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"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
I want to take you back to that same passage we were considering the week before last, beloved ("Does God Want Me to be Happy?"), and ask the question often posed: "Does God really expect me to pray all the time?" Here the Greek verb proseuchomai is very general, referring to all forms of prayer into which we as believers may enter at any time. The apostle's focus is clearly more upon the reverential "attitude" of the believer in prayer than the type or details of any particular prayer. Very simply, it must become our prevailing attitude toward and approach to God in prayer that is to be our continual practice.
Furthermore, the Greek adverb adialeiptos means literally "without ceasing" and is what makes Paul's command to pray so compelling for us as Christians. The command, however, is not that we should prevail in the practice of prayer every moment of every day. The apostle is not calling us to enter into a perpetual prayer meeting! Rather he is exhorting every believer to seize every opportunity to pray as it might be presented to us by the indwelling Spirit of God. Dr. Spiros Zodhiates agreed when he wrote:
"In 1 Thess. 5:17, we find Paul's injunction to incessantly pray, which means to pray every time an opportunity presents itself and to be in a constant attitude of dependence upon God" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary, p.82)
Thus, it is clearly more toward the believer's attitude of prayer that the apostle here turns our attention, beloved. As D. Edmond Hiebert put it:
"In the Christian life the act of prayer is intermittent but the spirit of prayer should be incessant" (The Thessalonian Epistles, p.241)
Prayer is the one resource, then, to which we can and should turn immediately whenever the need arises. It should be the atmosphere of our living, the battleground of our spiritual warfare. So closely to the act of prayer should we walk every moment that we are never any farther from it than the effort it takes to call upon the Lord. We should remove from it any and all religious vestiges that might cause us to think of it as solely or even primarily belonging to the church sanctuary or to the structured service of worship as it appears in the church bulletin. Prayer is at its most basic level communication with God, beloved, such communication as is natural and flowing and the healthy response of the human spirit to the moment by moment prompting of the Spirit within.
Am I really supposed to pray all the time? No. Am I ever to be in the spirit and attitude of prayer? Absolutely! Don't make God have to "chase you down" and bring back to your mind the need for prayer, beloved. Stay close to it! Breathe it in as you walk in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As you do, the promise of the Apostle James to the first century church will become a living reality in your life as well:
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (James 5:16b)
Ron
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Grace for a Dead Dog
"Again he prostrated himself and said, 'What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?'" (2 Samuel 9:8)
Now I'll be the first to admit that the image of a "dead dog" is not a very palatable picture to bring to your minds, beloved! But there really is nothing else that I can use to make the glorious point that we find here in the words of Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, to David, king of Israel. So why did this grown son of David's best friend refer to himself in such a manner? And what can we learn about the grace of God from what transpired between the king and the son of his dearest friend?
The reason why Mephibosheth called himself a "dead dog" when lying prostrate before King David we find in the closing words of this chapter - "Now he was lame in both feet." Mephibosheth had been dropped by his nurse when she had learned of the deaths of Jonathan and Saul and that fall had left him permanently crippled (4:4). To Mephibosheth, then, he was about as good as a "dead dog"!
In this chapter we discover a marvelous picture of God's love for us as sinners, of His unmerited favor shown to us in Jesus Christ. David owed the house of Saul absolutely nothing, yet he chose to show favor to the grandson of the former king because of his love for Jonathan. Did you know that what God has done for us He has done because of who Jesus Christ is and because of His love for Him?
And where was Mephibosheth finally located? He was found in a place called "Lo-debar" whose name loosely translated means "desert place" or "wasteland." Where did Jesus Christ find us but lost in the domain of darkness and of sin? And from that domain He called us in love, much like the way that David sent for Mephibosheth and had him ushered into his royal presence.
What did David do for this helpless cripple once he had him lying prostrate before him? He chose to restore to him all that his grandfather had possessed and to make it his own. Though it rightly belonged to David as king, he willingly chose to give it to Mephibosheth and his family. In the same way God has made us "heirs" of all that is His and "fellow heirs" with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are forever part of God's family and it is all because of His decision to extend that gracious invitation to each one of us.
Finally, David invited Mephibosheth to dine permanently at the king's table as one of his own sons. He was made to become a member of the royal family! He who had been eking out a living in Lo-debar with no future and no hope from that moment on sat at the king's table under the king's loving and watchful eye, belonging there as surely as if he had been David's own biological son. You and I do not deserve what God has done for us in Christ, beloved, but we most certainly do belong at God's table! One day we shall sit down with the Lord Jesus Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a glorious day that will be!
This ninth chapter closes with the reminder concerning Mephibosheth that "he was lame in both feet." Perhaps those words bringing this paragraph to a close serve as a wonderful reminder for you and me that, in and of ourselves, we too are each a "dead dog" spiritually. We are all "lame in both feet"! And as we remember that fact as we live from day to day, perhaps we will better and more faithfully give God all the glory for His amazing grace so undeserved by us, yet so full and rich and free in our lives.
Ron
Now I'll be the first to admit that the image of a "dead dog" is not a very palatable picture to bring to your minds, beloved! But there really is nothing else that I can use to make the glorious point that we find here in the words of Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, to David, king of Israel. So why did this grown son of David's best friend refer to himself in such a manner? And what can we learn about the grace of God from what transpired between the king and the son of his dearest friend?
The reason why Mephibosheth called himself a "dead dog" when lying prostrate before King David we find in the closing words of this chapter - "Now he was lame in both feet." Mephibosheth had been dropped by his nurse when she had learned of the deaths of Jonathan and Saul and that fall had left him permanently crippled (4:4). To Mephibosheth, then, he was about as good as a "dead dog"!
In this chapter we discover a marvelous picture of God's love for us as sinners, of His unmerited favor shown to us in Jesus Christ. David owed the house of Saul absolutely nothing, yet he chose to show favor to the grandson of the former king because of his love for Jonathan. Did you know that what God has done for us He has done because of who Jesus Christ is and because of His love for Him?
And where was Mephibosheth finally located? He was found in a place called "Lo-debar" whose name loosely translated means "desert place" or "wasteland." Where did Jesus Christ find us but lost in the domain of darkness and of sin? And from that domain He called us in love, much like the way that David sent for Mephibosheth and had him ushered into his royal presence.
What did David do for this helpless cripple once he had him lying prostrate before him? He chose to restore to him all that his grandfather had possessed and to make it his own. Though it rightly belonged to David as king, he willingly chose to give it to Mephibosheth and his family. In the same way God has made us "heirs" of all that is His and "fellow heirs" with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are forever part of God's family and it is all because of His decision to extend that gracious invitation to each one of us.
Finally, David invited Mephibosheth to dine permanently at the king's table as one of his own sons. He was made to become a member of the royal family! He who had been eking out a living in Lo-debar with no future and no hope from that moment on sat at the king's table under the king's loving and watchful eye, belonging there as surely as if he had been David's own biological son. You and I do not deserve what God has done for us in Christ, beloved, but we most certainly do belong at God's table! One day we shall sit down with the Lord Jesus Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a glorious day that will be!
This ninth chapter closes with the reminder concerning Mephibosheth that "he was lame in both feet." Perhaps those words bringing this paragraph to a close serve as a wonderful reminder for you and me that, in and of ourselves, we too are each a "dead dog" spiritually. We are all "lame in both feet"! And as we remember that fact as we live from day to day, perhaps we will better and more faithfully give God all the glory for His amazing grace so undeserved by us, yet so full and rich and free in our lives.
Ron
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Does God Want Me To Be Happy?
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
We've all heard it before, haven't we? Someone somewhere will make the bold declarative statement that "God wants me to be happy." And it has become a very popular belief among even many Christians today that, indeed, making sure that I am happy is part of God's "job"!
But the question needs to be asked seriously, especially by those who make such a claim - "Is that really what God wants for me?" And if it is, then why does He allow so many trials into my life that rob me of my happiness? We have answered our own question, beloved! God wants more for us than mere happiness.
You see, the lesson that it seems we have yet to learn is that happiness depends on the circumstances of life. When things are good, we can be happy. But when tough times come, our happiness slips away. Scripture teaches us that God wants us to be "joyful," beloved. And not only joyful, but joyful in whatever we are facing! But how can we be joyful when sorrow and suffering surround us? We can because joy does not depend upon circumstances, but on the depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
We can rejoice, as Jesus directed His disciples to do, that our names are recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20). Because we are in Christ by faith, we live under the promise that "God causes all things to work together for good" in our lives as faithful followers (Romans 8:28).
But the imperative "rejoice always" lets us know that being joyful is something that we must actively choose to be. There simply is no such creature as a "passively joyful Christian"! So, does God want me to be happy? No, He wants you to be so much more. He wants you to live every moment of every day in the deep and abiding joy that is found only in Jesus Christ. And He wants that joy to so flow out of your attitudes, words, and deeds that the Spirit of God can use it to draw those who know you to the Savior!
Rejoice always, beloved!
Ron
We've all heard it before, haven't we? Someone somewhere will make the bold declarative statement that "God wants me to be happy." And it has become a very popular belief among even many Christians today that, indeed, making sure that I am happy is part of God's "job"!
But the question needs to be asked seriously, especially by those who make such a claim - "Is that really what God wants for me?" And if it is, then why does He allow so many trials into my life that rob me of my happiness? We have answered our own question, beloved! God wants more for us than mere happiness.
You see, the lesson that it seems we have yet to learn is that happiness depends on the circumstances of life. When things are good, we can be happy. But when tough times come, our happiness slips away. Scripture teaches us that God wants us to be "joyful," beloved. And not only joyful, but joyful in whatever we are facing! But how can we be joyful when sorrow and suffering surround us? We can because joy does not depend upon circumstances, but on the depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
We can rejoice, as Jesus directed His disciples to do, that our names are recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20). Because we are in Christ by faith, we live under the promise that "God causes all things to work together for good" in our lives as faithful followers (Romans 8:28).
But the imperative "rejoice always" lets us know that being joyful is something that we must actively choose to be. There simply is no such creature as a "passively joyful Christian"! So, does God want me to be happy? No, He wants you to be so much more. He wants you to live every moment of every day in the deep and abiding joy that is found only in Jesus Christ. And He wants that joy to so flow out of your attitudes, words, and deeds that the Spirit of God can use it to draw those who know you to the Savior!
Rejoice always, beloved!
Ron
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Divine Collision
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)
Have you ever had occasion to make the statement concerning a particular event or set of circumstances that it was "inevitable," beloved? That it was "bound to happen"? It seems that there are many situations in life where we can see the inevitable coming, even if there is nothing that we can do to prevent it!
For us as Christians today there is definitely a "divine collision" within the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus made the very specific statement that "no one comes to the Father" except through Him. Have you ever thought about conflicting a statement that is? How it flies in the face of that kind of religious correctness that has become increasingly popular among church people today? Some years ago I had the opportunity to hear a very well-known and likable preacher being interviewed on a television talk show. He was asked directly by the program host if he believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. To my great dismay, the preacher made it clear that he was not ready to say that all the other religions of the world do not have their own value in bringing men into relationship with God. He believed it for himself, but not necessarily for those who hold to other religious beliefs. Very simply, he was being religiously correct!
This is the point at which the "divine collision" confronts head-on every true follower of Jesus Christ today, beloved! At some point, if we are going to reach our world with the gospel, we are going to have to proclaim undeniably that, yes, Jesus Christ is the only author of salvation, the only way to eternal life. And we must do so for the simple reason that Jesus made that very claim concerning Himself.
In a world that calls such a conviction "bigoted" and "narrow-minded" and refers to those who hold to it as part of the "radical right," the good news is that this same Jesus is available to every person on earth. The Apostle Paul reminded the saints in Rome that "whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). It is the "whoever" that we need to proclaim with great joy, beloved! Yes, Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. There is no other. But the good news is that this one way to eternal life is open to any and all who will turn to Him in faith and true repentance.
Don't be afraid of the "divine collision," beloved! Dare to take a stand in love and declare not only that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, but that He welcomes all who come to Him in faith. Religious correctness will never save one person, no matter how well-intentioned those who espouse it may be. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and satisfies the holiness of God. Lift high the name of Jesus! Let the "divine collision" happen!
Ron
Have you ever had occasion to make the statement concerning a particular event or set of circumstances that it was "inevitable," beloved? That it was "bound to happen"? It seems that there are many situations in life where we can see the inevitable coming, even if there is nothing that we can do to prevent it!
For us as Christians today there is definitely a "divine collision" within the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus made the very specific statement that "no one comes to the Father" except through Him. Have you ever thought about conflicting a statement that is? How it flies in the face of that kind of religious correctness that has become increasingly popular among church people today? Some years ago I had the opportunity to hear a very well-known and likable preacher being interviewed on a television talk show. He was asked directly by the program host if he believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. To my great dismay, the preacher made it clear that he was not ready to say that all the other religions of the world do not have their own value in bringing men into relationship with God. He believed it for himself, but not necessarily for those who hold to other religious beliefs. Very simply, he was being religiously correct!
This is the point at which the "divine collision" confronts head-on every true follower of Jesus Christ today, beloved! At some point, if we are going to reach our world with the gospel, we are going to have to proclaim undeniably that, yes, Jesus Christ is the only author of salvation, the only way to eternal life. And we must do so for the simple reason that Jesus made that very claim concerning Himself.
In a world that calls such a conviction "bigoted" and "narrow-minded" and refers to those who hold to it as part of the "radical right," the good news is that this same Jesus is available to every person on earth. The Apostle Paul reminded the saints in Rome that "whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). It is the "whoever" that we need to proclaim with great joy, beloved! Yes, Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. There is no other. But the good news is that this one way to eternal life is open to any and all who will turn to Him in faith and true repentance.
Don't be afraid of the "divine collision," beloved! Dare to take a stand in love and declare not only that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, but that He welcomes all who come to Him in faith. Religious correctness will never save one person, no matter how well-intentioned those who espouse it may be. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and satisfies the holiness of God. Lift high the name of Jesus! Let the "divine collision" happen!
Ron
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