We long for freedom, and to be our own men and women, but what does freedom really mean? So many feel that freedom means that they are not to be subservient to anyone, when what it really means is that we are free to serve whomever we choose. As patriots we serve our country, as husbands and wives we serve our families, but as Christians we find the greatest of all service... we find that our freedom is founded in serving the Lord, and making Him the focus of our lives.
We listened as Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and then we memorized that prayer, and now recite it. We call it the Lord’s Prayer, and it has become the greatest gem in our treasure of all prayers, but do we concentrate on the words we pray, or are they simply the words that children commit to memory, and adults chant and sing routinely in worship? We say “Father in Heaven”, but do we dwell on what it means when we say hallowed be your name?
As Christians, which do we find easiest to believe, is it that Jesus will forgive us our sins, or that He will miraculously heal us? This is an interesting question because when our sin is forgiven no one can effectively argue against what they can’t see, but, with a healing miracle all can see and touch the outcome... and arguments against them can ensue. So here is the question today; do you lean most on the spiritual or the physical aspects of your faith, and which brought you to believe?
Are we feeling anxious today? Do we fret over the challenges which this particular day will bring as it unfolds before us? If so, what is the solution that we will employ, and feel inclined to pursue? Our God is mighty indeed, but he has no greater might, nor presents us with any more profound mercy, than that of His love, because all else is made real, perfected, and witnessed through its application. Are we simply applying our own taste of love to the personal pilgrim’s journey of faith that we find ourselves on? Have we chosen to apply God’s love as a random mortar between the stones of our belief.. and sometimes disbelief?
A few years ago I was reading my morning devotional written by E.M. Bounds, and preparing for prayer. The subject was the absolute perfection of Christ and the compassion which leads Him to intercede for us. The accompanying verse was Hebrews 4:15.
Today I am having hip replacement surgery, but I am not afraid, and this isn’t the first time I have spent the early morning hours preparing myself for an operation, or some medical challenge. Back in October of 2015 I was informing my children of just such a serious event… cancer, but my trust was in the Lord then, just as it is now.
Do we pray simply to receive those things that an omnipotent God can give to us, or do we pray that we receive those things that are part and parcel of His will? How did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane? He prayed that If it were God’s will that this cup be removed from Him, but more than that, He prayed that not His will but God’s will be done. How do we pray? Do we pray that whatever we desire be given to us, or whatever calamity we are facing will be lifted from us? Do we ask these things without concern for the will of God, or do we pray that God’s will be done?
The rich, the famous, and the wealthy, do they tempt you with their lifestyles, and make you yearn to be as they are? The arrogant, the wicked, and the dominant, does their ability to succeed every day without consequence bring you envy? These are the champions that the world has to offer, and they look, for all the world to see, as if they are the pinnacles of success, and what we should strive towards, but they are not. When the book of their life is closed, and the scroll of their possessions is rolled up, they will be thrown in the fire, but the righteous shall be just beginning to walk in glory with God through Jesus Christ. Thus we ask; where is my heart, my treasure, and my home?
Is Jesus Christ like a treasure that you have discovered in your life, and did you give up everything else you once valued so that in overwhelming joy you could abide with Him? No? Well, once you have uncovered Jesus, and witnessed the value of His righteousness, holiness, and grace, there is nothing you own that you wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice for Him. Perhaps you have merely discovered the locked chest, but have never opened it to see the actual treasure inside, and then covered it back up. Are you afraid of what opening that chest will awaken in you, or of what it will require of you?
Jesus calls our name, but do we hear Him, and do we respond to His call? Those who recognize His voice, and know who He is will most certainly respond to Him. Some worry that they will not hear, others fret over whether He will call them at all, but all those that He calls will recognize Him, so there is one question we alone must answer... will we choose to join His flock by obediently following His call?
As a parent we feel the pain of our children, and as our Heavenly Father, God also feels the pain of our suffering. He not only feels our discomfort, but He intercedes in it by soothing our agony, and carrying us in His arms when we are unable to walk on our own. We should never let Satan convince us that our God is detached, or uncaring, because in truth He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to share in our bruises, and to become our surrogate in affliction... thus healing, and redeeming us.
As we contemplate the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, how amazing it is that He did all this for us while we were embracing sin, and covered in the filth of the world. He came to us in His perfection, and we met Him dressed in rags, and filled with unrighteousness. Yet He came, He knocked at our heart’s door, and He waited for us; then He mercifully washed us clean from head to foot, and clothed us in righteous attire. Jesus lovingly prepares us, the lost, to meet His Father.
Many Christians once led an intense life of sin and unrighteous behavior before hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and recognizing its truth. In those days they harmed their bodies, but Jesus said “Come!”, and brought them to the Father where those sins were forgiven, and their spirits renewed with life. But, what of their bodies that were damaged, and the marks of the world that still remained after their conversion? Well, some heal, but others serve as reminders of past sin, and how it leads to death.
It is one thing to be at peace within ourselves, but something quite different when, just by our presence, we bring peace to others, or defuse explosive situations. Are we a calming influence as we walk through the world? Do others view us as peacemakers? If so then scripture tells us we will be called the children of God, and this is a godly characteristic.
What will we do when the Lord decides to pour out His wrath upon the world? Will we throw away our inhibitions, remove the boundary stones of our faith, and run roaring like lions in the streets, or will we fall to our knees and pray fervently for God to forgive us, and spare his children? We don’t like to consider these frightening things, but if we wait until such a day arrives then our faith will find itself caught off guard by the hopelessness of humanity, and we may be lost. Is our faith robust, and can it withstand the chaos of such a time as this?