December 25, 2024

God Our Refuge

June 24, 2014 by

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Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 142:7

According to the title, this psalm was written by David while “in a cave”—probably when he was on the run from King Saul.  If you recall, Saul and his men pursued David with the intention of killing him (for the whole story, see 1 Samuel 18 ff). T his was clearly a very difficult time in David’s life, as one can tell from this psalm.  He is greatly troubled, and it seems had no friends, nowhere to run, and his life was in danger at every moment.  His enemies laid traps for him; he was overwhelmed and desperate.  And yet he knew the Lord was on his side, and it was to the Lord he turned with his supplications, crying out his troubles to Him.  He recognized that the Lord is his “Refuge” (verse 4) and his “Portion” (verse 5).  He asked the Lord to heed his cry, and to deliver him from his persecutors.  Notice that David doesn’t suggest to God any particular method of rescue, or way of dealing with those who threaten his life.  He just wants God to deliver him.

In verse 7 (or verse 8 in the Hebrew text), David gives the reason or purpose behind his desire for deliverance: “…so that I may give thanks to Your name”—for the purpose of exalting the name of the Lord.  David didn’t want glory for himself.  He didn’t want revenge on his enemies, nor did he want to prove a point to his persecutors.  All he wanted was deliverance—a mighty act of God that would chase away his fear, raise his spirits, and cause his heart to well up with praise and thanks to the Lord.

In the second part of the verse, David expresses his confidence that God’s overwhelming provision for him will be shown by his being surrounded by the righteous.  I want us to pause at the first part of verse 7, though, and take note of the motive behind David’s request for deliverance.  How many times when we’re feeling oppressed or wronged do we seek vindication for its own sake?  We want those who wrong us to be shown their error, and we want the satisfaction of seeing them grovel for our forgiveness, or being humbled in some way.  How often do we ask for deliverance simply that we might have yet another reason to praise and give thanks to God?

Too often, in situations like this, we don’t seek the glory of God, rather we seek our own glory. We want to be elevated above our situation, and above those who brought the situation about. We want to overcome at the expense of others…not so that God’s name will be praised. May David’s example be a reminder to us to lead God-centered lives, where we are truly seeking after Him, His honor, and His glory, in all that we do and ask for.

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Lord, we pray for Your guidance as we are making the decision to seek after You where You are always found. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Praising God Everywhere

June 15, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

The whole of Psalm 113 describes three of my favorite things:
1. We are called to praise God
2. Praise celebrates God because He is beyond compare
3. God’s grace

We are called to praise God. (Read verses 1-3.) Verse one states, “Praise the Lord!” This is an imperative, meaning it is a command we are to obey.

• Who offers praise?  God’s servants
• What is to be praised? His name. The name of God represents who He is. No matter our circumstance we can always praise God for who He is.
• When is His name to be praised? From this time forth…right now!
• How long is He is be praised? Forever
• Where are we to praise God? From the place where the sun rises all the way to the place where it sets. We are to praise God wherever we are and in all places.

Can you think of a time or place where it is difficult to praise God?  Focus on who He is and continue to praise Him!   Two concepts are included in this one illustration about God’s creation praising Him.

First, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west it means that the Lord is to be praised or recognized as God, everywhere.

Secondly, since the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening it means that God is to be praised all day long, at all times. From the bursting forth of each new day to the slow-spreading shadows of the evening each and every new day is a gift from God’s hand to us. Each and every new morning sunrise has within it a promise of fresh new blessings from the same hand that created the sun.

Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

God’s mercy ensures us that we will not get what our thoughts and actions deserve. Mercy is not getting what we merit. Sometimes mercy comes in interesting packages that are really God’s grace.

A doctor who is a believer had seen an unusually large number of unscheduled patients one morning, and was exhausted. As he sat down for lunch at the hospital canteen, he placed his hands over his eyes, closed his eyes, and thought to himself, “I’ll scream if another patient shows up without an appointment…” Opening his eyes, he saw an elderly woman approach. She said, “You know, I was nervous about coming to this hospital … but now I know this place is okay, because I see that the doctors pray before eating.”

Do you think that was a fresh new mercy from God?  I do!

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Lord, help us realize that praising and worshipping You should be our lifestyle; in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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Corporate Worship

June 9, 2014 by

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Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness
and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people
and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

From the beginning only God is to be worshipped.

Why do we need to corporately worship? Because He commands it and takes it seriously!

There shall no strange god be in thee neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Psalm 81:9

For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

This is based on a previous command of false worship in Exodus 20:4-5.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above
or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,
on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me….

