Category: Published

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT   We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do.  We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.  We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Colossians 1:15-20 Phillips  Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God. He existed before creation began, for it was through Him that every thing was made, whether spiritual or material, seen or unseen. Through Him, and for Him, also, were created power and dominion, ownership and authority. In fact, every single thing was created through, and for Him. He is both the first principle and the upholding principle of the whole scheme of creation.  And now He is the head of the body which is composed of all Christian people. Life from nothing began through Him, and life from the dead began through Him, and He is, therefore, justly called the Lord of all. It was in Him that the full nature of God chose to live, and through Him God planned to reconcile in His own person, as it were, everything on earth and everything in Heaven by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross.

Observation

Here are a few reminders about who we are in Christ as we look toward the future.

We operate from a position of advantage.  We are IN Christ, not near Him, not next to Him but IN Him.  We are the children of the Almighty God, Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is never surprised by the moves of the enemy.  He is never unprepared or taken aback by what happens.  He never leaves or forsakes us. 

We are not in charge of the ultimate plan. He feels no pressure or compunction to react or act according to any plan or timetable other than His own.  He is never concerned about what people will think about an individual battle that seems to be lost.  He will partner with us and equip us to accomplish His plan and fulfill His will and purpose BUT He will not necessarily bless any plan we come up with on our own.  He has already won the war and will lead us in victory – if we choose to follow into His Kingdom that He has established on earth as it is in Heaven.  We need to wait and take however long it takes to hear from Him and be wise enough to trust and embrace His plan for us.

We have been given superior weapons.  The weapons our God gives us are not the weapons the world sees as powerful but are those that exercise His absolute spiritual power and authority – on earth and in the heavenlies.  These are the invisible weapons of surrendered life of faith born from a heart established in Christ. These weapons wield incredible power against which the enemy has no defense  – 1 Corinthians 13 love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, self-sacrifice, humility, obedience to His call, the fruit of the Spirit among so many others.  The enemy gains no foothold, no victory, when we wield only God’s weapons by responding according to the Word of God rather than react according to our flesh.  We are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices;  we should also know how to use the weapons God has given.

God is not performance-based.  Will we be judged by Jesus one day for the works performed by us as an act to demonstrate our love and gratitude for Who He is and what He has done for us?  Absolutely!  However, showing Him many lists with all the boxes checked off, showing all the good things we decided to do on our own in His name, will not impress Him nearly as much as how well we listened and obeyed in whatever He specifically asked us to do.  If we trust God enough to pray and wait to hear His plan, setting aside our timetable, our need to be in control, and our need to rack up another achievement to gain the praise of men, we will find that our joy will be full because we have given Him joy in His heart.

Impact on Me

These are all reminders that speak powerfully to me.  Learning to live by faith is a journey of surrendering over and over, finding Jesus faithful when I do, and moving on to the next opportunity to learn to trust Him.  Sometimes, I have to circle back a few times on the same path. It is amazing to me that Holy Spirit is such a patient and faithful teacher and companion.

I need to remember that my God’s power, authority and strength is like the whole power plant compared to the devil’s microwave strength – like the Sun compared to a mini-flashlight.  I think about Peter walking on the water.  He was actually doing it until he was distracted by the stormy waves.  Why would calm or stormy make a difference – walking on water in any case is impossible.  My goal this year is to keep my eyes on Jesus so the storminess around me won’t distract me from remembering and exercising who I am in Christ.

Devotion

Almighty, Everlasting, Omniscient Father, I worship You.  Jesus, Creator, Redeemer, Savior, You are worthy of all praise.  Holy Spirit, patient and constant, teach and guide me in trusting in my adoption, my redemption, my authority in Christ so I won’t be distracted by the storms and sink.  Help me to wait on You but act quickly to obey when I do hear Your voice, Your call.  School me in using Your weapons, provide me with the humility needed to use them, and grace, grace, grace.  I ask this all in Jesus’ name.

Micah 6:6-8 MSG   How can I stand up before God and show proper respect to the high God?  Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves?  Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil?  Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin?  ⁸ But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously — take God seriously.

Matthew 6:9-15 Phillips  Pray then like this—‘Our Heavenly Father, may your name be honoured; May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the bread we need, Forgive us what we owe to you, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil’.”  ^14-15 “For if you forgive other people their failures, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you will not forgive other people, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your failures.”

Observation

All of the sacrifices mentioned in the Micah passage above were common sacrifices of the time.  The pagan cultures offered food, animals and even human sacrifices to try to gain favor with their angry and inconsistent gods – gods who often modeled the worst of human behaviors.  These false gods were many, demonic and demonstrably fickle, wrathful and woefully flawed.  These cultures prayed and petitioned without expectation of blessing while hoping to avoid the wrath of their gods.

The Jewish faith required the sacrifice of animals whose blood temporarily covered over the sin of the people.  The high priest had to repeat the sacrifice every year for the nation and individuals could bring an animal without blemish for personal atonement.  These sacrifices were meant to foreshadow the permanent sacrifice to forgive sin that Jesus would make on the Cross.  Unfortunately, the sacrifice became the fix allowing them to live as they pleased rather than living according to the nature and heart of God – an outward “spiritual” act replacing an inward spiritual submission.  This is Micah’s point.  God wants us to show proper respect for Him by living His love.

Impact on Me

I have always believed that submitting to and following the Lord is simple but not easy.  As Micah says, “Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously — take God seriously.”  Simple – because it only requires making the choice to submit to surrender and serve with my full heart, striving to be like Him, submitting to His instruction, considering others before myself, and accepting His assignments.  This is not easy because doing this battles against my human tendencies – resenting being treated like the servant I claim to want to be, withholding forgiveness from those I don’t think deserve it, giving in to other manifestations of my pride, my desire to be recognized and praised for my achievements, my comfort, my control over my life – the list goes on. 

“Forgive us what we owe to you, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. …For if you forgive other people their failures, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you will not forgive other people, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your failures.”  So, as an example, this is simple but definitely not easy.  This is Jesus speaking so I want to hear.  I recognize that forgiving others’ failures – especially when that failure was hurtful – takes a hit on all the struggles listed above.  I also recognize that holding on to unforgiveness only causes more hurt for me and can lead into the abyss of resentment, bitterness and hatred that will color how I relate to God and others.  If I want forgiveness for my failures, the choice is simple, and, when I ask Holy Spirit to support and encourage me in hearing and obeying His voice, I will make it so.

Devotion

Lord God Almighty, Savior, Redeemer, Ever Constant Companion through life, God of My Hope, there is none like You.  I ask You to help me show the deepest respect for You by my heartfelt and Spirit-led living of Your love, Your nature, through my life.  Help me to live a simple life of submission and obedience to You, Your Word, Your will and purpose for my life.  I want to take You seriously, choosing Your harder road rather than an easy self-pleasing life.  I pray this all in Jesus’ name.

Luke 2:6-7 MSG  While they (Joseph and Mary) were there (in Bethlehem), the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

Observation

Simply, humbly, quietly, the Savior, Messiah, King of Kings becomes human as a helpless child.  This is the fulfilled promise: “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” (Isaiah 9:6b-7)  Yet, the fanfare on His arrival was all for the lowly shepherds, those with the least influence and status.  Even the kings (aka wise men) that eventually came to honor Him were Gentile, another group not highly regarded by the Jewish authorities. 

Why come as a baby?  Why didn’t the angels announce His coming to people of influence and power?  Why be born into such humble circumstances, in a place redolent with the odor of animals?  Why live so under the radar as He grew?   Why wait so many years to make Himself known?  Why be an itinerant preacher with no permanent home?  Why suffer the ignominy of death on a Cross?  These are all questions we can ask to try to make sense of why our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – seems to wait so long while He allows evil to continue to appear to triumph through inflicting disaster, pain and suffering.  I don’t believe He will answer these questions with anything but “trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  He has a plan that will not be changed or rushed.

Impact on Me

I have found that Jesus will come to the humblest and most distressed places.  I received Jesus as Lord alone in my home.  I was listening to a television evangelist who invited me to put my hand on the screen and pray with him.  I was a church goer all of my life, but I was never aware of a personal relationship with Christ available to me.  I got saved on that day, in front of that television, and my life was changed.  My life was not made perfect in that moment, but I did step into God’s plan to work His will and purpose in my life.  This is a lifetime pursuit, a journey, one in which I must trust Him enough to surrender and release my rights, my dreams, my control.  I am responsible to learn how to respond according to His Word rather than react according to my flesh.

Perhaps this is why Jesus arrived as a baby.  He needed 30 years to fully understand our human struggle by living it.  He was a child dependent upon and submitted to His parents.  He learned to work with His hands.  He had friends and relatives.  As a human, He learned how to stay out of the way of the full and powerful flow of the Holy Spirit.  He showed us what is possible when we do the same.  It makes me more aware of how intense and agonizing facing the Cross must have been.  I am forever grateful for His sacrifice which began in a trough and ended on the Cross.

Devotion

Lord, You are Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Because You lived as we do, You understand our tendency to ask questions, to want to know and understand.  However, I recognize that I am asked to listen for Your instruction and obey because I trust You.  Mary did this at great risk to her reputation and future.  I doubt she really understood her part in my road to salvation, restoration and maturity in Christ.  I am grateful for her and ask that You would help me to have the same absolute trust regardless of the cost.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.