RSS

Tag Archives: theology

A Mystery

25 Jul

A Mystery

Ephesians 3:3-4 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

The word ‘mystery’ is used over 20 times in the New Testament, many times by the Apostle Paul. It is used in many different contexts, many times in the relations of Jews and Gentiles, but mainly on Christ and God’s grace that extends through Him. Many could not understand the principle of grace; of receiving a free gift from God they did not deserve or work for. That was a root of pride that still tugs people away today thinking they may have to earn God’s graces.

What is is about a ‘mystery’ that draws us? It is the unknown, the lack of understanding, the desire to understand from within. God has wired us that way and from that wiring we can either use the draw of that mystery to blaspheme or draw in to Him. We will never understand for our minds are too simple to grasp the things of God. Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. To try to explain away what we cannot understand can become blasphemous against God. The strengthening of our faith in the lack of understanding is what is found in continually seeking the things of God. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. In study concerning Christ; I came upon this from Matthew Henry as a great summary to the mystery surrounding Him. “First, He who was manifest in flesh was God, really and truly God, God by nature, and not only so by office, for this makes it to be a mystery. Secondly, God was manifest in flesh, real flesh. Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, Heb. 2:14 . And, what is more amazing, he was manifest in the flesh after all flesh had corrupted his way, though he himself was holy from the womb. Thirdly, Godliness is a mystery in all its parts and branches, from the beginning to the end, from Christ’s incarnation to his ascension. Fourthly, It being a great mystery, we should rather humbly adore it, and piously believe it, than curiously pry into it, or be too positive in our explications of it and determinations about it, further than the holy scriptures have revealed it to us.” Let the mystery draw you near, strengthen your faith, and to praise a Holy God who blessed you with the mystery of His work through His Son.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Breakfast

24 Jul

Breakfast

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

It is unclear who the writer of Hebrews was, but many think it was Paul, and it is also somewhat unclear of what group of people it may have been directed to. But the book of Hebrews has a clear message of salvation and atonement through Christ alone. Paul is trying to strengthen them in their faith, and encourage them to move forward with it.

When we are new to the faith, it comes with excitement, but sometimes that excitement passes and we never grow in our relationship. The growth of our faith is a never ending pursuit filled with zeal and intimacy with the Creator of the universe. This is only accomplished by spending time feeding on the nourishment He provides in His Word and prayer. John 4:32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Christ was speaking of his labor of love for the will of His Father, and the joy and nourishment He obtained through it. That spiritual nourishment is available to you through seeking God daily and following His will for your life also.

A day that starts with God in His Word and prayer is the most important meal of the day. David puts in well, even in perspective of today’s society which is so far from God. Psalm 63:A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. Time consecrated to God every day is rewarded by Him with a spiritual nourishment to face the day. A new light is shed on the day through the power of His Word and the application you find for it daily in your life. The only way to grow, is to eat of it.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on July 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Ya’ ain’t them kinda smarts

23 Jul

Ya’ ain’t them kinda smarts

John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

This was Christ’s fifth resurrection appearance, and it was to 10 of His disciples (Thomas was absent) who were meeting secretly together to discuss many things. They were in fear of what had happened, and surely met to encourage one another and discuss their future plans. Christ had appeared in His risen form to them in a locked upper room. He had come to encourage and commission them for their future plans. John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Their faith and future were strengthened.

Christ breathed on them. His breath proved His life, and through His breath He gives life. This even points back to the beginning in Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The gift of the Holy Spirit was given to all the disciples as an enabler for their future ministries. The Holy Spirit is an enabler, and provides spiritual power to aide in the work of discipleship. This was not only a gift to the disciples, but also to you as a disciple of Christ.

If you are having trouble understanding the bible, is it because you are relying on your own wisdom to reveal it to you? These things are available only through the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Humble yourself, repent of your sin, and plea for forgiveness. Christ’s Spirit will come to dwell inside of you; revealing many things that you have never seen before. Your time here on earth will take on a new light, and you will be spurred to share as the disciples shared through the power of His Spirit. The give of the Spirit is for our time here, but yet the Salvation lasts an eternity. It is only gained through a humble heart, and not through our own wisdom.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

The Foundation

22 Jul

The Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

I am building a massive deck/treehouse for my boys. I have been explaining the importance of the foundation to them and struggling with getting it right. The land falls three ways, and I missed it 1/2” from perfect. It will drive me crazy. All my work is built upon that foundation which is not perfect. What is the foundation of your faith? What is the base of your beliefs that your house of faith is built on?

