Monthly Archives: November 2023

MOLLY AND ME – BOLDNESS

Christian Life, ,

MOLLY AND ME – BOLDNESS

Molly and me… it’s been quite a while since I wrote about my little teacher and the lessons I learn about our relationship with one another. In her irrepressibly cute “dog-ness”, she has opened my understanding to the intricacies of life with the Father, and the deeper meaning of being a “pet” in God’s household.

Molly fervently believes that what’s mine is also hers. So, when I put a bunny blanket under my bedclothes in preparation for another cold night, she immediately took possession of it. No sooner was she under the blankets when she promptly scraped the bunny blanket into a nest for herself. I was free to sleep under what was left of my blanket!

“What a cheek!” I thought, and then I realised that what she is, I made her, trusting me and being confident in my love for her. I have shared with her whatever is appropriate (and sometimes not so appropriate) and now she is simply taking for granted that she can also share my bunny blanket.

God has assured us time and again in His Word that He has given us everything we need and some, which He calls “all things” to enjoy because of His love for us in Christ Jesus.

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

Romans 8:32 NLT

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”

1 Timothy 6:17 NLT

Why is it, then, that I often hesitate to believe that God is good, that He has planned good things for me, and that I can trust Him to give me everything He has promised?

Perhaps this hits me the hardest when I struggle with issues that require faith and obedience. Why don’t I, like Molly, just take hold of what is mine through Jesus?

When temptation tries to lure me or entangle me, I have recourse to the power of the Spirit in me.

“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”

Romans 8:12-13 NLT

When I go out into a hostile and unfriendly world, I have God’s favour as a shield.

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield.”

Psalms 5:12 NIV

My trust in God is my protection in danger, my hiding place, my Rock of strength and security.

“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” … If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;”

Psalms 91:2, 9-11 NIV

So, thank you. Molly, for showing me just how easy it is to take hold of what is mine in Jesus. In the future, I’ll do what you did, wrap myself in the blanket of God’s faithful promises and enjoy the warmth and protection of all that He has given to me.

JOYOUS PRAISE IN THE MORNING

Devotion, ,

JOYOUS PRAISE IN THE MORNING


When I open my curtains in the early morning, I catch a glimpse of the first rays of the sun peeping through the tree at the bottom of our garden. Then my mind turns to Matt Redman’s beautiful song, “Ten thousand reasons,” and I begin to sing as I make my bed.

“The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing His song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever may befall me
Let me be singing when the evening comes.”

My heart leaps with joy as I burst into the chorus…

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul,
Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship your holy name.”

The first verse sets the tone for my day – a declaration of trust in the one I worship, that He is God and will order all the circumstances of my day as He pleases.

The second verse directs my thoughts to this God whom I bless and praise in my song.

“You’re rich in love and you’re slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind.
For all your goodness I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.”

I have every reason to trust Him for today and tomorrow since my yesterdays are all a testimony to His goodness.

And what of my future? God has written my days in His book and He alone knows when my final day will come. However, like Matt’s song, I have confidence that the song I sang this morning will be my song in eternity…

“And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end is near and my time has come,
Still my soul will sing your praise unending.
Ten thousand years and then forevermore.”

My faith is strong; I have declared my trust in God for another day. I am equipped with a praising heart to face whatever comes with expectation that He is working for my good in all things.

Will you also sing His song in the morning and let its lyrics and melody resound in your mind throughout the day?

PRAYER
Father God, I can give you no greater honour than to sing your song, and to live today in the atmosphere of worship. As Jesus’ disciples confessed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” so, I, too, confess that there is no one greater than you in whom to believe.

With all my heart I thank you for your great salvation, for your love that surrounds and sustains me in every test and trial, and for your grace that helps me to endure.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and everything that is within me, bless His holy name.

I HAVE LOVED YOU….

Christian Life, ,

I HAVE LOVED YOU….

Without the awareness of the greatness of God’s love for us, living in His kingdom would be just another set of rules to obey. This love of God binds our hearts to Him in a powerful union of trust, submission and obedience which are the hallmarks of a true son.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.”

John 15:9 NLT

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”

Jude 1:20-21 NLT

Can you see how important it is that we understand that all we experience as believers in Jesus must be filtered through this love of God? His love underpins everything that has happened and will happen to us because He is “passing by”, to reveal Himself to us, in each situation, according to their need.

To put our trust in and root our lives in God’s love means that NOTHING can get between His love and us. Paul assures us, based on everything God did for us through Jesus…

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

God’s love for us didn’t begin when we came to faith in Jesus. God loved us before He made the world.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

Ephesians 1:4 NLT

God was watching and intimately supervising the formation of the unborn child and setting out the days of its life before it came into the world.

“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

Psalms 139:15-16 NLT

He loved us even when we were living in sin in our unregenerate days.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Romans 5:8 NLT

The Old Covenant was an interim covenant given to Israel to teach them that God is holy, and that sin separates sinners from a holy God and is punishable by consequences. To apply the consequences of sin, which Jesus atoned for by His death, to believers in Jesus in the New Covenant is to cancel what Jesus did on the cross.

So, believers cannot be rooted in God’s love and be subject to generational curses at the same time.

I found another contradiction in the context of deliverance in general. Isaiah prophesied that Messiah would set His people free…

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed.”

Isaiah 61:1 NLT

Jesus confirmed that He was the Anointed One…

“The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Luke 4:17-21 NLT

… and that it was His role to set captives free.

Free from what?

Free from sin and all its effects.

Jesus is passionate about setting His people free from everything that opposes, contradicts, or attempts to replace God’s grace and that has any control over them other than the Holy Spirit. God gives His grace freely to those who realise they are nothing and depend on Him for everything that enables them to live free… from sin, and from self – effort.

Jesus sets us free when we realise that real freedom us living in the absolute confidence of God’s love for revealed and confirmed in the death of Jesus.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

Romans 8:31-32 NLT

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT

HOW DO WE PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES?

Christian Life, ,

HOW DO WE PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES?

Sometimes our emotions drive us to wish that they would die. If only God would remove the one who causes me so much pain. I would be much better off if I didn’t have this huge obstacle in my life.

Jesus instructs us to pray for our enemies. Does He join us in wanting them out of the way so that we no longer must deal with this trial? Will He conveniently remove the one who offends us in answer to our prayers?

It’s not our prayers He hears as much as our hearts. Perhaps we even pray hypocritical prayers like – “Lord, bless my enemy! “, with the unspoken words, “… by moving them out of my way.”

What does God think of a situation like this? Would it really help if He took that person out of my life? Would it change my heart if I no longer had to wrestle with anger, resentment, and bitterness? Would God’s peace be restored to me?

Strangely enough, it’s not my enemy who is the problem. I have become my own enemy. My attitude is destroying me. Only grace can rescue me from the pit of sin I have fallen into. My unwillingness to forgive, to cancel the debt and let my offender go free, makes me a guilty offender.

What does grace do?

Grace, first, reveals the greatness of the mercy God has extended to me through Jesus. Apart from grace, I am as guilty of sin as my offender.

Second, grace reveals God’s heart to me. He does not delight in punishing but in saving all those who come to Him. He forgives and restores the repentant heart.

Third, how does He bring a sinner to repentance? Not by beating him over the head with his sin! Not by turning up the heat of his guilt! Not by hammering him with condemnation!

“And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Romans 2:3-4 NKJV

That’s it, dear brothers, and sisters! It’s God’s goodness, not judgment or condemnation, that leads us to repentance. His ways are not our ways… His thoughts are not our thoughts!

Can you, then with a sincere heart, pray that God would shower His goodness on your offender? That’s God’s way of bringing him/her to his/her senses. Let God be the judge and the redeemer.

PRAYER

Father, forgive me for taking on myself the role of judge and executioner. Forgive my arrogance, that I dared to think that I am above the one who offended me. I repent of the foolish notion that I can set the standards of right and wrong for others and excuse myself.

Change my heart by your grace, O God. Give me the heart of Jesus who prayed that you would forgive those who unjustly condemned Him to death. I ask you, Father, to shower your goodness on……. and help me to pray your blessing on…… with a sincere heart.

Teach me, Holy Spirit, to see the enormity of the debt of sin I owe you, and the greatness of your mercy to me. Help me to see clearly that I am not the judge of those who sin against me but one who stands with them to receive your mercy and forgiveness.

A SPRING OF LIVING WATER

Christian Life, ,

A SPRING OF LIVING WATER

 
Isaiah 12:3 NLT
[3] With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

Did you know that the moment you believed in Jesus and were born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit, you were drinking deeply from the fountain of living water.

Something miraculous happened when you took that first drink. A spring of living water began to flow from deep within you.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman,

John 4:13-14 NLT
[13] … “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. [14] But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

He called the crowds attending the Festival of Shelters (Tabernacles), to come to Him km.

John 7:37 NLT
[37] On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

What did Jesus mean by “living water”. The Jews referred to flowing water as “living water”, not a stagnant pool but a fresh, clean stream, a symbol of what flows from within us when we have believed in and received Jesus as our Lord.

John 6:63 NLT
[63] “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

On one occasion, Jesus taught His disciples that people are defiled, not what they put into their mouths but what comes out of their mouths, the sinful words and attitudes that proceed from polluted hearts.

What is this living water that flows from within us? Surely it is God’s Word. Among the many symbols used to describe the Word of God, bread, a hammer, a fire, for example, Paul says that the Word is water cleansing us as it flows from within.

Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT
[25] “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her [26] to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.”

There is an anomaly in the use of the symbol of the fountain of water that flows from within us. Jesus said that what flows out of our hearts is a revelation of what is in our hearts.

Mark 7:21-22 NLT
[21]”For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.”

James summed it up for us…

James 3:8-12 NLT
[8] “but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. [9] Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. [10] And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! [11] Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? [12] Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

What is the solution for us who have drunk deeply of the water of life?

What we put into our hearts, will be what comes out.

Colossians 3:16 NLT
[16] “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”

Put God’s Word in and let God’s Word flow out.

Proverbs 4:20-23 NIV
[20] “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. [21] Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; [22] for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. [23] Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Isaiah 12:3ff tells us what to  do when we have drunk the water from the fountain Jesus offers us….

Isaiah 12:4-6 NIV
[4] In that day you will SAY : “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.
[5] SING to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
[6] SHOUT aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Three simple instructions guarantee that the pure water of life will flow from our hearts to quench the thirst of others who drink from that water… SAY, SING, SHOUT!

Psalms 141:2-4 NLT
[2] “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering. [3] Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. [4] Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.”

Our mouths are the opening from which water flows. Let that water flow from a heart that is constantly being cleansed and refreshed by the one who is the Word and by the Word He speaks that brings life to those who drink it.