THANKFULNESS

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about thankfulness. Specifically, I’ve been trying to uncover what thankfulness teaches us about God.

God’s people are exhorted again and again—in various ways—to be thankful: there are thank offerings and psalms of thanksgiving, worship includes thankfulness, Jesus offered thanks before he multiplied the loaves and fish, thanksgiving is to be included in prayer, and the Christian is to be thankful. (In the realm of religious faiths, are the ones based on the God of the Bible the only faiths that hold thankfulness in high regard?)

Certainly, we are to be thankful for who God is and all that He has done for us. We can never thank Him enough for redeeming us from the curse of sin and for His ongoing work in our lives to make us more like Christ. God’s comfort and presence in times of difficulty is another reason to be thankful; we are thankful for our families and friends—the list goes on and on.

If the verse were to read: “let us be fearful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire,’” our relationship with God would be quite different. Our worship would be mandated and there would be a separation between us and Him. However, that we can come before God with thankfulness means that He is for us (He has our best interest at heart) and that He is a personal God (He invites us into His presence).

Thankfulness points to the goodness of God. We would have good reason to fear an all powerful, all knowing, ever present deity, but add to that the quality of true goodness and there is every reason to respond with thankfulness (and praise).

Father, there is so much to thank You for: salvation, sustaining grace, provision, strength to face temptation—the list is endless. Thank You for today and for Your presence. I praise You because You are good.

God’s grace to you,
Jim

Looking Forward in Faith

"Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." Hebrews 11:10 NLT

In obedience to God's call Abraham left the comfort of his home and the advanced culture of Ur to go to the backwoods of Canaan and live in a tent. But seeing with eyes of faith he had something greater in view than the comforts he left behind. Living in a tent for a few years was a worthwhile price to pay for the eternal city toward which God was leading him. By faith he wanted to be a part of the greater things of God and was willing to pay the temporary cost to do God's will for eternal gain.

Are you living for the eternal or for the temporary? We can become so focused on our comfort and dreams for this present world that we lose sight of the eternal world. If we truly catch sight of the greatness of God's eternal kingdom we will suddenly reorder our life to get in on what God is doing and to go where God is leading. It may not make sense to the world around us but we are seeing and living for something they do not see or understand.

Father, open my eyes to see by faith the things that are eternal and to live for them rather than the temporary comforts of this world.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Too Clever for God?

"So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle...But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor." 1 Kings 22:30, 34

The prophet had delivered the word of the Lord to King Ahab declaring that he would die in battle. This was God's judgment on Ahab's wickedness. Ahab thought he could cleverly disguise himself and hide from the judgment of God. But one cannot escape from God's judgment no matter how clever he may be.

We may hide our sins from the eyes of men but we cannot hide them from the searching eyes of the Lord. Proverbs 28:12 warns, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper." While we can never escape God's judgment by hiding our sins there is another way to escape God's judgment. The above proverb goes on to declare, "But whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Or as 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Father, reveal any hidden sin in my life so that I may confess and renounce it and receive your mercy.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

WHO / WHAT / WHEN

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:25

Who: Jesus
What: intercedes
When: always

It is for you and me that Jesus—THE SON OF GOD— is interceding. Who else would you want in your corner?

Not only did he pay the price for our sins, he continues to be our advocate before the throne of God. Because of this, there can be no doubt that he is able (and willing) to save us. Nothing will fall between the cracks; we are and will be completely saved.

Thank you, Lord, for saving me. Thank you for continuing to intercede for me at the highest level I can imagine. You are a great God.

Grace to you,
Jim

Listen and Obey

"Now Elijah...said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the nest few years except at my word.'" 1 Kings 17:1

What a bold declaration Elijah made to King Ahab! On what basis did he make this prediction? He spoke for the Lord "whom I serve." The King James Version reads "before whom I stand" where the New International Version has "whom I serve." Putting the two translations together we get the full picture communicated in the original Hebrew. Elijah stood before the Lord as a servant listening for His voice and ready to obey His command. When the Master spoke the servant went from His presence to obey. The Lord gave Elijah this message to deliver to Ahab and, at risk of his own life, Elijah delivered the message of judgment obediently.

This is a good picture of what our own relationship to the Lord should be. We stand before Him as His servants with ears attentive to His Word and then we go from His presence to obey what He has said, no matter the cost. When we open our Bibles we take the posture of a servant ready to hear the Master. When we close our Bibles we take the position of a servant ready to obey the Master.

Father, may I learn to be more attentive to Your word and then obedient like Elijah. Give me ears to hear, a heart to believe, and hands to obey.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Slow Learner?

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:14

The writer of Hebrews labels the recipients of his letter slow learners (v.11). He tells them that they should be teachers by now (v.12). Reading his remarks leads me to ask myself the following questions, and I would invite you to ask yourself these same questions.

• How much do I depend on others to teach me the Word of God? Am I too reliant on others to feed me spiritually?
• Am I studying God's Word for myself?
• Is my faith immature? Do I have to relearn the same simple lessons of faith over and over again?
• What have I done to train myself to distinguish good from evil?
  

Father, examining myself with these questions reveals that I am weak and undisciplined. I know that you desire me to be mature, "lacking nothing." I need your grace to overcome my shortcomings and to grow into the person you desire me to be. Lead me to grow in faith, knowledge and obedience.

By His grace,
Matt

Fully Committed

"...Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life." 1 Kings 16:14

Asa was a breath of fresh air for Judah. Following two kings who were not committed to the Lord Asa came walking in the footsteps of his great, great grandfather David. He turned away from the idolatry of his father and and grandfather and worshiped the Lord and obeyed His commands as David had done.

Every generation must make it's own choice about worshiping and following the Lord. We can neither coast on the devotion of our parents nor use their unfaithfulness as an excuse. We must choose for ourselves to follow after the Lord with our whole heart.

Father, I have chosen to follow You and pray that it may be said of me that I was fully committed to the LORD all my life.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

PAYING ATTENTION

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1

There is something about the start of school in the fall (much like the start of the calendar year) that prompts me to evaluate how I’m living life. Specifically, I review my spiritual progress—or lack thereof—and seek to strengthen my connection with Christ. I often find that I have become distracted (sort of a spiritual attention deficit disorder—is that SADD?) by some activities and attitudes that I could do without.

If I paid more careful attention to the things God has taught me, this periodic course correction would not be needed so often.

If this exercise will help you, I hope you will also seek a renewed focus on God’s will for your life. A little course correction keeps our tendency to drift in check.

Father, help me to keep my attention on You so that I will not drift away from what brings You glory. Renew my focus in any area of life where distraction is a problem. Help me to retain and put into practice the principles I’m learning from You.

Grace to you,
JIM

Foolish Love

"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women....The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway." 1 Kings 11:1, 2 NLT

For all of Solomon's wisdom he was terribly foolish when it came to women. He let women rule his heart rather than God. In spite of the Lord's clear command "Solomon insisted on loving them (pagan women) anyway." They drug his heart away from God and brought division to his kingdom. What a fool!

Is there anything about which God's word is clear but you are insistently holding on to anyway? Our loves may be different but we can be just as foolish and stubborn in our sin as Solomon. Solomon gained little and lost much by holding on to his sin. What will you gain by holding on to yours? What will you lose?

Father, search my heart and make me aware of any "loves" that I am stubbornly holding on to in spite of the clear warning of your word. Give me a heart responsive and wholly devoted to you.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

PROMISES

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 1 Kings 4:20

God’s people enjoyed great prosperity and peace during the reign of King Solomon. This was a high point in Jewish history and, as a result, the nation flourished—especially in population growth and in geo-political influence. However, even though King Solomon is known for his wisdom, it is God who deserves all the recognition and honor for the success of His people.

God is the one who promised Abraham that his descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). And while this promise has more spiritual implications than physical ones, it is clear that God was fulfilling His promise during King Solomon’s reign.

God always keeps His word. It is impossible for Him to fail.

Father, thank You for keeping Your word and for showing us time after time in scripture how You keep Your promises. Help us to trust You, knowing that You still keep Your word and that nothing is too difficult for You.

Grace to You,
JIM

Fatihful without Fail

"If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:13

The Lord Jesus may disown us if we disown Him (v.12) but if we are faithless He cannot return the favor. Faithlessness is not in the character of Jesus. As "God does not lie" (Titus 1:2) so Jesus is not faithless. He will always be faithful to His character--He is unchanging. He will always be faithful to His promises--He is unfailing. He will always be faithful to His purposes--He is unstoppable. We may falter and fail but when we look to Him we will find Him ever faithful.

Lord Jesus, I rejoice in your unfailing faithfulness and pray that You may so fully live in me that I may reflect your faithfulness.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

RESPONSE

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:4

These two lines are a small part of the song that is recorded in this chapter (also Psalm 18), but they reveal one reason God considered King David “a man after my own heart.” Whenever he was in danger, David’s response was to turn to God. God was his source of strength in the battles of life.

Faced any enemies lately? Every time we face temptation, we are under attack by the enemy. How can we survive unscathed? Turn to God and seek His strength to overcome temptation. God tells us in James 4:7: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Lord, I turn to you now for strength to overcome the temptations I will face today. Give me a heart that seeks and submits to You over anything else. You are truly worthy of praise.

God’s grace to you,
Jim

Eternal Investments

"The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden." 1 Timothy 5:24-25

Our sins may be obvious to men and precede us to the place of judgment or they may be done quietly and trail behind us. But whether obvious or quiet "Be sure your sins will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). We cannot afford to trifle with sin. We must kill it through repentance and confession. Once our sin has been dealt with through the blood of Christ then we need not fear meeting it again at the place of judgment (1 John 1:7, 9).

Not only do our sins follow us but so do our good deeds. Sometimes our good deeds are obvious and recognized by others. But those done quietly will not go unnoticed by God (see Matthew 6:3-4). Rather than depleting our spiritual account through sin, we can invest in it through good deeds that will bring eternal dividends. Once again remember Galatians 6:7: "A man reaps what he sows."

Father, may it be good deeds rather than sin that mark my life that I may hear Your "Well done" when I stand before You.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark