The Spirit’s Blessing

“Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

            How do we “follow” the Spirit?  How can we follow Someone we cannot see?  We follow Him the same way we follow anyone.

            Following begins with commitment.  There must first be a commitment to follow, a decision of the heart that says, “No turning back.”  We keep nothing in reserve.

            Along with commitment comes alertness.  One who is committed to following another must keep alert, so that when the one we follow moves or changes direction, we know it, so we can make our adjustment.

            Alertness then produces observance.  When we follow someone, we observe their actions and movements, so that when they move out, so do we.  Their action prompts action on our part.

            God sent Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor.  Elisha was to follow until Elijah was gone.  Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah’s “spirit,” and Elijah told him this would happen only if he witnessed his departure.  For Elisha to follow Elijah, there had to first be a commitment to follow.  He had to remain alert, and he had to stay observant, so that anytime Elijah moved out, Elisha went with him.  This was the only way he could receive the blessing he sought.

            The blessing of the Spirit of God is received when we follow Him in the same way:  commitment, alertness, observance, and action.

Lord, May each of these qualities be at the forefront of our lives this day.  Amen.

Twins

“Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me.” (Psalm 43:3)

            Darkness and uncertainty are the twin enemies of the wholeness God wants us to have.  Darkness can lead to uncertainty, and uncertainty can feed the darkness.  These two enemies are like a spiritual cancer that eats away at peace, wholeness, and wellness.  The darkness of depression and the uncertainty produced by sorrow can devastate the human spirit and cause us to feel abandoned and alone, wondering where God is and why He does not seem to respond.  They create an inner turmoil that deprives us of peace.

            Twin antidotes are needed to combat these.  One is light, but not just light in general, and not light that is human in origin.  God’s light is what we need.  In his darker moments, David realized this and asked God not to send light but to send HIS light.  The only antidote for the spiritual darkness of depression (not to be confused with clinical depression, which is physical in nature) is God’s light, and God sends us His light through His word, which is one of the reasons we must stay in His word.  We pray and ask God to send us His light.

            The twin antidote of God’s light is God’s truth.  Again, the truth we are interested in and desperately need is not human in origin, but truth that comes from God.  The truth, like His light, comes through God’s word, and it is what sets us free.  This is the truth that He loves us, and that in Him there is hope.  His hope comes to us smiling and unlocks the door, so we may enter His light and His truth.

            Put your hope in God.  Praise Him as Your Savior and Lord.  Let His light dispel the darkness.  Let His truth settle your sorrow.  Then the turmoil will subside, so that peace may return and again reside within.

Father, On those days when darkness and uncertainty are strong in attendance, help us to remember that our hope is in You, and help us to turn especially to Your word where we will find the light and the truth we need.  Amen.

All or Not

“The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.  Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

            One of the most fruitful discussions you can have with yourself occurs when you answer the question: What does it mean to be a Christian?  How is a Christian defined?  That question, by necessity, leads to a lateral question: How did Jesus define a Christian since He is the Author and Finisher of our faith?  After all, it’s His definition that counts.

            Jesus defined a Christian essentially in the verse above along with its preceding paragraph.  A Christian is a believer, follower, and disciple of Jesus, one who loves Him and follows Him regardless of anything or anyone else, one who does not seek his or her own life, but seeks the Lord.  A Christian is one who is committed to a faith relationship with Jesus that impacts every aspect of his or her life.

            This concept may challenge some of the thinking in our society.  For example, one popular idea today suggests that people “make Jesus a part of your life.”  The idea behind this is that we each have a life segmented into various facets – family, work, social activity, education, religion, and so on – and thus we are to invite Jesus into our hearts to make Him “a part” of our lives.  We give Him a room in the house, so to speak.  When you hold this idea up to the light in one hand, and then hold the previous idea up to the light and compare the two, you discover that they do not, in fact, match.

            This being the case, maybe we need to consider what we can do to help others see the reality of the true teaching of Jesus so they can make some adjustments in their message.  Jesus does not want to be “part” of your life; He wants to be “central” to your life.  

Lord, You are our life.  Apart from You we have no life. Our desire is that You be central in our lives, and that every aspect of our lives revolve around our relationship with You.  Amen.

Floods

“The Lord sat enthroned at the flood; the Lord sat enthroned, King forever.  The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:10-11)

            Life has its truly wonderful and magnificent moments, but if you live long enough you discover that it can also have its overwhelming and debilitating moments.  When those moments come, it feels like a flood.

            In a flood, nearly every aspect of daily life stops.  Work stops.  Education stops.  Shopping stops.  Travel stops (unless you have a boat).  Shelter is dubious.  Heating and cooking and even sleeping may be suspended.  A flood essentially brings daily life to a halt, and all you can do is just sit there, watch the waters slowly recede, and focus on surviving.

            When the events of life become overwhelming like a flood, it is very much like everything stops until some sense of normalcy returns. 

            David wanted us to see the overwhelming events of life as a flood, but what he especially wanted us to understand is that the Lord sat enthroned at the flood, King forever over the flood.  That means that He is sovereign over the flood, which then suggests by implication that either the Lord sent the flood, or the Lord allowed the flood to come.  Either way, He is sovereign over the flood, and whatever the reason, the Lord has a purpose.  We may not see it immediately, and quite possibly we may not see it ever; but He does have a purpose.

            And here is what David pointedly wants us to know:  the Lord gives strength to His people, and He blesses His people with peace in the midst of the floods that come.  We simply need to seek Him when the floods come, and ask Him for His strength to endure and for His peace to maintain an even keel, so that we can see beyond the flood.

Lord, We have difficulty understanding Your purposes at times, especially when the floods come, but we trust in You in the midst of the flood.  Give us Your strength and Your peace, that we may see You beyond the flood and move that direction.  Amen.

Heart Prayer

Lord God, Creator of the universe, Almighty God and Father of us all, my heart is filled with praise prompted by the presence of Your Holy Spirit!  I turn to You in my searchings and longings because You and You alone are God.  There is none like You, and there is no one else to turn to.  You are sovereign God over all things and all life in your universe, seen or unseen.  You give life, and You recall life to Yourself, and while there is much I cannot comprehend, my heart rejoices before You with the angels and saints of heaven, and I join them in saying, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." You and You alone are God.  Only You are worthy to receive praise.


Your creation speaks to me of You.  The heavens declare Your glory, and the earth expresses Your creative hand.  The stars pour forth knowledge night after night. Some among us considered humanly intelligent look into the heavens and see only stars and planets and matter, and in their arrogance they say they see no evidence of You.  I see nothing but evidence of You.  Their thinking is one-dimensional and has blinded them to the truth.  They have turned themselves into spiritual anorexics.  They are starving spiritually while thinking they stand for the truth.  I am saddened by the spiritual poverty they inflict on themselves, and I pray they may open their eyes and minds to true Intelligence, because they, too, are loved by You.


May my mind and heart be drawn to You this day and riveted to your grace and goodness and compassion.  May I walk with You today in ways that cause others to honor You.  Amen.

Bird Feathers

“Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.” (Matthew 10:29)

            What encouragement!  Even when a tiny sparrow, practically worthless in the eyes of many, falls to the ground, our heavenly Father knows it, and it never happens without His consent (literally, “apart from your Father” [HCSB footnote]).  How many of us have been encouraged by this thought, especially when the problems mount?

            The context of the verse adds to its encouragement.  Jesus spoke these words as part of His challenge to His disciples, as He was sending them out to minister.  He warned that persecutions would dog them.  He knew this would produce fear, so He told them not to be afraid.  That would seem to be a little like a doctor saying, “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt much.”  Still, He told them not to be afraid.

            Our heavenly Father knows everything we go through.  No detail escapes His notice.  Nothing will happen to us apart from Him, that is, apart from His knowledge and consent, and although we may not comprehend that thought very well, it says to us that whatever happens to us has no relevance to our value to the Lord.  It happens only according to His purposes, which, like a sparrow, we simply cannot fathom.  We only need to know that Jesus is thus challenging us to trust God and His purposes.

            Such trust serves to free us from our fears.  It helps us to relax.  It further frees us to move forward in serving Him, whether the issues we face are small or great.  So, keep moving toward trust.

Lord, How grateful we are to know that Your purposes will be fulfilled in us, even if we are unable to understand them.  We thank You for the encouragement of Your care.  Amen.

Help Needed

“I will lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1)

            Drill down into this word “help.”  Help is something everybody needs at one time or another.  Help is that which is needed when something vital needs to be accomplished, and when the one who sees the need lacks the capability to accomplish it.

            Two blind men heard that Jesus was coming their way.  They had heard of His miracles, so when Jesus arrived at His home in Capernaum, these men went to Him and asked to be healed.  Their going to Jesus was an act of faith.  Jesus helped them by healing them.

            A man possessed by a demon and unable to speak needed Jesus’ help, so some friends took him to Jesus.  Again, this was an act of faith on the part of these friends.  Jesus evicted the demon, and the man spoke.  The people all said they had never seen anything like this before.

            Crowds gathered around Jesus.  Some may have just been curious on-lookers, but many of these folks needed some help.  Many were discouraged and needed hope.  Jesus spoke words of encouragement to them that gave them the hope they needed.

            So, what help do you need today?  You can “look to the mountains,” but you are not likely to find any help coming over the horizon.  Or, you can look to the Lord and realize that your help comes from Him.  Act in faith.  Go to Jesus, and ask Him for His help.

Lord, You are our help and our strength, and to You we go. Amen.