On Not Loving the World…

 

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.—1 John 2:15–17

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. —Titus 2:12, 13

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”—Joshua 1:8

I read these three verses in quick succession the other day. Each one seemed to both support and magnify the others.

The first tells us to not love the world or the things of the world because what 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 which is passing away. It then reminds us that he who does the will of God abides forever. As believers, that is who we are…people who are characterized and motivated by doing the will of our God. 

Titus 2:12-13 picks up where 1 John left off and tells us to live denying ungodliness and worldly lusts…to live soberly, righteously and godly…always looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Beloved…the Lord is coming and all who love Him, long for His appearing.…and not just for ourselves and the hope He has laid up for us in heaven, but also for Him.  If it is heartbreaking for us to watch as evil overflows both our country and our world how much harder is it for Jesus. How we should long for the day when He will be honored…when His name will no longer be maligned, but exalted above every other name…the day when every tongue will confess Him as Lord, to the glory of the Father. 

How do we live like this?  How do we put off the lusts of the flesh and put on Jesus? Joshua 1:8 has the answer. 

Beloved…Immerse yourself in the word of God. Meditate on it so that you may observe to do all that is in it. Allow the Spirit of God to use the word of God to transform you from the inside out. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.—Romans 12:2

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things

And revive me in Your way.—Psalm 119:37

How to Handle Heartache and Sorrow...

 

To My Daughters…

We all will face sorrows here on this earth...the difference is we either face them with Him or without Him. As a believer God works all things together for your good.  As a believer you know that He uses our trials to make us more like Him.  With that said the following verse might seem like a strange verse to begin a devotional on handling sorrow but read on...

"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ"...Galatians 6:2

This one reminds me of Proverbs 31 where it tells me that the law of kindness should be on my tongue or earlier in Galatians where it tells me that nothing avails except faith working through love or in Romans 12:10 where it tells me to be kindly affectionate to others, in honor giving preference to them or where it tells me to put on love which is the bond of perfection in Colossians 3...in other words where it says to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.  Bearing one another's burdens is so beautiful to think on...the only way we can actually do it is in living a life surrendered to the Spirit of God.

The more I live this life the more I see that the only solution is to fix our eyes on Christ and pour our lives out for others...just as He did.  Anything I am not sure how to handle in this life...all I need do is look to Him who lived the perfect life and yet was tempted in every way to see what to do.  What an example He gave us!! Jesus had no other agenda but His Father's in heaven.

As you know there is much ongoing heartache and sorrow in my own life that I am powerless to remedy.  The underlying song and background melody of my heart is joyful gratitude for all my God has done, but often my immediate presenting emotion is grief.  The only answer is Christ.  How did He handle sorrow? He was a Man of Sorrow and acquainted with grief.  He bore my grief and sorrow on the cross. He poured out His life for me and for you. He was despised and rejected...and yet He was not overwhelmed in His sorrow as I often become.  In fact, in His greatest sorrow He poured Himself out for us in the greatest display of love mankind has ever seen! He suffered for us and died so that each one of us would have the opportunity to live forever with Him! So what is the difference between how I handle sorrow and how Jesus handled sorrow...I think it is pretty obvious...even in His sorrow Jesus' concern was for others. On the cross burdened with the sin and grief of all the world, His focus was for the thief beside Him, for His mom's well being, and for forgiving those who were crucifying Him. Seeing His example and KNOWING His love for me how can I wallow in my own sorrow.  In fact, He tells me to cast my burdens on Him because He cares for me...His word tells me that He has borne my sorrow and grief and that He is my strong tower and refuge.

Love Mom

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” --Matthew 11:28-30

Lord, give me Your strength even today to live for You despite my circumstances.  Help me to look to You and as I look to you change me and conform me into the image of Your Son.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.--2nd Corinthians 3:18

Fulfill Your Ministry…

 

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,—2 Timothy 1:8-9

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.—2 Timothy 2:1

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!—2 Timothy 4:17-18

As believers, God has saved us and called us with a holy calling…not because of anything we have done or any personal merit…but He has saved us for His own purpose and grace which was granted to us in Christ before the foundation of the world.   Our life has been set apart for His divine purposes. We are not our own. We belong to Him and He has given us every grace to do what He has called us to do. That is good news because there are, frankly, many times when I feel overwhelmed and insufficient for any of it.  It is good to remember that I am NOT sufficient for it…not even remotely. But HE is.  He is my God who performs all things for me and makes perfect that which concerns me.  I can by His Spirit relax and surrender knowing that My sufficiency is in Him…knowing that He will complete that good work He began in me and continue to perfect and complete it until the time of His return.  I can return to my rest because He has dealt bountifully with me. 

Beloved…Fulfill your ministry.  Stand strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The Lord your God stands with you and strengthens you so that His purposes will be fulfilled. He will deliver you from every evil work and preserve you for His heavenly kingdom. 

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."—1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."—Deuteronomy 31:6

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:8-10

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.—Romans 8:28

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.—Ephesians 1:1-6

Spurgeon on the Middle Verse of the Bible…Psalm 118:8

 

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.—Psalm 118:8

It is better in all ways, for first of all it is wiser: God is infinitely more able to help, and more likely to help, than man, and therefore prudence suggests that we put our confidence in him above all others. 

It is also morally better to do so, for it is the duty of the creature to trust in the Creator. God has a claim upon his creatures' faith, he deserves to be trusted; and to place our reliance upon another rather than upon himself, is a direct insult to his faithfulness. 

It is better in the sense of safer, since we can never be sure of our ground if we rely upon mortal man, but we are always secure in the hands of our God. 

It is better in its effect upon ourselves: to trust in man tends to make us mean, crouching, dependent; but confidence in God elevates, produces a sacred quiet of spirit, and sanctifies the soul. 

It is, moreover, much better to trust in God, as far as the result is concerned; for in many cases the human object of our trust fails from want of ability, from want of generosity, from want of affection, or from want of memory; but the Lord, so far from falling, does for us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or even think. This verse is written out of the experience of many who have first of all found the broken reeds of the creature break under them, and have afterwards joyfully found the Lord to be a solid pillar sustaining all their weight.—Charles Spurgeon from The Treasury of David

It may perhaps be considered beneath the dignity and solemnity of our subject to remark, that this 8th verse of this Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible. There are, I believe, 31,174 verses in all, and this is the 15,587th. I do not wish, nor would I advise you to occupy your time in counting for yourselves, nor should I indeed have noticed the subject at all, but that I wish to suggest one remark upon it, and that is, that though we may generally look upon such calculations as only laborious idleness,—and they certainly have been carried to the most minute dissection of every part of Scripture, such as to how many times the word "Lord, "the word "GOD, " and even the word "and, "occurs,—yet I believe that the integrity of the holy volume owes a vast deal to this scruple weighing of these calculators. I do not say, nor do I think, that they had such motives in their minds; but whatever their reasons were, I cannot but think that there was an overruling Providence in thus converting these trifling and apparently useless investigations into additional guards and fences around the sacred text.—Barton Bouchier.

Strengthened with All Might…

 

strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;—Colossians 1:11

I love the wording Paul employs here in his prayer in verse 11!  

Strengthened with ALL might according to His GLORIOUS power.  

Beloved…Isn’t this EXACTLY what you and I as believers want…the power of God working in us and through us…using every one of His divine attributes for our good and His glory.  Oh, Father, You must increase and I must decrease!

The word for “might” according to Walvoord is “kratos.”  It is “power that overcomes resistance” and is used only of God in the NT. 

God’s power produces patience and longsuffering which are the attitudes believers need as they go through trials. Patience refers more to enduring difficult circumstances whereas longsuffering refers more to enduring difficult people.   

I really liked reading what Warren Wiersbe’s had to say about the word patience.

We must never think that patience is complacency. Patience is endurance in action. It is not the Christian sitting in a rocking chair, waiting for God to do something. It is the soldier on the battlefield, keeping on when the going is tough. It is the runner on the racetrack, refusing to stop because he wants to win the race. 

I love that description!  I needed it today.  Maybe you did, too.  Beloved..stay the course.  God has a purpose in and for everything we face in this life.  Stand strong in Him and in the power of His might.  Be faithful. Honor Him with your trust.  Depend moment by moment on His grace to see you through all the difficulties of this life.  Embrace the hard stuff and allow His strength to be perfected in your weakness. 

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,—Hebrews 12:1

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.—1 Timothy 6:11-12

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.—1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.—1 Peter 5:6-7

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

And to present you faultless

Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

To God our Savior,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen.—Jude 24-25

A Hymn of Faith…

 

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.--Habakkuk 3:17-19

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla, 

Such a beautiful hymn of faith!  Such a profession of unwavering confidence in our God.  Verse 16 says that the prophet trembled when he heard of the judgment coming from the Babylonian invaders. But his solution was to rest in Him and wait on Him.  Habakkuk's fears took Him to God and it was in Him where he found rest.  It is in Him, girls, that we also find rest from the fears and sufferings of this world. Habakkuk's strength melted at the thought of what was to come.  God's strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul said this in 2nd Corinthians 12:9.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Habakkuk decided or purposed in his  heart to delight in God.  All that was predictable and normal in his world was collapsing. All that He knew might be gone but the Lord would remain. His God would not leave him nor forsake him.  Here is the point.  Habakkuk's desire was not for the things of this world or his own comfort and peace.  Habakkuk's desire was for God himself.  This was what made all the difference in his outlook.  Paul had spoken of this very thing in Philippians.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.--Philippians 4:11-13

The Lord was Paul's desire.  It was God in whom he rejoiced.  Trials show you where your heart is...there is no joy in a heart that does not know Jesus when they are abased and in need. There is nothing left here on earth for them and nothing to look forward to eternally. A person who has the living God in his heart can praise God for their salvation and rejoice and even sing like the apostle Paul during times of deep distress because he understands that this world is not his home. Our hope and our security are not here in this world but are in the person of Jesus Christ. It was and would be Habakkuk's faith in God that would sustain him and enable him to endure.  

Here is what Matthew Henry said about these verses:

"Thus the prophet, who began his prayer with fear and trembling, ends it with joy and triumph. And thus faith in Christ prepares for every event. The name of Jesus, when we can speak of Him as ours, is balm for every wound, a cordial for every care. It is as ointment poured forth, shedding fragrance through the whole soul. In the hope of a heavenly crown, let us sit loose to earthly possessions and comforts, and cheerfully bear up under crosses. Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and where he is, we shall be also."

 

Love

Mom

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.—Colossians 3:1-4

And I Will Walk At Liberty…

 

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,—2 Peter 1:2

Father…I so want Your grace and peace multiplied in my life. Oh, do this work and help me to live in submission to Your Spirit. Fill me with the wisdom and knowledge of Your Son as I read Your Word this morning.  Shine Your light of truth on those things that are not pleasing to You. Show me my sin, my selfishness and my entitlement!  Make room in my heart for someone other than me.  If there is bitterness or unforgiveness, help me to put it away.  I want to walk with You undefiled from and with a pure heart. 

 And I will walk at liberty,

For I seek Your precepts.—Psalm 119:45

The words at liberty literally mean in a wide place.  I will walk in a wide place...my manner of life will be of one that is free from hinderances and snares. These words describe someone who can lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares and run the race before them with endurance.  How?  By seeking His precepts...by keeping their heart, mind and soul focused on Jesus who is the very Word of God...  

Beloved, the truth of God’s word liberates us to walk in this world undefiled from the lies and deceit that abound in our own thinking and also in the world at large. Treasure it!   Surrender to it and allow yourself to be guided by it day by day!  Commit yourself to Him who judges righteously.  Your defense is of God who saves the upright in heart.  

The enemy of our souls wants to confine us, but God by His truth, sets us free and enlarges the very path under our feet.  The world would have us believe that obeying His laws keep us from enjoying our life.  But His word reminds us that commandments are NOT burdensome...they are for our good.  Obeying them brings blessing!  Obeying them sets us free to be more like who He created us to be.  Obeying them enables us to fulfill every purpose He has for our life. Moment by moment, we can and will run the way of His commandments, for He, by His Spirit who dwells in us, will give us hearts that are willing. 

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,

And when you run, you will not stumble.—Prov 4:12

Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

"God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble."

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.—1 Peter 5:5b-7

Simple Messages…

 

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

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.—Ephesians 6:10

I didn’t have much time this morning but that was okay.  God’s message from His word to my heart was pretty simple.  They don’t need much in the way of explanations.  

Be imitators of God

If we are the children of God, then we ought to imitate our Father.

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.—1 John 4:11

Be strong in the Lord

Beloved…life on this earth is a continuous battle…victory comes by depending on the strength and power of God. 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:13

Where We Sit…

 

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness,—Ephesians 4:1-2a

Jon Courson reminds us that before telling us how we are to walk, Paul reminds us that we first must understand where we sit.  I loved that because it reminded me of this verse from 1st John 4:

We love Him because He first loved us. 

We are not the initiators in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are the responders.  The second half (chapt 4-6) of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us how we are to walk in Christ…the first half (chapters 1-3) tells us where we, as believers, are already sitting. 

We sit…

Adopted into God’s family

Elected before the foundation of the world

Redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ

Sealed with the Spirit which is from God 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:1-10

Read Ephesians chapters 1-3. Memorize these amazing and precious words of God. Saturate your soul with its beautiful truth. Know what God has done for you even and especially before He drew you by His grace to Himself. BEFORE He made you accepted in His Beloved Son. As Christians we don’t walk to try to earn God’s approval or favor. We already have it.  He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  They are ours, now and forever. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

Beloved…because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sin, acknowledge and rejoice over the fact that there is nothing (good or bad) you can do as His child to make Him love you any more or any less than He does at this moment. Again, we don’t love Him so He will love us. We love Him because He first loved us. Everything we have is because of God’s undeserved love, favor and lovingkindness toward us.   As His beloved children then, we walk in grateful thanksgiving in response to the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. We walk in sincerity with all lowliness and meekness in light of all He has already done for us and given us….in light of who He has made “undeserving us” in His Son. 

My prayer this morning for me, for you and for all the people I love.  

May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God's people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God's presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:16-21 AMP

But God…

Genesis 45:7-8 NKJV And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

BUT GOD...What a testimony these verses are to not only the forgiving spirit that was in Joseph, but also that he saw the over-arching hand of God in his circumstances.   Yes, Joseph was a victim of men, but God turned it around for His glory.  The truth of Romans 8:28,  Ephesians 1:11 and Psalm 23:6 shine like the sun in these verses.  "

Romans 8:28 - "all things work together for good to those who love God",

Ephesians 1:11 - "For He who works all things according to the counsel of His will,"

Psalm 23:6  - "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me"

So thankful that my God rules my life...not my circumstances...not fate...not men...BUT GOD.