Month: August 2014

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The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith

Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ —John 11:40

Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It’s all a lie”? When you are on the mountaintop, it’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I believe God can do it,” but you have to come down from the mountain to the demon-possessed valley and face the realities that scoff at your Mount-of-Transfiguration belief (see Luke 9:28-42). Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, “I believe ’God shall supply all [my] need,’ ” the testing of my faith begins (Philippians 4:19). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat?

Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” Matthew 11:6). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end . . .” (Hebrews 3:14). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6).

by Oswald Chambers

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How the Truth Can Set You Free

2 Peter 1:1-4

Galatians 5:1 tells us “Christ has truly set us free” (NLT). The reason we can know genuine freedom is that Jesus “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Peter 1:3).

Oftentimes people say, “I would like to become a Christian, but I don’t dare start because I know I couldn’t live up to all that is required.” Of course they couldn’t. And that is precisely why this generous assurance is given. God says that you and I have been granted everything we will ever need to live a triumphant Christian life.

The Lord’s glorious provision, however, begins only after we trust Christ for salvation. We have to take the plunge of faith before His divine power is released into our life. Once we’ve taken the step of believing in Jesus, all things are available, including courage, forgiveness, vision, wisdom, and a deepening trust in God.

Such a promise is hard to comprehend because it seems too good to be true. Many people pass it by with hardly an acknowledgement. Others look askance and wonder what needs to happen for it to become a reality in their life. As with all of God’s promises, you must accept it before you can act upon it. And while recognizing the promise as yours is one thing, applying it in daily life can be quite another matter. Ultimately, the promise is realized by the full experiential knowledge of Jesus as we hunger and thirst for the living water He supplies. Only when we refuse to be content with the world’s broken cisterns (Jer. 2:13) will we find the fullness of this promise working in us.

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The Believer’s Judgment

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)

There is a terrible day of judgment coming for those who reject Christ, but for those who do believe the gospel and trust the Lord Jesus for salvation, “there is therefore now no condemnation [i.e., judgment]” (Romans 8:1). Yet our text tells us that judgment actually begins with those who obey the gospel! This apparent contradiction vanishes when one realizes that it is merely for the purpose of preparing those who are already saved to serve Him in eternity.

When a believer sins, he should judge and confess that sin. “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31), and God will forgive (1 John 1:9). If he does not, however, the next phase of judgment is the chastening of God. “But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). The classic passage on the believer’s chastening (Hebrews 12:5-11) concludes with the assurance that its purpose is to yield “the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).

But when such chastening fails to work, the next judgment may even be physical death. “There is sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Finally, all Christians must “appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10), where “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). There, some “shall suffer loss.” Nevertheless, each person at this judgment “shall be saved” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). But, as our text continues, “if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:18). HMM

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I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadetb thee by the way that thou sbouldest go

I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadetb thee by the way that thou sbouldest go.—Isaiah 48:17.

JUST as God leads me I would go,
I would not ask to choose my way,
Content with what He will bestow,
Assured He will not let me stray.
So as He leads, my path I make,
And step-by-step I gladly take,
A child in Him confiding.
LAMPERTUS GEDICKE.

HE has not made us for naught; He has brought us thus far, in order to bring us further, in order to bring us on to the end. He will never leave us nor forsake us so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. We may cast all our care upon Him who careth for us.” What is it to us how our future path lies, if it be but His path? What is it to us whither it leads us, so that in the end it leads to Him? What is it to us what He puts upon us, so that He enables us to undergo it with a pure conscience, a true heart, not desiring anything of this world in comparison of Him? What is it to us what terror befalls us, if He be but at hand to protect and strengthen us? JOHN HENRY NEWMAN.

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They said, … it is manna: for they wist not what it was

They said, … it is manna: for they wist not what it was. Exodus 16:15

Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh. — The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. — If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. —My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

The children of Israel … gathered, some more, some less. He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack. They gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating.

Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat: or, What shall we drink? Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

1 Timothy 3:16. John 6:33. John 6:49,51,55. Luke 16:

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The king held out … the golden sceptre. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre

The king held out … the golden sceptre. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Esther 5:2

It shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.

Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. — For through him we … have access by one Spirit unto the Father. — We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. — Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Exodus 22:27. 1 John 4:16-19. Hebrews 10:22. Ephesians 2:18. Ephesians 3:12. Hebrews 4:16.

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Terms Of Service

Forgive, and you will be forgiven. —Luke 6:37

If you’re like me, you seldom read the full text of contracts for online services before you agree to them. They go on for pages, and most of the legal jargon makes no sense to ordinary people like me.

I was quite surprised, therefore, when a friend from Africa made me aware of this one-of-a-kind service agreement for online software. Instead of a wordy license telling people how not to use it, the developer offers a simple blessing urging people to use it for good:

May you do good and not evil. May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others. May you share freely, never taking more than you give.

At first I thought, Wow. Imagine if more terms of service agreements were written as blessings instead of legal documents. Then I thought, The agreement Jesus makes with us is like that. He offers us forgiveness of sin, peace with God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In return, all He asks is that we do good (Gal. 6:10), forgive as we’ve been forgiven (Luke 6:37), and love others as He loves us (John 13:34).

The beauty of Jesus’ agreement with us is that even though we fail to live up to the terms, we still receive the blessing. By Julie Ackerman Link

Bestowed with benefits daily,
Sent from the Father above;
Mercies and blessings abounding,
Gifts of His marvelous love. —Anon.

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all. —Galatians 6:10

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Waiting for God to Meet Our Needs

Philippians 4:18-20

Every need we will experience in life is already met in Christ Jesus. By His power, God has prepared blessings to fill each of our needs in His perfect timing. Sometimes, when life is not exactly as we hoped it would be, we begin to despair. We think that we must have certain things in a particular time frame, but the Lord knows better.

Sometimes a need in our life—whether it is physical, spiritual, relational, emotional, or financial—persists because the Lord is trying to get our attention. He wants us to focus on Him so that He can correct our thinking. He desires that we experience abundance, but He knows we cannot enjoy blessing until He has been allowed to work in our life. Like a fruit tree, we must be pruned; sometimes the cutting back hurts, but it is always followed by a more bountiful harvest.

At other times, the way we approach God may be what hinders His promised blessings. Perhaps our prayers reflect feelings of inferiority and insecurity, though as members of God’s family, we have absolutely no reason to come crawling like a beggar to our Father. He wants His children to come with confidence, anticipating the blessings He longs to give!

Do not misunderstand. We can expect blessings, but we cannot dictate when or how or what they should be. God knows what’s best and is intently interested in our well-being. And while He does not promise ease, God is certainly steadfast in providing us spiritual comfort and meeting our every need. Look in anticipation; He will do something far beyond what you could have imagined.