We all seem to struggle with the sovereignty of God at some level. It is often a result of our own desire to be in control, with an expectation of entitlement. I have heard others say that if God is completely in control, then we are merely robots and they will not believe that. But then they are confronted with the words of Jesus in the gospel of John chapter 6.

John 6:37 (NASB)
37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 6:44 (NASB)
44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:64-65 (NASB)
64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

We all, this side of heaven, have a view of God that is not pure. But if we don’t at least base our view on what Jesus says about God, then our prayers will miss the mark. It’s a good thing that Jesus intercedes for us as we pray. It is like the love of a father, who gently corrects our mistakes and incorrect thinking.

C.S. Lewis said about prayer, “May it be the real I that speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to….Every idea of Him we form, He must in mercy shatter.”

It is also the ideas we have about ourselves that must be shattered too.

Holy Spirit, be merciful to me. Conform my image of God into reality. Conform my image of me into reality. Transform my soul into your likeness. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

“Some Christians hope in a vague kind of way that time will help them to grow better. They look to the passing of the years to mellow them and make them more Christlike. This is such a tender and pathetic thought that one hesitates to expose its essential error. But we had better know the facts now while we can do something about them rather than go on moist-eyed and dreamily hopeful–and wholly wrong. A crooked tree does not straighten with age; neither does a crooked Christian.”
A. W. Tozer

Tozer has a way of getting right to the point, doesn’t he? Sanctification doesn’t come with age. It comes from hard work and discipline – physical, emotional, and spiritual.  It doesn’t come from just attending church on Sunday. That is just the starting point in how we spend the rest of the week.

That is why there are young people that are spiritual giants and old people that have no wisdom. They have taken different paths. One path leads to holiness. The other path is where yesterday is like today and tomorrow – filled with empty thoughts of self.

Jesus, thank you that becoming like you doesn’t depend on the passage of time, but on our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to change us into your image. Keep my focus on You and You alone. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

“Some minds are like stained glass windows; they shut out much of the light, and the little light that does struggle through, they colour after their own manner.”
Charles Spurgeon

Judges 21:25 (NASB)
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

It is so easy to come to conclusions that make sense to us, especially if they fit what we want. But when we test those conclusions against the Word of God and then prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to illumine our minds, we may discover that what we want is not what God wants.

We all have a world view that is seen through a lens either created by us or the one that is authored by God. As we grow in the likeness of Christ, our own lens becomes less dominant and God’s lens becomes more prominent. It is no wonder that those that are not in the Kingdom do not share our beliefs. The lens that they see the world through is completely different than ours.

That is why prayer is so important. We must focus on the prayers of ingesting and meditating on the Word of God as well as the prayers of repentance and asking God to sanctify us more each and every day. The thought that we can become more like Jesus each day without prayer is folly. Without fervent prayer we will only spend our time looking through that lens of our own making.

Father, forgive me for falling short of your plan. Jesus, intercede for me as I pray for more faith and holiness each day. Holy Spirit, be my constant guide.  Teach me to listen only to You. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Psalm 16:11 (NASB)
11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

This last week, we attended the graduation of our grandson from seminary. Over a couple of days, I experienced something that was a true gift from God. The graduation ceremony itself was an amazing experience; a worship service where 160 people also received their diplomas for the hard work that they put in to achieve their degree program. And while the days that we were there were all a great blessing, the evening after the graduation ceremony will stand out forever.

After our celebration dinner at a local restaurant, we then went to have dessert at a place that had some secluded rooms where our family gathered in one of them to hear from our grandson’s heart about what he has been called to do and his plans for how he believes he is being led to serve the Kingdom of God.

But before he did that he spent a half hour acknowledging the love and support that his family has given to him over the years. This was not a mere thank you to those gathered to celebrate with him, although I know that no one there even expected that. It was his verbal love letter to all of us. What he said that evening I know will have a lasting impact on all who were there. It was so evident that he has a true love for all people and it is a result of an outpouring for his love for Christ.  Psalm 16:11 is his favorite verse from the psalms.

John 7:38 (NASB)
38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”

I recall telling him as he entered seminary that he should guard himself during that time, because many who are in this intense time of study often find that it is a dry spiritual season in their lives. I didn’t know that he would take that to heart, but he called me several weeks later and said that he had decided to take fewer hours per semester. He was working full time while going to school, but he said that he also wanted to invest a significant amount of time in his church family. He often remarked over the last several years how much his church family meant to him. But I was amazed to find that without exception, everywhere we went, we ran into people that knew him and loved him in that community.

The time at seminary prepared him with the knowledge he will need to do the missionary work God has called him to do. But God also worked in his heart over the last four years through the people of his community and church to give him a passion to love others and to experience the fullness of joy that comes from following God’s path.

Father, thank you for your many promises in scripture. Thank you for loving us so much that you prepare a path for us. Thank you that it brings to us a fullness of joy that can only come from you.

Always praying for the glory of God,

John 14:26-27 (NASB)
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

A big part of praying is listening. Much of the listening can come from listening to what God has said in Scripture. It involves truly meditating on the words of Scripture, internalizing the promises, taking those promises to heart and living them.

The Scripture above is one that we have probably all read many times. We know that the Holy Spirit lives within us and will teach us. But, I certainly don’t spend enough time listening for that still small voice that can teach me more than all of the world’s libraries.

Verse 27 is an amazing promise. Jesus has given us His peace. It is there for us, if we only take it. There is no need to worry, be troubled, or fearful.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is all.”

Always praying for the Glory of God,

A journal entry from  09 28 2015

I ran across a quote from a 19th Century Catholic priest who said, “Pray as you can, not as you can’t”. It reminded me of a couple of things. First, because prayer is one of the things that God uses to change us, we can’t wait until we’ve got it right to pray. I listen to prayer warriors who can bring me to tears with their wonderful prayers and once thought that I couldn’t pray until I was able to do like that. However, God’s grace is absolutely sufficient to cover us in prayer. We can be sure that in this world, we will never be able to master prayer. Second, we can’t wait until our motives are right, or we would never pray. We are a tangled mass of motives, both good and bad.

It is much like children coming to their father with crazy requests. Fathers want to hear from their children, even if we don’t make sense all the time. Fathers are simply happy that their children come, mixed motives and all. I can remember thinking that God wouldn’t want to hear from me because I might say something that had the wrong motive and because He is God, He would know it.

The prayers in scripture are mostly simple prayers – heartfelt and earnest, exposing deep desires. It is only when we do pray simply that God can begin to work in us. He wants to hear about our day, the things that encouraged us, the problems that hurt us, the family member that is lost, the disappointments that we feel, the longings to be closer to Him. C.S. Lewis once said, “lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” Simple prayers should be genuine prayers – telling God like it is. Then as we listen to Him, he can comfort, counsel, encourage, and grow us.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Some rambling thoughts about trials in our life and how we respond to them. Do they impact your prayer life? Have they changed you?

When you encounter a trial, at the end of it, do you experience –

Thankfulness to God or just relief?
Praise to God or happy that you can just move on?
Repentance for the sin in your life or feeling like you just dodged a bullet?
A closer relationship with Jesus or just back to the status quo?

The latter feelings are something that you would expect from non-Christians, but do I catch myself reacting that way too? I see that behavior in people that have no relationship with Jesus. It is easy to say that my very first thought will be thanksgiving, praise, and repentance. But the Holy Spirit has to remind me that I am not of this world, but just passing through.

I also have to remind myself that the valley of the trial itself is as much a blessing as the mountaintop that I am on after the trial is over. If God wants me to go through the valley, it is because it will bring me closer to Him. My only request should be that He gets me where He wants me to be.

It was knowing this, that caused Paul to sing hymns when in prison. It is this knowledge that should change the very nature of my supplications to God. If I am “Always praying for the Glory of God”, then that means I will want to grow with joy through the trials that He has in store for me.

Jesus, help me to keep the proper perspective with your plans to grow me into your likeness. Give me joy in the valley as well as the mountaintop. May my only request be that I trust you in all things. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Last night I had the privilege once again to provide the devotion at Our Daily Rest. I am so moved by the people that give of their time to prepare the meal. Some of you know Martha. Her granddaughters, Julia and Mallory are always there with her when Martha is serving. What an amazing legacy that she is leaving for those girls, leading them by example in service, just like Jesus served mankind when He was here on earth. Martha’s sister in law, Jean was also there. What a sweet soul she is.

I told my wife as we left how uncomfortable I am doing the devotion. Meeting new people is not easy for me. Even more so, I am uncomfortable because I know that but for the grace of God, I could be in need of Our Daily Rest.

Here is what I shared…

We will have a blessing for our dinner in a few minutes.

But first, I wanted to talk about that blessing. Another word for it is prayer. Everyone knows what prayer is. In its most basic form it is talking to God. The purpose of prayer is to express our thoughts to God. He is the creator of everything, so what is it that you think God wants to hear from us? He would have to tell us that, wouldn’t he?

That is where the Bible comes in. The Bible is God talking to us, letting us know about Him and even what He wants to hear from us. So, for prayer to be really worthwhile, we have to get to know God and we can do that by reading and studying the Bible.

So, what do we learn about prayer from the Bible?

The main thing we learn from the Bible is that there are four basic types of prayers. Praise, Repentance, Thanksgiving, and Requests.

Praise – giving honor to God for who He is. It has been said that we could praise God from now on without running out of wonderful things to say about Him. Let me give you an example. “God you are amazing, You are worthy of my worship.”

Repentance for the sin in our lives – Repentance has three parts. The first part is regretting what we have done. The second part is telling God we are sorry. The third part is committing ourselves to changing our ways. When we truly repent, then God brings us joy. “Forgive me for not studying your Bible, for not getting to know you better each day. Help me to be in Your word each day. Make it my delight”

Thanksgiving – Telling God that you are thankful for all that He has done for you. “Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me a place to rest tonight and for this meal we are about to eat.”

Requests – Asking God to do something for us, or for someone else. “God, please help me to get a job, so I can provide for my family.”

So, I have a couple of questions for you to ponder this evening. Where to you think most people spend their time in prayer and why is that? Is my prayer life where I want it to be?

Join me now in prayer.

Psalm 51:12 (NASB)
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NASB)
10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

The idea of repentance is minimized in the world today, even in many churches. People don’t like to think about the negative; they would rather focus on the love of God, the joy of salvation, the gifts that God brings to us that makes our lives happy.

What we have lost is the joy that comes from repentance. It is one of the great gifts of God.

When Nathan exposed David to the sin that he had committed with Bathsheba, David repented of his sin, recognizing that he had sinned first and foremost against God. I know we aren’t all writers of song and poetry, but David not only repented and was forgiven by God, he was drawn to write about it in Psalm 51. Yes, he was contrite and repented of the sin, but David also knew that in the aftermath of that repentance, he would be blessed with the great joy of God’s salvation. I know what some of you are thinking right now. The consequences of David’s action cost him the life of his son. We do have to deal with the consequences of our actions in this life, but David also knew that because He had a personal relationship with God, that he would eventually taste salvation with God in heaven one day.

Paul told the church in Corinth about the sorrow of this world without repentance. It leads to regret – an emotion that can eat away at our souls. But repentance as a child of God will lead us to joy.

What an amazing gift God has given to us through repentance. It eventually brings us joy and it brings glory to God. I know I have a lot to repent of in my life. Knowing this amazing gift, it amazes me that I don’t always run to Jesus every day as the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin.  Only then after repenting freely and honestly with God, can I savor the joy that awaits me.

Holy Spirit, show me my sin. Jesus help me to run to you each day with a repentant heart. God, may you be glorified in my repentance. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Mark 11:17-18 (NASB)
17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

Isaiah 56:7 (NASB)
7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

I was reading these verses the other day and it occurred to me that I had often just used a portion of it when thinking about it and quoting it to others. I would say “My house shall be a house of prayer” and leave off the rest of it. In reading the reaction of the chief priests and scribes to Jesus’ teaching, you could understand how they might react to Jesus telling them that the synagogue had been turned into a robber’s den by them.

It’s possible, even though they likely would not have admitted it, that some of the priests and scribes knew that they had distorted how the temple was being used. The temple handed down by God to Moses was quite different from the synagogue of that day.

I wonder though… if what REALLY got to them was being told that God’s house was to be a place of prayer for “all the nations”. For generations, the Jews had been told that Israel was God’s chosen people. God had given them the Promised Land and had destroyed many other nations in the process. How could it be that God’s House now was for everyone?

It’s now a couple of thousand years later.  When we think of God’s church today, is that the first thing that comes to mind? Do we immediately think of the church as a house of prayer for all the nations? When new people come into your church, do you describe it is a house of prayer for all the nations? It seemed to be very important to Jesus. What do you think?

Heavenly Father, Praise God that the bride of Christ, Your church is a house of prayer for all the nations. Show us how to honor you by worshiping you in spirit and in truth. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,