pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 17, 2017

Mornings

There are two types of people…
If we listen closely enough we will often hear someone declare, “There are two types of people in the world…” and go on to make some clever observation about how we human beings go about the business of being human. Usually it has nothing to do with gender.

Well, it is time to say it, “There are two types of people in the world, morning people and everyone else.” Some people do their best work late at night when all is quiet or when the noise is a chosen one. They look with deep suspicion on those who do their best thinking first thing in the morning, and their finest work to the accompaniment of birds and the early morning news.

It is a good thing when these two types of people marry; that way work or fun can happen around the clock in their house.

In the earliest days of the church, hours of prayer were kept all through each day and night. To this day some of us do our devotions in the morning and others at night. The only rule we need to consider is to give the Lord our best time, be that early or late.

A Special Gift from God
Think for a moment of a different application of “mornings” as a special kind of gift from the Lord. The broad rhythms of life are vital to our spiritual and physical health.

  • We need activity and we need rest.
  • We need wakefulness and we need sleep.
  • We need to be alert at crucial times and at other times we can tune out and the let the old earth turn without our help.

These alternating states of being come to us in the steady beat of day and night, of “morning and evening” as in the biblical account of the Creation.

Perhaps we should think of each morning as a “do-over”—a chance to try again. It is as if the darkness of night was a curtain drawn on the past and the light of day was the rising of the curtain on a future full of promise. Each morning is like a little New Year’s Day—a chance to out yesterday behind us and to improve on it today—a new challenge to keep life interesting. What a blessed gift from God!—Mornings!

Fear and darkness have always been partners.
Before the age of electricity homes and streets were dark or poorly lit by candles and lamps, slender flames against the wide darkness of night. The night held terrors both real and imagined. The ancient prayers the people of God used to pray through the night reveal this now-forgotten fear. In our modern world the troubles of the day or the frailties of the body may pain the mind or the human frame to the point of lost sleep. For these long nights, mornings are indeed a gift from God.

Of course the Bible famously promises that the loving-kindness of the Lord is new every morning. That means that as the earth is constantly turning, every moment is morning somewhere.

We can rejoice when the alarm shocks us awake. We can smile at the sunrise. We can spend time with God and a good cup of coffee, knowing that each morning holds a bit of the Resurrection morning and that God has gifted us each with a fresh start.

Maybe we will get it right this time!

Scripture:
Psalm 5 
Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my meditation. Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I make my prayer to you. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you. For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, and evil cannot dwell with you. Braggarts cannot stand in your sight; you hate all those who work wickedness. You destroy those who speak lies; the bloodthirsty and deceitful, O Lord, you abhor. But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy I will go into your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of those who lie in wait for me; make your way straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth; there is destruction in their heart; Their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall, because of their schemes. Because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. But all who take refuge in you will be glad; they will sing out their joy for ever. You will shelter them, so that those who love your Name may exult in you. For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous; you will defend them with your favor as with a shield.

Prayers for the Morning from the Book of Common Prayer
For the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep Your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done Your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give You thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Grace
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Guidance
Heavenly Father, in You we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray You so to guide and govern us by Your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget You, but may remember that we are ever walking in Your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song:
Morning Has Broken
Words: Eleanor Farjeon; Music: Gaelic Folk Tune

1. Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.

2. Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

3. Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 16, 2017

Garments

Garments are temporary.
No matter how they might fit, tight and clinging or loose and comfy; no matter how old or new or clean or soiled they may be, garments are just temporary. We put them on just to remove them a few hours later and replace them with something else from a closet or drawer. Temporary though they may be, our clothes last longer than we have use for them. With infrequent use, they get pushed back in the closet or deeper in the drawer until we need the space more than we need the clothes and they get taken out to be given away or to be stored so we can give them a way later.

If garments are temporary, so are the bodies we clothe with garments. We are only here for a short while so we must make the days count as the years pile up to a significant heap.

Beneath the ever-changing garments the body is changing, too:

  • Shifting weight,
  • the eventual surrender to gravity,
  • pains in places that never hurt before, and
  • mental gaps that stop us in our tracks until we remember why we came in this room.

Changes, like garments that clothe the body, also dress our souls.

  • Do we remember the wonderful wardrobe change when guilty garments were cast aside and shining white robes of righteousness replaced them? It is called “getting saved!
  • There was that bad attitude that kept hanging around in your closet until you put in on and spoiled everyone’s day. Convicted in your heart, you repented of it and threw it out of closet and out of your life. Your friends were so glad they never saw you in that again! It’s called holiness.
  • The dark clouds of depression kept you in a raincoat all the time. You kept reading and memorizing the good things from God until the clouds parted and the sun came out again and you ventured forth into a beautiful day with just a sweater. It’s called healing.
  • It seems the only songs you knew where in the key of the blues. One day it was enough of sadness and your traded your sorrows for the Joy of the Lord. It’s called worship.
  • If there was a potential danger you saw it and prepared for it. Then you recounted all the grace in your life, the bad things that didn’t happen and you decided life was worth the risk. It’s called faith.

So in preparation for the day’s activities, put on the right garments—faith, worship, healing, holiness, salvation—and see how good it all looks on you.

Scriptures:
Psalm 102:24-28 NKJV
I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations. Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will have no end. The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You.”
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
John 19:23-24 NKJV
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.
Revelation 7: 9-12
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for laying aside the garments of royalty, rightfully worn by You on the Throne. You emptied Yourself of heavenly majesty so the royal vestments were no longer appropriate. You came into the world in the scandal of human nakedness, a child born in a stable and placed in a manger. Mary dressed you as an infant and as a child. You wore the work clothes of the carpenter’s shop. In Your brief ministry You wore a seamless robe, one stained by the tears an sweat of Gethsemane. Soldiers stripped it from You and clothed You in mockery while pounding You with their fists and carving Your back with the Roman whip. You wore the cross like a cloak through the city streets and all the way up the hill called the Place of the Skull. Dying there You wore the robes of our unrighteous, so heinous a sight that, the Father turned His face away. They wrapped You in grave clothes and on Resurrection day You left them folded neatly in the empty tomb. Now You are robed again clothed in regal splendor. The rags I used to wear are gone. You have given me the garments of praise—Today I will wear them! Hallelujah!

Song:
Garment of Praise
Traditional

Put on the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Lift up your voice to God.
Praise with the spirit and with understanding.
O, magnify the Lord!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 15, 2017

Losing

Jesus never loses a battle, but sometimes we do. 
It hurts so much that we tend to lose perspective on life when we lose a battle, a valuable asset, a trusted relationship or someone we love.  Victories are fun!  We take them in stride and pack them away into our collection of memories to be recalled when needed.  Chances are we don’t learn much from victories; they serve to affirm what we already know.  Losses, however, are a school, “the school of hard knocks,” it is called.  In this school our skills are examined and expanded and our philosophies are tested and adjusted.

If Jesus has the power to win all the time, why does the believer ever experience failure? 
There are too many reasons to explore in this devotional, but here are a few:

  • Sometimes we mess up. We lose when we let our discipline slip or when we yield to temptation.  When this happens we must accept the responsibility, repent, and pray for mercy.
  • Sometimes our methods are wrong.  God will let failure come our way when He wants us to abandon methods that do not please Him.  He loves us more than He loves what we can do for Him and He is pleased when we do things in His ways, not ours.
  • Sometimes are motives are wrong.  Improper motives can lurk deep in our spirits, unknown to us but most displeasing to God.  An unbroken stream of wins will keep these poisons out of sight so God sometimes lets us fall on our face to get our attention so we will seek His forgiveness and cleansing.
  • Sometimes others fail us.  Our faithfulness to God extends as far as our will, but we are not isolated from the failures of the people in our lives.  The wickedness, anger, deceit, and violence of the people around us can touch us in painful ways.  Think of the terrible bus accident several years ago in Kentucky where a drunk driver killed several young people returning from a church outing.  In these losses, God is an able counselor, a comfort and a friend.

Sometimes we lose and there seems to be no reason. 
When our hearts are right and our methods are pure and our faithfulness to God is intact, and we lose a battle or a loved one anyway, this is the toughest kind of loss.  There is no one to blame, no faulty methods to correct, no hidden sin to uncover and deal with.  There is no one to blame but God.

The book of Psalms contains prayers that boldly question God for His lack of action.  These make as uncomfortable as the “hallelujah” psalms make us happy.  What is the lesson?  Simply this:  It is not a sin to question God in such matters.  He can handle our inquiries.  He understands our doubts.  He remembers that we are human, not divine.  When we question from a standpoint of love, the Lord listens and comforts us with His presence, if not with all the answers to our questions.

Losses must be grieved; severe losses must be deeply grieved.
This is how God made us and it is not a sin to grieve a loss.  The psalms set an example of pouring our grief out to God. The key to this process of grief must also include solitude and listening.  “Beside still waters, He restores my soul.” In the quiet moments, after the crying is done and the tears have dried, after our legitimate questions have made the journey from our wounded hearts to His great, healing heart, God will speak to us.  We may not even have words for what He says, but He will speak.  He will be our solace.  He will touch us deep inside where no one else can reach.  He promises a greater day, a higher good, and a time to come when all our tears will be swept away by His own wounded hand.

Scriptures:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Psalm 88
O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.  … You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them.  I am confined and cannot escape; my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you… I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? …. You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, though You are the Victor over all, You suffered losses in Your earthly ministry. One of the twelve men You chose to follow You betrayed You instead. There was a village where You did not heal the sick and rescue the demon-possessed because of the low level of faith found there. In spite of Your creative and careful teaching about the coming atoning death and the subsequent resurrection, the disciples just didn’t get it. So You understand this world where sometimes we lose. I will take your advice and shake the dust of failure from my feet and follow You to the next thing. Through You I will win! Hallelujah!

Song:
Victory in Jesus
Words and Music: Eugene Bartlett

1. I heard an old, old story, How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning, Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins And won the victory.

Refrain:
O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.

2. I heard about His healing, Of His cleansing pow’r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t To me the victory.

Refrain

3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing, And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there The song of victory.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 14, 2017

Ponder

When something is worth considering, it is worth considering deeply.
This means to ponder a matter; to think deeply about it, turning in over and over and around and around in our minds until we get it—or until it gets us.

God is really interested in our thought processes.
He installed neurons in our brains so that could fire at each other. He gave us synapses so they could synapse (not a verb but I am using it as one) up a storm. He wants all the stuff swirling around in our disordered, post-modern heads to settle into manageable patterns. (Some truths are linear! Pardon my modernity.)

One of the most amazing verses in the NT claims that we “have the mind of Christ.”
What could that possibly mean? Certainly not that we know everything Jesus knows—that would drive us crazy. It cannot mean that we understanding everything that happens or that simply is, because we clearly don’t.

It must mean that we have access to the Mind of Christ. Better than any search engine we know about, we can ask of the Lord and expect an answer. Asking questions of God is a privilege every believer has; it is not blasphemy or doubt. Asking questions is how God designed our minds to work with His. Ponder these things:

  • We are His feet as we walk in His will
  • We are His hands as we touch hurting people in His name, and
  • His voice when we speak the truth in love and tell His story.
  • We listen to the sounds of a fallen Creation and hear what He hears.
  • We keep our eyes open so that He can see what He sees.

And when we consider the things of God and ponder what we have seen, we have access by the Spirit to the mind of Christ.

He hasn’t called us servants for it is not necessary for a servant to understand why an order is given. He has called us friends, because He shares His heart with us.

This deep thinking is a form of prayer.
We listen to an inner dialogue between His Spirit and ours, His mind and our mind. We share the feelings of the meanings of the truth. The New Covenant promises that God will write His Word into our hearts.

When we take time to ponder who God is and what He has done, He is writing His Word onto our human hearts.

Scriptures:
Psalm 107: 33-43
The Lord changed rivers into deserts, and water-springs into thirsty ground, A fruitful land into salt flats, because of the wickedness of those who dwell there. He changed deserts into pools of water and dry land into water-springs. He settled the hungry there, and they founded a city to dwell in. They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, and brought in a fruitful harvest. He blessed them, so that they increased greatly; he did not let their herds decrease. Yet when they were diminished and brought low, through stress of adversity and sorrow, (He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes) He lifted up the poor out of misery and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep. The upright will see this and rejoice, but all wickedness will shut its mouth. Whoever is wise will ponder these things, and consider well the mercies of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2: 6-15
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
James 1:5-7
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the thought that I have access to Your mind is overwhelming. Your mind is revealed in the Word of God; I will hide it in my heart so that I might not sin against You. Your mind reveals the significance of things around me; I will see with Your eyes. Slow me down so I can ponder these things, think deeply about them, and act upon them at Your prompting. I ask You for the wisdom this day will require so that I might be single-minded as I serve You. Amen.

Song:
Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Words: Joachim Neander; Music: Traditional

1.Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

2.Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

3.Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

4.Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.

7.Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 13, 2017

Quiet

On the day before the Lord’s Day, find some time for silence. 
It is not easy and it will certainly not happened by accident.  There is a kind of ancient silence that we find hard to achieve today.  With all the blessings of the industrial revolution in 19th Century and the information revolution of the 20th Century, a drawback has been the proliferation of noise.  We have learned to live with a “silence” that actually rumbles with low pitch machine noises and sizzles with high pitch whirrs and whistles.  We have to retreat far from traffic and industry and find the deep woods or the restless sea for a silence filled only with the sounds of God’s creation. For our Saturday purposes, let’s call “silence” the absence of sound and “quiet” the absence of any artificial sounds.

What is the benefit of quiet?  The Bible uses several terms to describe being quiet before the Lord:

  • be still,
  • be silent, and
  • Wait patiently for the Lord.

Stillness, the cessation of activity, is for some of us a difficult thing to achieve.
Modern life is sometimes a thing of inertia. Some of us are at rest and we tend to stay that way while others of us are in constant motion.  The Bible says, “Be still and know…”  There are things we cannot know, truths we cannot learn, concepts we cannot grasp if we are distracted by ceaseless motion.  Stillness before God requires discipline.   It is more than a physical stillness; we must also follow the words of the old hymn, “Be still my soul.”  Some achieve this spiritual stillness by quoting memorized scriptures or concentrating on the person of Jesus.  The reward for being still before the Lord is promised in the verse: “Be still and know that I am God and I will be exalted in all the earth.”

Silence before the Lord is a response to the belief that “the Lord is in His holy temple.” 
This stillness, this silence in the throne room of God, stands in contrast to the majestic sounds recorded in the scriptural accounts of that location.  In these the atmosphere is filled with sound, voices singing, instruments playing, and elders calling out, an accumulation of sound that is powerful enough to shake the door posts of heaven.  The command of the prophet Haggai is given to the earth, not the worshipers around the throne of God.  The writer’s setting is the silence of the earth before God rises in judgment of Babylon. For us, we should fall silent in honor of the Lord upon His throne.  Surely He is about to speak.  Surely we need to hear what He has to say to us.

Waiting patiently for Lord is another way of being quiet before Him.
Most people have a limited supply of patience.  It is natural for us to want to hurry into the day, to fill the minutes and hours of the day with productive action.  It seems the clock and the calendar have taken control of our lives and we are dancing to their tunes.  It is important to cease from activity, to refrain from work, to find a comfortable position for waiting while at the same time we command our souls to be still, adding patience to our lack of action.  Part of that patience is expressed in listening.  When we retreat from the noise of modern life and force our minds to concentrate on the reality of God’s creation around us, we can hear “the music of the spheres,” as another old hymn says.

There are things we cannot know until we are still.  In reverence before the Lord, let us be silent.  In deliberate postures of rest let us be quiet today.

Scriptures:
Ecclesiastes 3:7
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…a time to be silent and a time to speak…
Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Habakkuk 2:20
But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I quiet my spirit before You. I will lay my questions aside. I will refrain from singing. I will be still before You, even in my restless mind. In stillness and in silence I will wait and as I do my strength will be renewed. My ceaseless mind will stop in its tracks for awhile. I will listen for Your voice. Speak, Lord. Your servant listens. Amen.

Song:
The Solitude of Silence
Words: Stephen Phifer; Music by Angela Danadio

1. In the silence of my soul, Lord, I will seek You.
In the stillness of my spirit I must stay.
I will flee from all the rush and noise around me.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

Refrain:
For Your voice cannot be heard above the clamor.
You presence does not rest upon our haste.
In the silence of my spirit I will find you.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

2. I will ask the singing winds to serenade me.
I will let the sunlight dance upon my fears,
Thinking back to those who listened here before me—
Silent laughter, silent prayers, and silent tears.

Refrain

3. In the pages of the Book Your heart is calling
As the ancient words fall soft upon my ear.
Like an early season snowfall, cool and healing,
Heaven’s peace, a glist’ning blanket, quells my fear.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 12, 2017

Exaltation

To exalt something or someone simply means to lift up, to elevate.
There is no way and no need for us to raise the throne of God any higher on the heavenly pedestal.  We can never elevate Jesus beyond the level He now occupies:  King of kings and Lord of lords.   So what does it mean to “exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool” or at “His holy mountain?”

We exalt the Lord when we lift up His holy name. 
While the name of Jesus occupies the highest place, (Eph 1:15-22; Phil 5:2-11) this fallen world and the people in it constantly denigrate His name, trying to make it meaningless and best and a curse at worst.  It is our job to elevate the name of Jesus to the highest place in our thinking, in our speech, in our art, in our hearts, and certainly in our worship.  We must counter the denigration of the world with the volume, eloquence, and the spiritual power of our praise, our exaltation of the Lord’s name.

We exalt the Lord when we extol His character.
The ancient song of the Old Covenant must ring out in our worship, “The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!”  The same fallen world systems that denigrate the name of Jesus also constantly impugn the character of God.  We must counter those accusations with truth!  God is good; He is not evil, or distant, or unconcerned.  Jesus is the revelation of who God really is.  To see Jesus is to see the Father.  To know the power of the Holy Spirit is to know the power of the Creator.

We exalt the Lord when we proclaim His Word.
The world today occupies a contradictory position:  people deny the existence of absolute truth while at the same time they relentlessly search for truth.  Jesus is the Living Word!  Exalting Jesus lifts this one Book above all other titles.  When we boldly proclaim the real truth of God, the Holy Spirit, who is called The Spirit of Truth, propels the Word of God like an arrow to the heart of the person who doesn’t know Jesus.  His Word also penetrates the hearts of believers who are struggling in their walk with God.  A clear vision of Jesus on His Throne, and the veracity of His Word changes us!

We exalt the Lord when we tell our story of what Jesus has done for us. 
The psalmists say that we should exalt the Lord because of His marvelous deeds.

  • If He has touched your life and changed you forever— Exalt His name!
  • If He has been faithful to you in all things— Exalt His name!
  • If He has healed you, delivered you, and kept you saved, healed and delivered—Exalt His name!

When we tell our story of life without and with Jesus, our testimony exalts His name.
It is no wonder that we overcome the wicked one by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

We exalt the Lord when we tell His story.
There is simply no story like His story, no story that enters into our story, no narrative that never ends, no epic that encounters the heart, and no saga that saves the soul like the story of Jesus.  It is the story of the Love of God.  We will never will the lost with arguments and demonstrations of excellence; the story of Jesus told with the anointing of the Spirit is the power of God unto salvation for all people.

When we elevate the cross of Christ, we are telling His story.
As the permanent symbol of our faith in Him, we dare not lift up a cross with Jesus dead or dying upon it for the Jesus story does end on that hill.  We must lift up an empty cross for it tells the whole of the Good News of the Gospel:

  • Incarnation,
  • Atonement,
  • Redemption,
  • Ascension, and
  • Everlasting Kingdom

We exalt Him when we tell the truth–The cross is empty!
God save us from a half-told story and a tragic and powerless Jesus pinned to the cross!  Jesus is the victor over death, hell, and the grave!

Today is a day for exaltation, not of ourselves but the exaltation of Jesus, His cross, His story, His love, His faithfulness, His truth, His character, and for all to hear, His lovely, holy name!

Scriptures:
Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Psalm 30: 34:1-3
I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. …I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
John 12:32-34
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”  He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
Psalm 99:5; 9
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 107:31-32
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I exalt You! I award the highest place in my mind to You. I claim the deepest place in my heart for You. Compared to Your throne in heaven, these things are pitiful and petty. Yet there are what I have to give. Remind me today that Your touch makes plain things beautiful, worthless things priceless, and weak things mighty. I will exalt You today with the word of my testimony. My work shall be worship. My words will be Your praise. My mind will welcome Your wisdom and my heart your compassion. With all of my being I will exalt You this day. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

Song:
I Exalt Thee
Words and Music: Pete Sanchez Jr.

For Thou O Lord art high above all the earth.
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
For Thou O Lord art high above all the earth.
Thou art exalted far above all gods.

I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee. I exalt Thee, O Lord.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 11, 2017

Deceitfulness

Truth in motion.
There is no place for deceit in the Kingdom of God. The militant song the church marches to says this: “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!”

Truth. Not spin. Not nuanced nonsense. Not smoke and mirrors.

  • Truth in motion: from revelation to revelation, from glory to glory, and from strength to strength.
  • Truth in motion: Requiring none of the devices demanded by the making of illusions.
  • It is not reality television—it is reality itself.

It has many level and each of them is an entry level truth for someone:
The truth of God is not simple but it is direct.  God’s truth is

  • the science of creation,
  • the theme of the arts,
  • the calculations of mathematics,
  • the hope of philosophy,
  • the story of History,
  • the therapy of the soul,
  • the health of the body, and
  • the peace of the mind.

A Liberating Force
Jesus said knowing the truth was a liberating force, breaking chains and shattering prison walls, reversing this human condition from slavery to significance. He also said that the work God wants us to do is to believe, meaning to embrace the truth and to go into action—Truth in motion in our own lives.

There are other “truths” that change direction with the winds of culture.
The believer can see the difference between truth and untruth by the direction of the winds—is the change leading toward God’s truth or away from it?

Today we see two worldwide movements predicted by Scripture,

  1. one toward God—the Great Outpouring of Holy Spirit, (Joel 2; Acts 2) and
  2. the other away from God—the Great Apostasy. (2 Tim 2:3)

We must be certain that our truth is moving us toward God and not away from Him.

Truth and the Kingdom of God
King David, speaking about his own administration, provided no wiggle room. Likewise in the Kingdom of the Son of David there is no place for deceitfulness in Christian leadership.

  • We must be People of the Truth with no guile or deceit anywhere in our philosophies or methods.
  • We cannot tell the truth about Jesus by engaging in dubious and doubtful devices.
  • We are to tell the truth, not handle it.

Jesus told us how to lead—truth from the heart out—truth tempered with compassion—truth in motion: His truth—marching on in our lives.

Scriptures:
Psalm 101 KNJV
I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord , I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Matthew 5:33-37 NIV
… ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
2 Corinthians 4:2-3 NIV
… by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
Matthew 20:25-26
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
John 8:31-32 NIV
… “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 6:29 NIV
… “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to be a person of truth, even when it hurts. When You walked this earth, that’s who You were. As You occupy the Throne of Heaven, You remain the essence of Truth. Your trust is not static—it is dynamic—in constant motion. Help me today to be as stable as the stars, as pliable as the planets, and as fruitful as the earth in season. If random events pepper my day, help me remember that these interruptions are subject to Your will; these irritants may simply be the movement of truth in a surprising direction. I want to hear the drum beat of Truth so I can march along in perfect step. Glory Hallelujah!

Song:
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Words: Harriet Beecher Stowe; Music: John William Steffe
Last Stanza: Tom Brooks

1. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He hath loosed his fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on

Refrain:
Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah
Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on

2. I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.

Refrain

3. I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel,
“As ye deal with My contemners (scorners) so with you My grace shall deal,”
Let the Hero born of woman crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Refrain

4. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He is sitting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat,
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet,
Our God is marching on.

Refrain

5. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me,
As He died to make men holy let us live to make men free,
His truth is marching on.

Refrain

6. I can almost hear the trumpet sound—The Lord’s return is near!
But there’s still so many people lost and now they’ve got to hear.
Lord, please give me one more hour, one more day just one more year.
With Your Truth we’re marching on!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 10, 2017

Chosen!

Surely the relentless days of sheep keeping ran together for the youngest son of Jesse.
It is most likely that he had no idea that the day of Samuel’s visit to the family farm would be any different for him. He wasn’t invited to the sacrifice. Jesse had a strong grasp on the situation. Everyone knew that King Saul was in big trouble. He felt sure that God would find the next king among Jesse’s impressive collection of young men. Still this had nothing to do with young David. Somebody needed to watch the flock and David was really good at that so let him stay in the field and write some more of those songs.

The Prophet Who Mumbled
The ceremony was a strange one as the old Prophet Samuel with a horn of anointing oil in his hand went down the row of fine young men. No one knows how many passes he made before stopping in front of Eliab, the eldest son of Jesse. The moment that Samuel used to look deep into the eyes of Eliab was at least an hour long for those looking on. The frown on the wrinkled face of the last judge of Israel did nothing to reassure Jesse or his brood. The old man was heard by all but understood by none as he mumbled a conversation with God.

The frown became a slow rotation of the head from right to left, increasing in speed and violence. A familiar voice in the old man’s heart told him that God saw things differently than men. He was looking inside for something that was absent from Eliab. Jesse was numb and barely breathing as his next two sons, Abinadab and Shammah, each one every bit as striking in appearance as their older brother, got the same treatment.

Samuel made it through all seven sons with the same mumbling result. He knew God’s voice and that the chosen one had to be here somewhere. Inquiries revealed the existence of David out in the fields. This must have annoyed Samuel because he wouldn’t let anyone sit down until David was arrived.

The young man’s appearance was striking, even more handsome than his vaunted brothers.
The Prophet locked eyes with him and as he did his heart began to race. He saw something deep in David’s eyes that only God had seen before. The eyes were clear. Unclouded by mixed motives and undimmed by selfish schemes, they were windows to a soul that knew something of God. This was the heart of one who pursued the heart of God.

Quickly, the horn of oil was lifted high and upturned to splash its holy contents on the head of this shepherd boy who would become the King. The oil signified that he had been chosen for the position.

  • He would go into battle in the power of the Name of the Lord as giants and pagan armies would prove unable to defeat him.
  • He would lead the people of God with a skillful hand and a musical heart.
  • His heart would be called one that is after—meaning it was fashioned in the likeness of—the heart of God.
  • But when that likeness failed him and he sinned against God, his heart continued to pursue the heart of God in repentance.

When Jesus Walks among Us
Like Samuel, the Lord Jesus walks the well-ordered ranks of worshipers gathered together, holding a vial of precious oil, looking for hearts that are true. He has an anointing for each of us—a person to be, and a work to do—a calling, a selection that defines the life we should live. When God chooses, we call that the anointing. God does not leave us to serve Him in our ability—He empowers us to do what He calls us to do. This empowerment is also called the anointing.

It is the business of each of us to return the searching gaze of God, looking deep into His heart. For the anointing flows when the heart of the worshiper connects with the heart of God.

Scriptures:
1 Samuel 16:1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’ Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
1 John 2:20; 27 NIV
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth….As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my life is no accident. It can only be a miracle that every man, woman, and child on earth has been chosen. We are chosen for salvation for Your died for all. We have been packed with talents and interests that we discover in play as children and in work as adults. These gifts are indications of what You have put us on earth—Your Divine Choice for Us! I want to walk in your anointing today. I want to sow the good seed and water the young plants, tend those who are threatened by confusing weeds, and I want to harvest the ripened fruit of ministry. This is somehow done in a mysterious connection between my humanity and Your divinity, my skills and Your anointing for thus You have chosen me! Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Spirit of the Living God
Words and Music: David Iverson

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me.
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me,
Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use men.
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, May

May 9, 2017

Established

There are those among us who know how to get things done.
The Lord we serve certainly belongs in that group. When God establishes something we can count on it.

Early in the week, it is good to review our holdings, to remember what things have been established in our lives by the hand of God. He has established a New Covenant with us with four outstanding promises:

  1. The forgiveness of sins,
  2. A close relationship with Him,
  3. An intuition about spiritual things, and
  4. His very Word written into our hearts.

These are some of the realities established in the New Covenant:

  • We need not fear the darkness. There is a lamp for each step we take and a light for the pathway ahead. His Word is established in the heavens.
  • He has given His name as a prayer, a praise, and a powerful defense. To whisper His name, is to summon angels, to touch the hem of His garment, and to break the Alabaster jar. All who would dare oppose us, tremble at the sound of His name, or at least they should, and for sure they will.
  • He strikes the key for a song for us to sing in the night that soothes the troubled soul.
  • He has established our comings and our goings from this time forward and forevermore.
  • He has hemmed us in behind and before and laid His hand upon us.

With this partial list of all that God has established for His people, we can face the week with courage and strength. We can expect things to go well for us and if they don’t, we will not despair because we know our footsteps are ordered of the Lord and that He has plans for us to prosper in the ways that really count

The Lord has established New Covenant worship with these blessings:

  • He has established Gates of Thanksgiving—let us proceed through them in gratitude to face the day.
  • He has established Courts of Praise—let us dwell in them today, rejoicing in the Lord.
  • He has established a Holy Place of Worship, the Word, and Prayer—let every word and deed today be adoration for Him, as we boldly place our petitions before Him.
  • He has established the Holy of Holies—let us live and move and have our being in the beauty of His holiness.

Institutions may fail. Plans may go awry. Friends may fail us and foes assail us, but our God can never fail. His Kingdom is established and secure.

Remember, He knows how to get things done.

Scriptures:
Psalm 89
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'” The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. …The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. You created the north and the south… Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt (them.) Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people. I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries. My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’ I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth… Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.
Genesis 17:3-8 NIV
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, …I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Hebrews 8:10-12 NIV
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have confidence in You today. The things You have established in Your New Covenant with us are unfailing. Time has not weakened them. Use has not eroded them. Like Your mercies, they are new every morning. If there is any randomness in these things, we have contributed it. Help me be intentional and faithful to You today. Don’t let my distraction or my weak will stop me short of the life You have established for me. I want to walk in Your fullness today. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song of Praise
Our Great Savior
Words and Music: J. Wilbur Chapman

1. Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus! lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole

Refrain:
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

2. Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my vict’ry wins.

Refrain

3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.

Refrain

3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.

Refrain

4 Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night o’ertakes me,
He, my pilot, hears my cry.

Refrain

5 Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find,
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 8, 2017

Nations

The Big Blue Marble
It is said, and we have seen the pictures to prove it, that from the surface of the moon the earth looks like a big blue marble. Imaginative computer artists have shown us what our world looks like from deeper in space—just a blinking dot of light. These realizations make us feel small and perhaps insignificant.

For the Christ-follower images of earth from space cause us to be even more amazed at grace. To think that God “out there” who made all of creation would take notice of each of us individually, seems completely out of the realm of reason—except for one image—that of a cross, empty now with no helpless victim attached, and yet full of meaning, telling us that God loves us.

“What is man that you are mindful of him, O Lord?”
The question has been around since people first sensed a connection between the glittering night sky and the stirring deep in the human heart that tells us we are not here by accident. The Good News is that God made the universe and us, too! There in the secret place He knit us together. It was not a meaningless hobby of His—it was a purposeful act of destiny for us.

  • God made us.
  • God loves us.
  • God has work for us to do.

What work could that be?

If God loves people, then He must also love nations.
Reading in the Old Testament, God’s concern for the nations of the world is clear. He raised the nation of Israel up to be a witness to the pagan, god-cluttered world of the ancients that there is One True God. This chosen nation would also bring a Savior to the whole world.

God loves people and God loves nations. The world isn’t a big blue marble to Him, nor is it a distant speck of light. He has invaded our space and is standing by. Today we must call upon Him while He draws near. We must love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.

We have a story to tell to the nations—His story—the narrative that gives life and the saga that rescues from danger.

No one else is appointed this task. Angels might have been excellent witnesses but that is not their job. The heavens are telling the glory of God yet it seems most people don’t understand the love of God that shines in the stars or reflects from the moon. People need faces and voices and hands that are tender.

And that is why we are here on this Big Blue Marble.

Scriptures:
Psalm 67 NIV
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways
may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O
God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule
the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Psalm 8:3-8 NIV
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Mark 16:15-18 NIV
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of the Harvest. You have called the Church to speak to the world, to the nations of men, to the cultures of peoples of the Earth. Help us learn their languages so we can tell them Your story. Send Your chosen ones to the nations of this earth and to the islands of sea. Call each of us to go and to send. You gave us Your Holy Spirit so that we might be Your witnesses starting with our neighbors and our neighborhoods, extending to our towns and nations and to the ends of the earth. This we must do. In Your holy name! Amen.

Song:
We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations
Words and Music: H. Ernest Nichol

1. We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.

Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright;
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
The kingdom of love and light.

2. We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
That shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil
And shatter the spear and sword,
And shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

3. We’ve a message to give to the nations,
That the Lord who reigneth above
Hath sent us his Son to save us,
And show us that God is love,
And show us that God is love.

Refrain

4. We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
Who the path of sorrow hath trod,
That all of the world’s great peoples
Might come to the truth of God,
Might come to the truth of God.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved