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Are you digging a well?

26 Jun

Are you digging a well?

Proverbs 14:26-27    In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.

All throughout the Bible the analogies of living water, and synonyms of it are found. All that we need to survive is found in that living water; fountains of life for eternal life. This passage in Proverbs is the central idea of Proverbs; the fear of the Lord. 14:2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. This reverent fear produces a life seeking to please the Lord; that life’s pursuit is evident to all that witness it. A life that denies, or rests on it’s own pride, is open for all to see also. That pride leads to death as we learn here; pride is the root of all sin, and those steep in pride will pay an eternal price. But what of those under our care? What of our children and our eternal responsibility to them?

The analogy of the wells that produce fountains of life in Salvation, with Christ as the living water, all speak to the direct need of water to live. In the times of the Bible, wells were extremely hard to come by; they had great value and blessed generations with water. Can you imagine what it took to simply dig a well in those days? The reward provided that element necessary for life, just as Christ provides the element necessary for eternal life. Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. In the beautiful story of Christ with the Samaritan women at the well, He tells her of what he has to offer her; He promises her eternal life when she drinks from the fountain of life found in the well of Salvation in him. John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Returning to the question of fear of the Lord, and the evidences of it in your life, especially to your children. All throughout the Bible it speaks of our responsibilities to them. In Deuteronomy it is spoken of passing down the fear of the Lord to their children; of how God protected, provided, and gave them the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. The Israelites were a people who lived their lives in reverent fear of the Lord. As generations came and went, their faith and fear went in cycles also. But those that lived their lives as examples to their children, blessed their children for eternity. They prepared their paths for them to live their lives for God, to provide them eternal hope that the world cannot steal away. What do your kiddo’s see? What will they see when your gone?

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Mirror First

25 Jun

Mirror First

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

I have so much on my mind. I sometimes wonder if all that is on my mind is the distractions of the world, or ways that God draws me closer to Him. In all of it do I stress out with the worry of it, or in it, am I drawn to God through it? Does He allow all of this to keep me seeking Him continually; not to feel as though I can do life on my own? Could I become so comfortable that I don’t see the need for God? This morning in prayer I asked God to help me see my life as He does. To be on the outside looking in at all of my struggles and things that I stress about. I thought of the Brandon Heath song, “Give Me Your Eyes”. It speaks so clearly of the compassion the Lord has for the lost and broken; what we seem to miss so many times stuck in our own worlds of selfish focus on our struggles.

I spent time in Proverbs and came to the passage above. The study of it led to Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Reverent fear of the Lord will produce a life that leads to righteousness. That life with it’s pursuit of righteousness will lead to a deeper understanding of how He sees the world. It will strengthen you from the inside out; feeding and nourishing your soul for what the body needs. It will not feed it with worldly “stuff” that blurs our vision from the things as God sees them. The junk that this world seeks to penetrate our minds numbs us to the things of Christ. You know of what I speak; you surely have your own battles just as I. The level of reverent fear of the Lord is directly related to your struggle with those evils.

In the continued study of that passage it led to a parable that Christ spoke of in Luke 18:10-14. It was about a self-righteous man and a tax collector who went to the temple and prayed. The self-righteous man elevated himself, but the tax collector humbled himself and asked God for forgiveness of his sin. Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” When we want to see things as God sees them, we have to be brave enough for the mirror. A reverent fear of the Lord is knowing how He sees ourselves; knowing that in our hearts are we pursuing righteousness or living for the world? If we are in humble pursuit of righteousness, that we are getting glimpses of His eyes. Those glimpses typically start in the mirror.

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Holy Mirror

09 Jun

Holy Mirror

Revelation 2:23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

In the midst of all the letters to the seven churches, Christ is proving that He knows the heart. Here He is speaking to the church at Thyatira, where a seductress is leading the church and leading the men of the church into sexual sin with her. She has been called to repent, but turned her back on God. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Christ is pronouncing the judgement due for the un-repented hearts that live in this great sin. What must be seen in all of these pronouncements to the churches, is that only God knows our true hearts, which drives our motives and actions in all that we do; Pslam 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. There should be a reverent fear in us with the understanding that there are no secrets with God. These letters to the seven churches reveal the evidences of that Sovereignty, and with it should come holy fear.

When you look at your life in the mirror, what evidence do you see of Christ? These letters to the churches are a mirror to the churches of their good, bad, false, and true traits only known by God. This is a holy mirror that will reveal all is known of their hearts. When you look at your life as a student; what was the assignment of the teacher? Christ called you to be a disciple, to spread the hope found in him to all that would hear. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. These were Christ’s last words as he ascended into heaven; when he returns he will ask (and already know), how did you do with the assignment. What evidences are in your life of the price He paid for your life?

Only two of the seven churches received no condemnation; Smyrna and Philadelphia. They exhibited grace and endured persecution all while keeping His Word and and honoring His name. They lived lives focused on eternity, and the promises found in the price He had paid for that eternity for them. They endured the trials of life for their short time here; they sought to keep true to the faith in the face of evil and persecution. As the faithful in Smyrna were told, they understood the promise to those that lived their lives faithfully to Him. They understood that this life was temporary, but what awaited them was eternal paradise after this one. Revelation 2:11b :He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. A life that truly grasps this temporal, and the coming eternal, is a life that will reflect Christ. If you understand the price that was paid with a Holy sacrifice, you will do all that you can to live your life to honor that sacrifice. Anything less is found in these letters to the seven churches.

 
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Posted by on June 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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I am…….

21 Sep

I am…….

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The apostle Paul had spent the chapters leading up to this addressing the differences in Israel and the Gentiles, and the lack of difference. God had allowed much of Israel to fall away and presented the Gospel to the Gentiles whom where beginning to believe. Many wandered if God had forgotten Israel. He has not, and His plans for Israel are to be fulfilled in eternity. Romans 10: 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Paul is trying to explain how we must be moved to a place of worship and reverent fear for God’s grace and mercy. In the middle of this writing he is moved to praise. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

The next verse is Romans 12 above. When the Bible was written, there were no chapters, or breaks in chapters. Paul has been building to show God’s glory on all mankind and how that realization should move you to a place of humble, sacrificial worship. That work you feel inside of you once you realize your spiritual state of sin, will knock your knees out from under you with that realization.  The mystery is revealed and you realize you are nothing without the One who created you, and the One who saved you. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. If you have not come to the understanding of sin, and the need for a Savior from that sin, the Gospel of Christ has not done its work in your heart.

A religion that does not give you the bad news is not a religion that saves. It is a religion that “tickles your ears” and feels good, which results in the leading away. Broad is the path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the gate that finds paradise.  Once God opens your heart through the realization of Him; the realization of you in sin without Him; you will be truly transformed. Becoming a Romans 12 Christian will be the sacrificial acts you naturally desire to be for eternity.

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Grace and Mercy allow us there

20 May

Grace and Mercy allow us there

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I was discussing with my best friend the other day of how it must have been so hard living before Christ with a heart and the desire to pursue God. All of the Law,  and the rulers of the Law, consistently pointing to the inability to fulfill it’s requirements. It simply would have caused incredible mental strain at “the tasks”. But Christ has come to redeem the world and we can approach God at the Throne of Grace in awe and reverent fear; for Christ sits at his right hand to intercede for us. In the scriptures prior to this the author is speaking of the “rest” that we have in Christ, or even peace and assurance I might add that give us rest.

This scripture is speaking of approaching God in prayer. Matthew Henry said, “Mercy and grace are the things we want, mercy to pardon all our sins and grace to purify out souls.” I believe it was Adrian Rogers who put it, “Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. Grace is God giving us what we don’t.”  Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. When you are truly needing, truly seeking God, humble yourself and realize how Christ has provided you the pathway to enter into His presence. That humility and reverent awe allow your prayers to be heard, and your heart to be felt when approaching God. There is nothing hidden from God, He knows and sees all, even discerns your heart and thoughts It is through the “lens of the gospel” (Ed Gravely) that you begin to understand your intercessor in Christ, and the ability only He provides to approach God. When you accept Christ, that peace and rest will come with an understanding of your security and ability to approach God.

 

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Chief of sinners – Forgiven!

21 Apr

Chief of sinners – Forgiven!

1 Peter 1:13-16   Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

I love how God works. I am giving my testimony this coming week, and the time I have been spending with God over these last couple of days has put me in 1 Peter where he is speaking of all the trials of life. How we were before Christ, and then how we are to conduct ourselves now upon Salvation and Christ dwelling in us. Of how the persecutions and difficulties will come on both mental and physical plains, but these realizations of being children of God will provoke a reverent holy fear of God. Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Once you begin to grasp the understanding of who God is, and what He has done for you, that reverent fear comes as a strong emotion deep within your soul.

As I look back as part of reflecting for testimony preparation, I feel as Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. It is so humbling realizing what Christ has done for all of us, even those who still hate Him. Now on this side of Salvation I strive to be a better person, to live a life honoring the One whom gave His life for me and you. I lean on the time in His Word and prayer and the pursuit of the renewing of my mind as in Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. This is a daily pursuit, every day asking for forgiveness, and asking for guidance to help me along the way. I beg you to reflect on your life and understand there is nothing you have done that you cannot be forgiven for through repentance and acceptance of Christ into your heart. It is never too late, until it is.

 
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Posted by on April 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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A Speck

02 Feb

This morning I was still thinking about last nights lesson in Luke by Ed Gravely, and the reflections of how we all could fall into those traps of religion. I know that the term religion and the relationship are confusing to so many of us. I grew up thinking being “religious” was a good thing. But now I have come to understand that resting on what I would call “earthly wisdom” is not from God, but a tool of Satan that self glorifies, and does not preach humility and grace. We must understand that “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.  (Ephesians 2:8)

James 3:16-17   For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

James has been leading up to these verses by telling us of the power of our speech, and the hypocrisy that can come as a result of it. Do we tend to seek glory for ourselves in our desires and how we speak of heavenly things? Do we become puffed up as those that Pharisees in Christ day whom even missed the glory of God standing before them? But what if we all feel as though in some way we are resting on our wisdom? We feel that we know just enough, do just enough good works, for others to think we are a good person? That ‘just enough’ is self seeking as described above. That is earthly wisdom that forms around religion, and not reverent fear and relationship with Christ.

With Godly wisdom comes meekness. We begin to realize that we can do nothing alone, but it all  flows through Christ. We realize that He reveals to us a great mystery that is heavenly wisdom that comes with time. A humble reverence and awe develop and dwell in our soul that seeks revelation from God. When we receive these specks of wisdom, when He opens our eyes through our hearts, we should only glorify Him as the result. There is only one Way to gain this knowledge, and it is not through envy or self seeking.

 
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Posted by on February 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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