More like Christ

On the way to church yesterday, I was thinking how the theme of transformation keeps coming up in the things I’m seeing and hearing.  Then the thought came to me that the Spirit of God takes the written Word of God and transforms it into the living Word of God in me and through me – Christ in me, the Hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  I thought of the first couple of verses of Romans 12:

Romans 12:1-2 (KJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

So I was not surprised when something like this was said during the church service I attended, and the subject of becoming more like Christ -as the fulfillment of God’s purpose for us - was brought forth.  It was really a confirmation of what I’ve been getting for a while (I blogged about it in the February 25, 2013, day 13 entry during Lent), and another reason why I feel the Lord is impressing upon me repeatedly the need for me to be and stay in His Word.

I am just marveling at God’s timing, and the mercy manifest toward me in additional confirmation as the 3^rd ODB devotional for this year (which, again, I am reading only on today!) speaks both of the resolution / goal of being more “Christlike”, and of the assistance we have been given in the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purposes in and through us.  Going back a couple of verses from some of what was mentioned in church gives:

Romans 8:22-30 (KJV)

²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

²³ And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

²⁴ For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

²⁵ But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Of course I was then presented with an occasion to display an aspect of Christ’s character and would have failed most miserably had it not been for the Lord’s assistance and reminder of His purpose for, in and through my life.

Thank You, Lord, for always “being there” in magnificent omnipresence, for being Emmanuel, God with us, with me.  Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word to never leave me nor forsake me, for Your patience with me, for Your lovingkindness toward me and toward others.  I cannot thank You, cannot praise You enough …

… and my journey with my God continues …

An Appetite for God’s Word

Many people fast at the beginning of the year, seeking more of God (His Presence, wisdom, revelation, guidance, etc.)  It seems that one of the benefits of fasting is to produce a change in appetite.  The ODB devotional for the 2^nd of January this year also speaks of appetite.

Much encouragement is being given those in Christendom to delve into God’s Word this year – to read, to study, to meditate upon, to live and abide in His Word.  These things together (fasting and being in the Word of God) make me think about Moses’ exhortation to the children of Israel:

Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (KJV)

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

² And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

³ And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

… and Jesus’ reference to it during His wilderness fast:

Matthew 4:1-4 (KJV)

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

² And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.

³ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Dear Lord, give us Your people (called by Your Name), today and every day (by Your great and tender mercies that are new every morning and endure forever), an increasing appetite for the things of You so that we may desire to live by every word which “proceedeth” from Your mouth.  And as we delight ourselves in You, O God, thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word to give us this desire in our hearts, and to grant us this desire of our hearts.  In Jesus’ precious Name I pray, Amen.

Song: This Day (Edwin Hawkins)

… and my journey with my God continues …

Enduring mercy

Although it is the 13^th of the month, I’m just getting around to reading any of the Our Daily Bread devotionals for the year.  I had a few minutes, so my thought was to start from the 1^st and read them all, rather than just starting from today. 

For January 1^st, the ODB devotional was about God’s mercy which endures forever, as expressed in Psalm 136.  It just happens that yesterday at Passion City Church, Psalm 136 was read in its entirety in a call-and-response manner between the pastor, Louie Giglio, and the congregation.

All thanks and praise to our God, for His mercy (love / kindness / lovingkindness / faithful love / grace / steadfast love / loyalty / loyal love) endures forever (never fails /never quits / continues forever / is eternal / is everlasting / lasts forever / is without end / [is] to the age / is age-abiding)!  Hallelujah!!!

… and my journey with my God continues …

Advent 2013 thoughts (Dec. 8)

Luke 17:1-10 (KJV)

Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

² It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

³ Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

⁴ And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

⁵ And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

⁶ And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

⁷ But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

⁸ And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

⁹ Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

¹⁰ So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

I am not going to an Advent worship service I had planned to attend.  I was thinking about church attendance (or lack thereof, since I had only streamed one ministry’s service today after watching another ministry’s service from last week online last night), and I sensed the Lord saying,  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV) I was instantly convicted about my lack of follow-through regarding the blog entries for Advent. 

So now I have repented, ruing my tendency to habitually do things my way, grateful for God’s patient mercy, forgiveness and grace. I wrote a prayer in my journal, asking the Lord to help me really get the lesson this time.  After all, this is not the first time we’ve been around this particular mountain – me wanting to do something I think will honor Him, something I hope will please Him, something I feel might bring me closer to Him, when I’ve been negligent in doing what HE has said and designed in order to do all of the things I’m desiring.

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Psalm 37:4 (KJV)

⁴ Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

As my PC was in the middle of a security scan, I decided to watch another ministry service while it was completing.  Then I would do some blogging.  Of course, part of the message during the service included a statement about people not learning the lessons God sets forth to teach us, and an exhortation that as we are convicted by the Holy Spirit, to pray that we want to learn the lesson and move on to the next stage of our spiritual development toward greater maturity.  Since I had written almost just that in my journal, what a confirmation and encouragement to continue on!

John 14:15, 21 (KJV)

¹⁵ If ye love me, keep my commandments.

²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Even though I knew what I was to have written earlier in the week for the blog, I didn’t take the time to get it done, I didn’t prioritize this assignment over the other things I was doing.  Therefore, just as explanation, wanted to say that I know the dates on the following blog entries will be out of order from this one, but I felt that this one had to be there first as a sort of full disclosure – an admission that without God’s grace and direction, they probably wouldn’t even be there at all.

Psalm 32:8-11 (KJV)

⁸ I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

⁹ Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

… and my journey with my God continues …

Advent 2013 thoughts (Dec. 2)

Thoughts of advent and waiting reminded me of a conversation I had not long ago about prayer.  Someone was telling me that they had heard that you should “be careful what you pray for” – for example, you shouldn’t pray for patience because that would mean you were going to have to go through a period of waiting.

I remember when I first heard something like that.  Since I am not a big fan of waiting, it sounded reasonable to me.  But the Lord gave me another perspective.  It was as if He said, “You are going to have to wait for some things in your life.  Whether or not you pray for patience won’t get you out of those experiences.  The question is, when you do go through a period of waiting – and, again, let Me assure you that you will – wouldn’t you like to have some patience?” I had to admit that I thought patience would be a pretty handy quality to have in that event, especially in order to go through the time of waiting with the right attitude.

Galatians 5:22-23  (AMP)

²² But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

²³ Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Song: While I'm Waiting, by John Waller 

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

… and my journey with my God continues …

Advent 2013 thoughts (Dec. 1)

Heard that a church is collecting an offering during this Christmas season called “Christmas Gift to the World” to benefit (both local and global) mission ministries.  In thinking of God’s Gift to the world in Jesus, kinda wondered what my gift to Him this year should be – may have even asked in one of those silent, running conversations we have going.  Well, with the Experiencing God class I’m finishing up and a couple of devotionals and blogs I’ve read about assignments, purpose, utilization of gifts, etc., I am reminded - again! – that I have gotten distracted and haven’t been blogging lately. 

Proverbs 24:16

For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

So, I am going to “rise again” and have a blog entry for every day from now until at least Christmas.  I may not blog everyday (as is seen by this first one!) but will have one for every day.  The God Calling devotional (www.twolisteners.org) for December 1^st:

December 1 - Responsibility

I am beside you. A very human Jesus, who understands all your weaknesses, and sees too your struggles and conquests.

Remember, I was the Companion of the Weak. Ready to supply their hunger. Teaching My followers their responsibility towards all, not only those near and dear to them, but to the multitude.

"Lord, send them away that they may go into the villages and buy themselves victuals," said My disciples, with no sympathy for the fainting, exhausted men, women, and children.

But I taught that Divine Sympathy includes responsibility. "Give ye them to eat," was My reply.  I taught that pity, without a remedy for the evil, or the need, is worthless.

"Give ye them to eat." Wherever your sympathy goes, you must go too, if possible. Remember that in thinking of your own needs. Claim from Me the same attitude now.

The servant is not above his Master, certainly not in Spiritual attainments, and what I taught My disciples, I do.

So fainting and needy, by the lakeside of life, know that I will supply your need, not grudgingly, but in full measure.

… reminds me that God had pity with a remedy for the evil, and that where His sympathy was, He - in Christ Jesus - came:

Hebrews 2:14-18 (KJV)

¹⁴ Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

¹⁵ And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

¹⁶ For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

¹⁷ Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

¹⁸ For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

… and my journey with my God continues …

Speak Life!

Of late, I have found myself speaking aloud more while praying or reading the Bible.  In the past I have rarely done that when (physically) alone. Although I had heard people say to pray aloud, I could hear myself if I prayed silently and I surmised that God could hear me as well, so I didn’t really see the point and therefore didn’t subscribe to the practice.  Also, I had heard people say to read the Bible aloud so that you could hear yourself reading the words and thus build your faith (re: Romans 10:17, “faith comes by hearing”). There may have even been times when I encouraged others to do their Bible reading aloud based upon what I had heard, but as I had difficulty seeing what difference it made (to me or in me), I grew lax in that practice myself.  Unfortunately, even the purpose of practicing reading the Bible “out loud” - of practicing speaking the truth contained therein – was not enough to shake me from my comfortably lethargic habit of silence.      

Then God began to show me in His Word the importance of the gift of breath He has given, and the connection between life and breath:

Genesis 2:7 (NKJV)

⁷ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Job 33:4 (NKJV)

⁴ The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Psalm 104:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

Isaiah 42:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:

Acts 17:25 (NKJV)

²⁵ Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

Contrary to the “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me” ditty I was taught and repeated as a child, it seems to me now that there is also a sort of power or influence that may be harnessed and directed through an utterance utilizing breath.  Thus the importance of the things we say:

Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

 

Matthew 12:36 (NKJV)

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

 

Luke 6:45 (NKJV)

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 

James 3:3-12 (NKJV)

³ Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

As if this were not all so wonderful enough, the tie-in with God’s Spirit through breath is what actually moved me to begin to speak aloud to God during prayer, and to read His Word aloud in speaking forth truth:

Joel 2:28-29 (NKJV)

²⁸ “And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
²⁹ And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

 

Ezekiel 37:4-10 (NKJV)

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

 

John 6:63 (NKJV)

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

 

Before posting this blog entry, I happened across a story on the internet about the effects of a hate crime which had been fueled by rhetoric (http://nbclatino.com/2013/11/15/hunting-season-a-nuanced-portrait-of-a-town-shaken-by-a-deadly-hate-crime/) – another reminder of the impact of our words - words which can stir up, create, feed and advance either that which is positive and constructive, or that which is negative and destructive.

So, I think of the last verse of Psalm 150 in using our breath to use our words wisely - to praise the LORD!

Psalm 150 (NKJV)

 

Let All Things Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

² Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

³ Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
⁴ Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
⁵ Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

 Praise the Lord!

… and my journey with my God continues …