There are so many ways to err as we build our faith, but is our faith built on the rock of Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven? We must get this right. If we do not understand whom Christ was, is, and has done for us; our faith will fall when tested by God. Christ was fully human and fully God when He came to earth. He died a painful death to justify you before a Holy God. He is the mediator between you and God and only through Him may you enter into heaven. Matthew Henry puts it; “The doctrine of our Saviour and his mediation is the principal doctrine of Christianity. It lies at the bottom, and is the foundation, of all the rest. Leave out this, and you lay waste all our comforts, and leave no foundation for our hopes as sinners. It is in Christ only that God is reconciling a sinful world to himself, 2 Co. 5:19 .”

Don’t let the world convince you there are many ways to God. We all do not end up there, and many will pay for their mistake for any eternity. There is only One way, and it is not through living a good life full of good deeds that make you feel good. It is by a humble heart, repentance of sins, and a plea for forgiveness. That is the rock upon which you build your faith that will stand in God’s testing of it. Ephesians 2: 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

The word of our testimony

20 Jul

The word of our testimony

Psalm 51:13-14 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

David had poured out to God his heart in a plea for God’s grace and forgiveness. He wanted to be a changed man and live for God. He wanted God’s grace to ease the pain, to lift the burden, to find rest in that forgiveness and salvation. I found it in study as this, “David calls sinners to salvation in this verse. He vows that he will use his experience of God’s grace as a renewed motivation to bring others into the knowledge of the love and mercy of God. David desires to be forgiven for several reasons: (1)for his own peace, (2)for the message of hope that he could communicate to others, (3)for the praise he would be able to give in the community of the faithful.” This was Davids story of forgiveness, or David’s testimony of God’s grace on him.

If you proclaim Christ, you have a testimony. You are not the same person as before. You cannot be; for He produces change from the inside out. Your testimony is the evidence of God working in your life through the blood of Christ to forgive sin and change lives. Have you ever thought about that change and tried to summarize it? It may have many avenues of change and most likely is a work in progress, but the evidence of that change God uses to reach others. He uses you as a tool to reach and encourage the lost around you, and many times your testimony is exactly what they need to hear. 1 Corinthians 1:5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.

Don’t ever be scared to share you faith and your story of how Christ changed your life. That fear that creeps in is Satan at work to try and stop the work of God through you. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Your struggles and God’s healing all make up a beautiful story of power, love, forgiveness, and change. A powerful new worship song has the lyric, “We will overcome, by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all honor and glory.” Share your testimony, no, live it.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Draw the Line

19 Jul

Draw the Line

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I was reading Psalm 51 this morning; a powerful poem from David in his plea to God for forgiveness. His sins with Bathsheba and the murder that followed haunted him. The prophet Nathan had spoken to him a word from God in conviction. David pours out his heart to God in this Psalm begging for God’s grace.

My life before Christ haunts me. Satan loves to stir the memories of the great sins and the thousands of less ones. But regardless they are all sin. Satan wants to weaken my faith in fear and doubt, but God uses it to strengthen my faith in the assurance of Salvation; living now by God’s grace. I find myself resting on the words of Paul 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.  You must understand their is no sin that you have committed that a repentant heart before God will not be forgiven.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, You will not despise. The weight of sin you feel is God pressing in to draw you close to Him. The conviction you feel will either push you away, or pull you in through a humble repentant heart in a plea for forgiveness. Romans 6 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You can have a “do over” with your life. You can repent of the past sin and be forgiven of the future sin. It all can be a line in the sand when you go before God in the plea for His grace, through the blood of His Son. Is there any reason you would want to continue without taking the stick and drawing the line in the sand of your heart?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Take a stand

18 Jul

Take a stand

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.

I had a conversation with an elderly customer last night that is still fresh in my mind about the state of affairs here in America. She told me of how her father could not believe how the world was changing in his lifetime. She said of her own, “The things we used to shun, have now become the norm, and what we used to uphold, is now shunned.” There is abundant truth in that statement. Our world is sliding away into depravity in every area of political and moral decline. Our means of acceptance of every lifestyle is leading our decay. Ruth Graham has been quoted many times about her note to Billy from 1965; “If God doesn’t soon bring judgment upon America, He’ll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

When you truly step out in your faith, you go against the tide of the world. You will become an outsider; you will be ostracized for your beliefs. Satan wants us all to get along because under that ruse is his hidden agenda; to keep you from Christ. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  He is at work in big ways in our society under this agenda, and has people in power working for him. But see it for what it is, a trojan horse. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 15:19 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. Dare to be different in a world that will not. Stand up for your faith and deny what you know is wrong. These stand and persecutions will only be temporal, and the rewards for them eternal.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Jehovah-Jireh” means “The LORD Will Provide

17 Jul

Jehovah-Jireh” means “The LORD Will Provide

Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

Over the last 36 hours, the Lord has provided for my family. I cannot express the details, but the first was an answer to prayer for me, the second was an answer to prayer for my wife. Both were unexpected monetary gifts that answered a prayer of need. Both fulfilled God’s promise to us in so many ways. Are you placing your faith in God? Do you leave room to see God work or do you fill in all the gaps by yourself? You are glorified in that and never will see God’s provision in it; only your own.

God provided food for Israel that fell out of the sky for 40 years while wondering in the desert. Numbers 11:9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. They had never seen this food, much less how it appeared and disappeared. The logistics of the size of the Exodus of Israel into the desert are staggering, let alone feeding them for 40 years. God humbled them in the desert and showed them many things, yet they still were a prideful, stubborn people rebelling against their Provider. Deuteronomy 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

God knows what you are facing today. He has either designed or allowed it, and He wants you to seek His guidance in it. He is in control of it all. How can you ever see God at work in your life if you don’t give up your life to Him? If you keep praying and spending time with Him in His Word, He will provide. How he provides may not be how you think he should, but He is a Sovereign God, and the Creator of all, and He knows best. Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

The true meaning of Genesis 22:14 is an example of Christ in the Old Testament. Of how God will provide a means to escape the punishment of sin through the blood of Christ on the Cross at Calvary. This example in Genesis speaks of great faith, and great sacrifice, and of God’s provision for eternal paradise with Him.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 17, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Thank you Jesus for……

16 Jul

Thank you Jesus for……

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 believe it was Adrian Rogers who said, “Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.” You are born into sin, and your heart is bad no matter how much of a good person you feel that you are. There is a false religion out there saying we are all good at heart, and why would God make us bad. Our freedom of choice is where we fell into sin in the garden with Adam and Eve, and like it or not you are a descendent of them; therefore you are born into sin.

Now the good news: A humble, repentant heart can be saved from eternal punishment by the way of Christ. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever will believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This paves the way for us to obtain that grace and mercy. Matthew Henry summarizes it well. “Mercy and grace are the things we want; mercy to pardon all our sins, and grace to purify our souls. Besides our daily dependence upon God for present supplies, there are seasons for which we should provide in our prayers; times of temptation, either by adversity or prosperity, and especially our dying time. We are to come with reverence and godly fear, yet not as if dragged to the seat of justice, but as kindly invited to the mercy-seat, where grace reigns. We have boldness to enter into the holiest only by the blood of Jesus; he is our Advocate, and has purchased all our souls want or can desire.”

The scriptures before Hebrews 4:16 are speaking of the power of God’s Word. Both in the context of Christ as the Word, and the context of His written Word. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.You must come to know Christ in your heart before the written Word is revealed to you. His Spirit will dwell inside of you and begin to reveal His written Word as never before. You can’t have one without the other, and grace and mercy are found in both.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Where is your Zeal?

14 Jul

Where is your Zeal?
Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;

Zeal is not a word commonly used today. If it was it would probably be in the context of material possessions, or a personal drive towards a goal. Zeal is defined as:: eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something : fervor. I think simply stated your zeal is what drives you. As I head out today to enjoy time on a dirt bike, I realize it is where my zeal was for many years. It was how you defined me. It was my everything, and what my life pursuit consisted of; it was my idol. It is now a huge part of my testimony of God’s work in my life, and the delivery from that idol. What do you pursue with zeal, forsaking many things focused on that pursuit, now realizing it has become an idol?

Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Paul was speaking of Israel and their hearts for God, but yet their understanding was wrong. They believed they could earn their way into heaven. This problem still consists today in our self-righteous world, but that is not the Gospel of Christ who has come to save the world.

Having your focus on God and the pursuit of the things of God is where your zeal must lie. It is summarized in two incredible scriptures in Revelation of how to live a zealous life for Christ and the rewards that follow. Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Christ is not promising an easy road in a life focused on Him, for He is telling us He will correct and punish us for our sin. But He is pursuing you, and offering an eternal life with Him as a result of answering His knock and the repentance and forgiveness of sin. A zeal for God will drive you like nothing else.  For a heart for God sees none other that can promise anything but temporal pleasure in a fleeting world; yet a zealous heart for Him reaps eternal reward.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →