provides.

If you are sliding down the highway of life without a trouble in the world, you are most likely a child of this world. What is a child of this world? It is not a child of God, for a child of God is not of this world as Christ spoke in John 15:19. Therefore, Satan,  the ruler of this world, that is on a leash held by God; takes no worry with you, for he has no regard for loosing you. If you dig deep into your heart, the cares of your heart will reveal where you place your hope. Your hope can be in anything you feel as though you can attain; or your hope can be in the realization of how lost you are in sin without Christ. That epiphany is eternally life changing once you come to Christ in it. Once your hope is placed in eternity, the tribulations that will come will only be seen as temporary, and a means to draw closer to God.

Eternal security will bring about that peace that Christ describes. Knowing that you will spend your life in heaven will overcome all that you face today. All that Satan throws at you will only draw you closer to God; backfiring the plans of the enemy. Once you accept the free gift of Salvation, there should be evidence of change in your life. You should have the desire to draw closer to Christ; the Holy Spirit begins to convict you of sin; you will begin to see things differently upon Salvation. Satan immediately tries to convince you that you obtained nothing. He is the father of lies; God is the father of truth, and your eternity is secure. Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Yep…..it is all good

04 Feb

Yep…..it is all good

Philippians 4:6-7   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

As most of you know I am open about my struggles with anxiety and depression. These struggles were never a part of my life until God grabbed a hold of my soul. When Satan did not want to give me up, the battle of the mind is where he began to wage his war. I humbly confess that my struggles are on a spiritual plain, and I humbly confess that is where they are fought. When their is movement on the front lines, I approach God in prayer and his Word. The Word is the only offensive weapon we have to fight against Satan. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. When the attacks come, the preparation you have made in your time alone with God is the weapon you will use to fight that fight on the spiritual plain.

How is it then you ask that I can describe my faith in one simple word; Peace. 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Paul follows up the scriptures of anxiety with the passage of peace too. Because no matter at what level the battle is fought; of how high the anxiety goes; of how deep the depression sinks; I am still winning the war through Christ; I am fighting a defeated enemy that refuses to accept that fact. God did not promise us a life of ease, but that we may be conformed to the image of his Son; and a part of that purification process is painful. These are either designed or allowed by God to draw us closer to him. This understanding will allow you to obtain this peace.

Paul continues to give us an example of what to focus our lives on; how to find the good and set our minds and hearts on it. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. If you are spending your time filling your minds with all the things in this world that Satan provides you to take your eyes off God; he is winning that battle in the war for your soul. How much time do you invest in everything else but God and His Word? A heart for God is much more that a Sunday service. A heart for God sees God in everything; even the struggles that  He is allowing you to face today, to draw you closer to Him.

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Huh? I can’t heeaarr you…..

01 Feb

Huh? I can’t heeaarr you…..

Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.

When I pray, I feel as though I must pray aloud. This is not necessary, for God knows the heart and mind before we utter the words. But in my heart, in my mind, unless it is a circumstance that calls for secret unspoken prayer, I speak it aloud to God. It helps my train of thought, it helps keep my mind from wandering, it keeps the distractions of the enemy at bay. It helps me to know my relationship is strong enough with my God that I can say anything to my God. It also helps me to know that their is strength and the power of God in the spoken word.

Psalm 55 is a deeply emotional plea by David; he has been betrayed by a friend and his plea is for God’s judgement on the wicked. David’s prayers are typically passionate, and he is not afraid to lay his true feelings out to God, and the Psalms are full of these emotions. But they are also full of the reassurances that David has in God’s plan for his life; he knows that God is in control. Psalm 55:8 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. David speaks of the peace he feels when he goes to God in what troubles him; he knows the strength that is gained in these prayers. 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. You can easily see the reference by Christ in this when He told us in Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

There was a time not so long ago I could not imagine praying aloud in front of anybody. Fear was at the head; fear of how it would sound, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of not saying anything, fear of prayer period. There is no right way or wrong way to pray, period. Your prayers do not have to be full of the religious jargon; many times they are to impress those that hear. If your prayer is a respectful heartfelt plea to the God of the universe, let it be your own words; those many times are the most beautiful prayers. The one thing you must never do is be ashamed to pray, for that sin has consequence. Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. If you feel it, speak it aloud to God and anyone else that he has before you to hear.

 
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Posted by on February 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Intellectual + Relational = Intimacy

30 Jan

Intellectual + Relational = Intimacy

Philippians 3:8-10   Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Paul really lays it out of his righteousness before Christ in Philippians 3:1-6. His life before he met Christ personally on the Damascus road was a life steep in religiosity; the false security of obedience to the law. He lived a life full of the pride of his abilities and achievements in the Jewish religion; he was proud of his ancestry, his education, and his zeal for persecuting those who were against his beliefs. He had gained much fame, power, and false success in this pursuit of religious persecution of those who followed Christ. His encounter with Christ changed his life forever, and blessed us with his testimonies and writings of much of the New Testament.

Paul had the best education, and his pride rested in it. He knew the Law that was laid before his people by God, but he did not understand that Christ had came to fulfill the laws requirements that no man could meet. When he came to know Christ, he understood this, and his zeal was poured into spreading that Good News. There is nothing we can ever do that will earn us righteousness before God; only through a humble repentant heart is that free gift attained. With that understanding comes the knowledge of Christ 8b in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. No education can surpass the knowledge that is found in a humble, seeking heart for God.

Paul sought that ongoing power of a day to day relationship with his Savior. This type of abiding relationship is intimate. You can have this time of relationship too by having a true heart for God like Paul. You must give Christ your all; put him at the top of your list, not giving him your left-overs. He knows your heart and he knows where he stands on your list. A true heart for God seeks him daily in prayer and his Word. A true heart for God seeks to be his disciple at work or at play. Those around you should know you are a Christian and wonder what makes you different. There is a freedom that can only be gained in this abandonment to Christ. The freedom is only gained, in the loss of what you once considered gain. 8 I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

 
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Posted by on January 30, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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As a son

29 Jan

As a son

Philippians 2:22-23     But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.

I love how God works. How He will put just the right scriptures before you at just the right time. He will put Godly peers before you with just the right words for you at just the right time. Those who say they do not hear God speak are those who are not seeking God every day. A heart seeking God every day is a heart that hears God. Many of you know what my son Russell has been doing the last couple of days. He has been getting up early, spending time in God’s Word and writing short devotionals. I am in complete awe of God’s work in my 10 year old sons life. In my continued study of Philippians this morning I came to the passages above; of where Paul describes Timothy of his son, and Paul’s joy in the heart of Timothy. Thank you Jesus.

Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice had become Christians (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy had spent 10 years with Paul; traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys; helped start the church at Philippi; and now was aiding and encouraging Paul while he was in prison. Timothy had a heart for God, and his only focus was to further the spreading of the Gospel, and to do whatever tasks where laid before him as a disciple of Christ. In all his years as Paul’s son, he had learned Paul’s trade (ministry), as all sons would do at that time. I too learned my trade from my father; an element that is missing in today’s society in the family and business world. Paul knew that Timothy would care for them as deeply as he would himself. Philippians 2:9 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.

Paul wrote two epistles to Timothy; the first he commissioned him, sending him out on his own. The second letter was Paul’s last words, his last encouragement to Timothy to remain focused on the tasks at hand as a minister of the Gospel. Paul had passed down all he knew to his son. He had poured himself into Timothy, and he had encouraged Timothy to remain focused on Christ. The letters in Timothy always encourage me; they seem to have a very real application side to them; very clear instructions. Paul reminds Timothy that life will be hard as a disciple; but as that minister of the faith he is to remained focused. 2 Timothy 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. As my son Russell said; “You might think the way he makes for you will be as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It’s not. He puts bumps on your road on purpose. Not to make you a lousy driver that crashes cars and has no sense of direction. He does it for you to believe, trust, and love him.”

 
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Posted by on January 29, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Turn the cup over

28 Jan

Turn the cup over

Philippians 2:14-17    Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

The greatest devotional writer of all time in my humble opinion is Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest). Throughout his writings that truly stretch your thinking and understanding of God; he uses the phrase of being poured out. It is a means of showing his heart of total commitment, of total abandonment to Christ. He holds nothing in reserve, but gives his mind, body, and soul to God entirely. He pours himself into his writings and is inspired by the truths he finds in God’s Word. His writing style is one that you must study, you must slow down to get to the meat of his messages; but their is fruit from his labor of love; you come to understand a truth from God in his humble servant.

Paul is using the phrase because at the time a drink offering was familiar as part of the animal sacrifices of the day. It may have been poured out on the altar, or the ground, but God had spoken to Israel with commands regarding the wine in the sacrificial system (Numbers 15). Paul is showing total commitment to obeying God’s commands and ministries laid our before him. Paul spends this selection of scripture speaking directly into obedience of what God is calling us to do. We are to seek obedience so earnestly that we care not what; where; or how the call. Matthew Henry states, “It becomes those to be blameless and harmless who stand in such a relation, and are favored with such a privilege.” What God is laying on your heart is unique; you are favored in that call.

Do you pour yourself out for God? Do you hold onto that last drop for yourself? Others may not see that you are only giving 75% of the duties they ask, but God knows WHY you are not giving him your all, of the reason why you are holding back or just saying “no”. The only way to get closer to God is to obey the calls that God places on you. The acts of obedience are the steps on the stairway to heaven. Every act in total abandonment draws you one step closer to God. 2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. Paul used this phrase again near the end of his life; he lived this phrase every day of his life.

Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (1)

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Let your mind be…….

26 Jan

Let your mind be……..

Philippians 2:1-5     Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,(ESV)

Paul had laid out to the Philippians the principle of living a life of humility as a Christian disciple of Christ. He had laid out how they were to be united by love, humility, and the concerns for others before themselves. How they should be untied as a church in these things. Christ had set the example before them, and Paul was pointing to Whom they should follow in the coming verses, when he points to the deity of Christ. Paul begins to show how a great God could humble Himself to the point of becoming a man; to set the example of how to live; to pay the price for our mistakes; to die Himself as a man a painful death on the cross. Christ alone set the standard for humble, sacrificial love.

My study Bible puts it well in the notes of verse five. “Let this mind be: All godly action begins with the ‘renewing of the mind’. Right thinking produces right actions. Our actions are the fruit of our deepest thoughts.” You are what you believe another friend once told me. Once we pursue God and the things of God with a heartfelt desire, our thoughts and actions begin to change, begin to reflect Christ. This is God’s goal of the work of sanctification in you; to see less of you and more of His Son. Christ has told us it is easy to follow his example; he takes the loads we strain to bear alone from us. Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

If we are really wanting to change, really wanting to better our lives in the eyes of Christ, where would we begin? Would it begin with a twelve step program of what we could accomplish if we put our minds to the tasks? Wouldn’t that program mean that our pride is being puffed up in what we can do once we put our minds to it? It would start where the world says it will fail; removing the “I can do it” attitude and replacing it with the “I can’t do anything without Christ” mindset. To really make any change in your life, you must humble yourself and accept that only true change begins in Christ. Paul summarizes these changes that come with a true heart for Christ in Ephesians 4:21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.(ESV)

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Not me………you first

25 Jan

Not me………you first

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

The apostle Paul has been narrowing his focus on the letter to the Philippians for their unity, and their focus on their hearts for Christ. He had pointed in the preceding chapter of those that preached from selfish motives, and those that preached with a pure heart. Although Paul rejoices at any motive of the preaching of the gospel (Philippians 1:18), here he is expressing the problems of pride that come with those motives. Paul is spending time in these scriptures calling for a true self-evaluation; a gut check before God of ourselves; an evaluation that should bring humility every time; an evaluation that should draw glory to Christ every time.

I could go down so many paths on the power and destruction of pride. Pride is at the root of my testimony; pride is at the root of my sin; pride is still the largest daily battle I face. Pride is rooted into so many of us, for sin is rooted in pride from the fall in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:5 for when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. Pride is beneath many of our thoughts and actions without even knowing it. These self-evaluations that Paul calls for must be daily, for we battle pride unknowingly daily. Pride has brought down many powerful leaders throughout history, and continues to do so today. Pride may be creating the division in the church that Paul is addressing.

With the humility that should come with these gut checks, our hearts should be draw to Christ, and his heart for others. Our hearts should be moved to a grateful, humble, servant of our most high God. We should be drawn to a heart of serving Him in all things, and putting the needs of others before ours. Christ throughout his ministry gave us the example of a servant leader. A servant leader is not a person with deceitful motive, it is a person who’s main objective is to think of others and show them a love for Christ. Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. I have “PFY” written in the margin of my Bible here; Prayed For You. This is a simple text that I send to those close to me when I am praying for them. It lets them know I am speaking their names to God; it lets them know I care enough for them to pray for them. Instead of going to God in your petitions for yourself today, pray for someone else that needs your prayers today. It is a great way to chip away at that pride you battle, and a great way to unite in prayer.

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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