Thursday, July 31, 2008

Malachi 3:6

Father,

Amid the flow of seamless days, incessantly melding one into another, change is everywhere, save with You.

Time is replete with comings and goings, living and dying, continuous movement on the way to eternity, ceaseless ebb and flow, but not You.

All that is seen is temporal, while the unseen is eternal; praise to Your immutable Name that you transcend that which is viewed, that which is mutable.

For, what would happen if You could actually change...?

What would come of all the wonderful promises You've made in Your Word--- they could no longer be claimed nor trusted.

How could your children depend upon Your Word at all--- for, if You could change, so could Your Word, and we would never know which parts to believe and which parts to reject or ignore.

Our praying would lose all confidence, hope, & joyful certainty--- for it would no longer be grounded in Your constancy of character, if You could change.

Would we speak eagerly to others of their need to be saved if the Savior was not trustworthy? If the essence of His character could vascillate in the slightest?

And how would we know for sure that our King will return to gather His own to Himself, Father, if Your Name and Word were not expressions of Your unchangable nature?

Praise to Your faithful Name, Father, that You cannot change and remain who You are. Grant grace that we may think of You as You truly are, and serve You in a manner worthy of Your immutable Name.

In the Lord Jesus' Name, I pray,
Amen.

Friday, July 18, 2008

I Corinthians 10:13

"(a) No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and (b) God is faithful, (c) who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation (d) will provide the way of escape also, so that (e) you will be able to endure it."

Each statement in this verse counters a lie of the world system, instigated by the father of lies.
(a) Satan would have each of us feel that my temptation is uniquely mine, distinctly difficult, common to no one else. The more isolated and alone, the more abandoned he can convince me I am, the more I will look inward rather than upward.
(b) Any time we sin, the enemy uses it to question God's faithfulness. He relishes casting aspersions on the Lord's character by planting seeds of doubt and blame in our hearts as to His goodness.
(c) He whispers that we are not capable of resisting, because God will allow more than we can endure. No, in Christ we can do all things!
(d) The devil would convince us there is no escape, no alternative. We must sin. Our flesh gleefully agrees. The Holy Spirit says, "No, keep asking, keep seeking, and you will find the way of escape."
(e) Satan would have us believe we cannot endure his temptations. Yet the One who is Truth declares that we can. He who cannot lie, whose promises have never failed, whose provision is all-sufficient, is true to His Word.
Thus, when the Christian sins, it is not from any lack of power or provision on the part of the living God. It is not an evidence of any character deficiency on His part in the slightest. Rather, the responsibility is upon the believer to cooperate with, and yield to the resident Holy Spirit within, depending upon His power for the defeating of the evil one.
May we grow ever more discerning in seeing through the enemy's lies, learning to counter them with the truth of Scripture!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Luke 10:38-42

"But the Lord answered and said to her,'Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her,' " (Luke 10:42).
As the ultimate hostess, Martha was going to make sure everything was perfect for the Lord during His visit to her home. And her sister, Mary, had been in the kitchen as well, for Martha remarks that she "left me" (v. 40). Mary wasn't shirking the necessary preparations of a good hostess, but when the Master arrived all else became secondary. The Lord commended her priority of love-- His presence and teaching had first place in her heart.
Many today consider worry a virtue, a sign of concientious concern that is commendable. In point of fact it is veiled unbelief, replacing prayer, and used by the enemy to keep us staring at circumstances instead of gazing at God.

Father, cause me to yearn again for the place Mary chose... seated at the Savior's feet, eagerly listening, willing to not only hear, but obey with a grateful heart. Forgive for times I succumb to the tyranny of the urgent, when the truly important slips away. Teach me again to invest my time, not merely spend it. I, too, would choose the good part, and thank You for Your gracious Word.
In the Lord Jesus' blessed Name I pray, Amen.



Friday, July 11, 2008

Our Enemy & His Lies

"Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." --- the Lord Jesus, speaking of Satan (John 8:44)
From the time of his expulsion from the heavenlies, taking a third of the angels with him, Satan has sought to steal God's worship, and hinder mankind's knowledge of Him. Adroitly employing the three tools listed in I John 2:16, the father of lies continually deceives humanity into thinking heaven can be attained (earned or deserved) on the basis of good deeds. This is "the lie" that is at the heart of every world religion, and many of the cults, where man is reaching up to God, rather than God reaching down to man in grace.
And the Bible was given in order to counter Satan's lies. The teachings of Scripture, by their very declarations, expose the spirit of the world system that is the devil's domain. It requires little imagination, then, to grasp why the enemy of our soul hates the Word with an unceasing resolve.
Those whose lives are dedicated to translating the Word into languages which have not had the Bible in that tongue previously are shiny targets for intense spiritual warfare, as a result of Satan's hatred for the Word. May we intercede for them faithfully.

"Father, protect them even in this hour. Grant them perseverance in the difficult times, when faced with much opposition. May their families be encouraged, also, sensing Your nearness in the lonely times. Be pleased to sovereignly superintend the translating of Your blessed Word for Your perfect plans and purposes. In the Lord Jesus' Name, Amen."