Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
Christ is all, and in all. – Colossians 3:11.
The service of Christ is the business of my life.
The will of Christ is the law of my life.
The presence of Christ is the joy of my life.
The glory of Christ is the crown of my life.
~ BISHOP THOROLD
Thursday August 15, 2024
John 3:7
“You must be born again.”
The answer to the question “How can a man be born when he is old?” is—When he is old enough to die—to die right out to his ‘rag rights,’ to his virtues, to his religion, to everything, and to receive into himself the life which never was there before. The new life manifests itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness.
“As many as received Him” (John 1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus born of internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned by listening to others? Have I something in my life that connects me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour? All spiritual history must have a personal knowledge for its bedrock. To be born again means that I see Jesus.
“Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Do I seek for signs of the Kingdom, or do I perceive God’s rule? The new birth gives a new power of vision whereby I begin to discern God’s rule. His rule was there all the time, but true to His nature; now that I have received His nature, I can see His rule.
“Whoever is born of God does not sin,” (1 John 3:9). Do I seek to stop sinning or have I stopped sinning? To be born of God means that I have the supernatural power of God to stop sinning. In the Bible it is never—Should a Christian sin? The Bible puts it emphatically—A Christian must not sin. The effective working of the new birth life in us is that we do not commit sin, not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have stopped sinning. 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin; it means that if we obey the life of God in us, we need not sin.
Love is good news for those seeking guidance. Love is the guide we need.
Many first-century Jewish Christians faced the question of what to do with the Law (the first five books of the Bible), by which they had lived previously. Now that they had Jesus, what would they do with their traditions? Paul’s answer is based on love:
“Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another, for the one who loves someone else has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
He then goes on:
“For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are summed up in this statement: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does not commit evil against a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10).
These are beautiful words, and I’m not saying that because they let me off the hook for keeping the law; they also answer the problem that the Old Testament prophets addressed.
The prophet Jeremiah, commenting on the sin of Babylon, notes:
“All humankind turns out to be stupid, without knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by the divine image. For his cast image is a lie, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery. At the time of their punishment, they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the creator of everything, and the tribe of his inheritance. Yahweh of hosts is his name” (Jeremiah 51:17-19).
Jeremiah’s words teach us that we are lost without Yahweh as our guide. Without Him, we will, like Babylon, seek things as dumb as golden images. Yahweh, in His great love for us, guides us to Himself. In Him, we see love; in Jesus, we see His loving image made visible. In Yahweh, we see the way we should go; in Jesus, we see the way back to Yahweh.
Lord, hear our prayer:
Father above, wise and glorious, when we look back on what you have done for us, we praise you not just for Jesus, but we praise you for Jesus’ parents, that they brought him to the temple. We thank you for everything that reminds us that our lives are a special gift from you. We praise you that whether we are young or old, single or married, we can still have the joy of belonging to your family. Forgive us when we do not make new people feel welcome, and when we only think of ourselves. Please forgive us and fill us with the love of Jesus.
Amen.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
Christ who is your life. – Colossians 3:4.
To be in Christ is the secret of our life.
To be for Christ is the meaning of our activity.
To be with Christ is the hope of our glory.
~ BISHOP THOROLD
Wednesday August 14, 2024
John 16:13
“He will guide you into all truth.”
The Holy Ghost does not come to give us extraordinary manifestations, but to give us life and light, and the nearer We come to Him, the more simple will His illumination and leading be. He comes to “guide us into all truth.” He comes to shed light upon our own hearts, and to show us ourselves. He comes to reveal Christ, to give, and then to illumine, the Holy Scriptures, and to make Divine realities vivid and clear to our spiritual apprehension. He comes as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, to “enlighten the eyes of our understanding, that we may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.”
Spirit of Power! with heavenly fire,
Our souls endue, our tongues inspire;
Stretch forth Thy mighty Hand,
Thy Pentecostal gifts restore,
The wonders of Thy power once more
Display in every land.
She might be the one we tend to avoid—the member of a small group who always states the obvious or brings up topics unrelated to the discussion at hand. I’m always a bit impatient for her to finish speaking so that others can offer more insightful comments, but generally her comments are followed by only awkward pauses. Or, he’s the person we’re attempting to avoid after church and small group because he always repeats the story about his grandkids that we’ve heard more than just a few times. I hope someone else will be there for him. If I’m feeling extra congenial, I might chat with him—always good to earn some kindness points.
I might approach community this way, but reading what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12 convicts me. The list of instructions on building up the community quickly reveals the selfish bent of my motives. Paul, who has just finished explaining that each member has specific spiritual gifts, shows what living in loving community is supposed to look like:
“Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; be attached to what is good, being devoted to one another in brotherly love, esteeming one another more highly in honor, not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality. Bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Think the same thing toward one another; do not think arrogantly, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own sight” (Romans 12:9-16).
I’m not meant to approach my small group study as a support group to help me work out my problems. Faith communities are familial settings where the gifts I have are meant to be developed and worked out for the good of others. It’s where I’m called to serve people around me—even, and especially, people who are lonely or a little different than me. I can only do that with a heart that is devoted to others, highly esteems them, and looks out for their needs. It’s when I humbly serve that I learn things I didn’t know in passing—the death of her husband and her difficulty in finding the right words to convey her ideas and experiences. It’s there where I learn that his kids barely call, and he’s reciting the same information from the yearly Christmas card. It’s where I help when I can, and pray when I can’t. And along the way, through my service, I may learn a thing or two from people who have gifts I have yet to discover.
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them” (Ephesians 5:6-7).
False teachers had begun infiltrating the early church, teaching that “freedom in Christ” meant freedom “from” laws and rules, freedom to live as one pleased. In earlier verses (read Ephesians 5:3-5), Paul mentioned various activities and attitudes that are “not fitting” and as the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) states, “entirely out of place” among believers. The false teachers taught their false doctrines, probably even trying to make evil seem less serious by saying that it was natural to indulge in impurity and might even be good for us at times, that it was useful to society to go after money and possessions (“covetousness”), and that God would not punish clever wit, even if it was in the form of obscenity and vulgarity. The false teachers made up doctrines that allowed for sinful lifestyles. Paul did not want the believers to be deceived by their empty words. Such words have no weight and no depth; they are “empty” because they are lies.
Paul gave similar warnings in many of his letters because false teachers were a constant threat to the new believers. In fact, Paul had told the Ephesian elders:
“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you” (Acts 20:28–31 NLT).
The “vicious wolves” in the passage quoted above refer to the false teachers that would come and distort the truth. Paul continued to warn the believers in Ephesus against the deceptions that would be placed before them, the tiny distortions, the half-truths, the plausible arguments that were, in reality, lies. The believers should be on guard and not be deceived for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Empty words had already aroused God’s anger (the word “comes” is in the present tense, indicating a present reality). The permissive activities described in Ephesians 5:3-5 (and those who espouse such license) arouse God’s anger because they come from the enemy, “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Those who thought they could continue in sin as a part of their “freedom” would discover that they were never free but were all the time enslaved to their sin. And they would face God’s wrath both in the present and in the future.
Therefore, because of God’s wrath on sin and because sinful activities are incompatible with life in Christ’s kingdom, Paul told the believers to not be partakers with people who pretend Christianity and practice permissiveness. This “association” refers to joining them in their sinful activities or in justifying sin. To do so would be to mock the sacrifice Christ made in order to take away sin. True believers have been saved “from” that old self in order to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
Lord, hear our prayer:
Father, we thank you for the way you have made us. We praise you that we can think and plan and choose and give. We thank you that we can help and care and share. We praise you for the gift of friends; for those who stand by us no matter what happens. We thank you for the happiness and joy, the laughter and fun, which our friends bring to our lives. You have shown us true friendship so abundantly and we thank and praise you in the name of our greatest friend, Jesus.
Amen.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:3.
It is impossible that Satan can touch this life, either in its source, its channel, its power, its sphere, or its duration. God is its source; a risen Christ, its channel; the Holy Ghost, its power; heaven, its sphere; and eternity, its duration.
An established, experienced, hopeful Christian is in the world, like an iceberg in a swelling sea. The waves rise and fall. Ships strain and shiver, and nod on the agitated waters. But the iceberg may be seen from far, receiving the breakers on its snow-white sides, casting them off unmoved, and, where all else is rocking to and fro, standing stable like the everlasting hills. The cause of its steadiness is its depth. Its bulk is bedded in calm water beneath the tumult that rages on the surface. Although, like the ships, it is floating in the water, it receives and throws off the angry waves like the rocks that gird the shore. Behold the condition and attitude of Christians! They float in the same sea of life with other men, and bear the same buffetings; but they are not driven hither and thither, the sport of wind and water. The wave, strikes them, breaks over them, and hisses past in foam; but they remain unmoved. They were not caught by surprise while they had a slight hold of the surface. The chief part of their being lies deep beyond the reach of these superficial commotions. Their life, “hid with Christ, in God,” bears without breaking all the strain of the storm.
~ ARNOT
Tuesday August 13, 2024
Psalm 104:17-18
Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.
This Psalm is all through a song of nature, the adoration of God in the great outward temple of the universe. Some in these modern times have thought it to be a mark of high spirituality never to observe nature; I remember sorrowfully reading the expressions of a godly person, who, in sailing down one of the most famous rivers in the world, closed his eyes, lest the picturesque beauties of the scene should divert his mind from scriptural topics. This may be regarded by some as profound spirituality; to me it seems to savor of absurdity. There may be persons who think they have grown in grace when they have attained to this; it seems to me that they are growing out of their senses. To despise the creating work of God, what is it but, in a measure, to despise God himself? ‘Whoso mocks the poor reproaches his Maker’. To despise the Maker, then, is evidently a sin; to think little of God under the aspect of the Creator is a crime. None of us should think it a great honour to ourselves if our friends considered our productions to be unworthy of admiration and injurious rather than improving to their minds. If, when they passed our workmanship, they turned their eyes away, lest they should suffer injury by looking at it, we should not regard them as very respectful to ourselves; surely the despising of that which is made is somewhat akin to the despising of the Maker himself. The psalmist tells us that ‘the Lord shall rejoice in his works.’ If he rejoices in what he has made, shall not those who have communion with him rejoice in his works also? ‘The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.’ Despise not the work, lest you despise the worker.
When we consider ourselves wise, we’re in danger of losing perspective on the truth and making others feel small. The Proverbs often discuss this problem, remarking, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12). This foolishness doesn’t just appear when we elevate ourselves or fail to consider others; it also shows up when we fail to consider our own needs.
When we’re lazy or do less than we can, we’re actually sinning—we’re ignoring what God meant us to be and thus holding back His plan, not just our own productivity. One of the Proverbs says:
“A lazy person says ‘A lion is in the road! A lion among the streets!’ . . . A lazy person buries his hands in the dish; he is too tired to return it to his mouth. A lazy person is wiser in his eyes than seven who answer discreetly” (Proverbs 26:13, 15-16).
The Bible’s condemnation of laziness makes sense for hyperbolic situations like lions showing up or someone being too lazy to eat, but it is even more practical when applied to regular situations.
If you consider many of the problems in our world—hunger, water, sanitation, or medical issues—it becomes clear that laziness and funds are often the obstacles preventing us from resolving them. If we stopped ignoring the lions and considering ourselves so wise, we would be able to help many people in need. We would also stop hurting those around us with our arrogance.
God wants to intercede in our world. He wants to use us to do so—we just have to step up.
Lord, hear our prayer:
Father, we praise you for the gifts and skills you have put into our lives. We thank you that we have eyes to see, ears to hear and minds to think. We praise you for giving us a desire to learn more about you and your world. We thank you for all those inventions that make life easier and safer. We praise you for lives made more comfortable and for lives that have been saved; for the fun and excitement that modern technology has added to our lives. Forgive us whenever we put our possessions before people, ourselves and our dreams before the needs of others. Forgive us whenever we put anyone or anything before you. Forgive us for pleasing ourselves and not listening to your call to love our neighbor. Hear our prayer and fill us again with your love and joy. In Christ’s precious and wonderful name.
Amen.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2.
The compass on board an iron vessel is very subject to aberrations; yet for all that, its evident desire is to be true to the pole. True hearts in this wicked world, and in this fleshly body, are all too apt to swerve, but still they show their inward and persistent tendency to point toward heaven and God. On board iron vessels it is a common thing to see the compass placed aloft, to be as far away from the cause of aberration as possible: a wise hint to us to elevate our affections and desires; the nearer to God, the less swayed by worldly influences.
~ C. H. SPURGEON
Monday August 12, 2024
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
If we were to judge John 3:16 on the basis of its value to the human race, we would have to say that it is probably the most precious cluster of words ever assembled by the mind of an intelligent man; a twenty-five-word compendium in which is contained the eternal Christian evangel, the message of genuine good news! . . .
We learn in school that diamonds are made from native carbon which has been placed under tremendous pressure which in time brings about the process of crystallization.
If we will just let our imaginations soar a bit, we can properly say that the Holy Ghost has taken the redemptive evangel and has placed it under the emotional pressure of the triune God, so unbelievably strong and powerful that it has been crystallized into this shining diamond of truth.
Using our imaginations again, I believe that if we could place this John 3:16 text on one side of some vast eternal scale held in space by some holy one to measure its value to mankind, it would prove to be more precious than all of the books that have ever been written by men.
We all know the feeling. When someone belittles us in front of others, we want to rail against them or make their lives miserable by filtering our rage through our best passive-aggressive behavior. When a friend continuously doles out inflammatory remarks, it’s easy to snap and say (or tweet) something inspired by the white-hot rage sweeping through us.
We’d be better off turning to the book of Proverbs, which can offer wisdom for dealing with these situations. The book seems to deliver hard-and-fast rules for life we can easily apply—do this; don’t do that. Do this and you’ll prosper; do that and you’ll suffer for your foolishness. However, Proverbs 26 delivers statements that confuse those who live by the rules:
“Do not answer a fool according to his folly lest you become like him—even you. Answer a fool according to his folly, or else he will be wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 26:4-5).
Do we answer the fool or leave him alone?
The entire trajectory of Proverbs is the attainment of wisdom. The author of this proverb isn’t offering a simple rule. He’s giving guidance. Although it’s sometimes better to keep silent—when speaking would inspire us to be equally foolish—other times the situation might call for us to reprimand the fool. If the fool is misleading others, we need to gently correct them for their good and everyone else’s. The fool may be teachable, just lacking in instruction and discipline.
We need discernment to know which response the situation requires. Pray for guidance in your interactions with others. Pray for wisdom from the Spirit, who can provide you with the discernment you need to answer in the right way. Just don’t be the fool and set the conversation ablaze with inflammatory words (James 3:5).
Robert Hawker: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers
Do you ask me to set you in my heart, and on my arm? Lord Jesus, I wish to wear you in my heart. Never, never depart from my arms.
I wish to feel you inwardly, and to testify to you by every outward testimony. And as seals upon the arm and upon the breast are in sight, so I wish to set you always before me, and tell the whole earth whose I am, and whom I love.
Wherever you go I will go, and where you dwell I will dwell: for I am no longer my own but am bought with a price. Therefore I will glorify God in my body, and in my spirit, which are yours.
Oh precious Lord, when I think of your love and my ingratitude. . . . But Lord, it is yours to love, yours to pity, yours to pardon.
Lord, give me grace to take you as my own. And while you are still saying to me, and to your church, “I have called you friends,” may I say, “This is my Friend, and this is my Beloved, O daughters of Jerusalem!”
Amen.
Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. – 2 Thessalonians 1:3.
The Thessalonians were growing in their love. Too often we think of love as either on or off, all or nothing. Paul tells us that we can nurture and grow love. True love is not static; it reaches out and draws others in. God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die in our place. When we talk to people about Christ, our love must be like his—we must willingly give up our own comfort and security so that others might receive God’s love. We can grow in love by not limiting our contact to those of our own race, nation, or community. Are there people or groups that, by your attitude or behavior, you are brushing aside? Take a step to grow in love and reach out to others.
98
Wisely, O Jesus, didst Thou tell Thy disciples, when Thou promised them the Comforter, that the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth: because it seeth Him not neither knoweth Him. But ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. O let the Spirit of Truth dwell with me, and then little matter for any other comforter. When I see myself beloved of the Father; when I know the perfection of Thy love, when the Father and the Son loveth me, and both manifest themselves unto me; when they are near unto me and abide with me for ever and ever; little harm can death do, or sickness and poverty. I can never be alone because the Father and Son are with me. No reproaches can discomfort me, no enemies can hurt me. O let me know Thee Thou Spirit of Truth, be Thou always with me, and dwell within me. How is it possible, but Thou shouldst be an infinite Comforter; who gives me a being as wide as eternity; a well-being as blessed as the Deity; a temple of glory in the omnipresence of God, and a light wherein to enjoy the New Jerusalem! An immovable inheritance, and an everlasting Kingdom that cannot be shaken! Thou art He who shows me all the treasures in heaven and earth, who enables me to turn afflictions into pleasures, and to enjoy mine enemies: Thou enabled me to love as I am beloved, and to be blessed in God: Thou sealed me up unto the Day of Redemption, and gives me a foretaste of heaven upon earth. Thou art my God and my exceeding joy, my Comforter and my strength for evermore. Thou represented all things unto me, which the Father and the Son hath done for me. Thou fill me with courage against all assaults, and enabled me to overcome in all temptations; Thou makes me immovable by the very treasures and the joys which Thou showed to me. O never leave me nor forsake me, but remain with me, and be my comfort forever!
Thomas Traherne (1637 – September 27, 1674) was an English poet, Anglican cleric, theologian, and religious writer. Traherne’s writings frequently explore the glory of creation and what he saw as his intimate relationship with God. The work for which Traherne is best known today is the Centuries of Meditations, a collection of short paragraphs in which he reflects on Christian life and ministry, philosophy, happiness, desire and childhood. This was first published in 1908 after having been rediscovered in manuscript ten years earlier. Before its rediscovery this manuscript was said to have been lost for almost two hundred years and is now considered a much loved devotional.
Scripture References: Isaiah 7:14; Luke 2:15
The priests in St. Nicolas Church, Obendorf, Austria, panicked Christmas Eve, 1818, when the church organ malfunctioned. The assistant pastor quickly penned a six-stanza poem, beginning with the words “Stille nacht, heilige nacht.” He took the verses to Franz Gruber, the church organist, who arranged a melody for two solo voices, a chorus, and guitar.
That might have been the end of it had not a serendipitous organ repairman learned of the song and taken a copy home. Two traveling singing families took it to more distant locales, singing it before the king of Prussia and in New York City. In 1834 the classic was heard in English: “Silent Night, Holy Night.’” It is the most popular Christmas carol in the world.
Perhaps the beauty of the message endears the song to us, the message of a love that brought God down to us and of a grace that lifts us up to God—luminous threads through every inch of the divine fabric that envelopes all who tie their lives to Christ. We hang the song on our hearts like an ornament on a Christmas tree, knowing it will illumine our life all year long.
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FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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