pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 24, 2017 “Press”

Press

Divine guidance brings with it certain sensations.
An unseen but tangible hand presses the small of our back to keep us going. Two unseen hands equally tangible throw us a “stop sign,” like a third base coach to a runner who wants to score, and stops us in our tracks.

Divine guidance: Sometimes a hand from the back pressing us forward and at other times a hand in the front telling us to slow down or even to stop.

The Poet says it this way:

“You press upon me behind and before and lay your hand upon me.”

The NIV translates the verse like this:

You hem me in — behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:5-6

These hands that hem us in are gentle hands, the hands of our best best Friend. There is wisdom here that sees beyond the obvious and knows what lies around the next curve in the road.

A Hand on Our Back
All of us need a push from time to time. Like a parachutist on his/her first jump we freeze in the door of the plane. Our Instructor pushes out into the freefall of faith, a sensation we could never feel in the safety of the aircraft and an on-rushing vision of creation we could never have seen through any window.

When the Lord tells us to do something, there is a natural hesitation to obey. This is good. We are warned in the Scripture to count the cost before beginning a new enterprise. It is proper to think things through, to plan, to gather resources and information and to build a team. Sometimes such careful analysis can lead to careless paralysis. At this point we feel that welcomed push in the small of our back, the gentle hand of a Savior leading us to greatness—and not just any greatness—but greatness in His eyes.

A Hand before Us
There is this thing in life called momentum and it must be accounted for. It is closely related to its cousin, inertia—the resistance to a change in motion. These things are of this world, a part of God’s creation. As hard as it is to get something rolling, if gravity and inertia get hold of it, it can be even more difficult to stop or even slow down. Just as that beginning parachutist needs the nudge from the back, he/she also needs the braking power of the chute itself!

Too many well-intentioned souls have crashed to the ground when momentum carried them through a stop sign. When that runner in baseball rounds third base to head for home plate, if he runs through the two-handed stop sign of the third base coach and he is called out at the plate, not only has he made an out, he is in big trouble with the team. The coach and the whole team can see the whole play in the field the runner cannot see. And so it is with the Christ-follower who does not slow down or stop when the hands in front give the sign. He knows when it is time to score and when it is time to slide safely into third base, 90 feet away from home.

We can rejoice with the touch of the Master’s hands on our backs to get us going and keep us on track and in front of us to slow us down when disaster looms. Loving hands are these and wise, hands to be trusted to guide us safely home.

Scriptures:
Psalm 139
Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You trace my journeys and my resting-places and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you, O Lord, know it altogether. You press upon me behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain to it. Where can I go then from your Spirit? where can I flee from your presence? If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,” Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. My body was not hidden from you, while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them. How deep I find your thoughts, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.… Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts. Look well whether there be any wickedness in me and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, that You for Your guiding hand. When I drift off course, even when I don’t know it, I feel Your hand edging me back to the proper coordinates. If during the course of this day, I wander to the left or the right, I know I can count on your guiding hand. If I get ahead of myself or of Your plan, hold me back! Your hands are gentle and firm and loving. I am so grateful that You have “hemmed me in behind and before and laid Your hand upon me.” Thank You, Lord!

Song:
I’ll Go where You Want Me to Go
Words and Music: Mary Brown

1. It may not be on the mountain’s height, or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle’s front my Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls to paths I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Yours,
I’ll go where You want me to go.

Refrain:
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

2. Perhaps today there are loving words which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now, in the paths of sin, some wand’rer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if You will be my Guide, though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.

Refrain

3. There’s surely somewhere a lowly place in earth’s harvest fields so wide,
Where I may labor through life’s short day for Jesus, the Crucified.
So, trusting my all unto Your care, I know You always love me!
I’ll do Your will with a heart sincere,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 23, 2017 “Gates”

Gates

Ancient Gates
Ancient cities crumbled into ruins with their ancient gates still standing guard, the only remaining testament to the greatness of the city. It requires little imagination to stand under the naked arch of an ancient gateway and visualize the traffic that once crowded through the fortified entrance to the city. With the sunrise the gates were opened to commerce and soon after dark they were closed to danger. High walls protected against the enemies, real and imagined, out there somewhere in the dark who wanted the city and all it contained for themselves.

Gates, themselves, were keepers. They kept people and things out and they kept them in. Important zones were protected by gates. They opened for the right people and closed to the wrong people. Gates were strong points made even stronger by the gatekeepers stationed near them to man the mechanisms that made the gates operate. Armed soldiers patrolled the approaches to the gates, inside and out, ever on the alert for the saboteur or the spy. Lookouts manned the heights above the gates to scan the horizon for enemies who might try to violate the security of the city.

Contemporary Gates
There are real gates, still today. Adjacent countries have borders with armed guards at the check points. These are the gates—of entrance and exit points for the neighboring citizens.

As metaphors, gates are even more numerous. There are behaviors, compromises, substances, and seeming innocent images or presentations that can all act as gateways to sin, disease, and addiction. As we walk the Path of Life, the Spirit warns us where to step, which fork in the path to take, and with whom we should choose to walk.

Ancient Gates Still in Power
The good news is that there are still Ancient Gates guarding significant places. The Poet reveals them to us:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Ps 100:4 NIV

“His gates” means that God has gates. There is a way to approach Him and a way not to approach Him. Three words describe “His Gates:”

  • Gratitude,
  • Praise, and
  • Humility.

We should approach the Gates of His presence with thanksgiving and praise springing from a humble heart. Pride and self-centeredness will close the Gates to us.

When we gather to worship, our greatest desire should be to see these Holy, ancient doors open in response to our thanksgiving and praise. Why? Because above all other considerations, we need for the King of Glory to come in! He is the answer to all the world’s problems from the most private pain to the most public pandemic. If we are faithful to tend His Gates, if we guard the City of God from lesser, frivolous pursuits in public worship, if we lift up our heads, these organs of speech designed in Eden for the praise of Heaven, The Lord Will Come In!

And He will make all the difference.

Scriptures:
Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and all who dwell therein. For it is he who founded it upon the seas and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep. “Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? and who can stand in his holy place?” “Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud. They shall receive a blessing from the Lord and a just reward from the God of their salvation.” Such is the generation of those who seek him, of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. “Who is this King of glory?” “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.” Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. “Who is he, this King of glory?” “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”
1 Peter 5:5-7 NIV
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 51:17 NIV
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Isaiah 57:14-15; 66:1-2
And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” For this is what the high and lofty One says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Psalm 84:10 AMP
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Today I will process with the People of God through the ancient Gates of Thanksgiving. I will lift my voice in the Courts of Praise. I will bow at the Altar of Repentance in deep humility. In the midst of the congregation I will enter the Most Holy Place to pray and hear Your Word in the light and power of the Holy Spirit. Then we, the saints and I, will pass through the Riven Veil to wait before Your Holiness. You will meet my every need, here at the summit of Mt. Zion. How is all this my destiny? Because when we, the church, lift up the ancient Gates of Praise, You, the King of Glory, came in! Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Jesus, We Crown You King
Words and Music: Stephen Phifer

1. Jesus, we crown You the King of all kings.
Jesus, we crown You the King of all kings.
You’re the joy of all Creation, make the morning stars to sing!
Jesus, we crown You, Lord, We exalt You.
Jesus, we crown You the King of kings.

2. Jesus, we crown You the Lord of all lords.
Jesus, we crown You the Lord of all lords.
On a thrown of greatest splendor You are worshiped and adored!
Jesus, we crown You, Lord, We exalt You.
Jesus, we crown You the Lord of Lords.

3. Jesus we crown you the Prince of all Peace.
Jesus we crown you the Prince of all Peace.
For You ride on every tempest, make the wildest storm to cease!
Jesus, we crown You, Lord, We exalt You.
Jesus, we crown You the Prince of Peace.

King of kings, Lord of lords. Prince of Peace, Mighty God
We crown now, as we sing. Jesus we crown You King of kings!

You’re the joy of all Creation, make the morning stars to sing!
Jesus, we crown You, Lord, We exalt You.
Jesus, we crown You the King of kings.
King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Pease,
Mighty God! King of kings!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 22, 2017 “Muzzled”

Muzzled

The Holy Ghost muzzle is a grace, not a punishment.
We all need it from time to time. No exceptions. The Poet says,

“I will put a muzzle on my mouth while the wicked are in my presence.”

I had a beagle named Bailey.
He was my pal. Every night when we let him out before bedtime, he would station himself in the backyard to warn the neighborhood of some danger only he could sense. A full moon really set him off. I am sure the neighbors would have gladly supplied us with a muzzle for Him.

There isn’t another reason I can think of to muzzle a beagle; they are such gentle and playful dogs. They were, however, designed to make noise, to bay and howl on the trail of a rabbit and to warn of the approach of an intruder. He was a little dog but his “big dog bark” was impressive.

We also may be gentle souls; dutifully saved by grace and full of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. We can also, however, be noisy. Not everything that runs through our minds need to flow out of our mouths.

Edit yourself!
In simple words we need to watch what we say and sometimes shouldn’t say anything at all.
The metaphor for speech often used in the Bible is the tongue. James, the Lord’s brother, has the most to say on the subject

  •  “Keep a tight rein” on the tongue
  • “It makes great boasts,”
  • “Is also a fire,” and finally,
  • “No man can tame” it.

So, how do we know what to say? The answer is simple—edit yourself! Think before your speak. Ask questions like:

  • Is this true or false?
  • Is this helpful or hurtful?
  • Is this private or public?
  • Is this any of my business?
  • Where will this lead the conversation?

Another question is: when do we speak and when do we keep silent?

  • When saying something is kind, we should speak.
  • When saying nothing is kind, we should not speak.
  • When something must be said, we should speak.
  • When nothing needs to be said, we should not speak.

King Solomon proved this wisdom:

Eccl 3:1-8 NIV
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…
a time to be silent and a time to speak…

When it is time to speak we need the boldness of the Holy Spirit and when it is time to be silent we need the Holy Spirit’s muzzle.

The Holy Ghost muzzle is a grace, not a punishment. We all need it from time to time.

No exceptions.

Scriptures:
Psalm 39
I said, “I will keep watch upon my ways, so that I do not offend with my tongue. I will put a muzzle on my mouth while the wicked are in my presence.” So I held my tongue and said nothing; I refrained from rash words; but my pain became unbearable. My heart was hot within me; while I pondered, the fire burst into flame; I spoke out with my tongue: Lord, let me know my end and the number of my days, so that I may know how short my life is. You have given me a mere handful of days, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight; truly, even those who stand erect are but a puff of wind. We walk about like a shadow, and in vain we are in turmoil; we heap up riches and cannot tell who will gather them. And now, what is my hope? O Lord, my hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions and do not make me the taunt of the fool. I fell silent and did not open my mouth, for surely it was you that did it. Take your affliction from me; I am worn down by the blows of your hand. With rebukes for sin you punish us; like a moth you eat away all that is dear to us; truly, everyone is but a puff of wind. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears. For I am but a sojourner with you, a wayfarer, as all my forebears were. Turn your gaze from me, that I may be glad again, before I go my way and am no more.
James 1:26-27; 3:3-12
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
1 Peter 3:8-12 NIV
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 2:15-16 NIV
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me speak when it is time to speak and give me the words to say. Help me to hold my tongue when there is nothing right to say. Let my words be measured in grace. Help be speak the truth in love and never in hate or prejudice or petty nonsense. Somehow, may others hear Your voice in the sound of my voice. Let me speak peace and healing, comfort and challenge—just the things that need to be said! And, Lord, help me to really listen to others! Amen.

Song:
Be Still My Soul
Words and Music: Don Moen

Be still my soul. Be still my soul.
Cease from the labor and the toil.
Refreshing springs of peace await
The troubled minds and hearts that ache.
Be still my soul. God knows your way
And He will guide For His name’s sake.
Plunge in the rivers of His grace;
Rest in the arms of His embrace.

Be still my soul. Be still my soul,
Though battles round you rage and roar.
One thing you need and nothing more
To hear the whisper of your Lord.

Be still My child I know your way
And I will guide For My name’s sake.
Plunge in the rivers of My grace;
Rest in the arms of My embrace.

Be still, be still my soul

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 21, 2017 “Fools”

Fools

Sometimes they make us laugh. Sometimes they bring us to tears.
Some of them are harmless and others are deadly. The one thing all fools have in common is this: they look for a response from us.

If fools set out to amuse us, they succeed only if they get a laugh. If, on the other hand, they set out to deceive us, they succeed when we are distracted by their skills and take their lies to be truth. Entertaining fools are dangerous when deception is their goal. They make us laugh while they make us listen. They fascinate us with their antics while they demonstrate the wisdom of their foolishness and the folly of our wisdom.

The Poet identifies these dangerous fools for us. They hold a common theology.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

These are fools on a mission—to convince created beings that there is no Creator.
They peddle the preposterous notion that this is a universe of chance. Their faith is in the idea that absolutely everything came from absolutely nothing. They strive to convince us that there is no God, no afterlife, and no Judge to whom we must give an account.

To these jesters:

  • Human life has no intrinsic value beyond that of insects and plants.
  • Life only has a meaning when we give it one.
  • Humans only have the rights granted by the state and none “endowed by their Creator.”
  • The human soul is destined to perish with the body and the human spirit is a persistent fiction.
  • There is no such thing as talent—environment is the source of all abilities. (No one can be called “gifted” if there is no “Giver!”)
  • Human behavior is raw instinct, like that of migrating beasts.
  • Young men and women cannot control their impulses and neither can adults—urges, no matter how degrading, are not to be mastered by the will—they are to be obeyed as self-actualization.
  • The mind of man is the greatest intelligence available.
  • Truth is whatever we need it to be at the moment.

Fools seem to be in charge everywhere. We need to be wary of their shows and systems, their games and gambits, and their lessons and lies. If we are not careful we can laugh our way into tragic error as their performances pollute our thinking.

What to do?

Don’t be a fool.

  • Open your eyes to their charade.
  • Tune your ears to their dissonance.
  • Think through the hidden messages in their movies,
  • the content of their concerts, and
  • the idolatry of their images.

Fill your heart and mind with the truth so that lies are easily seen.
Fools: sometimes they make us laugh. Sometimes they bring us to tears. Some of them are harmless and others are deadly.

The one thing all fools have in common is this: they look for a response from us.

Scriptures:
Psalm 14
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” All are corrupt and commit abominable acts; there is none who does any good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon us all, to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God. Every one has proved faithless; all alike have turned bad; there is none who does good; no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers who eat up my people like bread and do not call upon the Lord? See how they tremble with fear, because God is in the company of the righteous. Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.
Proverbs 10:14; 23; 11:29; 15:2 NIV
Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom. He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
Isaiah 59:9-16; 20-21 NIV
So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. …”The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, unlike the fool, I have declared in my heart that there is a God and He is You! I look for You everywhere and find You there. I listen for Your voice in all that You have made and in the Book You gave us. I somehow see Your face deep in my spirit where Your Spirit abides. It is not a fleeting glance; it is a long, lingering look that changes me from the inside out. This process of saying in my heart that You are there informs me against the lies of the fools. It braces my mind against the abuse of those who sing and dance and laugh and seek to make me jump to their arts. I will not. I will look to You and be wise. Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Be Thou My Vision
Ancient Irish Hymn

1. Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
Be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

2. Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
Be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
Be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

3. Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
Be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
Be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

4. Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise:
Be thou mine inheritance now and always;
Be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

5. High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 20, 2017 “Midnight”

Midnight

The darkness fell hours ago. The morning light is hours away.
Midnight—the suspended time in the middle, the dissonant chord without a resolution, the question as yet unanswered, the song without an ending, repeating, repeating.

Midnight.

Most nights we sleep through midnight, our long slumber breaths undisturbed, our eyelids dancing to a tune we will never hear in the daylight.

But there are those other nights when sleep is far away. The mind relentlessly runs a race to nowhere like a small animal on a cruel treadmill in some heartless laboratory. On nights like this there is usually another midnight in play, some unresolved dilemma robbing us of rest.

God knows about time—it is His invention. He created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night. He knows the beginning from the ending and He also knows the middle. He is with us at midnight, whether we are asleep or awake, and He has something for us—a song!

A Song in the Night
Not an unending beat or an unresolved chord pattern, but a song of rest and peace, a song of praise. It is a song made for the midnight hour for it turns our unclosed eyes heavenward, away from the trial before us to the victory ahead of us, from the darkness of the unresolved to the promised dawn of resolution. It is a song about Him and not about us, about His power and not our weakness, about His success and not our failure, about His Word and not our worries.

The song in the night must be sung—it demands action—a deliberate transfer of thoughts from nightfall to morning light. As we sing of the faithfulness of God and rehearse in our minds the promises of God, a gentle smile will reassure us that all is well, even in the darkness.

“Why be downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God!

The Midnight Cry
Soon, at some undisclosed midnight to come, we will hear a cry—not the weeping of fear, but the Midnight Cry of the Bridegroom. Jesus will return or His church. Then for us a day will break that will never end and the last midnight will have passed.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:49-64
Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope. This is my comfort in my trouble, that your promise gives me life. The proud have derided me cruelly, but I have not turned from your law. When I remember your judgments of old, O Lord, I take great comfort. I am filled with a burning rage, because of the wicked who forsake your law. Your statutes have been like songs to me wherever I have lived as a stranger. I remember your Name in the night, O Lord, and dwell upon your law. This is how it has been with me, because I have kept your commandments. You only are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to keep your words. I entreat you with all my heart, be merciful to me according to your promise. I have considered my ways and turned my feet toward your decrees. I hasten and do not tarry to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked entangle me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I will rise to give you thanks, because of your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all who fear you and of those who keep your commandments. The earth, O Lord, is full of your love; instruct me in your statutes.
Psalm 42:5-8 NIV
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me —a prayer to the God of my life
Psalm 32:7 NIV
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 77:1-6 NIV
I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.
Psalm 16:7-8 NIV
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Acts 16:25-26 NIV
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
Matthew 25:6 NIV
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, each morning the midnight hour seems far away, the one that is past and the one yet to be. Help me remember the song You gave me in the night all through this day. Let my song of praise be constant, just as is Your care. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.

Songs:
You Can Have a Song in Your Heart
Traditional Chorus

You can have a song in Your heart at night,
After every mile, after every trial.
Anyone can sing when the sun’s shining bright.
But you need a song in your heart at night.

The Midnight Cry
Words and Music: Charles and Greg Day

1. I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind and
It’s closer now than its ever been
I can almost hear the trumpet
As Gabriel sounds the call
At the midnight cry we’ll be going home

Refrain:
When Jesus steps out on a cloud and calls God’s children,
The dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air.
And then those that remain will be quickly changed
At the midnight cry When Jesus comes again

2. I look around me and the prophecies fulfilling and
Signs of the times their appearing everywhere
I can almost hear the Father as He says son go get my children
At the midnight cry The bride of Christ shall rise.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 19, 2017 “Altar”

Altar

God has chosen to meet people at altars of prayer.
God’s record is quite good.

  • He met with Abel at the altar of sacrifice.
  • He blessed Noah and his family at the altar they built on newly dried land.
  • He rescued Isaac from the deadly obedient hand of Abraham at an altar high on the mountain that would one day be called Zion.

On and on we could go for God was faithful to the altar of prayer whenever men were faithful there, too.

When Moses brought down the divine plan for God’s dwelling place in the earth, an altar was prescribed to stand at the entrance. Prayer, thus begun in the Outer Court was renewed in the Holy Place with an altar of incense and with such sacrifices God was well pleased. His Shekinah inhabited the Tabernacle as His presence was revealed at the center of the nation. From this high altar of prayer a cloud of glory ruled the day and a holy fire illumined the wilderness night.

God meets people at the altar of prayer.

The Altar of God Demands Response.
Altars are all but invisible these days. We may look at our church platforms and see nothing that looks anything like an altar. Do not be alarmed. The Altar of God is more than a piece of furniture. Just as worship has been liberated from restriction of time and place, prayer is made of “spirit and in truth,” not wood or stone. The Altar of God is the humble human heart reaching for Him in faith.

Faith is a necessity.
We can stand in awe of His creation and marvel at the detail of His handiwork but there is no salvation in admiration from a distance.

  • We can be touched by people who carry His name but some of them carry it poorly. Their hands bear no healing power.
  • We can even read the Bible, but if we do not read in faith, if cynicism is our guide as we try to make the Holy Book say what we want it to say, we will not see His face.
  • We can stand in the midst of a crowd enveloped in the worship of others, but if our hearts are closed, if we are in the audience but not in the congregation, Jesus will be there but He will pass us by.

There was a song we used to sing:

Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.
You’ll find he’s not too busy to answer your cry.
He’s passing by this moment your needs to supply.
Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.

The song got it right.

Prayer is reaching out to touch the Lord. Prayer makes an altar out of wherever we are standing, or sitting, or kneeling, or walking around. God meets us at the altar of prayer when our hearts become the altar of prayer.

Reaching Out
We reach out and touch the Lord in so many ways:

  • At our private altar of prayer each day,
  • As we prayerfully read the Bible,
  • With psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with the saints on the Lord’s Day,
  • When the church unites in prayer for the needs of the community and the world, and
  • When the church gathers to pray at the altars.

The Lord’s Day is a day for heartfelt prayer, not empty routine, for reaching out and touching the Lord, not just singing songs and watching the platform people present their program.

Altars are all but invisible these days. But if we are to reach out and touch the Lord we had better find one, make one, and use one for prayer.

God has chosen to meet with people at the altar of prayer.

Scriptures:
Psalm 43
Give judgment for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked. … Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling; That I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness; and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Genesis 8:20-21 NIV
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
Genesis 22:9-14 NIV
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Psalm 26:6-8 NIV
I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds. I love the house where you live, O Lord, the place where your glory dwells.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, take my heart as an altar today, a meeting place for You and for me. Here I repent of sins and attitudes and carelessness and here I am forgiven. Here, at this altar, the fire of heaven will fall on me, unseen and without sensation, Your fiery Spirit will purge my life and consume my soul in redemption. How precious is Your altar today. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Words: William Walford; Music: William B. Bradbury

1. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

4. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 18, 2017 “Springs”

Springs

Springs are natural sources.
They are self-sufficient, requiring no pumps or pipes, no acts of congress to create or engineer’s blueprints to build, no helping human hands to handle, or leaders to keep them motivated. They simply do as their name describes—they spring—from mountain sides and desert floors, from flowering meadows and at the bottom of clear water pools.

The Psalmist has a message for artists, (he mentions musicians but this applies to all artists) those who create new and better things in the Kingdom of God. Remember where the springs are found—In Zion! I’m not talking about the Holy Land; in the New Covenant Mt. Zion refers to the place where God lives and rules. So let me rephrase:

Creative people! Remember where your springs are found—in the Kingdom of God!

All of My Springs Are In You
The springs in our faith are many. The Word of God is a whole field of springs:

  • The Life of Christ—drink deeply here and often.
  • The Psalms—every human emotion is brought before the Throne of God here.
  • The Histories—the inspiration and admonition of the accounts of the People of God and their enemies have much to say to us.
  • The Prophets—this steaming spring of passion for justice and purity mirrors our own times.
  • The Wisdom Literature—well-crafted wells of godly truth and human observation full of irony and riddles are found here.
  • The Letters—these real words from real persons are inspired by the Spirit to speak to every generation.

Worship is a bubbling spring of strength:

  • Fellowship with God,
  • Fellowship with other believers, and
  • Shared ministry, joy, sorrow and hope.

Witness is a spring in the town square:

  • Making a public stand for the truth of God,
  • Touching a hurting soul with the compassion of Christ,
  • Telling the Jesus story with words and deeds, and
  • Living pure in a polluted world.

There are other springs.
The artist must go into the world to learn his/her craft but we must be in these arenas, not of them. Like the liberated slaves who escaped Egypt loaded with the riches of their oppressors, we must plunder this world of its corrupted gold and return it to the uses of God: music, dance, visual arts, dramatic arts, technology, narrative, poetry, and language itself.

We must not drink from the springs of profanity and cynicism, of despair and degradation, of hate and prejudice, of lust and self-absorption. These are poison springs.

The invitation of Jesus must never leave our minds:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

All my springs are in You.

Scriptures:
Psalm 87 NKJV
His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.'” And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there. “Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”
John 4:13-14 NIV
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:37-41 NIV
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Christ.”
Revelation 21:6-8 NIV
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Psalm 84:5-7 NIV
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, (sorrow, weeping) they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am thirsty! It seems I must drink from the Spring of Living Water again today. I have tasted the bitter wine of this world and it left me thirsty still. As You promised, Living Water becomes in me a spring, flowing upward from my spirit to nourish my soul and refresh my physical being. It is a good thing that I cannot tank up on Living Water today and have enough for tomorrow. When I come to the Spring, it is a time of fellowship with You. Thank You, Lord.

Song:
Springs of Living Water
Words and Music: John W. Peterson

1. I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame,
And nothing satisfying there I found;
But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came,
Where springs of living water did abound.

Refrain:
Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I, My soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply!

2. How sweet the living water from the hills of God,
It makes me glad and happy all the way;
Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I’ve trod,
I’m shouting “Hallelujah” ev’ry day.

Refrain
3. O sinner, won’t you come today to Calvary?
A fountain there is flowing deep and wide;
The Savior now invites you to the water free,
Where thirsting spirits can be satisfied.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 17, 2017 “Evermore”

Evermore

We who are locked into time, long for something called “evermore.”
Industries manufacture and sell the false hope for “evermore” to the hearts of the time-bound with romance novels and romantic films. Beyond these particular genres of literature and cinema there is something called the “Hollywood Myth” that promises us a moment when eyes and hearts meet across a crowded room and “evermore” begins for two blessed people. Of course, this dream is older than Hollywood:

  • Shakespeare gave us his “star-crossed” lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Even the Bible has its romantic moments: Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Ruth and Boaz.
  • This longing for “evermore” romance is rooted in the human heart.

We must remember that God said it was not good for one to be alone. When relationships are forged in the fires of the Spirit of God, this “evermore” element is part of their tempered steel. When we must say “goodbye,” it is only for a time. I cannot imagine a heaven populated by strangers.

“Evermore” promises some sort of extension, a way to be remembered when we are gone:

  • the children raised in our hearts and in our homes,
  • the lives we have touched as we followed Jesus,
  • the novices we have mentored in our life skills,
  • the students we have taught, and or for the artists and craftsmen,
  • the body of work we leave behind.

Shakespeare got it wrong:

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Act 3, scene ii

The Lord we serve makes sure it is the good we have done in His name that lives on after us, indeed, that lives forever. These deeds of mercy are seldom broadcast on the news or written about in the press, but these are the things that really count, the “evermore” things. They may require no special talent or skill; availability is the only ability needed.

Just as the Sacrifice of Praise is a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord Jesus, so are the little things, the real and human things, the momentary kindnesses and thoughtful considerations we share with the people He puts in our path. These things too, please His heart. He records them so that in eternity when we are no longer locked into time, we will enjoy the “evermore.”

Scriptures:
Psalm 92
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High; To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning and of your faithfulness in the night season; On the psaltery, and on the lyre, and to the melody of the harp. For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord; and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands. Lord, how great are your works! your thoughts are very deep. The dullard does not know, nor does the fool understand, that though the wicked grow like weeds, and all the workers of iniquity flourish, They flourish only to be destroyed for ever; but you, O Lord, are exalted for evermore. …
Matthew 10:40-42 NIV
“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 NIV
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Luke 6:32-36 NIV
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Acts 10:30-31 NIV
Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.
Revelation 14:13 NIV
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
James 3:13 NIV
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me today to live fully in the moment and, at the same time, keep an eye on my legacy. The work I do for You today has impact now, but it extends beyond this moment to the eternity awaiting me. Help me leave footprints that are easy to follow. Help me share truths today that will still be true tomorrow. Lord Jesus, when I think of “evermore,” my mind flows toward those in whose legacy I walk. I long to see them and sing with them again. Help me be faithful to those who mentored me while I am faithful to those I am mentoring today. “Evermore” is my portion today. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Face to Face
Words: Carrie Ellis Breck; Music: Grant C. Tullar

1. Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ who died for me?

Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!

2. Only faintly now, I see Him,
With the darkling veil between,
But a blessed day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

Refrain

3. When rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.

Refrain
4. Face to face! O blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ who loved me so.

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 16, 2017 “Alliances”

Alliances

Sometimes we consciously join hands with several others to form an alliance.
At many other times alliances are formed unconsciously as otherwise unrelated people unite in a common cause or toward a common goal. Either way, when alliances work they create solidarity within the members, a unity of purpose if not motivation. When they do not work, alliances produce anarchy as those empowered by the solidarity turn on the powerless producing victors and victims.

In daily living, we move in and out of alliances without much thought, pragmatically taking the road most traveled because the consensus is, it works. For the important things, the very few things, alliances are more deliberate and thought out:

  • Marriage, as two families become an alliance,
  • Work and workplace,
  • Church family, and
  • Friends with shared interests.

But for most things we join and resign, recommit and quit unseen, unofficial alliances without a second thought. Only intentional, significant alliances are celebrated in the inception and grieved in the dissolution.

The Dark Side
All of this alignment and realignment takes place in the material world. There are other, unseen but powerful alliances in the spirit world. As in most arenas of life there is a dark side and a bright side.

Of course, smart, educated people say they don’t believe such nonsense, but the forces of darkness in this world form a network of alliances. It is difficult to tell where demonic activity leaves off and human evil begins, and it hardly matters. Wicked people work wicked systems to promote evil in thought and in deed: political powers, commanders of communications, exponents of educational deception, violent villains and ruthless rulers seem to be in absolute control over life on earth. The Dark Side is described by Isaiah: “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples…” (Isaiah 60:2)

The Bright Side
The alliance of which we are a part is one of light not darkness. It, too, is a vast organization in both the material and the spirit worlds. The Lord we serve is called Jehovah Saboath, The Lord of Hosts. Satan’s soldiers are the dropouts, the failures who missed their chance at the Light. We are aligned with the Hosts of Heaven! Thousands speed throughout the earth on missions of mercy and rescue, revelation and comfort, tending to the needs of the saints of God.

We are the earthly regiment of the Army of the Lord resisting darkness in full and shining armor. Holding us together is an alliance of faith and fellowship, ties that bind and bind well, each of us a soldier of Light, a brother or a sister of the Blood of Christ, a servant of the Most High God.

Now we see the rest of Isaiah’s words:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Isa 60:1-2 NIV

Rise and Shine!
As soldiers of the Light we must be sure that we do not unconsciously form any alliances with the Darkness. We can do this so easily by walking too close the dark as if enthralled by its mystery. For a soldier of Light to be useful to the forces of Darkness is a shameful thing.

It will not be so if we will do as we are commanded—Rise and Shine! Shake off the allure of the world and be guided by the Light of Jesus’ face, the music of His voice, and the passion of His heart.

Scriptures:
Psalm 83
O God, do not be silent; do not keep still nor hold your peace, O God; For your enemies are in tumult, and those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They take secret counsel against your people and plot against those whom you protect. They have said, “Come, let us wipe them out from among the nations; let the name of Israel be remembered no more. “They have conspired together; they have made an alliance against you…O my God, make them like whirling dust and like chaff before the wind; Like fire that burns down a forest, like the flame that sets mountains ablaze. Drive them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm; Cover their faces with shame, O Lord, that they may seek your Name. Let them be disgraced and terrified for ever; let them be put to confusion and perish. Let them know that you, whose Name is Yahweh, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
2 Timothy 2:3-5 NIV
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer.
Psalm 91:11-12 NIV
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 46:7 NKJV
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 24:7-10 NKJV
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Malachi 3:16-17 KJV
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my ally and I am Yours! This amazing truth frames my life in grace. You do not need me at all and I need You absolutely. This unequal alliance makes no sense to the world. People would think I am insane if I claimed I conversed with You and yet we are inconstant communication. You enlist me in Your cause and enable me to wage an effective warfare against evil and injustice. Our alliance is sealed in the Blood of Christ—the New Covenant—and maintained in prayer. Lord Jesus, thank You for the life I lead! Amen and Amen.

Song:
Blest Be the Tie that Bind
Words: John Fawcett: Music: Lowell Mason

1. Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

2. Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our alms, are one,
Our comforts and our cares.

3. We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

4. When here our pathways part,
We suffer bitter pain;
Yet, one in Christ and one in heart,
We hope to meet again.

5. This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way,
While each in expectation lives
And longs to see the day.

6. From sorrow, toil, and pain,
And sin we shall be free
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 15, 2017 “Study”

Study

It is really quite simple: a real student really studies.
For twelve years or so each American is more or less forced to be a student. However each student retains the option to study or not to study. Many of us studied just enough to get by. My own high school scholarship was based on interest: if I was interested in the subject, I studied. My grades testified of this eloquently. I was blessed that in my college and post graduate studies I was interested in everything! My grades testified of this, also.

True study takes motivation.
To study against one’s will is not to really study at all. Such students learn things long enough to pass the test and then they quickly forget most of what they “studied.” Motivation to study springs from interest in something. When this is the case we don’t even think of it study—we are just having fun, learning about something we really want to know about.

Today we have so many study tools to help us learn:

  • books, magazines and the libraries where they are found; the internet and EBooks and
  • documentaries on DVD, and computer programs containing amazing amounts of information.

It is practically true that we can study anything all on our own without ever setting foot in a classroom.

The unknown composer of what we know as Psalm 119 makes this intriguing statement: “Your decrees are my study.” We would have to say that this is an unusual hobby! There is no way to know why the Psalmist is so interested in the Law of the Lord for it to command his interest.

  • Perhaps his job was to prepare and present the music of worship and he wanted to make sure that his songs were full of truth.
  • It could be the composer simply loved the God he worshiped.

Study and Passion
This is more than a vocational, professional study; I see true passion in these words.

  • When he read, he read the Law.
  • When he settled into deep thought, he meditated on the Law.
  • When he met with friends, they discussed the Law.
  • When he walked through life making all the routine decisions that life demanded, he made those decisions based the Law he had studied.

His study of the Law shaped his life.

For us there is a difference between Bible reading and Bible study.

  • Bible reading is a devotional. It is an essential part of daily prayer. We read in several places each day: the Psalms, the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Gospel. We read prayerfully listening for the voice of the Lord in our hearts making application of the Word.
  • Bible study is topical. We research the Scriptures seeking to understand God’s will about a certain topic. Also we can study a certain author or a certain history. This is more than reading, this is compare and contrast, letting scripture interpret scripture. Bible study requires tools that are available today on the computer: commentaries, dictionaries, study Bibles, concordances and other helps. It is not difficult to study the Word of God.

The motivating factor makes the difference.
The Lord can give us the gift of a love for His Word. Like the Psalmist, it can be our study.

  • When we read, we read the Word.
  • When we settle into deep thought, we meditated on the Word.
  • When we meet with friends, we discuss the Word.
  • When we walk through life we make decisions based the Word we have studied.

Through our study of the Word, the Lord shapes our life.

It is really quite simple: a real student really studies.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119: 97-112
Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind. Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study. I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments. I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word. I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way. Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path. I have sworn and am determined to keep your righteous judgments….Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; truly, they are the joy of my heart. I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes for ever and to the end.
Ezra 7:8-10 NIV
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Psalm 119:9-11 NIV
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want this day to count for something so I will begin with a study of Your Word. Throughout this day, I will make my life a laboratory of study as I put Your Word to the test in my thoughts, intentions, and deeds. When this day ends, I will report to You in prayer my findings—Your Word is true and reliable for it stands the laboratory test of daily living; it holds up under close scrutiny, and it continuously reveals truth both old and new. By contrast, I will see the shallow philosophies of this world, the endless circles people without You must run, and the impenetrable darkness the wisdom of this world offers to those who can study nothing else. I will arise and shine for Your Light has come and it covers me. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
More about Jesus
Words: Eliza E, Hewitt 1887; Music: John R. Sweney

1. More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.

Refrain:
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.

2. More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.

Refrain

3. More about Jesus; in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing His voice in every line,
Making each faithful saying mine.

Refrain

4. More about Jesus; on His throne,
Riches in glory all His own;
More of His kingdom’s sure increase;
More of His coming, Prince of Peace.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved