Daily Devotions - Entries from March 2010

A Picture of True Saving Faith

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."

What does true repentance look like? What does saving faith look like? Jesus had taught on this subject many times but now he has a perfect picture of it displayed for the disciples to see.

They had been in the temple all day on Monday and they had watched how Jesus had overthrown the money changers' tables and cast out all who were in the temple under false pretenses. After Jesus had cleared the temple and courtyards there was a procession of those who came to give their offerings. They watched as the Pharisees and the rich paraded to the front and made a great display of how much they were giving.

You could almost hear the crowd oohing and awing as each offering amount was announced. Some of the amounts were staggering to those who were poor. Certainly God would look on these who made such offering with favor, these were the ones who had the greatest faith, or so they thought.

After the great parade of the wealthy was over and the crowds were all leaving there was a small bent over widow woman who had waited until the crowds were no longer looking. The place was now almost empty and the janitor had begun to clean the temple and was about to close the doors when way in the back Jesus noticed this frail old bent over woman making her way to the offering table and almost with fear of being found out she quietly put in her offering and slipped away unnoticed.

She may have been unnoticed by the crowds that day but she was noticed by the one who really mattered. Jesus quietly points out her act of worship to his disciples. I can almost hear his voice as he speaks with quiet intensity, "Do you see that men? Did you notice that small frail widow? Did you see what she did?"

The disciples had missed it because they were too busy being awed by the large offerings of the rich and the famous. Now Jesus turns the tables once again. He uses this woman to demonstrate to his disciples what true saving looks like.

"You have been awed by the offerings of the rich, but notice they still have lots left over. Sure, they gave a lot of money but the proportion of what they gave was small in comparison to this pone little widow woman. They tossed in out of their abundance, but she gave all she had.'

'Men this is a picture of true faith. She put it all on the line. She gave out of her deep poverty everything she had to live on. She now has nothing left to buy even the basic necessities. She is trusting in her God that he will provide, but even if he does not she will still follow.'

'Things have not worked out for her in her life as she wanted. Her husband died and left her without any inheritance so she is now reduced to poverty but she still desires to worship God, she still comes to the temple and offers her life to God, no matter what. Yes sir men this is real saving faith. Offering to God all that you are without reservation.

Men this is true saving faith. Casting all you have on God without holding anything back."

Let us learn from this widow woman. Let us give ourselves without reservation to our Lord. NO holding back, no hidden sin, just complete openness and trust in his care for us.

Offering all that I have to all that I know of Him,

Looking for a Way to Get Rid of Him?

 Mark 11:18 (NIV)

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

They had the information they needed to believe. The miracles were all evidence that Jesus really was who he claimed to be. The Pharisees had asked Jesus to tell them plainly who he was and he did exactly what they asked by providing an abundant amount of clear evidence that supported his claims.

With all this evidence why then did they take this reaction to his claims? They had been blinded by their own desire for power and comfort. They had a good life. They were well provided for by the offerings at the temple. The masses thought highly of them since they were the ones who "supposedly" spoke for God. Life for them was a nice package of rules that made everything very predictable.

Jesus came and upset their entire system of theology. He not only turned over their tables in the temple but he turned upside down their whole conception of God and the sacrificial system. Everything about Jesus confounded them. He did not fit their idea of Messiah, even though he fit the Biblical picture perfectly.

I want you to think with me about this for a moment. Who did Jesus find a hearing among? Wasn't it the outcasts and the sinners, those who clearly were immoral and had committed many acts of open rebellion? Did not the Pharisees attack Jesus because he was all the time consorting with tax collectors and prostitutes? Didn't they accuse him of being a drunkard and having too much fun at parties that were certainly not of the religious brand?

Who were Jesus' most devoted followers? Those who were deeply aware of their sin. Those who understood they had no other option but Christ. I find it very convicting that when Jesus came to the temple those who were among the teachers of the law were the ones who were the first to devise a plan to kill him. What fear that strikes in my heart. Is it possible that our own understanding of Christ may be of such a nature that we have refused to receive Him when he came among us? Has our own brand of religion been more idolatrous and only served to lead us to reject the Lord instead of turn to him in repentance?

Let us meditate on this most important question as we continue to walk with our Lord through this week. If Jesus were to come to your temple today what would he do with what he found?

I think my temple may be in need of much cleansing.

Come Lord Jesus and purify my temple that you will be rightly praised,

It is Saturday evening and our sources tell us that Jesus was in Bethany spending his last few days with those who loved him and he found refreshment from. He was at a home where they were giving a dinner in Jesus' honor.

It was quite a crowd around the table that night. Jesus, being the guest of honor, the twelve disciples, Mary and Martha, a few Jewish leaders and a few others who had reputations from tax collector to religious leader had all gathered in a local residence to honor Jesus..

There was one who would have taken the limelight that evening if it were not for something else that was soon to take place. The crowd at the table that night was in high spirits. Lazarus had just been raised from the dead perhaps only a few days earlier and there were many who must have wanted to talk with him about what it was like to be dead and come back to life again.

Perhaps the conversation began something like this, "So tell us Lazarus what it was like." The dinner was to honor Jesus but it soon looked like things were going to lose the proper focus. Everyone was clamoring around Lazarus. "Lazarus tell us, tell us please?"

The conversation would have gone silent as Lazarus was preparing to speak but something happened that turned everything around. Into the room came Mary and she did something that stopped the whole room and left them speechless. She took this very expensive anointment and poured it out on Jesus.

This is not the appropriate custom for that day. It was rather embarrassing for those present to see such an act of reckless devotion. The disciples begin to mutter within their circle. Someone began to say under their breath, 'What a waste. Lots of money down the drain."

Others began to chime in in agreement. Mary was at Jesus feet where she had been before going about her act of selfless devotion unconcerned about what others would think. She got it right while all the others completely missed the point.

How often is it that we miss the whole point of the dinner that is to honor Jesus and we get sidetracked by some other compelling story or some person's testimony? Much activity does have the capacity to mislead us. Mary had learned in other places that it is not activity that Jesus requires but faithful devotion.

It would be this one act of devotion that would serve as a lasting testimony to others that Jesus really was the true king of Israel. I hope you will walk with us as we go through this next week together. May we be drawn ever closer to Christ as we follow our Lord through each day and each of the events that will transpire.

I pray that the activity of Passion Week will not side track your allegiance but enhance your devotion to Christ.

Still my heart o God that I might know you as you really are.

We are heading into the observance of the last week of our Lord's life on earth. For the next several days I want to contemplate with you the walk to the cross. What makes the cross central to our faith? Why is an instrument of execution something that we revel in as Christians?

To revel in the cross is as insane as for the condemned man to be grateful for the electric chair or the gas chamber or firing squad. How is this something that brings us great joy and contentment? How is this something that Jesus set his face resolutely to head toward and not run from?

Years ago when I was a summer missionary, as a young believer in college, I met a man who made crosses out of roofing nails. They looked like miniature railroad spikes. He gave them as gifts to all of our mission team and we wore them proudly all summer long.

When I went back to college in the fall I had a seasoned Christian professor who asked me why I was wearing the cross, my reply was somewhat spiritual. He then said to me, "Young man you understand that you are wearing an instrument of death around your neck. If you are willing to identify with Christ in his death and you are willing to embrace all that that means then you can wear it proudly but if you are not I suggest you refrain from wearing such an instrument around your neck for it will only broadcast your rebellion before God for that is what it speaks of."

How many crosses do you see people wear as jewelry or trinkets? We dress up the cross with diamonds or cover it with gold to make it more palatable, this is something we dare not do for to do so would be to pollute its meaning to those who follow the Crucified Savior.

For the next several days I want to invite you to join me as we journey together as we follow our Lord on his way to the Cross of Calvary. My prayer is that the journey will be life transforming for all of us. Let us seek to understand how it was that our Lord set his face to resolutely go toward the cross. Let us find in this walk a beauty that the world knows nothing of. Let us discover the hidden joy of divine obedience. Let the sacrifice of Christ for us grip us with more power than ever before. May we not be entertained by the dramas we see in churches or in the movies during this time but let our hearts search out the hidden truths behind the scenes that we might glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus.

Walking with Christ  toward Calvary

"And lead us not into temptation . . ."

There are many who struggle with habitual sinful acts. They pray and fast and seek counsel but nothing seems to break the power of sinful tendencies. In many of the books and studies on prayer I have read over the past year I have yet to come across one that teaches on this very important principle.

The language used here and the tenses of the verb "lead" speak volumes in a few choice words. The meaning in this phrase is to not even once allow us to be led astray into temptation that will cause us to sin. There is such a passion in the heart of our Lord that comes through in this short concise phrase. Do not even let it be a possibility that we should even consider or go in the way of temptation.

There is no dialogue with sin, there is no entertaining the concept that sin would even find a resting place in our hearts or minds. O to be so concerned with the dangerous nature of sin that we make it the focus of our intercession daily that Our Omnipotent God, would keep us in his ways by his own power and strength.

Perhaps our habitual sins have more to do with our lack of prayer and less to do with our lack of will power. Why not try this on for size and see how it fits, Begin your day with this cry to God, "God keep me from temptations that would derail me from walking with you today. Let me see sin as you see it and keep far from her pathways that I might walk with you and enjoy sweet communion with you through this day."

Wanting to be led in the way everlasting,

"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." For some who pray this prayer they think that in this life we will see this prayer realized but this is not to be, for this prayer to be realized we must first see the final consummation of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Every time we see sinful actions or have sinful thoughts we can be assured that the Kingdom is not yet here. Every time we experience deep restlessness we can be assured that the kingdom is not yet here. Every time we are convicted of our lack of holiness we can be assured that the kingdom has net yet arrived. Every time we find ourselves staring blankly at the pages of Scripture with no zeal for the glory of God we can be assured the kingdom of God is not yet arrived.

There is a day that we are to pray for and long for and work towards and that day is when the will of God will be done here as in heaven, with joyous hearts and great celebration. Every now and then we experience some sort of heavenly visitation when we find ourselves delighting to do the will of God and think there is nothing better to do than this. These are but foretastes of heaven.

Every time we find ourselves looking out for another's best interests with no regard for our own we taste a foretaste of heaven. Every time we have fellowship with some brother or sister and find ourselves growing in love for the Lord and his work this is but a foretaste of glory.

All of these foretastes are to be considered as appetizers that are serving to prepare us for the great joy of the full course of delights we will have when we see Jesus fully unveiled before us in the kingdom of God. O what a day that will be. The anticipation is growing within the intercessors who are praying for the arrival of the King. Come join us as we share the joys of watching and praying for the coming kingdom.

May we be found waiting and watching for his kingdom,

As you grow in your walk with God it is important to note that it is not the words that you pray so much that God desires because he already knows what you need more than you do. Think with me about this for a moment, what is it that you really need more than anything else? Is it more money? More possessions? More understanding from those around you? Less confusion in your life?

This is where many go wrong in their walk with God. They spend all the time asking God for what they think they really need. God tells them they do not need to spend much time asking for what they think they need for God has already taken care of that.

Imagine for a moment being the presence of a sovereign king and spending all your time asking him for things that are not in the room where he is. What would that say to the king? "I am only here because I need something else that is not You from you?"

Could it be that the reason our prayers are so empty is we have been playing the role of an idolater even in the presence of the King? When he wants to be with us we spend all our time wishing for something else. Are you beginning to grasp this truth yet? God will take care of the things that you need, he only desires that you be with him and get to know him.

So perhaps today you might want to work on developing a heart of praise towards God as you spend the time alone with him. You may want to read through the Psalms or some other portion of Scripture and underline and make note of all the statements made about God and spend some time thinking on each one of those statements. There is enough there to take up several days. May God grant all of us a heart of true worship as we get alone with him.

Thinking less of stuff and more of God,

For the next several days we will examine the role of prayer for the true child of God. I have been trying to walk with God for the past thirty five years. I say 'trying' because often times I find that even now I cannot do what I want to do as far as it comes to following Christ.

The first emphasis our Lord makes about prayer is that it is first and foremost an issue of the heart in secret. If your prayer life with God is not first built on much secret prayer your corporate prayer will have little effect.

Public prayer is still important but it is secondary to our private prayer closets. This is something that sets Christianity apart from all the other religions. All the other religions are first and foremost an outward display not an inward reality. But this is not the case with our relationship with God. Our first call is to the prayer closet where we commune with God in secret.

Why the secret place first and not in the open? It is only in the secret place where there are no other distractions that you can discover who God really is. In the secret place the noise of the world is stilled and the distractions are removed. Psalm 46:10 says it best, "Be still and know that I am God."

You may notice this in husbands and wives when they are out in public. You can tell the ones who enjoy each others company in private, they are the most joyful in public. If there is little time spent together in private there will be little joy demonstrated in public. Much private prayer makes for much public rejoicing.

Your Father in Heaven longs to reveal to you just who he really is and he can only get your undivided attention in secret away from all others. This secret time needs much cultivation. It first needs to be a habit and then after it becomes a habit it will grow to become a joy. Once your secret time with God becomes a joy then it will overflow into your public time and imagine what would happen if all of God's people had much private time with him and then at the end of the week they all came together to celebrate God publicly. I think our worship services would never be the same again.

Let us give ourselves to much private time alone with the Father so he would be rightly celebrated when we come together each Sunday.

Heading for the closet,

Behold the picture of full redeeming grace. Love and faithfulness will once again be in abundance, more so than in the garden of Eden. Before we heard the message of the gospel there was no peace for we were under the wrath of God because were at that time enemies and God haters. There could be no peace, there was only constant war.

But now, in Christ, love and faithfulness have found their resting place. Where ever God has turned the hearts of the elect to him there will be rich expressions of love and faithfulness. Broken promises will be a thing of the past, ruined families will be no more. They will be our experience only until God redeems his chosen people for good.

Often when righteousness is thought of in our day there are the groans because we have been led to believe that righteousness brings with it no fun, no joy, no pleasure. How have we been deceived in this matter. True righteousness brings with it a profound peace of mind and heart. There is no fear of the future for we have been forgiven and rescued from the judgment to come. There is no fear of the present because we have found our contentment in Christ alone and he cannot ever be taken from us so we have no reason to fear anything in this world. The Scriptures are true that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.

Where there is true righteousness and peace, flowers of beauty will burst from the earth that was once barren and dry. In the very places where we have fought long and hard over sin and evil we will find places of great rest and comfort because of his transforming grace.

The text indicates that this springing forth will be like a seed long buried in the dry ground breaking forth against seemingly impossible forces and springing up to show forth its beauty in all of its God intended splendor. O there is buried deep within this land a revival that will suddenly spring forth and once again display the glories of God. It looks like an impossible event but when God turns the hearts of his people back to him once again we will see righteousness spring forth from the ground and peace will be the ruling king over this land.

So we will pray and claim these promises that one day love and faithfulness will finally meet each other for good, and that righteousness and peace will cover the land as the waters cover the seas.

Until that day Comes I will pray on,

Psalms 85:5-6 (NIV)
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? ⁶ Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

A most important question to have answered. Will God be angry with you forever? Will there ever be a time when the anger of God is finished towards you? Many never stay around to hear the final word about this most important topic. Many hear of God's wrath towards them and go their way thinking that I might as well eat drink and be merry for tomorrow I will meet with God and have to face his unending wrath towards my sin.

Some argue, "If I am to go to hell then I should at least live it up now while I can." They never stop to hear the other side of God's anger and wrath. They only hear that God is angry but they cannot fully believe that his anger will ever stop.

How shall God bring to an end his wrath towards our sin? With what shall he finally snuff out the fires of his wrath? Are we left to face his anger alone, or is there a way provided for us to escape?

If you notice the way the questions are presented in this text, they are all presented as rhetorical questions with the answer already assumed on the part of the psalmist. Will you be angry forever? NO! Will you prolong your anger through all generations? NO!

How can this be? Where shall we find our rescue?

The answer is quick to come once we understand that God desires to finish his wrath towards sin. The answer comes, "He will revive us again. He will turn us so that we will love him and find our supreme joy in him alone."

This is our hope and our confidence as we walk through this life. But the question must be asked, "How shall this thrice holy God of eternal justice find a way to satisfy his wrath towards sin?" This is the beauty of the gospel we profess. Tune in tomorrow and the next few days as we see this beautiful gospel unveiled before us.

Longing to know such deliverance,

This week I want to explore the psalm where the psalmist cries out to God for mercy and revival.  For today let us consider the first two verses in Psalm 85.  The Psalmist remembers the goodness of God in demonstrating favor toward Jacob.  This psalm was probably written after the captives had returned to Jerusalem after being in Babylon for seventy years.  He mentions that God has turned back the captivity of Jacob.

We should have been left in the foreign land without any knowledge of God, but God was moved to bring us back to the land.  He was moved to rescue us from our sinful bondage.  Then the psalmist goes on to recount the great mercy of God.  “You have forgiven the iniquity of your people.”  Think of it people God has forgiven us for every sin we have ever committed or will ever commit.  We no longer have need to fear the coming judgment because our God has forgiven us for all of our sins.

How often have you looked in the mirror and been reminded of your sinful condition?  How often has the enemy of your soul sought you out and sent you reeling as he mentioned each and every one of your sinful acts? 

Perhaps you have heard his voice in your head recently saying the following; “You do not love God.  Why if you did, you surely would not have done that sinful act.  How many times have you fallen this week. What makes you think you should have nay warrant to stand before God.  Just look at your life and all the sin you have committed.  Remember that time you knew you should not have gone there in your mind, you were warned by the Spirit not to go there but you deliberately went there.  What makes you think God will receive you now?”

So the voice of the enemy goes and leads us into bondage once again. We reach the conclusion that he is right, what makes us think we have any warrant to stand before God now.  But we must not stop there we must listen to the voice that whispers to us underneath the blaring accusations of the enemy of our soul.  Listen and see if you can hear his voice speaking?

The enemy brings up your deceitful acts, God says, “Forgiven!”  The enemy brings up the times you have not loved as you should have, the voice of God says, “Forgiven!”

You have lusted!  God says, Forgiven!”

You have acted wickedly, the voice of God says, “Forgiven!”

So on and on the warfare goes.  Finally the voice of the enemy fades away, but there is a lingering fear that perhaps not every sin is forgiven, perhaps there are those sins that are just too heinous.  Now is when you most need to hear the voice of God.  Stop everything and listen to these words, “Thou hast covered every sin!”

O hallelujah!  Every sin is fully paid for every thought or action that was against the plan of God is now fully removed and covered for all eternity.  What a great transaction we are part of.  God has offered himself in our stead that we might be declared forever permanently righteous.

How does this move us today?  The psalmist puts it well in one word, “Selah!”  Selah is a musical term for the conductor of the piece to make sure all eyes are on him so that no one playing in the orchestra will miss it.  Can you hear his voice speaking to you this day, “Look closely at me and listen to my voice today children, all of your sins have been fully forgiven, and all of your sins have been permanently covered. You have no need to fear my wrath for I have redeemed you and I have covered you with my righteousness.  Now run to me and let me provide you with songs of joy and celebration.”

Revival is when God’s people understand more completely the depth of their need for Christ and fully trust in him alone. This trusting leads them to great joy and gladness.  For far too long we have been under the condemnation of the enemy. Let us seek to hear the voice of God as we walk through today that we might rejoice like never before.

Listening so I can rejoice