pathoflifedevotions

February 20, 2017February 19, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 20, 2017

Winners

Everyone loves a winner.
So the old saying goes and the truth remains with us to this day. Then, consider the losers—competition demands that those who do not win, lose. It doesn’t matter how well the players played, if the team comes up on the short end of the score, they are all losers. At the same time, some players on the other side never got into the game and they are all winners. Competition, like life, isn’t fair. The game, any game, always has rules everybody knows and subtleties known only to the coaches and students of the game.

“The Breaks”
In addition to rules and subtleties, the game also has luck—the “breaks:”

The undisciplined bounce of the ball or the unpredictable player who was suddenly great
the foul that wasn’t called or the no-foul that was,
The mistake that became a miracle or the miracle that almost happened, and
The game plan that worked like a dream or the game plan set aside because of an injury.

There is more than offence and defense to winning and losing; there is chance. Still when the final gun/buzzer/bell sounds one team wins and the other one doesn’t.

The Bible often refers to the spiritual life as an athletic competition.
Most often it is called a race where only one person can win. The race is to be run with patience, a seemingly oxymoronic suggestion: run indicates haste while patience speaks of more deliberate pace—two contrasting speeds.

Clearly, the race of life is not a sprint—it is a long distance race, one that must be run with patience. There is no luck involved; there is only faith and faithfulness. In faith we run with our eyes fixed on Jesus, not on the finish line! Faithfulness reminds us that running this race is a matter of discipline, holy habits that empower us daily and careful pacing that keeps us in the race to finish.

Against whom does the Christian compete?
In the race analogy there will be only one winner. How does this apply to God’s team? Will only a few of us break the tape at the finish line?

Of course not.

This is a race that each of us can win. It is not about finishing first. It is about finishing well.

Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to win my race! I want to hear You say, “Well done!” I want to wear the victor’s crown at the end of my race. Lord help me cast aside every weight and sin that would slow me to a stop. Clear my vision of all hindrances to the right or to the left. Holy Spirit, keep my eyes fixed on Jesus! Lord, You ran Your race to the finish, proving sin does not win. Holiness and righteousness triumph at the end. Today Your old, defeated foes will endeavor to distract me as I run, to discourage me as I tire, and to defeat me, throwing me to the ground in pain. But You, Lord Jesus have defeated them, casting them down in shame. You clear the lane in front of me and make each step secure. I may not see the finish line today, but I will see You all the way until today’s race is done. You are the Victor, Lord Jesus, and in you I am a winner. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Victory Ahead
Words and Music: William Grum

1. When the hosts of Israel, led by God,
Round the walls of Jericho softly trod;
Trusting in the Lord, They felt the conquo’ror’s tread,
By faith they saw the victory ahead.

Refrain:
Victory ahead! Victory ahead!
Through the blood of Jesus, Victory ahead!
Trusting in the Lord I hear the sonqu’ror’s tread,
By faith they saw the victory ahead.

2. David with a shepherd’s sling and five stones,
Met the giant on the field all alone;
Trusting in the Lord, He knew what God had saidm
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

3. Daniel prayed unto the Lord thrice each day,
Then into the lion’s den led the way;
Trusting in the Lord, he did not fear or dread.
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

5. When like those who’ve gone before to that land,
By death’s river cold and dark I shall stand.
Trusting in the Lord, I will not fear or dread.
By faith I see the victory ahead.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

February 19, 2017February 11, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 19, 2017

Balance

Never think that a balanced life is a boring life.
Imagine holding fire in one hand while carrying ice in the other. A supernatural ability is needed or we will either burn or freeze or drop them both. This is the challenge of the balanced yet passionate life. This spiritual truth is illustrated in nature.

Our Sense of Balance
If we try to walk a straight line without a sense of balance, the easiest of exercises becomes an Olympian feat. Through the mysterious mechanisms of the inner ear, we stride the earth confidently with little thought of losing control and tumbling to the ground. The balance required by standing and sitting, walking and running, or ascending or descending steps is natural and taken thoroughly for granted.

Balance in internal things takes more effort on our part.
It does not come naturally to any of us. Spiritual balance is the center set point between powerful opposite forces:

Work and rest,
Worship and service,
Passion and patience,
Love for God and love for people,
Impulse and strategy,
Thought and feeling,
Logic and instinct,
Reason and intuition,
Spirit and truth,
Improvisation and planning,
Jumping in and holding back,
Spending and saving, and so on ad infinitum

We need an inner spiritual ear to keep us from tumbling in our spiritual walk before God and mankind.

The Lord has promised just such a thing for us in the New Covenant.
In fact the four promises of the New Covenant, converge in our hearts to give us this supernatural balance.

Hebrews 8:10-12
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. (1) I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. (2) I will be their God, and they will be my people. (3) 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. (4) For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

How do these promises function as a mysterious mechanism providing spiritual balance? Take them in reverse order:

Our sins are really, completely, forever forgiven, clearing the way for the Spirit of God to do His promised work in our hearts.
The abiding Spirit supplies us with an intuition that comes directly from the Lord and goes beyond any human instruction we may receive. In other words we have an internal capacity to know spiritual things.
Through the ministry of the Spirit, we are in intimate, round the clock, personal relationship with the Lord. We have God’s undivided attention.
His Word is being written in our hearts by the fiery fingers of the Spirit much like the divine inscription Moses saw in Sinai. Really, this writing of the Word in our hearts is better than the Law written in stone; this is Grace written in love.

Caution: We should never think that our every thought amounts to the Word of God.
If we think that, we have lost our balance already. God writes His Word into our hearts when we read it, study it, reflect on it, meditate on it, memorize it, quote it, and, above all, obey it!

With His Word written in our hearts we can walk confidently in the Spirit today. We have an inner ear deep in our spirit keeping us upright, on mission, on schedule, and ready for every opportunity the day will bring.

This life is balanced and anything but boring!

Scriptures:
1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NKJV
You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Galatians 5:16-18; 25 NKJV
…Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Keep me upright today! Help me keep my eyes on You. Help me remember the light You have shone on my path in your Word. Help step carefully in the lamp You provide for my feet—that same Word. I do not intend to walk in the council of the wicked today, or to make my stand with those who sin, or take my seat among those who berate Your Holy Name. I will listen for your voice in the sounds of creation as well as in the voices of those around me. I will ignore the siren call of the world although it calls from every corner it seems. With your help I will walk in the light and not fall. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.

Song:
Each Step I Take
Words and Music: Elmo Mercer

1. Each step I take my Savior goes before me,
And with His loving hand He leads the way.
And with each breath I whisper, “I adore Thee;”
Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.

Refrain:
Each step I take I know that He will guide me;
To higher ground He ever leads me on.
Until some day the last step will be taken.
Each step I take just leads me closer home.

2. At times I feel my faith begin to waver,
When up ahead I see a chasm wide.
It’s then I turn and look up at my Savior,
I am strong when He is at my side.

Refrain

3.I trust in God, no matter come what may,
For life eternal is in His hand.
He holds the key that opens up the way,
That will lead me to the promised Land.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

February 18, 2017February 11, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 18, 2017

Fortune

The Random World?
At the edge of our glowing, carefully laid plans lies darkness, a random world, it seems, beyond our ability to predict. In unguarded moments we call this darkness luck; when we think God is listening we call it fortune.

Each day we plan and hope, predict and provide, filling our hearts with optimism that will we “have a good day.” At some point we must leave the safety of home and step out into the real world that doesn’t know our plans, cares nothing for our hopes, laughs at our predictions, and consumes our provisions. Are we subject to the darkness of a random world? Is living for God a matter of good luck and bad? Can we expect fortune to “smile on us” today?

Try as we might, we cannot imagine the mind of God.
He created all that is and He remains intricately involved in everything that is—and that includes us. We deal with light, shadow, and darkness; in Him there is no darkness at all. Life seems random to us because we do not have the intelligence to discern the wisdom of God. The universe He created is not random to Him. He has it in His firm grip and no force can make Him let go. No darkness can extinguish the light He can see.

So we trust Him. His ways are past finding out, but we can choose to trust Him. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts so that we can trust His wisdom when life seems random, unpredictable, and dangerous. Just like the universe God created, He has us in His firm grip and no force can make Him let us go. We can trust Him.

We can trust Him because He is a Covenant-keeper.
He does not promise lightly. He never forgets His promises. There are no cracks in the floor of His administration through which any of us will fall. He gives us light for our path and a lamp for each step and that’s really all we need. Out there in the dark, beyond the glow of our carefully laid plans, enemies lie in ambush, predators are ready to spring, and holy angels standing guard.

Today we can venture beyond our home fires and challenge the darkness of blind fortune because we know what the darkness holds, not the details, but the larger truth that God is there working everything to our good. Why? Because of who He is, because He loves us, and because He has
promised.

Darkness is not dark to Him.

Scriptures:
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Peter 3:9 9 NKJV
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Psalm 139:7-12
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.”As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so glad that You have me. I am safe for I am in Your arms. I can look forward to what the world would call good fortune. There is no chance involved. You and I are in New Covenant relationship. As I worship You, You build a hedge around me. As I serve You, You send angels to bear me up. As I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, You shower Your love all around me—grace, not good fortune—the faithfulness of God, not the luck of the Irish. Thank You, Father, for revealing Your loving heart to us in the heart of Jesus, tender and strong. Amen.

Song:
Living by Faith
Words: R.E. Winsett; Music: J.L. Heath

1. I care not today what tomorrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain;
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worry is vain.

Refrain:
Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and I feel no alarm.

2. Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,
Obscuring the brightness of life,
I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies;
The Master looks on at the strife.

Refrain

3. I know that He safely will carry me through,
No matter what evils betide;
Why should then care, though the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side.

Refrain

4. Our Lord will return to this earth some sweet day,
Our troubles will then all be o’er;
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

February 17, 2017February 16, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 17, 2017

Preaching

Jesus was a preacher.
Paul and the other disciples were preachers, too. They had a message to deliver to anyone who might listen. People did listen to Jesus; some of the scenes are recorded in the Bible.

He would talk with a loud voice when He needed to be heard by many people from the crest of a hill or from a boat in a lake.

He could also speak softly to a Nicodemas who came to Him secretly at night and to a shy, thirsty woman at a well in Samaria in the middle of the day.

Sometimes His sermon was a dialogue as friends asked sincere questions and enemies tried to trick Him with words.

It was possible to interrupt Him and change the subject but He could not be silenced until He was done with His preaching.

In the Power of the Holy Spirit
He did all this preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit, not from some inexhaustible personal strength.

He said that He preached what the Father gave Him to say.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit would reveal to Him what was happening in the hearts of His listeners and those secret things were preached to the crowd. Preaching and secrets do not go well together.

No one who heard Him had ever heard anyone like Him before. Some people in the crowd compared His preaching to that of the religious leaders they were used to hearing. It was brutal. “He is not like the others we hear—He speaks with authority!”

Authority also came with His hands and the commands of His voice.

Things that just don’t happen happened with a shouted command or with a fleeting touch. Afflictions undid themselves.

Demons departed to parts unknown with great haste.

The best minds of the day were left speechless, as if they had been struck as dumb as the dumb had been set free to speak.

His actions were unconventional to say the least.

He ate with sinners and crooks and women of the streets.

He spoke freely to Roman soldiers as if He understood their authority.

He was afraid of no one yet He was not threatening to those who sought Him out; children thronged Him with laughter and running little feet to always find His lap and a friendly hug.

His sermons came from life.
Life went on around Him when He preached the Good News and He incorporated the details of life into His sermons: agriculture, fishing, public prayer—both true and false—the marketplace, family life, all found a place in His repertoire of illustrations. He told great stories, full of memorable characters, high drama, and poignant moral lessons. Often His meaning was clear to those who heard Him and the impact of His presence somehow validated the things He said. At other times His sermons confounded the people so much that His disciples would ask for private explanations.

His prayer life was private.
He was known to pray, off by Himself before the break of day. Somehow this gave Him the strength He would need to fulfill each day’s mission: souls to be touched, bodies to be healed, comfort for the distressed, and rebukes for the fakers. It is safe to say that no one walked the earth the way Jesus did.

The Disciples
Paul and the other followers of Jesus preached and performed miracles in the name of Jesus for He was with them—in them—by the power of the Spirit of God.

They needed no show to gather a crowd.

They desperately sought to disappear into the story they told—they knew there was no power in their names or in the touch of their hands and certainly not in the sound of their voices.

Jesus had called them to preach and now He was continuing His preaching through them.

Whether with words or with deeds, let Jesus be the story we tell today. Let His truth be seen in the work of our hands and let His song be heard in the music of our lives.

Scriptures:
Luke 4:18-19 NIV
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Mark 1:38 NIV
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, empower my life today to be a witness for You, a sermon preached in sweetness, in serenity, and in simplicity. May my words tell Your story, my actions illustrate Your life, and my attitudes reflect Your peace. You are my message today. Your praise is the song of my life. Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire with the truth about Jesus. As I live today, let me preach the Good News. Amen.

Song:
Our God Reigns
Words and Music: Leonard Smith

1. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him
Who brings good news, good news,
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.
Our God reigns! Our God reigns!

Refrain:
Our God Reigns! Our God Reigns!
Our God Reigns! Our God Reigns!

2. He had no stately form, He had no majesty,
That we should be drawn to Him.
He was despised and we took no account of Him,
Yet now He reigns with the Most High.

Refrain

3. Out from the tomb He came with grace and majesty,
He is alive, he is alive.
God loves us so, see here His hands, His feet, His side.
Yes, we know, He is alive.

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 16, 2017February 15, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 16, 2017

Integrity

We live in a world of veneer.
Too many leaders present a front, a thin covering of fine grain material designed to make them shine. Beneath that false surface they are really made of cheap stuff, unreliable material with no inner strength.

This world of veneer endangers the Kingdom of God. For entertainers, stage lights and TV lights catch this shiny veneer and make it sparkle and the money rolls into the coffers, probably cardboard with a veneer of gold tinfoil. The platform lights in the church house can do the same thing to a local pastor making him/her the point of it all. We are in danger of imitating the world to the point of becoming like it.

The poet Wordsworth saw this in the 19th century:

The World Is too much with Us
The world is too much with us, late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

Today, we must strip away the veneer of showbiz and self-promotion. We must bare our degraded souls to the surgery of the Sword of the Spirit which can divide our sham from our sincerity, our pretense from our piety and make us true from the inside out.

The Spirit always moves from the inside out.
He changes us at the inmost level of our being, revealing in the cold light of scripture the base motives that prompt our most holy looking postures. At the horror of such iniquity deep in our hearts, we must repent of such wickedness. Then, with a cleansing flash of grace, the Sword of the Spirit cuts away our sin and our guilt making us new again, new from the inside out.

No longer showing a thin veneer to the world, we offer others a true life, one that is fine from the core to the surface. When the pressure comes, the counter pressure of integrity gives us inner strength and, far from being crushed, we sail through the pressure with grace and peace.

Jesus is that core.

Yes, He was crushed at the cross. His heel bruised by the Devil, His body lay in a tomb for the requisite number of days.

And, yes, He rose again, no longer crushed by the weight of our sins, for He bore them far away from us, never to be remembered against us again.

Yes, He crushed the Serpent’s head and now Satan may hiss and slither, but he cannot reach the core of us—Jesus our Strength and Redeemer.

From that core, a new reality forms, clear through to the surface of our lives, where people see us and hear us and touch us.

In a world of veneer, the solid item is easily seen. Upon close inspection the world sees the integrity of Jesus in us because the surface of our lives, like the core, reflects the image of Christ.

Scriptures:
Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; 13:6; 20:27
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.
Psalm 25:20-21
Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
Psalm 51:5-7
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Ephesians 3:14-19 NKJV
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height –to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are real. I do not adhere to a philosophy; I am in relationship with a divine Person! You said that you would come and live in those who believed in and followed You and it is true. Holy Spirit, You dwell in my inmost part, I invite you to do Your work—conform me to the image of Christ from the deepest part of me that no one but You sees to the surface of my life that everyone sees. Life will cut into me like a saw. When that happens, I pray that all who witness my trial will see that I am the same from the inside out—I pray that they see You in me. I don’t want to be veneer. I desire integrity in all of my life. Grant this prayer, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song:
Oh to Be Like Thee
Words: T. O. Chisholm; Music: W. J. Kirkpatrick

1. Oh! To be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, thy perfect likeness to bear.

Refrain:
Oh! To be like Thee! Oh! To be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou Art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine on image deep on my heart.

2. Oh! To be like Thee! Full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
seeking the wandering sinner to find.

Refrain

3. Oh! To be like Thee! Lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

Refrain

4. Oh! To be like Thee! Lord, I am coming,
Now to receive the anointing divine,
All that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine

Refrain

5. Oh! To be like Thee! While I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love,
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and heaven above.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 15, 2017February 11, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 15, 2017

Regret

Repentance
Regret is a precursor to repentance, but when our sins are removed from us as far as the East is from the West, regret often remains. Although painful, this type of regret is in reality a blessing. When we remember the pain we have caused by doing wrong, the lives our sins have altered beyond repair, and the ripple effects of our selfishness continuing in the circumstances of others, we are cautioned never to act that way again.

We think, “God help me to never do that again!” or, “If I had it to do over again…”

The truth is, we have it to do over again—constantly.
Based upon the undying regret of sins past, we must resolve never to repeat them. We cannot change the past but we can affect the future. As marvelous as forgiveness of sins is from the hand of the Lord Jesus, the power to break the patterns of behavior that led us into sin is more marvelous still. This power is the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit—regeneration, the theologians call it. The past is forgiven and a different future is in store for us.

Part of that future is the blessing of regrets that remind us the past can be future if we are not constantly dependent upon the Spirit of Christ, who is the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of New Life, the Spirit of Holiness, and the Spirit of power.

The Spirit of Christ is the victory over evil and death.

The Spirit of Truth is the revealer of all truth and the One who quickens us to understand spiritual things.

The Spirit of New Life is the resurrection power of God making all things new.

The Spirit of Holiness is the Refiner’s Fire and Fuller’s Soap to purify the Sons of Levi.

The Spirit of Power is the inner strength in the abiding, covenantal presence of the Holy Spirit, to resist the Devil and witness to the Gospel.

Lest We Forget
So drastic is the change with the entrance of Christ into a life, it would be easy to forget the way we lived, the way we were, before Jesus saved us. Regret is the gift of God that keeps our feet on the ground.

When we see a face that reminds of someone we have harmed,

when we hear a phrase that reminds of some unkind thing we have said, and

when we hear a true story that is a reenactment of one that happened to us long ago, before we became the hero of such stories,

then we remember who we once were and how we once lived.

Remembering and regretting, we breathe a prayer of thanksgiving and without hesitation, send to heaven a plea like the old song, “Keep me true, Lord Jesus. Keep me true.”

Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 7:8-11
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it…because your sorrow led you to repentance… See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Colossians 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in … your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Romans 6:3-4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Malachi 3:1-4
“…suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Prayer:
Lord, don’t let me forget, on this side of heaven, where I was when you found me and how I was before you came into my heart. Turn this regret into the Gates of Thanksgiving for me! I as remember the dark time before Your light shone around me, let me also recall how different my life has been since then—light instead of darkness, peace instead of turmoil, faith instead of fear, and your constant nearness. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Lord! I do not regret a mile I have walked with You!
Amen.

Song:
Keep Me True
Traditional Chorus

Keep me true, Lord Jesus, keep me true.
Keep me true, Lord Jesus, keep me true.
There’s a race that I must run.
There are vict’ries to be won.
Every hour, by Thy power, keep me true!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 14, 2017February 13, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 14, 2017

Passion

Today is a day for passion.
The scripture tells us to gather all our inner feelings and concentrate them on actions that express love for the Lord. There is no reason to hold back, to keep a measure of our love in reserve. In a worship service, when the moment comes to praise, we must release the joy pent up in our hearts. Our opening acts of praise in a worship service must be full-throated, hot-hearted, and mentally captivating. No less praise will do.

Why? The measure of our praise is not that of our passion for God, or our knowledge of God, or even our faith in God. The standard we are given in the Scriptures has nothing to do with our feelings, our knowledge, or even with the level of our faith. The standard, the measuring rod is this: “the glory due unto His name.” (Ps 29:1-2)

All other measures are changeable

as passions heat and cool,

knowledge is gained and forgotten, and

faith swells and shrinks in our hearts.

His worthiness goes on and on and on and on forever.

Our praise is a matter of justice—the praise due unto His name!
He is worthy of nothing less than our very best praise—our best music, our finest words, our most sincere gratitude and our most humble hearts. Any part of our mind held back for lesser considerations is a sacrilege, a selfish, careless oversight to be corrected at once as we marshal all our mental resources to consider and express the wonders of Who God is.

When another Sunday comes and you join the Saints of God in the House of God and the call to worship sounds, lift your eyes beyond the music and the lights, the singers and players of music and their leaders, and tune your heart to heaven’s songs. Some of them are recorded for us in the Bible. Others are works of the Spirit through His troubadours.

The Spirit speaks through songs in every generation.
Surrender to the spirit of the song and join the songs of angels, thousands of them in joyful assembly. You will also be singing with loved ones who have gone before you, gathered as a special choir of the redeemed in a gallery made just for them. You will take your seat with them someday and today you may add your voice to theirs in worship.

Lord, send a heavenly fire to ignite a passion for You in each of our hearts today!

Scriptures:
Psalm 29:1-2 NKJV
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Colossians 3:1-3
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Prayer:
You are God
From the Book of Common Prayer (adapted SRP)
You are God: we praise You; You are the Lord; we acclaim You; You are the eternal Father: All creation worships You. To You all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. The glorious company of apostles praises You. The noble fellowship of prophets praises You. The white‑robed army of martyrs praises You. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When You became man to set us free You did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help Your people, bought with the price of Your own blood, and bring us with Your saints to glory everlasting. Amen.

Song:
I Love You, Lord
Words and Music: Laurie Klein

I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice
To worship You, O my soul, rejoice!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear;
May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 13, 2017

Thirst

Each of us can go for days without food but not without water.
Thirsts of all kinds steer our lives, sending us here and there for some relief, some refreshing satisfaction, no matter how brief, that slakes the thirst within.

The Psalmist captures the desperation of thirst in the image of a deer, pursued by predators crashing through the underbrush of a forest, using its vital moisture internally in a flight from danger. So thirsty is the deer it pants for water, not a stagnant supply caught in a hollow stump, but clean, running water fresh from a spring, the hidden source of life for the forest itself.

And so are we; pursued by our soul’s predator, aching and dry within but unable to rest from the chase, dreaming of, longing for, the water-brooks. Panting in prayer for a taste of strength from the spring we know to be somewhere in these woods.

And so was Jesus in His passion,

pursued by the sins of mankind,

hounded by nasty little demons at His every step,

secure in His own soul, the outcome never in doubt, but

submitted to the mission.

The mission demanded that He experience the terrible thirst of being human. He who made all deer must know the terrible thirst of the panting prey crashing through the underbrush.

All during his earthly life, Jesus had known thirst

from the breast of Mary,

to the cool drink of water in the heat of the day in the carpenter’s shop,

to the mid-day water break at the well in Samaria.

Spiritually though, He always knew where to find the Spring. Faithfully the record tells His story: He arose a great while before day to find a solitary place of prayer—that’s where the living water was found—in the Father’s presence. Each day’s Messiah-work demanded a fresh supply of this Living Water, flowing freely in prayer with His Father.

When the Water Ran Dry
His passion brought Him to the place where, like the prophet’s brook, the Divine supply dried up. On the cross, His Father somehow had to leave Him thirsting.

“Why have You forsaken Me?” was the cry of a parched soul.

“I thirst.”

And the soldiers gave Him what they had—wine spoiled and bitter. He tasted and then refused the rest. He had had enough. Bowing His head He committed His soul to the Father, dying from our thirst for life.

That was not the end of course. He now promises to each of us that if we will but hunger and thirst, we will be filled. “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink.”

And we do. We come to Him this morning and He pours us another cup of life, sufficient for whatever the day may bring.

Scriptures:
John 7:37-39 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.
John 19:28-30 NKJV
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Psalm 42 NIV
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, … 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.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my thirst is deep. By your provision my storehouse is full; there is nothing my body needs that You have not provided. Yet within me still is a thirst, a thirst for You—for Your kindness, forgiveness, and continuing grace. This thirst itself is a great gift from Your heart to mine. Save me from other thirsts, those sweet-tasting things that end up bitter on my tongue and sick in my soul. Righteousness—that is my thirst and my hunger, so here I am at the Spring. Fill me now, Dear Lord!

Song:
Fill Me Now
Words: Elwood Stokes; Music: John Sweeny

1. Hover o’er me, Holy Spirit, Bathe my trembling heart and brow;
Fill me with Thy Hallowed presence, Come, O come and fill me now.

Refrain:
Fill me now, Fill me now, Jesus come and fill me now;
Fill me with Thy hallowed presence, Come, O come and fill me now

2. Thou cans fill me, gracious Spirit, Though I cannot tell Thee How;
But I need Thee, greatly need Thee, Come, O Come and fill me now.

Refrain

3.I am weakness, full of weakness, At Thy sacred feet I bow;
Blest, divine, eternal Spirit, Fill with power and fill me now.

Refrain

4. Cleanse and comfort, bless and save me, Bathe my heart and brow;
Thou art comforting and saving, Thou are sweetly, filling now.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 12, 2017February 12, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 12, 2017

Grace

Grace—a gift, a blessing, a touch from the hand of God—it is no wonder we deem it “amazing.”

Three “Angels”
Actually there are three angels in our lives, sisters of the Spirit who selflessly attend to us: Grace, Mercy, and Peace. They are quiet, these sisters, but quite thorough in their ministries, blessing us with God’s favor, forgiveness and fortitude.

Grace surrounds us, precedes us, follows after us, supports us, and covers us. Commonly defined as the “unmerited favor” of God, grace is a fact of our lives, so prevalent it is easy to lose our appreciation of it. Think of it—God, who is no respecter of persons, favors us! How He can do this is a mystery of His being. He is totally fair with all of mankind, yet some of us move about in a constant rain of grace, soaked by His favor. How can such a thing be?

Jesus is the answer.

Like John the Baptist’s testimony of Jesus, His own statements concerning His mission on this earth are grand and all inclusive:

John: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29-30)

Jesus: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Jesus: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

But there is a condition.
The grace of God is available to all the world, but some do not receive Him.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:10-13

Mysteries surround the dispensation of God’s grace in the world. Jesus told those who received Him to go into the whole world with the story of His grace.

Jesus: “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. (Mark 16:15-17)

For those who have received Jesus and His grace, there remains a danger: We can be tempted to presume upon His grace rather than simply walking in it. There is a vast territory between trusting God and tempting God, between pursuing God’s grace and presuming upon it.

Pursuing God’s grace is a process of relationship—presuming upon it is self-centered arrogance.

Trusting God in everyday things pleases Him greatly; tempting Him in anything is strictly forbidden.

Trusting is humility in action, presuming is pride on display.

God resists—opposes!—the proud but gives Grace to the humble. There is a vast territory between God’s resistance and His help.

Today, if we will humble ourselves before the Lord, He will be drawn to us. He will help us—surround us, precede us, follow after us, support us, and cover us with Grace. We will hear our three sister-angels singing of God’s mercy, His peace, and His amazing grace.

Scriptures:
John 1:12-18; 10
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known…to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Titus 2:11
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Romans 3:22-25
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Hebrews 4:16-5:1
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Matthew 4:7 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'”

Prayer:
Confession of Mercy and Blessing
Psalm 90:13-91:1 NLT (From The Book of Daily Prayer adapted SRP)
Lord Jesus, You come to me in mercy; Your love is my portion today. As this day begins, I feast on Your truth and presence and I will joyfully sing throughout the day and night of Your unfailing love. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us see Your miracles again; let our children see Your glory at work. And, Lord, show us Your approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!

Song:
Amazing Grace
Words: Isaac Newton; Music: Traditional

1. Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

2. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me on.

4. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

February 11, 2017February 11, 2017 pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 11, 2017

Desires

The desires of the heart are sometimes stylish, parading themselves on the runway, like models in the latest fashions. At other times they are stealthy; words sneaking out of their hiding places in small talk as if no one is listening.

Where do these strutting mannequins come from? What is the source of these flat but revealing words?

The heart.

Until the deep work of the Spirit is done, the heart of each individual is a repository of ambition and anger, sin and sedition, and lofty ideals and low impulses. This depressing diagnosis comes from the Great Physician Himself.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Rough words, but true.

The list of the heart’s desires is faithfully reported in Scripture and there is no need to report it here. This is the time and place for searching the soul. Where can we find the cure for this inborn sickness?

The answer is a heart transplant.

King Saul Was Given a New Heart.
Long before medical science figured out how to replace a defective heart with one in working order from another individual, the Holy Spirit had long ago perfected this surgery. It is said that Saul, a tall, good-looking, but timid man became the Great King Saul because God gave him a new heart. Wow! Now that is a gift. The rest of Saul’s story is a tragedy of a man who did not tend his new heart. He let it rot in his chest until all was lost, including his kingdom.

There Are More Stories to be Told.
But history tells many, many other stories of people who received a new heart when they invited the Lord Jesus in to take residence there. Hearts that were filled with evil, rage, and despair were replaced by “Kingdom hearts” full of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And here is the best part—the old list of desires is replaced by an entirely new list! With the new heart, the desire for old things found on the road to hell pass away and a fervent longing for the new things found on the Path of Life takes its place. What is the trigger mechanism that initiates and renews this profound change?

Delight.

Specifically, delighting oneself in the Lord.

To delight in the Lord is to focus one’s life on Jesus;

to pursue His will, not ours;

to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength;

to listen to His word and

to obey Him as we can.

The Process of Delighting in the Lord is powerful.

This delighting process starves the old heart and feeds the new one.

It dulls the old mind and sharpens the new.

It mitigates the old desires and feeds the new passions.

Understand the Promise!
Some think this promise says that God will give us whatever we want. Far from saying such a thing, the promise is that we will get a brand new list of things we want, a new set of heart’s desires. And that is a different thing altogether!

In these days of repentance and seeking God’s face, let us delight in Him. As we do, we will no longer be embarrassed by the strutting of self or beset by the stealth of secret sins. We can rest in a pure heart, a gift from God, and we can let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our heart flow unhindered from our lives.

Scriptures:
Matthew 12:33-37; 15: 17-20 NIV
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. … For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks … the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Psalms 37:1-8
Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 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. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil.

Prayer:
Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God ,and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. … O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Song:
Create In Me a Clean Heart
Words and Music: Keith Green

Create in me a Clean Heart, Oh God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a Clean Heart, Oh God
And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto to me joy of Thy Salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

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