Who is the boss in your heart?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Peter 3-5; Psalm 34

TO CHEW ON: "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. 'And do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled.' But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." 1 Peter 3:14-15. 


The fact of God actually living in people is a concept that spans the Old and New Testaments. However, Jesus sheds new light on it ("new" at least to the people of His time) when He explains the role of the Holy Spirit in the process.

• Jesus calls Him the "Helper" whom He has petitioned the Father to send. This Helper will live with, indeed, in them - John 14:15-18. 
• He will give them assurance of eternal life, interaction with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and He is the assurance of God's love - John 14:19-21.

Paul talks often about this life of Christ within people. Some of the things he tells us about it:

• It is a life of faith that begins when we accept Christ's substitutionary death for our sin as our means of salvation (not our own works) - Galatians 2:20.
• It helps us know the love of God - Ephesians 3:17-19.
• It is the hope of a wonderful future beyond this life - Colossians 1:27.

Peter's words in our reading today talk about this life to believers who are in the middle of persecution. His short statement, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts" comes right after he addresses their apparent puzzlement over bad treatment. They are righteous but they are suffering. Why? He reminds that this suffering is, in the Kingdom of God's upside-down way, a blessing (Matthew 5:10), and not to fear but rather to "sanctify (or set apart) the Lord God in your hearts."

He is telling them, in effect, Let God be the Lord (boss) in these things. Accept even persecution as from Someone who knows about it, who has power over it, yet is allowing it. 


The Message puts it this way:

"Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master" - 1 Peter 3:15

As Paul explains in Romans "...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." That purpose includes being conformed to the image of Jesus. Persecution may be a part of it. But the end of the story is good. It is glory - Romans 8:27-30.

Whatever we are facing, have we done this — set apart Jesus as Lord? Settled once and for all that He is in charge of our lives and is working His good purposes in them even through negative circumstances? Let's put this into practice:

• By faith accept that Jesus lives in us by the Holy Spirit.
• Believe that He loves us.
• Sanctify Him as Lord — our hands off; He's in charge.
• Let the good and bad things (at least 'bad' according to how we feel about them) He sends our way conform us to Jesus' image.
• Live in hope not of this world's rewards but of glory in eternity.

PRAYER: Dear God, how often I take the steering wheel of my life back into my hands. How easily I question whether You know what You're doing when unpleasant things come my way. Help me to enthrone You as Lord in a moment-by-moment way today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 34

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Final and finished

"O wretched man that I am..." Romans 7:24 (Artist unknown)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 9-10; Psalm 29

TO CHEW ON: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

In today's reading we see Jesus offering Himself as a sacrifice.

The writer here is talking to people who know the code of laws and sacrifices God gave to Israel through Moses. He attempts to convince his audience of the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice over the animal sacrificial system. He begins by stating this (animal sacrifice) system is imperfect because consciousness of sin dictates we have to keep making sacrifices indefinitely (“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” - Hebrews 10:11).

But Jesus’ sacrifice is different. His one sacrifice, where He offers His perfect life as the payment for our sin, means the need for all the animal sacrifices is forever satisfied. He has made our peace with God (Hebrews 10:12).

However, that doesn’t mean we’re perfect or the consciousness of our sin is lessened. Rather, it is the settled fact of our relationship with God – even as we are still in process – “we are being sanctified.”

[Sanctified =  hagiazo: to hallow, set apart, dedicate, consecrate, make holy.
“In the Old Testament things, places and ceremonies were named hagiazo. In the NT the word describes the manifestation of life produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit” Word Wealth – New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1463.]

What does all this mean for you and me, here and now? Here’s how I understand it.

1. By accepting Jesus’ death as applying to me, I can live guilt-free in relation to God.

2. But this doesn’t give me license to do whatever I like – to sin as much as I want because in the next instant I can say “sorry” and be assured everything is okay between God and me again.

3. Rather, my right relationship with God shows itself in my lifestyle. I am set apart (by His Spirit in me) to live a life that is hagiazo.

I ask myself, does my life show this? Are His laws and ways being written on my heart and my mind. Am I continuing in the process of “being sanctified”?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice of Your life for me. Holy Spirit, please set me apart for Your purposes. Write Your laws on my heart and mind. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 29

MORE: Oswald Chambers’ insights on this passage

"We trample the blood of the Son of God under foot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation of the forgiveness of God and of the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the Death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the Atonement which He has worked out for us…..


"It does not matter who or what we are, there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest - Read, December 8 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The final transformation

Graphic courtesy Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Thessalonians 3-4; Psalm 16

TO CHEW ON: "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." 1 Thessalonians 3:12,13

Sometimes I have a little trouble sorting out exactly what Paul is saying in his maze-like and run on sentences. But after puzzling the long sentence in our focus verses, I'm hearing him say that he wants the Thessalonians to abound in [have plenty of, be rich in] love toward each other and the world beyond the church walls. He wants them to be as rich in love toward others as he (Paul) is rich in love toward them.

The result of pursuing such love will be that God establishes their hearts "blameless in holiness"—something that will be completed, however, only at the coming of the Lord Jesus.

As we continue to focus on the theme of Christ's second coming through 1 Thessalonians, these verses give us more insights about that anticipated event. They tell us:

•  the love we cultivate toward each other is preparation for Christ's return.

• this process of making love abound in us and establishing us blameless in holiness—we call it sanctification— is "brought to glorious completion at the Second Coming of the Lord" - Reformation Study Bible.

The truth of God completing the work of sanctification in us at His return is repeated many times in the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Jude 24.

What a relief, that God makes provision to complete this process. My Bible's explanation of the world "holiness"  here gives us an idea of what a deep-clean it is and will be:

["Holiness - hagiosune - is the principle that separates the believer from the world…. It causes every component of our character to stand God's inspection and meet His approval" - Dick Mills, "Word Wealth," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1686, emphasis added.]

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that my lifelong pursuit of holiness and blamelessness will be divinely completed at Jesus' return. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 16

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In the meantime—holiness

Image courtesy Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Thessalonians 5; Psalm 17

TO CHEW ON: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23


Today we complete our reading of 1 Thessalonians. This read-through we've followed the theme of the return of Jesus. We have seen that:

1. Our lives should show that we expect this event (A waiting lifestyle).
2. The hope of someday meeting Jesus is a great motivator (Someday we'll meet Jesus).
3. His return will complete the work of sanctification in us (The final transformation).
4. The Bible gives us details about Christ's return and Christians being caught away with Him—often called the "Rapture" (Caught away).
5. We need to be ready for His return at any time (The ready lifestyle).

Our focus verse today is Paul's affirmation / prayer that these Thessalonian Christians are and will be ready for this event. Paul speaks again about how God will complete their sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

But Paul has just listed a whole lot of dos and don'ts for living (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22)!

So which is it? Is their sanctification an act of God? Or are they to work at it by living a certain way?

I love how Jerry Bridges tackles this question in his book The Pursuit of Holiness. Some of his helpful insights:

In Chapter 3 ("Holiness is not an Option"), he delves into 1 Corinthians 1:2, and focuses on the word "sanctified." "Sanctified" in 1 Corinthians 1:2 is the same Greek word hagiazo that is rendered "sanctify" in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. He says of that word:

"The word 'sanctified' here means 'made holy.' That is, we are through Christ made holy in our standing before God, and called to be holy in our daily lives" - Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, Kindle Location 230 (emphasis added).

Then he goes on to explain the relationship between God's actions and ours:

"Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God and a holiness which we are to strive after. These two aspects of holiness complement one another, for our salvation is a salvation to holiness" - K.L. 230 (emphasis added).

"… we may say that no one can trust in Jesus Christ for true salvation unless he trusts Him for holiness. This does not mean the desire for holiness must be a conscious desire at the time a person comes to Christ, but rather it means that the Holy Spirit who creates within us saving faith also creates within us the desire for holiness. He simply does not create one without the other" - K.L. 244 (emphasis added).

So according to Bridges' explanation, it's both. It's God and us and God in us, working on the project of our sanctification. And, Paul assures us, when Jesus returns, He will "sanctify you completely" or finish the work of making us holy—the project that began the day we got saved, the project that includes attending now to the practical attitudes and actions of holy living Paul lists in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, come soon! This study has whet my appetite for Your return. In the meantime, help me to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's training in holy living. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 17

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The impossible life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

TO CHEW ON: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Reading through this passage, I'm struck by how impossible its instructions are:
"… be patient with all …. always pursue what is good, for yourselves and for all … Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks …. Test all things … Abstain from every form of evil…"

Can you do it? Neither can I!

The process Paul is describing here is sanctification. He uses a form of the word in a sum-up verse after naming the specifics above: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely..." - 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

The Encyclopedia of the Bible defines sanctification:
[…  the process of acquiring sanctity or holiness as a result of association with deity. Its synonyms are consecration, dedication, holiness and perfection" - Encyclopedia of the Bible, accessed through biblegateway.com.]

It's an impossibly tall order. However, the next verse has the reassurance that we're not expected to do it by ourselves. This process of sanctification is not, finally, our project but His:

"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it" - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Whew! So we can just sit back and it will happen? Not exactly. We have a part to play. It's really a joint effort.

An article in The Dictionary of Bible Themes lists means and obstacles to sanctification (each undergirded by many Bible verses*):

Means of sanctification:

• The work of the Holy Spirit

• Meditation on the Scriptures.

• Our active pursuit of holiness and righteousness.

• Obedience and self-denial.

• Prayer.

Obstacles to sanctification:

• A lack of faith.

• Rebellion against God.

• Satanic temptation.

• Self-indulgence and greed.

• Yielding to sinful desires.

Let's view the specifics of the sanctified life (the 'be patient with all," the "rejoice always," the "pray without ceasing," the "in everything give thanks" etc.) through the grid of these means and obstacles. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to put His finger on where we need to change—be more joyful, pray more, give thanks etc.? Do we read the Bible? Do we meditate on it? Do we actually obey the things God tells us to do? Do we pray, confessing the times we resist, rebel, mess-up?

Or do we throw up our hands with "This is too hard!" and carry on as usual, resisting the voice of conviction to be joyful, pray, give thanks, procrastinating on obedience, telling ourselves, everyone else can live like they please—why can't I?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the means You have given to bring about this set-apart life. I love the part of the definition that says it comes about through "association with deity." I want to hang out with You today. Amen.

MORE: *Access the article on Sanctification and view supporting Scriptures:
1. Click on the link 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 (passage on biblegateway.com).
2. Click on "Study This" - the blue box that displays to the right of the reference.
3. In the right sidebar that opens, click on "Dictionary of Bible Themes."
4. Select #6745 "Sanctification."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cleansing word

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 14:22-15:10

TO CHEW ON: " 'You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.' " John 15:3


In our beautiful passage, John quotes Jesus' words about the mysterious oneness with Him and God that believers can have. Living within the matrix of love and obedience (John 14:23) they will have the Helper—the Holy Spirit—within them. Jesus likens them to branches attached to a main vine that bears fruit because the life of the vine (God) is flowing through them (John 15:1, 4-8).

It all sounds wonderful until we come to the part about pruning and cleansing (John 15:2).  Cleansing may be uncomfortable. Pruning may hurt. But, He assures us, they will be so worth it when we see the fruit that comes as a result (John 15:5).

One means of cleansing Jesus mentions is through the word. That idea comes up in other places in the Bible as well. Here are some ways the word is able to cleanse:

• When we obey it:

In Psalm 119:9 a young man (or, I'd submit, a man, woman or child of any age) cleanses his way by heeding the word. 1 Peter 1:22 speaks of "… purifying your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit."

• When it prunes us:

Jesus' words in John 15:3 in the context of pruning (today's focus verse) tell us that the word purifies / cleanses us as we follow its direction in what to subtract or cut or prune from our lives. James 1:21 names "filthiness and overflow of wickedness" as things to lay aside.

• When it sanctifies us:

In John 17:17 Jesus prays that the Father will "Sanctify them by Your truth." "Sanctify" means to set apart or consecrate. The picture is of God's word active in our hearts and minds separating us from the world and setting us apart for Him had the Holy Spirit-empowered life.

• When it frees us from needless guilt and legalism:

In 1 Timothy 4:5 Paul warns Timothy about those who would again burden the church with systems of food rules. He is not to get caught in introducing or enforcing bans against foods that are now allowed. In other words, they are not to let man-made rules make them feel needlessly unclean where the word allows liberty.

In our quest for fruitfulness, let's acknowledge the place of the word (the Bible) to:
- Set the standard for behavior—and obey it.
- Alert us to what needs subtracting from our lives—then purify and simplify.
- Set us apart for God—in holy living.
- Keep us from needless legalism.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to become increasingly familiar with Your word. Help me to understand it and how it relates to my everyday living, and to obey it. Amen.
MORE: Feast of St. Philip and St. James Apostles

Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Philip and St. James.

This Collect begins the day's liturgy:


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God keeps us - 2

Jesus  by the Sea - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 17:12-26

TO CHEW ON: " 'While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.' " John 17:12

What a comfort to hear Jesus pray for us! Yesterday we went through the Bible gathering reminders of God's keeping power. Today we'll look at some of the specific ways Jesus refers to in His prayer, in which we are kept.

We are:

• Kept in the Father's name - John 17:11. The name of someone represents the essence of all he or she is. We are kept by all God is—His attributes of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, love, holiness etc.

• Kept in safety - John 17:12. No lost sheep Jesus prays to Father God.

• Kept in joyfulness - John 17:13. " 'My joy fulfilled in themselves.' " When I think of Jesus being joyful, I think of Him with the Samaritan woman. Remember His reaction when the disciples tried to pull His attention from the food of ministry to physical food? He declined their food and said, " 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me …' " and then He talked about rejoicing over the harvest that results - John 4:31-36.

• Kept in purity - John 17:15. Jesus prayed that we would be kept pure (" '… keep them from the evil one…' ") even while we're still in the world.

• Kept separated from the world - John 17:16. After coming to Christ and finding we no longer buy into the world's systems and values, its inevitable to feel like a misfit. Yet there is still the desire to fit in and the temptation to conform. Jesus wants us to be okay with that sense of alienation from the world. He prays that our separation will persist.

• Kept in the process of sanctification - John 17:17. Sanctify means to set apart. How are we established in this set-apartness? By God's Word. The Bible is the guidebook, map and North Star of this life in Christ.

• Kept in active service - John 17:18. Though we are separated from the world, we are sent into it.

• Kept in unity - John 17:20, 21. What a testimony to the world when we as Christians get along.

• Kept for coming glory - John 17:22-24. Jesus lived as a man with His disciples. We read their accounts and relive His life on earth at a distance. But what Jesus wants is for all His disciples to see Him in reality: " '… that they may behold My glory which You have given Me …' " and be part of it: " '… and the glory which You gave Me, I have given them.' "

What aspect of Jesus' keeping do we need today? Let's claim it in faith and live as precious, kept children!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this prayer that encompasses believers across the ages. Please help me to claim and live by faith in God the Father's keeping power. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God-care

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 23:1-6

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord is my shepherd..." Psalm 23:1

The beautiful Psalm 23 picture of the Lord as our shepherd is fulfilled in Jesus. He is:

The Good Shepherd
In John, Jesus is the One who gives His life for His sheep, knows His sheep and is known by them. They hear His voice and follow Him. He gives them eternal life and they will never perish. No one can take them out of His hand - John 10:11-28.

The Resurrected Shepherd
In Hebrews the resurrected Jesus is pictured as the shepherd who has the power to work in us the life that pleases Him (the sanctified life). "Now may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep...make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight..." - Hebrews 13:20-21.

The Returning Chief Shepherd
In 1 Peter Jesus is the shepherd who returns to give us our reward -"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away" - 1 Peter 5:4.

All this shepherd talk is most comforting and reassuring — unless we'd rather not be shepherded. In our individualistic society, where we're encouraged to set our own goals and live by our own lights and standards, the picture of being a sheep, directed by a shepherd is hardly appealing. For though a shepherd gives security to the sheep, he also sets limits. The sheep can't just wander off wherever they like, but must follow him, coming in and going out when he says it's time to do so. Going to the pasture he chooses. Getting pulled back from places that look interesting but that he knows will prove to be dangerous.

Are we willing to be shepherded by Jesus today? To go in and out, here and there according to His agenda? To take advantage of this offer of God-care that goes all through life and into eternity?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this beautiful picture of You as my shepherd. Help me to be a proper sheep, leadable and compliant to Your direction. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 

Faith graft

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Galatians 3:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh:" Galatians 3:2-3

If you had the possibility of getting a university degree either by earning it with studies or having it bestowed as an honour, which would you choose? Personally, though an honorary degree would be nice, I think I'd choose the work way, just to have the satisfaction of knowing I had earned it and was worthy of that degree. It's that way with a lot of things in life.

There's something in us humans that loves being capable. It's hard for us to accept others doing something for us. However, establishing and maintaining a relationship with God ia not in the category of something we can do for ourselves.

Earlier in Galatians, Paul has explained that we can't earn our salvation. In today's reading he goes on to say it's just as impossible to be sanctified ("made perfect in the flesh") through works.

Andrew Murray in his book Abiding In Christ, addresses our dilemma:

"A superficial acquaintance with God's plan leads to the view that while justification is God's work by faith in Christ, sanctification is our work, to be performed under the influence of the gratitude we feel for the deliverance we have experienced and by the aid of the Holy Spirit. But the earnest Christian soon finds how little gratitude can supply the power. When he thinks that more prayer will bring it, he finds that, indispensable as prayer is, it is not enough. Often the believer struggles hopelessly for years, until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit as He glorifies Christ again, and reveals Christ, our sanctification to be appropriated by faith alone."

He goes on to explain this "appropriation" as a tree graft:

"If I want a tree made wholly good I take it when young, and cutting the stem clean off on the ground, I graft it just where it emerges from the soil. I watch over every bud which the old nature could possibly put forth until the flow of sap from the old roots into the new stem is so complete that the old life has, as it were, been entirely conquered and covered by the new. Here I have a tree entirely renewed -- emblem of the Christian who has learned in entire consecration to surrender everything for Christ, and in a wholehearted faith wholly to abide in Him."

Murray suggests that if the gardener talked to the tree, this is what He would say:

"Yield now yourself entirely to this new nature with which I have invested you; repress every tendency of the old nature to give buds or sprouts; let all your sap and all your life powers rise up into this graft."

And the grafted tree would say to the Gardener:

"When you graft me, O spare not a single branch; let everything of the old self, even the smallest bud, be destroyed that I may no longer live in my own, but in that other life that was cut off and brought and put upon me, that I might be wholly new and good." (Abiding In Christ - Chapter 9 - Kindle version).

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this grafted-in life that You make available through the finished work of Jesus. Help me, by faith, to live this way. Amen.

MORE: Grafting
The picture of a plant graft could also be implied by Jesus when He talks about us abiding in Him in John 15:1-8 (in fact, that is the passage on which Murray's book is based). Grafting is an interesting process. As you read this Wikipedia explanation of plant grafting, look for ways it is like our life in Christ.

"Grafting is a method of asexual plant propagation widely used in agriculture and horticulture where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another...

"In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots, and this is called the stock or rootstock. The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits and is called the scion. The scion contains the desired genes to be duplicated in future production by the stock/scion plant.

"In stem grafting, a common grafting method, a shoot of a selected, desired plant cultivar is grafted onto the stock of another type....

"For successful grafting to take place, the vascular cambium tissues of the stock and scion plants must be placed in contact with each other. Both tissues must be kept alive until the graft has taken, usually a period of a few weeks. Successful grafting only requires that a vascular connection take place between the two tissues.

Read the whole article.

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Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission. 

Transformed by expectation

"The Vision of Christ" by William Blake

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 3:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "Beloved, now are we children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him, purifies himself for He is pure." 1 John 3:2-3

What do we do to prepare for the "hope" of a holiday?
- We begin by applying for and updating our travel documents.
- We service the car, or book our transportation.
- We reserve our accommodation.
- We plan activities and things to do once we get there.
- We pack suitable clothes (which may involve researching what kind of weather we can expect to find at our destination).


I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. Our holiday hope is preceded by a lot of intentional activities.

In our reading today John suggests that our hope of seeing Jesus is also preceded by something intentional: pure living. A footnote in my Bible sums it up concisely: "The prospect of being transformed into the likeness of Christ motivates Christians to live righteously" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1786.

I learned a lot from how Jerry Bridges describes the Christian's efforts to live a God-pleasing life (and its delicate balance between our effort and God's work) in his book The Transforming Power of the Gospel. His baby-Christian resolve ("I prayed a simple prayer: 'God, starting tonight, would You use the Bible to guide my conduct?'") was followed with frustration as he tried to live out the Bible's morality using his willpower. During the process he learned to rely on the Holy Spirit to help him apply Scripture to his life. But he learned that he couldn't be totally passive either. He sums up three conclusions he came to about living the transformed life during his years of struggle:

"1. The internal warfare between the flesh and the Spirit that Paul described in Galatians 5:17 is the normal Christian life ...


2. The more we grow in Christlikeness, the more sin we will see in our lives. It isn't that we are sinning more; rather we are growing m ore aware of and sensitive to sin that has been there all along ...


3. Spiritual transformation requires of us what I call dependent responsibility. All the moral commands and exhortations of Scripture assume our responsibility. We cannot 'just let Jesus live His life through me.' No, we are responsible. At the same time, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to both do His own work and enable us through His power to do the work we must do" - Jerry Bridges, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Kindle Location 193.

May these insights encourage us as we prepare for the day we see Jesus face to face!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus I do look forward to the day I will see You. May this hope inspire holy living in me. Amen.


MORE: "We Shall Behold Him" by Dottie Rambo

Jesus - stumblingstone or millstone?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 20:1-26

TO CHEW ON: "Then He looked at them and said, 'What then is this that is written:

"The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone"?

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.'" Luke 29:17-18.

When Jesus identifies the religious leaders of the day as the rebellious vine dressers in the story He tells, they take exception. But when He claims to be the rejected cornerstone of Psalm 118:22 they become incensed -- to the point of plotting His arrest.

The verse from Psalm 118 is quoted five times in the New Testament as a reference to Jesus being rejected by Jewish leadership (e.g. 1 Peter 2:7). Here Jesus follows the quote with an interesting statement: "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." It seems that whatever way we encounter this stone, it injures us.

Paul is an example of a Jewish leader who stumbled on this stone but allowed it (Jesus) to break him and change the course of his life. Jesus' identity and claims altered his paradigm so completely that the things he once depended on as his ticket to eternity with God became mere rubbish. Read his testimony in Philippians 3:4-15.

That stone continues to stumble us. Here are two ways:

1. Jesus in his role as the cornerstone of God's plan, died to pay the penalty for our sins.  His death, not our works, is our way to heaven. Ask most people who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus on what grounds they think they will be accepted into heaven and they'll say something like — "I do my best. I'm sure someday the good things I've done will outweigh the bad." But that's not how God evaluates. He calls our righteousness "filthy rags". They don't save us.

Try to explain to someone how the most brutal murderer can get into heaven if he trusts Christ, even in his dying moments, while someone else who has done good things all his life will be denied entrance if it is sought purely on the basis of those good works. It doesn't seem fair. It's a stumbling block.

2. After we come to God, again we stumble on this stone as all the common-sense principles on which we've built our lives — love your friends, hate your enemies; look out for yourself first; forgive only when your enemy is really sorry and asks for forgiveness, get things to amass them for yourself etc. — get turned on their heads by Kingdom principles. We are required to change our point of reference from ourselves to God and His ways.

But how dreadful to not let Jesus stumble and break us, to resist Him, only to find that He becomes, at the end of time, not a stumblingstone, but a millstone of judgment, grinding us to destruction.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming and making a way for me to be right with God. Deal with my human pride, self-sufficiency and everything else that needs breaking as I make You the cornerstone of my life. Amen.

MORE: Bible millstones

The Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible explains about mills and millstones:

"The simplest kind of mill used to grind grain into meal was called a mortar — a hollowed-out stone that held grain to be pounded by another stone. A more efficient mill consisted of two stones, 60 cm. (2 ft.) in diameter and 15 cm. (6 in.) thick The nether (or lower) stone was raised in the centre. The upper stone was hollowed out and had a hole in the middle. Grain was poured into the hole and the upper stone was turned by means of a handle. The grain was crushed as it fell between the two stones."
— Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible, edited by J. I. Packer, M. C. Tenney, p. 469.

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Faith graft

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Galatians 3:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh:" Galatians 3:2-3

If you had the possibility of getting a university degree either by earning it with studies or having it bestowed as an honour, which would you choose? Personally, though an honorary degree would be nice, I think I'd choose the work way, just to have the satisfaction of knowing I had earned it and was worthy of that degree. It's that way with a lot of things in life.

There's something in us humans that loves being capable. It's hard for us to accept others doing something for us. However, establishing and maintaining a relationship with God are not in the category of things we can do for ourselves.

Earlier in Galatians, Paul has explained that we can't earn our salvation. In today's reading he goes on to say it's just as impossible to be sanctified ("made perfect in the flesh") through works.

Andrew Murray in his book Abiding In Christ, addresses our dilemma:

"A superficial acquaintance with God's plan leads to the view that while justification is God's work by faith in Christ, sanctification is our work, to be performed under the influence of the gratitude we feel for the deliverance we have experienced and by the aid of the Holy Spirit. But the earnest Christian soon finds how little gratitude can supply the power. When he thinks that more prayer will bring it, he finds that, indispensable as prayer is, it is not enough. Often the believer struggles hopelessly for years, until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit as He glorifies Christ again, and reveals Christ, our sanctification to be appropriated by faith alone."

He goes on to explain this "appropriation" as a tree graft:

"If I want a tree made wholly good I take it when young, and cutting the stem clean off on the ground, I graft it just where it emerges from the soil. I watch over every bud which the old nature could possibly put forth until the flow of sap from the old roots into the new stem is so complete that the old life has, as it were, been entirely conquered and covered by the new. Here I have a tree entirely renewed -- emblem of the Christian who has learned in entire consecration to surrender everything for Christ, and in a wholehearted faith wholly to abide in Him."

Murray suggests that if the gardener talked to the tree, this is what He would say:

"Yield now yourself entirely to this new nature with which I have invested you; repress every tendency of the old nature to give buds or sprouts; let all your sap and all your life powers rise up into this graft."

And the grafted tree would say to the Gardener:

"When you graft me, O spare not a single branch; let everything of the old self, even the smallest bud, be destroyed that I may no longer live in my own, but in that other life that was cut off and brought and put upon me, that I might be wholly new and good." (Abiding In Christ - Chapter 9 - Kindle version).

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this grafted-in life that You make available through the finished work of Jesus. Help me, by faith, to live this way.

MORE: Grafting

The picture of a plant graft could also be implied by Jesus when He talks about us abiding in Him in John 15:1-8 (in fact, that is the passage on which Murray's book is based). Grafting is an interesting process. As you read this explanation of plant grafting, look for ways it is like our life in Christ.

"Grafting is a method of asexual plant propagation widely used in agriculture and horticulture where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another. It is most commonly used for the propagation of trees and shrubs grown commercially.

"In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots, and this is called the stock or rootstock. The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits and is called the scion. The scion contains the desired genes to be duplicated in future production by the stock/scion plant.

"In stem grafting, a common grafting method, a shoot of a selected, desired plant cultivar is grafted onto the stock of another type.

"In another common form called budding, a dormant side bud is grafted on the stem of another stock plant, and when it has fused successfully, it is encouraged to grow by cutting out the stem above the new bud.

"For successful grafting to take place, the vascular cambium tissues of the stock and scion plants must be placed in contact with each other. Both tissues must be kept alive until the graft has taken, usually a period of a few weeks. Successful grafting only requires that a vascular connection take place between the two tissues.

"A physical weak point often still occurs at the graft, because the structural tissue of the two distinct plants, such as wood, may not fuse.

Read the whole article.

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