On Guarding Your Heart

Today we have a new author to introduce to you. Sarah Louise Barnard writes at her self-named website and has some prior history writing at another site as well as well as serving in ministry.This article checks the boxes for its examination of an oft-used Biblical phrase. Click the title below to read it where it first appeared, and then take some time to look around the rest of the site.

What Does it Really Mean to ‘Guard Your Heart?’

“Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” -Proverbs 4:23

We’ve probably all heard this verse/phrase a thousand times. I remember my mother used to quote this verse to me all the time. The first time I remember hearing it, I was young, maybe about 10 years old, and I knew it must be important since she said it quite seriously… but I honestly had no idea what she meant.

How many of you have heard that phrase before, knew it was important, yet didn’t know what it meant? Maybe you still don’t understand what it really means… and that’s okay. But, if that’s you, then this post will hopefully give you some insight into this mysterious phrase that is so frequently repeated in Christian circles.

“Guard your heart with all diligence…”

Guards are people who protect something or someone. They’re set to their position and must stop any unauthorized entry. According to Dictionary.com “guard” means, “to keep something safe from harm or danger; protect; watch over.”

The act of guarding/protecting your heart is what you must do to ensure that no person or thing enters unauthorized. Guarding is what you do to make sure no harm comes to your heart.

Logically, only valuable things need protection. If you don’t believe you have inherent worth and value, you won’t protect yourself. You must come to the revelation of understanding that your heart is worthy to be protected.

Because you are the temple of the Holy Spirit – You should take care of yourself. If God thought you worth it enough to send His only Son to bring you into relationship with Himself, and to send His very Spirit to dwell inside of you, how much more should you consider yourself worth it?

You are worthy.

Worthy to be loved. Worthy to be valued. Worthy to care for yourself. Worthy to be guarded.

“for from it flow the springs of life.”

I also think it’s important for us to understand what the term “springs of life,” means. Looking at other translations of this verse gives us a little insight.

NIV: Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

ESV: Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

KJV: Proverbs 4:23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

NASB: Proverbs 4:23: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”

NLT: Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

CSB: Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

We can see from these translations that “springs of life” is a phrase that implies that our hearts impact our whole lives. In the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke, Jesus makes a comment about this, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34/Luke 6:45)

If what fills our hearts, fills our mouths and ultimately our lives, it sure seems like it’s pretty important that we monitor closely what gets into our hearts.

You ready for some nerdy stuff?

If you look at the word ‘springs’ in Hebrew, you’ll find that it is the word ‘towtsa’ah’ (H8444 in Strong’s), which means, “boundary, source, border, going forth, outgoings.” So the ‘springs of life’ are where things begin and go forth from. Life begins in the heart, “as a man thinks in his own heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 NLV)

The word, ‘springs’ also makes me think of water, and the source of water is normally pure, fresh, and unpolluted.

The word ‘life’ in Hebrew is ‘chay’ (H2416 in Strong’s), this word means: “alive, raw, fresh, strong.” So ‘springs of life’ are the source of raw fresh strength.

What are you doing with the source of your life? Are you guarding your heart, or letting anything and anyone in? You are worthy to be guarded. The Lord cares about you and wants to help you protect yourself.

Maybe you’re still not sure what it looks like to actually, ‘guard your heart,’ and that’s okay. Following are a few suggestions on how to get started in guarding the source of your life.

The very first step in guarding our hearts is staying close to Jesus. There are so many voices in the world, so you need to be careful that you’re listening to God’s voice first.

Unless you’re being informed by the Word of God, it’s easy to become distracted and deceived. You must guard your heart against influences that tell you lies about who you are, who God is, and what He created you to be and accomplish.

Another practical way you can guard your heart is to be careful of what type of media you are consuming. In our culture, we’re constantly surrounded by media – social media, movies, tv shows, and music, to name a few. Every form of media carries a message.

Do you think about the messages you’re consuming, or is it “just entertainment,” or “just the beat?” Do you think through whether or not the message brings glory to God or to man? Guarding your heart means you don’t give every idea equal access to your mind and heart. Being careful of the ideas you let enter is a way to guard your heart.

Guarding your springs of life is a daily task. You can’t become careless. Each day you have the opportunity to choose what kind of thoughts, feelings, words, and media enter your mind.

Are you choosing well, or being careless?

Maybe you’re not sure if you’re doing a good job of guarding your heart or not? Here’s a good way to find out – for a whole day choose to be aware of your thoughts, your music, your tv shows, your friend’s words, your own words to yourself, and what you watch on all social media. As you’re aware of these things ask yourself and the Lord the following questions:

‘Is this thing true?’

‘Does it glorify self or God?’

‘Is it encouraging?’

‘Is it helping me walk with Jesus or distracting me from Him?’

Sometimes things we let in aren’t inherently bad, but when they become a distraction from knowing & obeying God, they become sin to us as we practice them. God doesn’t want us to put anything or anyone ahead of our relationship with Him.

As you spend more honest time with Jesus, ask Him to show you areas of your life that are a distraction or things that may be polluting your heart.

“Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

Paul’s Unanswered Prayer | Seeking God’s Will

For our Saturday reading we have two shorter articles.

This is our third time sharing the writing of Pastor Dick Woodward whose writing appears at the blog The Four Spiritual Secrets. He passed away in 2013, however new material continues to be regularly excerpted from a variety of sources of his teaching. Click the titles below to read these at his page.

Pray! Pray! Pray!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

The Word of God exhorts us to pray when we are in crisis situations. Psalm 46:1 has an alternate reading in the New Standard version, “God is our refuge and strength, abundantly available for help in tight places.”

The Apostle Paul also challenges us to pray: “tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer…” (Philippians 4:6) God delivered Paul from many tight places. We should therefore always pray in a crisis: “When it’s hardest to pray, pray the hardest!” However, from personal experience Paul knew that God doesn’t always take our problems away. Paul had a physical condition he described as a “thorn in the flesh.” Three times he asked God to take it away.

Paul saw many people miraculously healed as he ministered the healing power of the Holy Spirit to them. Yet, when he asked God to solve his own health problem, three times God said, “No. No. No.” But God also responded, “My grace is sufficient for you and that is all you need. My strength looks good on weak people.” (2 Corinthians 12)

Paul’s weakness drove him to discover the strength of God. When he did, he not only accepted his condition but eventually thanked God in it so God’s power might be showcased in him.

As Paul accepted the will of God regarding his thorn, he learned that: “The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot keep us.“

Paul exhorts us from his personal experience that prayer may deliver us from our problems, or prayer may give us the grace to cope with them. But, in any case, pray. Always pray about everything!

– Dick Woodward, from A Prescription for Peace

God’s Will & God’s Word

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Isaiah tells us there is as much difference between the thoughts and ways of God and the way we think and do things as the heavens are high above the earth. He then goes on to describe one of the supernatural functions of the Word of God: it establishes an alignment between our thoughts, ways and wills, and the thoughts, ways and will of God.

I once heard Billy Graham tell of boarding a plane before he was famous. He spoke to an old pastor friend who was sitting in an aisle seat reading his Bible who completely ignored him. When they had been in flight for an hour, the pastor came back to where Billy was seated and greeted him enthusiastically.

He apologized for ignoring Billy earlier. He said, “When I pray, I am talking to God, but when I open God’s Word, He talks to me. He was talking to me when you spoke to me and I could not interrupt God just to talk to Billy Graham.”

Thomas à Kempis opened his Bible every morning with this prayer: “Let all the voices be stopped. Speak to me Lord, Thou alone.” If we sincerely want to know the will of God, we must be in relationship and in conversation with God.

To seek the will of God, we should speak to our loving Heavenly Father in prayer and expect God to speak to us as we open the Word of God.

– Dick Woodward, 25 May 2013

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If you caught the name of the blog, you may be wondering about the title and you might be asking, ‘What are the four spiritual secrets?’ His answer takes only 63 words (below) and a link is also provided.

What are the 4 spiritual secrets?

I’m not, but He is.
And I am in Him, and He is in me.

I can’t, but He can.
And I am in Him, and He is in me.

I don’t want to, but He wants to.
And I am in Him, and He is in me.

I didn’t, but He did.
Because I was in Him and He was in me.

Serving Others; Serving Christ

The titles given to posts here are meant to provide a framework from which you’re invited to view the entire article. They’re sometimes similar to what the author chose for their own website, and sometimes different in some way.

We don’t change the preferred translation of post authors. Today’s uses the KJV, but you’re invited to pursue the texts in the version you are best able to understand.

Today we’re introducing a new author to you, who goes by Humbled Overcomer. The idea of humility or humbled is important to today’s reading. The blog is titled It Starts Small. You’ll find today’s article there or by clicking the link in the title below.

The Heart of a Servant

The word servant is used hundreds of times in both the Old and New Testaments. What does it mean to be a servant of Christ? or a servant to the Lord?

Many people do not like the word servant. It means to have a life that inferior. In today’s world, the ultimate goal is to be king of the universe. To be the top dog in all of life. A servant is someone who is the complete opposite. The Bible, however, gives us a different picture of what being a servant is.

²¹ Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. John 20:21

This is one of my most favorite things Jesus spoke. Jesus says, my Heavenly Father sent me to start a good work, and I am asking you to come, be my partner, and join with me to continue my work. We have been appointed and called by Christ to serve his will and his ways, in order to live a better life. That better life is full of God’s goodness and blessing. Our contentment is not related to what we have, but who we have and who we serve.

In Matthew and Mark, we find the story of the disciples arguing with each other. They were trying to boast who was the best and who was going to come first. They did not understand Jesus’ teaching about his coming agony. When Jesus hears them arguing, he says,

⁴³ But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: ⁴⁴ And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:43-45

²⁸ Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

Jesus did not come unto this earth as a heavenly being. He came in flesh and blood. He did not come surrounded by angels ministering to his every need. No, our Savior was flesh and blood. He did not come so that others would fall all over themselves to serve his every need. He came to serve the people.

Jesus teaches us by His example, how to have a pure heart of servitude. Throughout the New Testament we learn about a servant’s heart, how to be faithful servants, and the meaning of being a servant. Jesus taught us what we needed in order to have a heart of a servant.

Compassion

Compassion is not completely defined in God’s Word, rather there are example after example of compassion. We define the word as to empathize with someone who is suffering and to feel compelled to reduce the suffering. The spiritual definition is the act of being moved to do something. Jesus was moved with compassion for the people he encountered. Compassion is not feeling sorry for people. Compassion is being moved by the Holy Spirit to not give people what they want, but to allow Christ to work through you to give them what they need.

Unselfishness

To be a faithful servant, there can be no pride in your heart. From the heart we act and speak. A prideful heart seeks only selfish ambition, motive, and desires. Jesus served with humility. This was not a posture of weakness, but a posture of meekness. He put the needs of others above his own need. Humility in our world is misunderstood. Humility is an attitude, not a behavior. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, rather it is thinking less about yourself. Instead of thinking what can Christ do for you, it is submitting to what can Christ do through me. I love the song by Zach Williams that says Lord, let em be a little less like me and more like you.

Your will, not my will.

This aligns with unselfishness. The heart of a servant does what it master asks. He does not seek to do his own desires. His heart is motivated by pleasing his master and being obedient to his master. When we walk the road of discipleship, our heart is motivated by the will of our Heavenly Father. His purpose and desire for our life becomes our purpose and desire. As Christ transform us into a new creature, our thoughts, words and actions change to match in step with his. Our desires turn from our inward, to the outward. What were once weaknesses, are now our strengths.

Love.

No one can serve without a heart filled with God’s love. What you love most is what you serve. Love is what we give and do, it is not what we feel. The world wants us to think love is a gushy feel good emotion. Joy is a byproduct of love, but love is an action. Love is what motivates us. As God fills our hearts with His love, we are moved with compassion to fulfill his purpose in our lives. Jesus, with the full power of heaven in him, loved all of us so much he paid our debt of sin we owed. His love built a bridge of redemption between us and our Heavenly Father. He calls us into partnership with him, that through him we serve to carry on his work. No work of Christ can be done without love.

Faithfulness

Jesus never quit. Jesus never gave up. Jesus never threw his hands up and walked away. We tend to think Jesus walked this earth in sheer perfection. We get blinded to the idea that Jesus and His disciples encountered many serious situations. They were on a ship in the middle of a storm that threatened to take them down. They encountered demon possessed people. The Pharisees sought to kill them. They went days without food. They slept outside. Jesus encountered every single situation we encounter in our lives. He encountered death. He encountered life. He encountered the sick and suffering. He encountered temptation of the devil. Jesus did not walk around and everything suddenly become perfect and uneventful.

The difference between Jesus and us, he never faltered in his faith. He remained faithful, and remains faithful to his Heavenly Father. He never stopped looking up. He never stopped getting by himself to seek and pray to his father. He never grew discouraged or bitter at the situations of hardship they encounter. He trusted His heavenly Father in ALL things. He trusted His Heavenly Father and that trust never grew thin.

A servant’s heart is fully reliant on our Heavenly Father. We give Him all we have knowing he will never fail us! He will always be with us, provide for us, and protect us!

Listening and Obeying

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has taught me the importance of solitude. To not just put God first out of ritual, but to really put Him first in all things I do. Listening is so important! We need ears that hear. Ears that are in tune to listening more than speaking. A servant is someone who train and tune their ears to listen to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what makes God’s Word jump off the page. It is who brings us the will of God in our lives. You would laugh at me for something of the things I have asked my Heavenly Father, but he said in ALL things, come to me. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit so that we can obey. Obedience is the reaction to the Word of God. It can be in scripture or the speaking of the Holy Spirit. If we want to be obedient we need to learn to listen.

Worship and Thanksgiving

Jesus had a heart of worship and thanksgiving. In all he did he gave glory, honor, and praise to His Heavenly Father. He never took credit for the works he did. He humbly gave credit where credit was due. It was not by His hand miracles were done, but by the power of the Lord God Almighty. The Pharisees and people were shocked by this man named Jesus who did not boast of his own power to perform miracles. The pharisees were the exact opposite. They demanded credit be given to them. They sought to have a following of the people. Jesus was the complete opposite. He was not here to amass a following, for fame, or to be a celebrity. He came to bring his Heavenly Father glory and honor in all he did. He worshiped and praised his father. He had a heart of worship and thanksgiving. We need a heart that in all things, all circumstances, we praise and worship God with a heart of thanksgiving.

Paul said, life is Christ.

2 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, ² Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. ⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. ⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:1-8

Is there any sort of life that can outdo a life of servitude to Christ? What can honestly be better than a life of purpose where all your needs are met, you are protected, you are never alone? What has ever brought you pure joy and peace outside the joy and peace of God?

What stops you from being a servant of Christ? A partner to Christ in continuing His good works?

⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6

Praying in Community: The Family

The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are always works of peace. – Mother Teresa

 

We found today’s devotional at the website Makanji Space and not knowing more about the writer, discerned that it would be a good fit here. Click the title below to read it where it first appeared, and then navigate from there to read other posts as we did.

Divine Threads: Unraveling the Power of Shared Family Prayer

In the words of Venerable Patrick Peyton, the celebrated phrase, “The Family that Prays Together Stays Together,” was given birth, illuminating the profound connection between family unity and collective prayer. Father Peyton, also known as The Rosary Priest, was a fervent advocate of family prayer, particularly the recitation of the rosary. His unwavering conviction was that prayer, especially when done together as a family, had the power to strengthen familial bonds, instill virtues, and bring divine grace into the home.

This spiritual reflection seeks to delve into this aphorism’s depths, exploring why and how shared prayer holds the potential to sustain and nourish family unity. Drawing on biblical texts and interpreting them in the context of family and prayer, the reflection offers insights into the transformative power of shared prayer. It articulates how shared prayer fosters peace, enhances communication, invites divine interventions, instills virtues, provides a shared sense of purpose, and strengthens familial bonds.

“A Family that Prays Together Stays Together” reveals profound insights about prayer and family life. It encapsulates the transformative power of prayer, which is not just an act of uttering sacred words, but an experience that fosters shared peace, enhanced communication, divine intervention and virtuous development as a sense of purpose.

Yet, another perspective deserves our attention: the community aspect of prayer. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.” Here, prayer is not an isolated practice but integrated into the fabric of vibrant community life. It is in this community life that the family finds its highest expression. The family that prays together forms a small ecclesia, a small church, a spiritual community that lives in communion with God and each other.

The divine communion is beautifully demonstrated in 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” The family that prays together invites God’s love into their hearts, enabling them to love each other more deeply. This divine love transcends human limitations and helps family members to accept and cherish each other in their uniqueness, promoting unity in diversity.

The family that prays together also embodies and perpetuates the faith tradition.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 advises, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up.” Prayer becomes an occasion to pass faith values and wisdom to the younger generation, promoting continuity and tradition that strengthens family bonds.

In retrospect, the concept of a family that prays together, staying together transcends the mundane aspect of human interactions. It places the family in the sacred realm of divine love, grace, and wisdom. It acknowledges that family is not just a human institution but a divine blessing, an opportunity to experience and manifest God’s love.

Prayer can therefore be seen as a spiritual thread that weaves the family together, and it is the golden cord that connects the family and God. The family that prays together stays together- not just because they pray, but because they live, love and grow together under the divine umbrella of prayer. They become a spiritual community that embodies the psalmist’s words in Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

And so, to answer the question as to why the family that prays together stays together, it is not simply the act of prayer that keeps the family together. It is what prayer signifies: a collective surrender to divine guidance, a shared journey into love and understanding, a mutual nurturing of virtues, and a united front facing life’s challenges. It is about communicating with each other and with God. It is about being together in the most intimate way possible, in the quiet moments of reverence, in the shared silence of the divine, and in the unity of purpose that prayer cultivates.

This reflection only scratches the surface of the depth of wisdom encapsulated in the phrase, “The Family that Prays Together Stays Together.” May each family discover the beauty and power of shared prayer, and through this practice, may they grow stronger, closer and more loving.

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Mission Statement: Christianity 201 is a melting-pot of devotional and Bible study content from across the widest range of Christian blogs and websites representing diverse denominational viewpoints. Sometimes two posts may follow on consecutive days by authors with very different doctrinal perspectives. The Kingdom of God is so much bigger than the small portion of it we see from our personal vantage point, and one of the purposes of C201 is to allow readers a ‘macro’ view of the many ministries and individual voices available for reading. Your suggestions of articles and websites to consider are always welcome.

Scripture portions from various translations quoted at Christianity 201 are always in green to remind us that the Scriptures have LIFE!

Pentecost Sunday: The Comforter Has Come

“Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) – John 7:39

In Churches around the world, today was Pentecost Sunday. It was already a feast given by God through Moses. In the Second Covenant it took on new meaning.

We often associate Pentecost Sunday with the passage in I Corinthians which speaks of spiritual gifts; the passage in Acts which speaks about the giving of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Spirit, and today’s topic, the Holy Spirit as advocate or counselor.

by Ruth Wilkinson

This has not been a great week where we live.

First, there was a devastating fire that shut down the only grocery store in a small town. The residents and government of Colborne have been scrambling to make arrangements to get groceries to people who have no transportation to another municipality.

Second, we heard of the tragic accident that took the life of a local child in Baltimore, Ontario. Those families and neighbours are struggling to deal with what has happened, to process the loss, and to try to see what tomorrow even looks like.

Plus (and maybe this is just me, so take it for what it’s worth) right now our own downtown is ‘dressed’ as the set and scenery for a Stephen King movie being filmed here. And every time I walk those blocks, seeing the (albeit fictional) “missing child” posters plastered all over the place–those posters speak to me of darkness, because we do live in a world where children suffer.

This Sunday we call Pentecost Sunday. It’s the day each year when churches around the world celebrate the fulfillment of Jesus promise that, when he had been taken from sight, he would send to the apostles an Advocate, a Comforter, a Counselor–the Holy Spirit. Most often, we focus on the passage in the book of Acts that describes the Spirit’s arrival–the experience of Jesus’ followers who received the Spirit that would empower them to carry Christ’s message into the earth.

But with the way this week has gone, I find I’m drawn to a different passage that connects to Pentecost. In John’s gospel, chapter 14 verses 16-18, at his final meal with his followers Jesus says,

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you… The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

When Jesus speaks of comfort, he’s not talking about the warm-and-fuzzy hugs kind of comfort, although that is sometimes exactly what we need for a time. He’s speaking, rather, of the comfort that comes from hearing the truth and knowing that it’s spoken by one who loves us and has things in hand.

Truth spoken to us about ourselves and our worth. Truth spoken to us about the One who made us and who died to give us full life in his re-created world. Truth about what he is doing, and the part we have the opportunity to play.

Truth spoken by the Holy Spirit who, for every believer in and follower of Christ, is the indwelling voice and power that reminds us of who we are and whose we are.

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Ruth Wilkinson is a pastor in Ontario and is married to Paul Wilkinson who edits Christianity 201. As a result, she appears here frequently.

Political Wrangling, Upheaval and Angst: God Laughs

Many years ago we introduced you to the website By Farther Steps. Although posts there are infrequent, this one from a few years ago is still relevant as all of the preoccupation and self-absorption with politics — especially with my American friends — shows no sign of going away anytime soon. The author is Tim Etherington. Click the title below to read this where it first appeared.

Laughing at Raging and Plotting

The heavens declare the glory of the LORD and they do so with a constellation of ideas, a sea of words, and thoughts piled mountain high. Memes from social media and sound bites from the 24-hour news cycle can never capture the expansive truth of the glory God has revealed in creation therefore don’t trust them. God is doing many things in the world that we can’t see or understand. When the talking heads on TV have to find something to have an opinion on every night, they can, at best only scratch the surface of the complex events taking place in the world and a scratched surface is a marred one. Not very attractive.

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision. (Ps. 2:1,4)

The nations rage, the people plot in vain, yet our Father in heaven laughs. Maybe we should join him in that. After all, he knows the end from the beginning so if he finds all this raging and plotting funny, perhaps it truly is. Not that what the nations and people do is not real, that it will not have repercussions, for it surely is and will. People will lose jobs or gain them. They will lose health insurance or finally get some. They will pay more taxes or less taxes or continue to not pay taxes at all. Freedoms will be expanded and curtailed. Lives will be saved and taken. But the laughing Lord ridicules them for all their efforts to control all of these possible outcomes.

Our problem from our perspective is that the talking heads act as if all this plotting and raging were of eternal import and try to persuade us it is. Perhaps they don’t care to persuade, maybe they’re content to anger us or thrill us or intrigue us over things that will, more often than not, not have any direct impact on us personally or, even for those things that will, we have actually little control over.

Is it worth getting angry or should we laugh with heaven knowing that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will? Can we trust that God does according to his will in the heavens and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand? Rage on! Plot in vain! With these sure promises, you may discomfort us, you may dispossess us, you may even kill us but you, O nations, O peoples, you cannot disquiet us. Our God rules in the affairs of men. Whether you believe or acknowledge it or not.

This fixed faith in Christ’s current reign means that we are free to be better citizens of the earth. Our fortunes are not tied to the success of any one party, person, or ideology so we can applaud when any of them get something right and critique when they most often don’t. Just don’t take it personally.

 

Timothy Keller Quotations

Yesterday the world lost author, apologist, church planter and pastor Tim Keller. Although his many books have been very influential, his first was published only 15 years ago. Someone suggested that before getting involved with publishing, he waited to better express the message he wished to share with the world.

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The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.

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I asked her what was so scary about unmerited free grace? She replied something like this: “If I was saved by my good works — then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with rights. I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by sheer grace — at God’s infinite cost — then there’s nothing he cannot ask of me.”

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If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.

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To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but if that is all you do you may remain just an elder brother. To truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness — the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope and trust in things other than God, and that in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get hold of these things.”

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God’s grace and forgiveness, while free to the recipient, are always costly for the giver…. From the earliest parts of the Bible, it was understood that God could not forgive without sacrifice. No one who is seriously wronged can “just forgive” the perpetrator…. But when you forgive, that means you absorb the loss and the debt. You bear it yourself. All forgiveness, then, is costly.

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To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.

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Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God’s saving love in Christ, however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God’s mercy and grace.

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Christians will not, interestingly, benefit society if they’re just like everybody else in society. We’re not going to benefit a society filled with self-actualizers unless we really are different, unless we do believe Jesus died for us, unless we do believe that we live through the self-sacrifice of the great Jesus Christ, and therefore we’re going to live by self-sacrifice. You see, unless we are shaped deeply by that, then we’re really not going to be of any kind of benefit.

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An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life, that should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.

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The secret to freedom from enslaving patterns of sin is worship. You need worship. You need great worship. You need weeping worship. You need glorious worship. You need to sense God’s greatness and to be moved it — moved to tears and moved to laughter — moved by who God is and what he has done for you.

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Most of all the psalms, read in light of the entire Bible, bring us to Jesus. The psalms were Jesus’s songbook. The hymn that Jesus  sang at the Passover meal (Matthew  26:30; Mark 14:26) would have been the Great Hallel, Psalms 113–118. Indeed, there is every reason to assume that  Jesus  would have sung all the psalms, constantly, throughout  his life, so that he knew them by heart. It is the book of the Bible that he quotes more than any other. But the psalms were not simply sung by Jesus; they also are about him, as we will see throughout this volume.

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God directs his people not simply to worship but to sing his praises “before the nations.” We are called not simply to communicate the gospel to nonbelievers; we must also intentionally celebrate the gospel before them

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If a person has grasped the meaning of God’s grace in his heart, he will do justice. If he doesn’t live justly, then he may say with his lips that he is grateful for God’s grace, but in his heart he is far from him. If he doesn’t care about the poor, it reveals that at best he doesn’t understand the grace he has experienced, and at worst he has not really encountered the saving mercy of God. Grace should make you just.

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It’s not that you think less of yourself, it’s that you think of yourself less.

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When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were.

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It is remarkable that in all of his writings Paul’s prayers for his friends contain no appeals for changes in their circumstances.

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Human beings are so integral to the fabric of things that when human beings turned from God, the entire warp and woof of the world unraveled …We have lost God’s shalom — physically, spiritually, socially, psychologically, culturally. Things now fall apart.

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The irony is that many conservative Christians, most concerned about conserving true and sound doctrine, neglect the importance of prayer and make no effort to experience God, and this can lead to the eventual loss of sound doctrine… Christianity without real experience of God will eventually be no Christianity at all.

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Tim Keller on Romans 8:28

Romans 8 is all about living in a suffering world marked by brokenness… Verse 28 says: For those loving him, God works together all things for good. …Earlier in Romans 8, Paul discusses how things fall apart because the world is burdened with evil and sin. Things are subject to decay. Everyone will eventually experience the decay of their bodies; that’s the nature of things. The little grains of sand on the beach used to be a mountain. Everything falls apart; things do not come together.

This verse tells Christians to get rid of the saccharine, sentimental idea that things ought to go right, that things do go right, and that it’s normal for things to go right. Modern, Western people believe that if things go wrong, we should sue, because things ought to go right. But Christians have to discard that idea completely.

Christians have to recognize that if our health remains intact, it is simply because God is holding it up. If people love us, if someone is there to hug us or squeeze our hand, if someone loves us in spite of all our flaws—if someone loves us at all—it’s because God is bringing all things together. God is holding it up. Everything that goes well is a miracle of grace.

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Previously at Christianity 201:

• Tim Keller on Jesus in the Old Testament
• Keller’s Prodigal God and the Song, Reckless Love

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sources: Care (UK), Good Reads, Anchored in Christ, Crosswalk, Prayer Coach, Church Leaders, The Blazing Center, and Christianity 201

Truth in Love

But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. – Zechariah 8:16 NLT

Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. – Ephesians 4:25 CSB

Elsie Montgomery is in the top five most-quoted devotional writers here at C201. I have great respect for what she faithfully produces at Practical Faith, since 2006. Clicking the title which immediately follows will take you to her site and a treasure trove of devotional articles.

Love that speaks

Some say truth hurts. Some say there is no truth, only opinions. Some say love is a feeling and if the feeling is not there, love is gone. The Bible says, “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14–15)

Jesus also says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free . . . . So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” meaning free from bondage to sin and its result of spiritual death. (John 8:31–36) Obviously human interpretations fall short of God’s definitions of both truth and love.

Jesus describes truth as the key to freedom from the tyranny of always needing to have my own way. He describes love as giving up selfish-desires to serve Him and others. That means that the truth only hurts those who insist on running their own life apart from God and truth is opinion only to those who reject God as having all wisdom and authority. This also means that love is a mere whim and only expressed when ‘I feel like it’ which, for a self-centered person, is more miss than hit.

This puts speaking the truth in love into a very narrow definition. Truth is the Word of God, what He says is true. Love is saying it without concern for myself, thinking only for the spiritual well-being of others. Love isn’t concerned about opinions, rejections, or being popular, only about the eternal destiny of those who do not know Jesus, and about the joy and freedom they can have if truth and love rule their lives.

So why is speaking the truth in love such a challenge? I know that my spiritual enemy does not want it to happen. He will do whatever he can to bring doubt, fear, confusion, and all sorts of sin my way so I’m mixed up, cowardly, uncertain, and more concerned about me than about others. He works on my conscience with accusations, temptations, and distractions. He tells me if I am bold with the truth, others will reject me or think I am ‘touched in the head’ or worse. He tells me if I love like Jesus loves, people will use me, walk all over me, rip me off and laugh at me behind my back.

Speaking the truth in love is serious business. Jesus did it — and died because of it. The early disciples, all but one, were martyrs because they did it. Today, hundreds of Christians will die for their faith, and if not death, be tortured or put in prison, or at best, ridiculed for speaking the truth in love. In North America, we have laws that protect severe persecution yet in subtle ways our freedom to speak truth is being limited and the love of God is interpreted to mean that He wants everyone to be comfortable.

PRAY: Jesus, in these confusing times, enable clarity of thought, words of truth, and a heart full of Your love for Your people. This is not only serious but difficult. In myself, I cannot do it but I can do all things through You, as Paul prayed, and “May my love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9). Thank You for the joy that comes with both truth and love in my life.

READ: Revelation 2:1–7 noting the strengths in this church and the one thing it lacked. What is God’s answer to what was missing?

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Watch for a bonus item from Elsie later this week!

Moses’ Mid-life Calling

Today we introduce another new writer to you, Becca Harbert. Her ‘about’ page didn’t really tell us much about her, but it was fun to read! She blogs at BeccaHarbert.com weekly (until recently) on a variety of faith-focused topics. Click the title which follows to read this where we first did!

Lord. Please Send Someone Else!

I used to judge Moses for asking God to send someone else. He was being offered the opportunity, not only of a lifetime, or the century, but like, of all of time. Moses, you’re going to stand up to the most powerful man in the world, the Pharaoh. Then you’re going to lead God’s people through the Red Sea on dry ground! You’re going to lead the people in the desert, where God will feed you manna from Heaven and water from a rock. Oh, and did I mention the Promised Land? All you have to do is trust God and do what He says step by step. C’mon Moses. It’s what you were made for, saved from the Nile for, raised in the palace for. Moses! This is your chance!!!

But what did he say?

He said, “Lord. Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13). Moses was not a young duck. He was forty when the Lord called him through that burning bush. He’d been herding sheep for, what, a decade? Possibly longer? He. Was. Done. He’d given up on that dream of doing anything meaningful or adventurous or that required much faith, a LONG time ago. He was content, living in the desert with his sons and his wife, living the simple life. He’d messed up in his past with a criminal record. He struggled with his stuttering tongue. Yet he’d found a way for himself and his family despite all that. Moses had overcome a lot in his life. But then, the Lord called him to do something else.

I’ve written on this before, but since I’m nearly forty, the age of Moses here, I so relate to the weariness and skepticalness we see from Moses in this meeting with the Lord in the burning bush! He’s just worn out. He doesn’t doubt God. He’s just tired. Maybe he gave up on dreaming. Maybe he gave up on his faith. Maybe he just didn’t want any more adventures in his life. Maybe he’d lost a lot of money in the stock market or the sheep market that year. Maybe he had a trying child that had worn him out. Maybe he’d tried to follow the Lord but just gave it up.

Does any of that sound familiar? Are you a young person in your teens or twenties, eager to change the world? Or are you busy doing just that in your thirties? Or are you in your forties, completely over it? Hardened by the world and the circumstances that have come your way. I hear by the time you’re sixty you’re refreshed and ready to jump into ministry again. But those forty-somethings, are worn out. There’s a reason they call it over the hill! Moses was there! Maybe he literally was in his mid-life crisis, or wondered if running off to Egypt with his family in a new corvette would look like that. I mean, he did have that new magical staff snake thing, right? It’s kind of the same as a corvette. And no, he didn’t have a car, but used a donkey. But hey, the Bible doesn’t say anything about him not painting it red, just saying. JK.

On a more serious note, do you think God makes mistakes? Of course not. But why didn’t God call someone younger, more energetic, more passionate? Or why didn’t God call Moses at a younger age? I wonder such things, but I also greatly appreciate that He called Moses at age 40, in the middle of his life, to pursue something BIG. It give us hope that God has not forgotten us, or those middle aged folk. Most of the disciples were young. Mary and Joseph were young. Noah was old. John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah were old. Abraham and Sarah were old when they had their baby Isaac. God can use anyone at any age. Praise God, right?! Praise Him! He’s used children too. Miriam, Moses’ sister was used as a child to help save his life as a baby! Moses wasn’t young and energetic or old and free. He was middle aged.

Moses’ story shows us just how hard it can be at that age to pick up and start an adventure for the Lord. Many times, Moses returned to the Lord saying, “What were you thinking? How can this be? These people! This mission!” Ultimately, his concerns were always either “I can’t do this,” or “this is impossible,” or “these people don’t want my help!” And every time the Lord delivered. Granted, they did face some discipline along the way, like not actually making it to the promised land until the next generation. But step by step, God led Moses with what to do next. He led Moses day by day.

Do you feel the Lord calling you or someone you know in the middle of their life to something? Can you encourage them or pray for them to have the faith to simply take steps of obedience trusting God to do His work? If you’re in that position, pray for faith to believe God to do what He can do. Remember, God never answered Moses’ question about who Moses was. He only pointed Moses to who God is (Exodus 3:11-14). It doesn’t matter who we are or if we’re tired or not. It matters that we continue persevering and trusting God by taking the steps of faith He’s leading us toward. I pray you are encouraged by this, my Friend. I have been.

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^NLT.Ex.3.11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

¹² God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

¹³ But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I am who i am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”

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Thinking about Moses’ mid-life job assignment reminded me of this picture frame that my wife Ruth was given on the weekend. “Adventure Awaits!” Text: “May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.” Psalm 20:4

Giving the Things of God to Others

This article is so very, very good!

This is our fourth time featuring Mark Stephenson who writes at Fire and Light who is co-pastor of Horizon Church in Towson, Maryland. There are things here I hadn’t quite considered the way Mark presents this. You might want to bookmark this article to refer to it later, either here, or by clicking the link in the title which follows, and bookmarking the original.

5 Types of Impartation

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

Deuteronomy 34:9

Impartation isn’t a word that every Christian tradition uses, but every Christian tradition does it in one form or another. To “impart” means “to give, convey, bestow, release, transmit, or confer.” For example, “The teacher imparted knowledge to her students.” Or, “The spices imparted flavor to the dish.”

Impartation carries with it the idea that something of value is being released or transmitted from one thing and given to another thing, or from one person to other people. Within the Body of Christ, there are at least five different kinds of impartation that exist for different purposes. With each of these five we’ll examine the primary mechanism used for impartation, the purpose of that type of impartation, and identify those who do the imparting.

1. Impartation of Truth

Primary mechanism: teaching

Purpose: Upgrade for our mind/thinking

Who does it? Anyone can impart truth, but some are particularly gifted who have the gift of teaching.

The impartation of truth can be seen in nearly every Christian tradition. Teaching and preaching are the primary ways that truth gets imparted either through a sermon, seminar, or bible study setting. The apostle Paul charges his protege Timothy to do just that:

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

2 Timothy 4:2-4

2. Impartation of Wisdom/Character

Primary mechanism: modeling

Purpose: Upgrade for our actions/decisions

Who does it?  Anyone can impart wisdom, but some are particularly gifted with wisdom and are more seasoned with life experience.

The impartation of wisdom and character happens primarily through modeling wise living and wise decisions. It happens by spending time with people who have learned important lessons from life experience. It happens less by instruction and more through conversation and life together. It’s about watching someone live well and imitating what they do. Paul said it this way to the Corinthians:

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

3. Impartation of Life/Courage 

Primary mechanism: encouragement/affirmation

Purpose: Upgrade for our heart/confidence

Who does it?  Anyone can impart life with their words, but some are particularly good at it who have the gift of encouragement.

The impartation of life and courage happens through the spoken word, specifically, words of affirmation and encouragement. Words are often more powerful than we realize. James 3 reminds us that words can build up and tear down. The proverbs remind us that words can impart life or death:

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21

4. Impartation of Authority

Primary mechanism: impartation prayer/laying on of hands

Purpose: Upgrade for our responsibility/authority

Who does it? Anyone can impart authority, but it most often has to come from those already in authority who are raising someone else up.

In most Christian traditions this kind of impartation is most clearly seen in the ordination ceremony of new pastors. Often, a group of elders will lay their hands on a young pastor who is being ordained into vocational ministry and will impart or confer their blessing and authority onto the young minister. While most people assume this is just a ceremonial rite of passage, throughout scripture we see the laying on of hands confer a real transference of authority. In other words, this isn’t just for show. Something is really being transferred in the spirit realm. We not only see Moses do this with Joshua (Numbers 27:18-20) but we also see this happen with the deacons in the early church.

“…choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:3-6

5. Impartation of Anointing/Spiritual Gifts

Primary mechanism: impartation prayer/laying on of hands

Purpose: Upgrade for our spiritual gifting/anointing

Who does it?  Anyone can pray to impart increased anointing and spiritual gifts because, ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit doing it, but some are particularly gifted who have the gift of impartation.

While most Christian traditions understand the reality and importance of the first four types of impartation, only a few actually understand and practice this kind of impartation. I have personally been on the giving and receiving end of this kind of impartation (mostly the receiving end) and it is very real and very powerful. With this kind of impartation, there is a transference of anointing, power, or spiritual gifts when one person lays hands on another (sometimes a transference of all three!). We see this kind of impartation happen both in the Old and New Testaments and we need more of it in the Church today. Here are some samples of it happening in scripture:

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. 

Deuteronomy 34:9

The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.”

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.

Numbers 11:16-17, 24-25

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

1 Timothy 4:14

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

2 Timothy 1:6

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.  (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-17

Just as some people are particularly gifted with teaching or wisdom or encouragement, the same applies here. Some people in the Body of Christ are particularly gifted with impartation. What it means to operate in any spiritual gift is that the Spirit seems to move more powerfully when a person is operating in a gift than when they are not. Again, we see this truth play out with teaching and leadership and other spiritual gifts.

But the same applies to those who are gifted with impartation gifts. When a person who is gifted in this way prays for the impartation of anointing to happen or the impartation of gifts to happen, the sheer volume of impartation that happens in the room is more. This is why, if we want powerful teaching, we need to sit under a person gifted with teaching gifts. And if we want wisdom, we need to be around people gifted with spiritual wisdom. Likewise, if we want to receive an upgrade in our spiritual gifts, power, or anointing, it is helpful to receive prayer from a person gifted with impartation.

There may be more than these five types of impartation, but these five are extremely important for the Church today. If we want to raise up the next generation to live like Jesus, it’s going to take a Church that is able to impart all of these things in all of these ways.

Devotional Trifecta

 

^{NIV.Psalm.37.7} Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

The “Be still” passage from Psalms which we’re most familiar with comes from Psalm 46, not Psalm 37. In either case we might use the verse (such as verse 7 above) as a calming voice when we face anxiety and fear, but the entire Psalm is all about the laws of justice, whereby the wicked eventually get what they deserve, unless they cry out for mercy.

In a world of conspiracy theories, factions and all manner of economic and political unrest, there are certain laws of reciprocity in place that govern ultimate outcomes. The Psalm is also clearly a statement of the triumph of God’s sovereignty in the middle of situations where evil appears to be ruling.

Later, in Psalm 46, we see the more familiar passage, which is somewhat similar but looking at the macro picture; a picture of everything from earthquakes to powerful nations.

^{NIV. Ps.46.9} He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The exhortation to seek stillness is still valid, but for verses wherein the context is clearer, a word study on peace is more appropriate. Two that I’ve found particular helpful are You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3) and …the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

In moments of stress, or even times my thoughts are keeping me from sleep I will repeat the phrase, “perfect peace, perfect peace;” and the phrase “peace that passes understanding.” (You can say exceeds understanding or beyond understanding.)

By all means be still, but seek peace, seek the places of peace, seek the author of peace.

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I’ve mentioned before that sometimes I will gain greater understanding of a passage by re-stating it in my own words. Because my version isn’t the version, sometimes the ‘text’ of what I come up with will drift over time. Recently I reconsidered The Lord’s Prayer afresh.

Father God,
Who dwells in eternity
Your name is holy.
Build your Kingdom
Carry out your plans and desires
Here, as there.
Help us in the provision of our necessities,
And steer us away from the world’s lures,
And free us from the desires temptation exploits.
All of the Kingdom, its authority and splendor are yours.
Always.
Amen.

As a side note, in the commonly-repeated version of the prayer, most say “Thy Kingdom Come,” and add “For thine is the Kingdom” at the end. It’s interesting that Kingdom is one of two repeated words.

The other double occurrence of a word is “who art in Heaven;” and “earth as it is in Heaven.” Heaven.

Among many other things, the prayer is about God’s Kingdom seen from Heaven’s perspective.

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^{NIV.Rom.12.18} If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (italics added)

I would say the italicized phrase might be rendered, “doing everything that you can on your end.”

This morning I engaged in some relationship-building. From my perspective, I was the one who had been injured, but an apology had been received — twice in fact — and I felt it was time to move on to the next level of restoration.

I showed up unannounced at the person’s workplace — they were about to go into a meeting, which did keep some others waiting — but for nearly half an hour we sorted out some things that had led to the disruption of our relationship.

It needed to happen. We both needed to take next steps.

Matthew 5:23-24 is helpful here:

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (NLT)

Notice it’s not that ‘you have something against someone,’ but that they have something against you. (The Message Bible reads, “you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you.”)

In other words, a relationship that is in need of repair.

The child in us wants to cry out, ‘But it was him who hit me,’ but every single English translation quotes Jesus as saying that even if you are the injured party, you become one of the peacemakers mentioned in “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

And the meeting went well.

 

 

 

Attributes of Strength

Last year at this time we introduced you to a writer who blogs under the name Daily Echoes at Echoes of Heart. Clicking the title which follows will take you to where this first appeared and the option of listening on audio.

God’s Attributes

The enemy saw God’s attributes and considered Him weak. He really thought he could put himself next to God without breaking a sweat. I wonder, does he regret all he did now? The enemy hasn’t even seen half of what’s actually coming to him in the real near future. He doesn’t know yet, the actual extent, of just how wrong he really was, when he mistook God’s all-encompassing love, goodness, gentleness, kindness, mercy, self-control, patience, etc. as weaknesses.

To overpower a person or take advantage of their gentleness, kindness, patience, or their love, so often wins the battle. But each time someone wins like that, they grow even more blind to reality as they pride-fully bask in the illusion of having won.

Reality is God wins! The war is won by Christ Jesus and those who courageously take the abuse of others, still holding on to His Will, His purpose, His ways, refusing to let anyone shake their faith, they come share in His victory!

You may be able to hurt them, knock them down, break their heart, but you will never be able to take away their victory in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT — We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

The attributes of almighty God are not weak!

► To turn the other cheek takes more strength than to fight back.

► To do good to those who hurt you takes more strength than to get revenge.

► To forgive seven times your brother or sister for the same wrongs they have done to you takes more strength than to disassociate.

► To continue to serve the selfish and ungrateful takes more strength than to throw up your hands and give up.

In a world that so aggressively teaches and applauds focusing on self, it takes a lot of strength to put aside your wants and needs for others.

I’m stunned at how many people seem to believe that those who live their lives emulating the attributes of Jesus are weak. Wouldn’t it be wiser to remember who is being emulated? Almighty God, Creator, Savior, Judge! If you ask me, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is weak and who is strong! Does it?

You can win a battle with temporary strength, but to win the war, you need everlasting strength found only in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 6:8-10 NLT — Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

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Enjoy a second helping from the same author: Dangerously Desensitized.

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One of the passages of scripture that centers on the mystery of God’s divinity confined in a human body is Philippians 2:5-8 which we’ve looked at here and (in much detail) here.

Non-Stop Talk about Sharing in God’s Glory

I was once in a young adults meeting where the leader asked, “What do you talk about when it’s your chance to control the conversation?” Opportunities to give credit (honor) to God don’t happen all the time, but we should be taking advantages of them when they do.

This is our third time highlighting the writing of Rev. Taylor Mertins  who blogs at Think and Let Think, has co-authored three books, and hosts the Strangely Warmed Podcast and the Crackers and Grape Juice Podcast.

What Is Jesus Doing In Your Life?

Romans 5.1-2

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

“How is it with your soul?”

That’s a Wesleyan question that we Methodists still throw around occasionally. It comes from John Wesley himself and was the central question for historic Methodist class meetings, these small and intimate gatherings of Christians who were concerned with what it actually meant to be Christian. The question confronts us in our faith such that we must reckon with what God’s grace is doing to us.

And yet, we don’t ask that question, or questions like it, anymore. Sure, in the context of a Bible study or a small group ostensibly gathering in the name of Christ, you might hear a question like it but in our day to day discipleship, it’s nowhere to be found.

The relativization of the faith to the private sphere has resulted in a form of discipleship that is largely divorced from Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow. Put another way, if our faith is merely something we do on Sundays then it doesn’t really have anything to do with the One who makes our faith intelligible.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome he confronts the embodied nature of the faith with physical language about “standing in grace” and “boasting in our hope.” Something has been done to us and, as such, we have an assurance that we can live differently because of it. And that something has a name: Jesus.

Frederick Buechner, author/pastor/theologian once said:

“Nice people don’t talk about religion. Or so the thinking goes. That’s why, when I taught at Wheaton College, it was so refreshing. There were people there who talked about it ALL THE TIME. It was almost too much and hard to take. It was as if they had Jesus in their hip pocket, and all they had to do was take him out and he would tell them where to find a parking space. But, on the other hand, they were able to ask, “What is Jesus doing in your life this week?” Marvelous! I believe God is doing something in everyone’s life every moment!

But the idea of asking that question in certain places with certain people, it’s like the sky would fall in, the house would catch fire, and I would never be asked out again. In other words, people don’t ask about our experiences of grace, but perhaps they should.”

I wonder, therefore, how differently the church would look were we willing to ask that all too important question, “What is Jesus doing in your life this week?” If the faith we proclaim on Sundays is indeed the faith revealed to us in the person of Christ, then there are manifold implications for how Christ is guiding, shaping, and moving in our midst. Particularly since worship isn’t as much about what we do, but more about what we do in response to all that God has done, is doing, and will do.

Basically, it comes down to a matter of agency: Do we believe that God is active in our lives, or do we consider ourselves the primary movers and shakers?

Perhaps asking the question is the way in which we can open our eyes and ears to Christ’s actions in our lives. And maybe, being able to ask the question at all is what makes faith, faith.

And so, what is Jesus doing in your life this week?

The Strength Faith Brings

Today we’re back with Melody at In Pleasant Places and each day combines original thoughts with a significant helping of scripture references. Click the title which follows are read this where it first appeared.

Our Faith – 1 John 5:4

“For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:3-5

A song was playing as I was getting ready yesterday morning, and it referenced our shield of faith. And I believe that’s what brought the verse above to mind, in which the apostle John writes that it is our faith that conquers, or overcomes, the world.

What became so interesting to me is that my mind was then drawn to two other verses that perhaps can further develop our understanding here. Or mine, at least. Because the sense I have generally gotten from 1 John 5:4 has been that with a strong enough faith, the world and its temptations are overcome. If I can just bolster my beliefs and remember to raise that shield of faith and belt of truth, I can perceive that the Lord’s commands are not burdensome but are for my good, and I can overcome.

Let’s look at the 3 passages that seemed to suddenly connect to each other yesterday:

“And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.” (1 John 5:3b-4)

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

“Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:32-33

► It is our faith that conquers the world (1 John 5).
► Jesus is the source and perfecter of our faith – beginning it and completing it within us, bringing it faithfully to fullness (Hebrews 12).
► Jesus said to take heart, to be courageous; He has conquered the world (John 16).

The reason we stand in hope that our faith conquers the world isn’t because we’re strong in ourselves, but because the One who begins, holds, and completes our faith is the One who Himself has conquered the world, enduring all temptations, all darkness, and all agony and shame, and sat down in victory on His throne. He is upholding us now.

The phrase “our faith” can be misleading to my perspective. But what is being impressed on me lately is that it is our faith because the Lord has given it to us in love and power, not because we created it or mustered it or sustain it within ourselves. And oh, how that frees us from the weight of trying to carry it on our own, and from the pride that can so easily take hold.

He gives us the faith we need. He gives us the strength – His strength – that we need, as we look to and lean heavily on Him, knowing the strength is not our own. We conquer because Jesus has conquered. We can obey because He has fulfilled the law and has given us (is giving us) all we need for a life of godliness, a life of joy and freedom and abundance as we walk by His strength in the light of His righteousness and truth.

So we can look to Him and walk forward in confidence, knowing He establishes our steps on His path of righteousness and His power and strength are made perfect in our weakness as He faithfully perfects our faith and conquers the world.

“His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.”
2 Peter 1:3-4

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Hebrews 1:3

Don’t Abandon the Prayer Process

If you are past a certain age and grew up in church, this KJV verse from the Sermon on the Mount is quite ingrained:

^{Matt. 7:7} Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

However, we’ve all heard sermons where preachers have stressed that this is a continuous imperative.

Many years ago we previously looked at what that means:

Our pastor used the example of running a race or two versus being in regular training for running races that earn podium positions at the end. The example I’ve always used is a little simpler. Consider these two sentences:

• “Shut the door.”
• “Answer the phone.”

The first one is easy. Once you shut the door, it’s shut. Work done. But the second one has an implication that’s deeper; it really means:

• “Answer the phone if it rings and take a message; and then, if it rings again, answer it and take a message; and then if it rings again, answer it…”

While translators are certainly aware of this, most of the newer ones seem inclined to continue to keep the verse in its more familiar form. (That seems to be part of a pattern concerning the translation of ‘iconic’ verses.) But a few venture out to give us more of the sense of the original meaning:

⁷ “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. (CJB – Complete Jewish Bible)

⁷ “Be asking, and it will be given to you; be seeking, and you will find; be knocking, and it will be opened to you. (DNLT – Disciples Literal New Testament)

⁷ Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. (AMP – Amplified Bible; NLT is similar)

⁷ “Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. (ERV – Everyday Reading Version)

⁷ Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. (The Voice)

The reason for examining this topic is that I have to confess that like many, I came to realize that my whole perspective on this verse has had to do with tenacity in prayer over a specific request. In other words, I’ve always felt the verse is telling us that if you’re in a situation, even if you don’t see the answer, keep bringing it before God.

While I think that’s a perfectly acceptable way of looking at things, I believe the verse offers us even more. I would suggest looking at it:

If you’re consistently in prayer over (a), (b), and (c) and not seeing results, and then situations (d) and (e) arise, don’t let this discourage you from bringing (d) and (e) before God.

In other words, I believe that God is telling us through this text, don’t lose heart and give up on the prayer process over what you see as a lack of past results. I know that’s something that I need to be reminded of. It’s easy to fall into pessimism, or to ask, but with what James 1:6 calls wavering.

Some of us grew up with a plaque in our homes that simply said, “Prayer Changes Things,” but then as we grew older we heard teaching that as we draw close to God the key thing about being in his presence is that prayer changes us. That is true, 100% of the time.

But I think we also need to have the perspective that God is positive disposed and favorably inclined to intervene in the affairs of his children, if he deems that best. He can and does step into the scene to orchestrate “great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3 CSB)

So today’s conclusion is don’t give up praying in whatever situation you find yourself, but also don’t give up on prayer.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. – Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

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More on today’s topic at C201:

• April 19, 2014 – Persevering in prayer vs. instruction to not repeat prayers over and over
• August 18, 2014 – When you feel your prayer request list is too long
• August 19, 2008 – (Thinking Out Loud) – origin of “positively disposed, favorably inclined”