God deserves it – 100% He deserves it.  He alone deserves worship—

  • He is The Alpha and the Omega
  • He is absolutely Holy, Righteous, Just
  • He is Love
  • He is our Savior

Worshipping in spirit and truth flows naturally from faith, love, and trust.  God deserves it even when we are facing adversaries for He is the same God—He never changes and what He says He will do shall completely come to pass! Therefore worshipping God should be our lifestyle, He deserves it.

And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying,
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying,
I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:2-3

And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:33

You will take note in these Scripture references, some worshipped Jesus for who He was (before He did any miracle); others worshipped Him afterwards.

The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and worship Him who lives forever and ever saying
You are worthy, O Lord to receive all the glory and honor and power.
Revelation 4:10-11

We need it and the world needs it too. We worship God for it benefits us, anything else we worship doesn’t work out to benefit us and, in fact, brings harm. Others worship their jobs, businesses, food, money, other humans, nature, false gods, etc. It never works out. Stick with worshipping the Perfect Being Who loves you and cares about you. It works out a lot better in the end.

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”  After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand.  It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”  Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 15:1-14

This passage in Matthew 15:1-14 isn’t all about worship, sisters. There can be those that worship in a way that is completely meaningless. Their worship is in vain. Salvation isn’t about worship; it is about faith, trust, love, etc. Worship flows so naturally from these things that many Christians get a bit confused. Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.

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Our dear heavenly Father, we thank You and glorify Your holy Name for there is no other True God besides You. You alone are worthy of all our praise and worship for You are holy, mighty, wonderful, faithful. We pray for the spirit of worship to be awakened in our lives for You deserve it. May our worship be like a sweet aroma to You! We pray in Jesus’ name, AMEN!!

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God’s Steadfast Love

June 2, 2014 by

 Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,
for His wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!
Psalms 107:21-22

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The Book of Psalms contains about 100 references to God’s “steadfast love”.  In Psalm 136 alone it appears 26 times, once in each verse.  We quickly start to see God’s steadfast love is the reason for our hope.

It is He who remembered us in our low estate,
for His steadfast love endures for ever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for His steadfast love endures for ever;
He who gives food to all flesh,
for His steadfast love endures for ever.
Verses 23-25

 The psalmists all praised God for His unceasing, unchanging love and called upon it over and over again.  When they were oppressed by enemies, heartbroken, stumbling, poor and hungry, they remembered and rejoiced in His love for them.  We can have hope for our lives now and our eternal lives in the future because, whatever happens, God loves us more than we can comprehend.

He will always protect us and provide for us. In Psalm 33:5, David observed, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” In Psalm 86:13, “For great is Your steadfast love toward me.” In Psalm 98:3, “He (the Lord) has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness.” The loving-kindness of God—His goodness and mercy—is eternal.  It’s persistent.  It’s a stubborn love God has for His children.  He won’t turn His back on us.  And He won’t give up on us or let us go.

God’s steadfast love brings Jonah to mind.  Jonah could run, but he couldn’t hide or get away from God.  The Lord used a storm to get Jonah’s attention and a very large fish to transport Jonah back to the shore where he had made his wrong turn.  Even the hardship of Jonah’s experience was God’s loving-kindness.  He could have wiped out the wayward prophet in a heartbeat.  But, determined to show His loving-kindness to the huge city of Nineveh through Jonah, God kept him alive.  Psalms 33:18-19 sums it up this way,

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
on those who hope in His steadfast love,
that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

Today, let the Psalms refresh you as you read over and over again of God’s infinite love for us (both in size and time).  Let’s thank God for a hope that can be secure in His love. And this is a reason we can offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to this wonderful God who does wondrous things.

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Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love over us Your children who are called by Your name.  I honor You for there is no any other to receive the honor. You alone are worthy of our sacrifice of praise.  May You continually shower us with Your goodness and mercies all the days of our lives.  We thank You and bless your Holy name.  In Jesus’ name,  AMEN!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional

Let Them Praise

May 25, 2014 by

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Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,
    for His wondrous works to the children of man!
For He shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Psalms 107:15-16

The hundred and seventh Psalm begins with an exhortation to us.

Give thanks unto the LORD…
Psalm 107:1

And the basis for this thanksgiving is His goodness and His mercy. Two things that we really should be thankful for: the goodness of God to us, and then God’s mercy unto us. How thankful am I for the mercy of God! Were it not for the mercy of God, where would I be today? Surely not here. But, for his mercy that endures for ever (Psalm 107:1).

Now, as we go through this psalm, the first verse exhorts us to praise. But then the psalm goes on and begins to talk about certain people and their condition. And then we find the ‘oft-repeated phrase’ (in fact, it’s repeated about three times, or four times through the psalm):

Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness,
and His wonderful works to the children of men!

verses 8, 15, 21, and 31

Oh that men would really learn to just praise God for His goodness to us. I think that we reflect too little upon God, because I really don’t think that you can seriously reflect upon God without praising and without thanksgiving. When you really start to reflect on His goodness—on His blessings, on all that He’s done—the praises just sort of come.

I think this verse, the very last verse in the Book of Psalms, encapsulates the message of Psalms 147-150.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:6

It is both an exhortation and a command for every living creature—everything that draws breath—to praise the Lord. Why is the Lord worthy of the praise of all creation? This is spelled out quite clearly in the preceding psalms (147-150).

There appears, then, to be a progression from all creation to the sanctuary as we go through these psalms. One thing is resoundingly clear, however: the praise of God is a necessary requirement upon every living thing: everything that has breath. Men in their sinful ignorance may mock God, and may deny that He is worthy of any worship. These psalms make it abundantly clear that we are so dependent on Him for all that we have, that even those who refuse to acknowledge Him owe Him everything. These psalms help us see our own position before God. We who consider ourselves self-made, independent, creators of our own destiny, crafters of our own world, are nothing more than helpless children before our Maker. We need Him…and the psalms, the Scripture, the gospel demand that we confess this fact.

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Father, we give You praise and honor for what You are, who You are, and who You shall be as You are great today and forever more. We give You praise for the goodness and mercies that follows us all the days of our lives. Thank You for Your love that is unconditional. We give You praise always. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN!

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Living Water for Spiritual Quenching

May 22, 2014 by

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Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind,
for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms 107:8-9

In order for people to start and continue their search for God, there must be an underlying motive that people have to seek after God—spiritual thirst. Thirst is a common theme in the Bible. People have a natural thirst for spiritual things.
Thirst is a good analogy. For when the body is thirsty it need something to fill that void. A body that does not have pure water can get sick, dehydrated, and even die. You can go without food for weeks or even a month or longer. But go without water for even one day and your body will start to have dire consequences.

The very best thing that can quench the thirst is water.  In the Bible water is often mentioned.

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them.
John 7:37-38

Jesus invites us to believe in Him. He tells us that when we believe, we will be equipped for the future.

  • Jesus uses the image of “living water” that He had used earlier when He spoke to a woman at a well (John 4:10).
  • The prophet Isaiah used water as a picture of joyful, renewed living, guided and satisfied by “the Lord … always,” “like a spring whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11).
  • John explains that the living water Jesus spoke of is “the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

Things of the Spirit are difficult to understand. Does the image of living water help? For the woman at the well (John 4), it meant new life beyond the shame of broken relationships. To Isaiah it meant God’s presence and daily blessing.

I have always loved the story of the woman at the well found in John 4 in the New Testament. Having lived in Nevada for seven years I can understand the need for water when it is very hot and uncomfortable. In our Savior’s days, he too had need for water to quench his physical thirst. But here the Savior was offering her Living Water that would satisfy her thirst forever. The powerful words that he spoke to the woman at the well are true today as in those times. Christ said to her: “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: ” “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4: 13-14).The good news is that we ourselves can have the Living Water that will quench our spiritual thirst forever. Our Savior is the source of Living Water.

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Lord, fill us with this Living Water. We need it, we need You, to survive , Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional

Refuge

May 14, 2014 by

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But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous;
You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.
Psalms 5:11-12 NIV

The Apostle Paul said, “…our life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).  Those who accept the Lord have a place of refuge beyond any other.  What is there to be happy about in this life?  I am with Christ!  I am hidden from Satan’s accusations. God’s desire is that the knowledge of this place of safety brings forth praise in our lives.  What a precious gift the Father has given us, to be hidden in Him.  God spreads His protection over those who love His name so that we will rejoice in Him.  He desires to be our joy, our source.

The psalmist declares that the Father surrounds the righteous with ‘…favor as a shield’.  God has placed a protective shield around your life to keep you and to secure His purposes in you.  This shield is called the favor of the Lord.  When we live a life that is pleasing to God He has committed to making our way for us.  The very means of protecting your destiny is that God places favor on you.  It was said of our Lord Himself relating to His youth that He “grew in favor with both God and man” (Luke 2:52).  This is the shield of the Lord.

When others are going through economic shaking—those who are hidden in the Lord can lean on this promise of favor being on our lives.  When the enemy seems to be gaining ground in the culture and it is harder and harder for the righteous to live in this age—God can place favor on His saints.  Both Daniel and Joseph walked in the favor of the Lord.  Each was righteous in the midst of an unrighteous culture and the Lord set them apart with such favor that it protected them even in a foreign land and caused them to rise to the top in the midst of their trials. They lived under the blessing of Deuteronomy 28:13, “The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.”

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Father, we thank You for You are there for them that take refuge in You.  Your promises to us are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ always as You say that You “shall neither leave us nor forsake us.”  We trust in Your Word.  Let us grow in the fear of You always as it is the beginning of our wisdom in all spheres of our lives…in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen!!

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional

Persecuted In The Present Tense

May 8, 2014 by

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.   Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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In this last of the Beatitudes, Jesus offers encouragement to those who suffer for His sake.  This Beatitude carries on the thought from the previous one, but this time Jesus makes it personal: not just “those who have been persecuted,” but “you when they revile you and persecute you.”

Verse 10
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Verse 11
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Clearly Jesus expected His followers to be ill-treated, and He speaks of this ill-treatment in three ways: reviling them, persecuting them, and saying all kinds of evil against them.

Reviling comes when you are insulted or verbally abused because of your faith. The early Christians were mocked because of their belief in the Resurrection. They were called “atheists” because they denied the Roman deities and believed in a God the Roman government did not recognize. The Jews considered them heretics and blasphemers because they identified Jesus as God.

By persecuting I think we can understand Jesus to mean what usually comes to mind: physical abuse, and blatant singling out for “special treatment” on account of one’s faith. This may encompass the other two (reviling and speaking evil of someone), but I think it also brings in beatings, political pressure and punishment, social restriction, and so on. Whenever Christians are denied advancement—either politically, or in the workplace—on account of their faith, or are in other ways treated differently and adversely because they are Christians, persecution is taking place.

Say all kinds of evil against you falsely covers false accusations brought against a Christian to sully his or her reputation, often to justify persecution. In the early church, the Christian sacrament of communion was said to be an orgy, with the participants engaging in illicit sexual behavior and cannibalism. Whether or not this was a genuine misunderstanding of the Christian “love meal,” wherein the symbolic body and blood of Christ is consumed, or a deliberate distortion, it didn’t help the Christians gain favor in the world.

Not only are Christians blessed when they are persecuted, but they should, in fact, rejoice and be glad.  Why?  Because ‘your reward is great in heaven.’

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward [is] great in heaven;
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets [who were] before you.
Verse 12

Note that this is in the present tense.  This means that the heavenly reward that belongs to the ill-treated Christian is not some future hope, but it is a present reality.  Because the Christian is willing to suffer reviling, persecution, and character assassination for the sake of Jesus, he or she is blessed.  And what’s more, the Christian can–and should–rejoice and be glad in the face of such abuse, because God has already granted him or her a reward in heaven.  What is that reward?  Jesus doesn’t say.  But it should be enough to know that the Lord knows what we go through for His sake and, while He doesn’t promise to make life easier here, He does assure us that we already have something infinitely better waiting for us in eternity.

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Lord, we thank You for the reward that is awaiting the children that are being persecuted for Your name’s sake. We trust You in all things! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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Kingdom of God

April 30, 2014 by

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

This simple petition carries a lot of meaning.  We have already seen in our meditations on the Beatitudes that Jesus often spoke of “the Kingdom of Heaven,” or “the Kingdom of God.”  For him, as for many Jews at that time, it was a future expectation, something to look forward to, a day when the reign of God would be complete, absolute, and apparent to every sentient creature on Earth.  It was a time when oppressed Jews would no longer be downtrodden, but be free to worship God whenever and wherever they pleased.  Their oppressors would be vanquished, and there would be a restoration of some form of theocratic government.  From this perspective, it makes sense that this petition would be coupled with the previous, “May [or “let”] Your name be held sacred.”

However, on the lips of Jesus, this petition means a lot more than just a change of governments. When Jesus teaches us to eagerly anticipate the coming of God’s Kingdom, He appears to mean this on varying levels which we deduce from His teaching elsewhere.

For Jesus, the Kingdom was something that will come at a future time (e.g., Matthew 5:19-20; Luke 21:31; 22:16) but also something that was a present reality.  He proclaimed that the Kingdom has “come near” (e.g., Matthew 3:2 and 4:17) and indeed was the present possession of some (e.g., Matthew 5:3 and 10).  Jesus taught what the Kingdom of Heaven is like—present tense (e.g., Matthew 13:24-53), and who may or may not enter it—again, present tense (e.g., Matthew 19:14, 23; 23:13).

From all that Jesus tells us, I think it’s fair to say that God’s Kingdom is not some kind of hoped for military take-over, as with previous revolts and theocratic kingdoms. Rather, God’s Kingdom arrived with the coming of the Messiah, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Those who are Christians—for whom Christ is Lord and Savior—are citizens in the Kingdom of God, while being residents in this world (1 Peter 1:1 describes us as “resident aliens”–a perfect description of Christians at present). But this is just a deposit—a promissory note anticipating the full payment of the Kingdom in the end times.

At some time in the future, God will call all men to final judgment and the events predicted in the Book of Revelation will come to pass, with Satan and his minions, along with hell, being cast into the lake of fire.  Then God’s dominion will be established totally, with all people under His loving and gracious authority.

You might ask: if God is sovereign, doesn’t He already have absolute power and authority…so what are we asking for here?  I would respond by saying, yes, God is sovereign, and He has absolute power and authority.  He can do as He pleases whenever it pleases Him.  Which means that the state of affairs as they are right now, with the name of God slandered throughout society, and Christians being demeaned and, to varying degrees, persecuted, is part of His plan and is in accord with His timing.  When we pray this prayer, we are not asking for God to establish something that is not currently His, or to gain authority by conquest.  Rather, we are asking the Lord to hasten the day when He executes the final stage of His plan of redemption, when all His elect are called to Him, the present godless age is brought to an end, and He establishes His rule throughout the universe, with Satan, sin, and all that oppose Him set aside permanently.

This means that when we pray for the salvation of our non-Christian friends and family members, we are asking God to extend His kingdom on Earth in this present age.  But we also pray that God will, indeed, shorten the time we have to endure this godless age, and bring about what we so long and hope for.

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Father, we thank You for who You are in us and us in You!  And for Your unconditional love for us in Jesus’ name, we say ‘thank You!’ Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A PeaceMaker is Meek

April 22, 2014 by

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The “peacemaker” in this Beatitude, quite literally is, “one who makes peace.” It seems fairly obvious what this means: one whose life is characterized by creating harmony and not stirring up contention and strife. However, we know that if the Christian is faithful in his or her proclamation of the gospel, and living out that gospel message, peace and harmony will not always follow in his or her wake.

It isn’t those who seek to bring about the Kingdom of God by war and rebellion that are the sons of God. Rather, it is those who try to be peaceable, who balance an attitude of uncompromising loyalty to God with a desire to live at peace within the situation God has placed them. This attitude is clear if you read the New Testament. Nowhere are Christians ever called to take up arms against their persecutors. Christians are never told to advance the Kingdom of God no matter what physical damage they might do along the way. On the contrary, Christians are told to pray for their persecutors, live at peace in the world, and submit to the God-established authorities!

So, how can we be peacemakers? By exhibiting the love of God to all our brothers in Adam–those who are non-Christians, and perhaps even living lifestyles we find Biblically objectionable. Our goal should never be to upset people, or get people angry; the gospel should be the “rock of offense,” not us! That’s not to say we ignore sin and rebellion against God; but our attitude should be to see the non-Christian come to Christ and have peace with God, not to relish in their condemnation.

And within the church, we should be a community of peace, where we love even those with whom we disagree, learning how to discuss our disagreement–yes, to argue–but with love and respect. We need to recognize our common bond in Christ and in the gospel, and let that be what brings us together in peace.

As we have studied previously, the Beatitudes build upon one another. Therefore, a man who seeks to be a peacemaker humbly seeks God’s grace for his salvation, mourns the destructive power of sin in his life and the lives of others, casts aside his selfish desires in meekness, pursues righteousness passionately, shows mercy to others in light of the infinite mercy God has given him, and seeks a purity of heart that overshadows his entire life. He cannot fathom attaining a level of true peace without living out the first five Beatitudes. They provide support to his peacemaking and enable him to seek and promote peace at the expense of himself because he has been made holy and righteous through humble repentance unto God and living out the Gospel through his own life. Specifically, a man who is a peacemaker is one who is meek, for he has only one concern—which is the glory of God amongst men.

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Dear heavenly Father, make us to be peacemakers at all times to everyone in Jesus’ name. Amen!!!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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