The Frustration Of Failing

"Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.  Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord." - Psalm 25:5-7

 “If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ. And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

 Have you ever watched your child trying to do something that was beyond their ability, requiring you to step in and help them?  It was not because of their lack of effort, they just did not possess the capacity to accomplish the task for any number of reasons .. manual dexterity, knowledge, experience … etc.  They needed help from an outside source.  Sometimes they will look to you and ask for help, but other times they will just keep trying until the frustration of failure causes them to give up.  

That is the way it is with the our new life.  We can’t live it on our own.  We can try to be righteous, to not sin, but it is beyond us.  We need help from an outside source.  The question is, "Are we willing to accept that help or do we insist that we can do it on our own?" Perhaps if we just try harder.  Someone once said “the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over in the same way expecting a different outcome.”  

If we are trying to be holy, to live rightly, to not do something that we know is wrong, and we fail, over and over, perhaps we have chosen the wrong way of solving our problem.  Perhaps we are trying to do something by ourselves that is impossible to do. God, the Father, sent His Son to do what we could not do. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us live the life we could not live.  To guide us in all truth. (John 16:13)  He gave us the Word to reveal His Truth (2 Timothy 3:16) … to show us and teach us the way we should live, by the power of the Spirit and His Word.  I was going to quote more verses from Psalm 25, but instead I want to encourage you to read it, in its entirety.  Make it your prayer to the Lord today .. maybe every day.   

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

 

For Such A Worm As I!

 "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12

  

"Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sov’reign die, Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?" - Alas! and did my Savior bleed, Public Domain

My daughter and I were installing attic stairs for a widow Saturday.  It was a promise that I had made 2 years earlier. Attic stairs are low on the priority scale when compared to needing plumbing - a roof -  a foundation. Time flies - as we were installing stairs in our own home two weeks ago, I was reminded (let's say the Spirit reminded me) of a commitment I had made to her.  So I contacted her and asked of she still need the rickety stairs replaced and she did.  So why pictures of a worm?

My Sawz-All (cuts through nails) gave up the ghost in the middle of removing the old stairs. Mandi made a run to Home Depot to get a new one and I sat on the front porch waiting on her. As I sat there I saw a worm crawl of out the flower bed next to the porch onto the sidewalk. The heat index was over 100. I knew that the worm was headed for its demise. That is when the Proverbs 14:12 came to mind.  That worm's choice - if worms can make choices - may have seemed right.  Its instincts may have been telling him to keep going - that what it was seeking was just ahead. But it was on a fool's errand. The worm would be dead in a matter of minutes. Natural selection you say? Maybe. Avoidable - only if it turned around which it had no intention of doing - or unless there was some intervention.  

I got up the bench and with the flick of my hat, catapulted the worm back into the flower garden. The second picture shows the worm crawling back into the earth from whence it had come. We are just like that worm. Making choices that seem right to us - prompted by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life. Natural selection you ask?

"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 John 2:16

But thank God for His Spiritual Selection. God has intervened in our lives as we were headed to our doom. Crawling across a sidewalk on a hot Texas day - thinking that we were in our right mind headed for something good.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." - John 3:16-19

Do you know any worms crawling on the sidewalk?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Accused Of Being Just Like Your Father

"Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?'" - John 14:8-10

“If the Son of God has been born into my human flesh, then am I allowing His holy innocence, simplicity, and oneness with the Father the opportunity to exhibit itself in me?  Whatever our circumstances may be, that holy, innocent, and eternal Child must be in contact with His Father. Is God’s will being fulfilled in that His Son has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19), or have I carefully pushed Him to one side? The more a person knows of the inner life of God’s most mature saints, the more he sees what God’s purpose really is: to “…fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). And when we think of what it takes to “fill up,” there is always something yet to be done.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

This new life we live, it is a journey, we did not arrive at our destination on the day of our salvation.  Have you discovered  that you grow in your faith more through your struggles than through your victories.  That, as you mature, you will become more dependent upon on God and not less.  Unlike your physical birth where you grew to be independent of your parents, with your spiritual birth, as you grow, the oneness with the Father, Son and Spirit becomes more evident.  As a young boy, I can remember one day my mother, who divorced my father when I was 2 years old, said to me, “Stop doing that, you are just like your father.” She was speaking out of a broken heart - something that I did not understand. But I felt ashamed as if I had done some terrible thing.  Today, as a Christian, I would like nothing more than to hear someone say, “You are just like your Father – your Father in heaven”.  How about you?  

By the way, the good news about my mom. Years later she was born again and lived out her life being a light to everyone around her - including Martie and me.  She was instrumental in leading many to the Lord - including Martie and me. God is Good, all the time!  

So how about you my friend?  Are you content with your faith and walk?  Don’t be. Are being accused of being like just like your Father?  You should be!  After we are born again, we begin a journey that does not end until we arrive at the feet of Jesus.

Is God reflected in your character? How you live your life? Your speech. Your actions. Is your love for God and others evident. I hope so. Or would people be surprised to find out that you are a child of God? I hope not!

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." - Ephesians 5:1-2

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Patience - Reflecting Faith And The Fruit Of The Spirit In You

"Though it tarries, wait for it…" —Habakkuk 2:3

“Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

Patience is  a reflection of faith and not our self restraint.  Our willingness to wait on God, even when our common sense tells us that we need to act … to do something on your own.  Let’s look King Saul’s lack of patience and what it cost him.

“Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure…” - 1 Samuel 13:7-14  

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.  Put another way, your ability to demonstrate godly patience is a function of the depth of your faith and trust in God.  The Apostle James wrote 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. " - James 1:2-3

King Saul’s faith in God was tried and tested and he was found wanting.  His choice to act on his own .. put himself in the place of God and the prophet … cost him his kingdom.  Has anyone ever “tried your patience”?  Having your patience "tried" means that you are about to get angry about something or toward someone or you are unwilling to wait on someone or something.  The Bible is clear about how Christians are to live and relate to others.  But, we often forget that the Bible assumes that you, Christian, are living by faith submitted to the leading and power of the Spirit and you are not making the mistake of trying to live the life of faith in your own strength and wisdom .. Like King Saul.

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” - Proverbs 3:5-6

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:31

What are your waiting for?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

One Breath Away From Glory

"If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” - 1 Corinthians 15:32

Now this is a topic that people don’t really want to talk about or dwell on.  It's the elephant in the room.  It is sobering, really.  This mortal life that we live is all we know, isn’t it?  Life beyond the grave is something we know about by faith.  Some people try to talk to people on the "other side", I suppose as a way to give the living assurance that there really is life after death.  And because of the fear of death, for ages, people have been seeking ways to promote longevity.  Some even have themselves “frozen in time”, literally, with the hope that some day someone will figure out a way to unfreeze them and give a healthy life back to them.  People are desperate.  Wealthy people are even more so. Guess what – everyone in your generation is going to die, one way or another.  

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  Hebrews 9: 27-28

God doesn't tell us where, when or how we will breath our last breath, just that death is inevitable for all of us. It is inescapable.  Many people try and have tried to hold on to their youth … it is all in vain.  Aging is something that is going to happen – just like death.  I was looking at the pictures on the shelves above my desk the other day when I realized that most of the people in those pictures had passed away. Some Christians and, unfortunately, some not. 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,    I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  -  Psalm 119:14-16

I am not trying to be morbid – or insensitive to those who have lost loved ones.  My objective is to get you to think about your life.  Jesus told a parable – recorded in Luke chapter 12 – about a man who had an abundance and wanted to keep it for himself for the future.  The thing was, he had a very short future – his days were up – he was going to die that night.  What are you putting your faith and hope in.  Most of us go to sleep expecting to awake in our bed the next morning – what if you open your eyes and you find yourself in heaven instead?  We should live our lives like today is the last day. If it was, then the earthly issues we worry about would fade into in-significance.  Each breath you take is a gift from God.  And each breath you take is one step closer to Glory.  

In light of our mortality – we should live for God like there is no tomorrow – there might not be.  Scare tactic? No.  Truth.  It’s time to get busy and live with an awareness of the realities of life and the Hope we have in Jesus.  Being young doesn't mean you have time. Being older does not mean you are out of time. 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6:33-34

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

The Importance of Discipleship

 

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. And we will understand only what we are taught." Author Unknown

Martie and I visited the Brazos Bend State Park some days ago. Beautiful and peaceful. As we walked along a trail we came upon a tree stump and fastened on the slanted cutaway of that stump was a wonderful bronze plaque with that quote on it. It immediately caught my attention as I saw it as a timeless truth. With both with a natural and spiritual application.

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.” - Matthew 28:18-20

It reminded me of the importance of Christian discipleship. Why I write these devotions. Jesus' emphasis on teaching others the precepts of the faith. Discipleship is not like teaching someone the three R's -  Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. Those are subjects in school that appeal to the intellect of the student's mind. No, Discipleship appeals to our spiritual nature and speaks to our hearts. Eternal truths that are outside the bounds of human reasoning and will.  We are Discipled so that we will understand and embrace Spiritual Truth. When we understand spiritual truth, revealed by the Holy Spirit and confirmed in our hearts, we will love in the same way that God loves us.  Particularly in the context of the two greatest commandments.  

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'” - Matthew 22:37-39

And when we love in the manner in which the Lord has commanded, our desire will be to preserve and protect others - not matter race, color, creed - we will want the best for mankind and be willing to lay our lives down for their good and God's glory.  All of that sitting on a stump along a nature trail in Texas. I wondered how many people have walked by that stump and did not even see the plaque. And how many people who did, wondered for a moment at its meaning and then walked on. To rephrase that quote, look at it in reverse.  

We are taught so we might understand. We love that which we understand. We conserve or protect or embrace that which we love. God and others. Standing next to that plaque, I wonder how many people heard the gentle voice of the Spirit of God saying "Consider your ways Christian"! 

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Is Jesus Your Lord or Merely Your Savior?

I heard a testimony of a young woman today. She made the statement that for so many years Jesus was not her Lord, just her Savior. That gave me pause for considering whether that ever applied to me.

Salvation is a miracle of God - no question. It is fantastic - something of eternal consequence for everyone who is born again by faith. But that is only the beginning of our new life in Christ.

"if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:9-10

Isn't it curious that Paul wrote that we must confess that Jesus is Lord in addition to believing that God, the Father, raised Him from the dead.  I quote those verses so often in my writings. But there it is - Jesus is Lord. What exactly does that mean in the way I live my life? 

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24

Allow me to answer my question. If Jesus is Lord then I must be willing to sacrifice my desires and follow Jesus - in obedience to His commands - His Leading. So what gets in the way? Why does being saved seem to be so easy, as much as I struggled with yielding to the draw of the Spirit, when compared to submitting to the Lordship of Jesus?

Let me ask another question.  Is there anything that you value more than Jesus? Most probably there is. It could be money, reputation, relationships, or possessions. Something that has pushed Jesus aside and taken His place as lord - with a small "L".  Jesus had quite a few somethings to say about that. 

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:26-27

Our love for even our family should be subordinate (look like hate in comparison) to our love for God.  The greatest commandment. There is so much more to our faith than Salvation. It is but the beginning. And whatever that "thing" is that you love more than Jesus, I want to encourage you to lay it down at the foot of the Cross.

In Matthew 19, a young man asked Jesus how he could have eternal life. He recounted how he had satisfied the law with respect to man. But Jesus told him that what he had done. What he took pride in was good but not enough - God must be first in his life - give up all that he loved more than God and follow Jesus. And the young man went away sad. We might agree with the idea in our minds but that agreement must make its way to our hearts. There must be life change and not just mental assent. "Mental assent" is when one tries to act as if they are in faith when they are really still in hope. Hope comes before faith. It takes faith to lay our love for the world down and follow Jesus.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone