Living in Praise

Did you ever notice that Paul was the eternal optimist? The man worked hard, almost died several times, was stoned, shipwrecked and in the sea a day and night, constantly in danger, sleepless, hungry and thirsty, and exposed to both hot and cold elements (2 Corinthians 11:22-28).

Yet, he told us to rejoice always; to pray without ceasing; not to quench the Spirit; and to give thanks in everything: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19).

Does this mean to give thanks, because everything that happens to us is God's will for us; or that giving thanks is God's will for us? Either way, it is worth paying attention to this verse.

If giving thanks is God's will, then when we praise the Lord, we are in God's will; and when we do not praise the Lord, we are out of God's will for us.

If Paul is saying that we should give thanks in good times and in adversity, because all of these circumstances are the will God for us, then when we do not praise Him, we are missing out on part of the miracle, which God has for us through this trial.

Recently, our air-conditioning was out for two days during the hottest November on record in southwest Florida. I was dripping sweat, irritable and claustrophobic - because the heat imprisoned me and I could not escape it.

This caused me to remember my childhood and first pregnancy; when we had no air-conditioning at all, because of our lack of income. My mom used a wet wash cloth on her neck, so I did too. It helped this time too.

As I prayed during this inconvenience, God brought Paul's exhortation to my mind. I realized that I was not to grumble or to allow my flesh to get the better of me; and I was to walk in the Spirit and praise God, even in the suffocating heat.

Easier said than done; but I have been learning to live through my spirit and not my flesh and this was just another opportunity to practice. I truly was thankful that the circumstances were not even more dreadful.

Prayer:

Father God, I really wanted Your permission during this trial to be grouchy and to feel sorry for myself. I wanted to complain and gain sympathy from family and friends. However, I knew this would only make others miserable too, and I would not grow in my spirit with negative behavior or remain in Your will without praising.

I know that You were building character in me and preparing me for future events in my life; therefore, I chose to change my focus and to praise You with each drop of perspiration. I was even able to thank You that it cools down in southwest Florida on November evenings, and that I still had electricity and could run the fans. Thank You for living through this trial with me.

Thought for the Day:

Regardless of the circumstances, we learn to do all things without grumbling and complaining (Philippians 2:12-16), and to walk in the Spirit each moment of the day (Galatians 5:15-25).

Many thanks to Matt Milligan for the use of his photo.

His Exact Replica

After Salvation, we often focus our attention outwardly. We see God on His throne in Heaven, but we see our self as struggling alone in life and in need of His divine help. Some people say we are nothing but puppets, forced to serve as our Divine Manipulator dictates. However, we are more like a glove. Christ exactly fills us and we are perfectly molded to His character and nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Our union with Christ involves our spirit, soul and body. He unites them in vision and purpose with Christ. Through this union, God expresses His heart through us in sympathy for the hardships of others, in patience in tribulation, and in devotion in Bible study, prayer and fellowship with other Saints of God. Consequently, God fulfills through us His purpose for us in the earth (Ephesians 2:10).

In this manner, the union between the Creator and the created, the divine and the human, the eternal and the temporal is complete (Colossians 2:10). The Spirit directs us, and we move as His exact replica on the earth. Jesus also walks beside us, as well as living within us. He completely surrounds us, finishing His work of sanctification in our soul. We live, move and exist in Him (Acts 17:28).

Christ redeemed us from sin by the cross, and He works out His intentions in us and through us (Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 2:9-10). Jesus is our all in all (Colossians 1:17). He justifies our spirit; sanctifies, inspires and directs our soul; and will eventually glorify our body. Jesus is the expression of God’s glory and the exact image of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). He speaks the oracles of God through our voice (1 Peter 4:11).

Also, Jesus heals a sick body through the laying on of our hands (Mark 1:41; 6:5; 5:3; 7:32, 33; 8:23, 25; 16:18; James 5:15). He sees a need and meets it through the resources He provides for us (1 John 3:17). He will even raise the dead, cleanse the leper and cast out demons in and through us (Matthew 10:8). As we walk in union with Christ, by the direction of His Spirit, we walk as shining stars, shedding His light in the dark, lost world around us (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:15).

Prayer:

Father God, Your will flows from a combination of Your divine love and wisdom. Harmony in our relationship with You increases as we live in union with Christ. This guarantees that more accord abides between our will and Yours. We soon find that our purpose is to do nothing more in life than to allow Christ to work through us. Fill us with the spiritual gifts and fruit of Your Spirit, and help us to lay down our plans and expectations, so You can use us for Your purposes each moment of our day. 

Thought for the Day:

If we only focus on Christ on the cross, we may forget the fact that the risen Lord dwells within our spirit.

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

In John 13, we read about Jesus preparing for Calvary. He met with His apostles and washed their feet. He shared His last supper with them. Then, Jesus assured His apostles that He would give them anything they needed in order to carry out their work of the gospel (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24, 16:26). His best promise was of our continued relationship with Him and a deeper relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

 

Jesus guaranteed His disciples a home in heaven, and prayer as a tool of communicating with Him, the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth, His future return for His Bride and then His second coming with His Bride. After the last supper, Judas left the room on his way to fulfill his destiny of betrayal, impetuous Peter made a bold statement of faith in Christ, and Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny Him three times.

The same Jewish people, who lauded Jesus as King when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, insisted on His crucifixion and death. They ultimately did not recognize Him as their Messiah. However, the fact that Jesus is God is indisputable (Hebrews 1:4-14). Eye witness accounts and even secular historians document the fact that He lived, died and rose again in order to free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Now, He fulfills the role as our High Priest in Heaven (Hebrews 2:17,3:1).

Jesus already went through the veil of death. He can sympathize with every trial and temptation we ever experience on earth, because He already suffered these same issues (Hebrews 2:5-18). Even living back in His glory in Heaven, He is always involved in our daily life, because He lives in us (Acts 7:55; Colossians 1:27). Jesus is the first fruits of the children of God (James 1:18). We are coheirs with Him of the glory of God (Romans 8:17). He ministers in Heaven on our behalf as our advocate (1 John 2:1).

This all gives us confidence in our faith, because He provides us with His mercy and grace (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus described his relationship with us as the Vine and the branches (John 15:1-8). His life flows through us each moment of our life. He did not leave us helpless on this earth, but provided the Holy Spirit to comfort and indwell us (John 14:16,17). The Bible is full of prophecies and promises about and by Jesus that give us hope for our resurrection.

 

We stake our spiritual life on these prophecies, and we live in abundant life because of His promises (2 Peter 1:4). God also gave us His Word to settle disputes of dogma (Matthew 21:42). He uses it to increase His spiritual influence in our life, and to give us hope for the future (Mark 11:17; Jeremiah 20:11). His Word is a light and a lamp, which gives us direction and clarifies our walk in Him (Psalm 119:105). His Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the assurances You gave Your apostles comforted their fearful hearts when You promised that their sorrow at Your loss would soon turn to joy (John 16:20).  After a time of agonizing prayer in the garden, You concluded with the words, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Your submission to the Father is an example to us of how to live a life of victory and joy, regardless of our circumstances. As we submit to our Father’s will for our own life, we will gain eternal life through You.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus employed the Bible to resist temptation and He gave us this example to employ in our life as well. - Matthew 4:4,7,10

 

 

 

The Journey through Depression

Read: Psalm 56:8-9

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

– Psalm 107:13-14

The journey through depression is often slow and frustrating. We may not even be aware of what is causing this darkness in our life. Negative conditions and emotions are signals that there are issues in our soul – our mind, will and emotions - that need correcting. It may be our attitude, unholy activities, unforgiveness toward our self or someone else, carnal goals and aspirations, filling our hectic life with too many activities or some deep hurt that is still unknowingly festering within. Journaling is an excellent way to stay in touch with our soul. If we know what we are thinking and feeling, we can more readily word our prayers and ask others for help.

God also brings His Saints to our rescue. The Bible encourages us to share one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). However, first we must be honest enough to admit to our self that we are troubled and humble enough to confess our true feelings and circumstances to another human being (James 4:10; Proverbs 29:23). Even the most detailed of plans can fail without God’s wisdom and a multitude of counseling from those who already walked this way before us (Proverbs 15:22). Therapists can help as well, because they are trained to understand the human mind and they can help us to unlock hidden doors within our soul.

In the pit of gloom, we have obstacles to overcome, but we lack energy or direction. However, even in times of depression, God will speak to us, if we will seek Him and listen for His voice (Isaiah 45:3). The Lord is good to those who wait for Him (Lamentations 3:25). His unfailing love rests upon us as we wait on Him (Psalm 33:22). By drawing near to God, He draws near to us. As we surrender our life to Him, walk away from our sin and allow Him to purify our heart, .He enables us to identify and resist Satan’s lies until clarity comes to our mind (James 4:7-8).

As we wait upon the Lord, our heart takes courage and our hope rises (Psalm 27:14, 39:7; 40:1). However, waiting is the hardest discipline for humanity today. We eat instant food. We have instantaneous access to the world through the Internet on our phone in the palm of our hand. We immediately access cash with an ATM machine. We get instant answers to all of our questions via Wikipedia, Google, and the like. We have direct help in a few moments of time for any technological issue we experience.

We are not used to waiting. We get frustrated waiting in long lines, and at red traffic lights, and in the doctor’s waiting room, and for the restaurant waitress to bring our food and for people to show up on time for an appointment with us, etc. Waiting takes patience in the face of our suffering (James 5:10). However, God uses times of waiting in our life to heal us from our losses, to renew our strength, and to prepare us for the next trial, so we can mount up with wings and soar with the eagles (Isaiah 40:31).

God is waiting too. He desires a people who will look to Him and wait on Him for His intervention. God will always hear us when we cry out to Him (Micah 7:7). Jesus, our high priest, experienced every trial and temptation that we do in our life, and He can sympathize with and relate to what we are going through at any given moment in our life (Hebrews 4:15-16). He empowers us, even when we are tired, weak and worn out. He does His perfect work in us as we wait on Him (Isaiah 40:29; Job 5:11; Philippians 1:6).

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for Jesus as our Rock, our firm foundation in this stormy world in which we live. We look to You to put a new song in our heart, so that we can praise You in the midst of our negative circumstances (Psalm 40:3). Remind us that You work out all things, even the depressing issues in our life, for our good (Romans 8:28). Use our weaknesses to show other people that it is Your joy that upholds us and gives us our strength (Psalm 40:1-3). Thank you for Your strength as our sword and shield. Our heart trusts in You and leaps for joy, because You are our help in times of trouble (Psalm 28:7).

Thought for the Day:

God keeps track of our sorrows in His journal and stores every one of our tears in His bottle. - Psalm 56:8