pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 17, 2017

Flourishing

What it means…
The dictionaries define “flourishing” this way:

  • growing vigorously; thriving; prosperous
  • In positive psychology, flourishing is living “within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness,…growth, and resilience.”

Not bad.

Not bad at all!

“…I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God…”
The poet claims his life to be a vigorous one, a thriving one, and a prosperous one, like an olive tree. Good for him. He is living up to his human potential, functioning at the maximum. He possesses goodness and resilience while continually growing and producing.

And where does this olive tree grow? In a grove of other trees, well-tended by professionals, with the proper amounts of nutrients from the soil, radiance from the sun, rest from the nighttime, and water from above and below?

Not this tree.
It lives indoors, in a temple. The sun can’t reach it. The winds never shake it. The soil it stands in is in a pot. Other olive trees have been likewise transplanted into the house so at least our tree is not alone.

It is comforting that an olive tree would flourish in an olive grove; comforting and productive, but not surprising or worthy of note. But a tree flourishing indoors is worthy of careful observation. So is the Christ-follower who thrives in the hostile environs of this world.

Believers in Jesus are known to do the impossible.
The biblical metaphors are striking:

  • They walk on water—staying dry and keeping their balance when by all rights they should be sinking like everyone else.
  • Their houses remain upright and watertight when the raging storms and rising floods wipe everyone else out.
  • They find manna every morning and sleep every evening in times of famine and stress.
  • They return good for evil and in this strange way, overcome it.
  • They live in the same world as everyone else, but by the standards of a higher one.
  • When needs press in, they do not worry—they pray.
  • At the darkest midnight they are known to sing.
  • Their enemies get prayed for and cared for.
  • They are as human as anyone else but somehow when struck they don’t strike back; they go a second mile when only one is demanded and they give more than is ever taken from them.

Every company needs these trees.
Every house can benefit from their fruit. God calls us to impossible places and unreasonable tasks. Why? Because we are in this world but not of it. He calls us to dark places so He can shine more brightly through us.

Christ-followers are emissaries of a higher Kingdom, representatives of a more excellent way to live, and channels of the River of Life. Jesus said this River would flow from deep inside each of us, a River of blessing and peace for the people in our lives. Where else will they hear the Good News?

So we can flourish today and this week even in hostile environments because God has planted us there to do His work. The house where we do our work

  • in Jesus’ name,
  • as unto the Lord and not unto men, and
  • with all our might—

that place becomes the House of God and there do we flourish.

Scriptures:
Psalm 52
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue! Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
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.
Colossians 3:17; 23-25 NIV
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
John 15:16-17 NIV
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatevver you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the True Vine and I am Your branch. You have chosen me to bear much fruit in Your name. There are no limitations on this call, no lessening of Your expectations because of what the world may do or circumstances may dictate. Your leadership stretches beyond circumstances and You have overcome the world. As long as I stay in You—as I guard the vital connection from my heart to Yours—I will flourish. Your House is a supernatural place and this tree can live there and produce much fruit. And in some small or immense way, the world around me will be blessed. For Your Glory, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Make Me a Blessing
Words and Music: Ira B. Wilson

1. Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad,
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.

Refrain:
Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today!

2. Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,
Tell of His pow’r to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove
True every moment you live.

Refrain

3. Give as ‘twas given to you in your need,
Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,
Unto Your mission be true.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 13, 2017 Judgment Halls

Trials

Irony of ironies
Jesus the Good, Jesus the Righteous, Jesus the Just—standing in the judgment halls of bad men, sinful men, and unjust systems both political and religious.

Has the world ever seen such restraint on the part of any defendant? Not only was He innocent of the charges made against Him, He commanded an unseen corps of warrior angels, ten thousand in number, ready to spring to His rescue with the slightest signal from their Master. But they were not given the order to rescue, to defend, or even to secure Jesus from further injustice. I am sure angel-heads shook in dismay. What was the Father’s plan? Why was such a thing happening before their eyes? If angels have ever breathed hard, it must have been then; angel-muscles rippling with angel-weapons tightly gripped and at the ready.

There was to be no rescue.
Jesus was taken before the religious authorities, Annas and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the High Priest. The whole governing council of the Jews gathered for an illegal middle-of-the-night trial. Their witnesses could not get their stories straight as Jesus stood before them as silent as a lamb before the sacrificial knife. Finally He was asked to testify against Himself which he readily did:

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you:
In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One
and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

There followed sudden cries of official outrage and the requisite moans grief that could barely mask their inner delight at His words. Tearing their robes in dramatic demonstration of their political advantage, they declared Him death-worthy, slapped Him around, taunted Him and sent Him to Pilate.

Before Pilate
The Roman governor had several official duties he would rather start his day with than another Jewish rabble-rouser, but he had little choice to go along with these fanatics in their bloody, arrogant (one God!) religion. His job was to keep them happy.

Weary from the abuse, the chains, and the lack of sleep, Jesus was dragged before Pilate. He could not have looked like much of a threat to Rome. Pilate tried to make sense of it but it made no sense at all. When accused by the Jews, Jesus did not answer. It was clear to Pilate the man was innocent of any crime against Rome. Pilate took Jesus inside away from the crowd and asked Him directly, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

A Different Kingdom
Jesus told Pilate about His Kingdom—it was of a different sort—a peaceable Kingdom of might and power and justice—not a Kingdom of this world—a Kingdom built not on lies or power but on truth. For ages we have been intrigued by Pilate’s answer, “What is truth?”

The Governor tried to release Jesus but the people would have none of it. The wanted His blood, even if charged to their own accounts. In an ironic act of blasphemy the Children of Abraham confessed they had no King but Caesar.

Pilate gave in to their demands and turned Jesus over to the soldiers. He went by the book ordering Jesus to be whipped. The soldiers were as creative as they were brutal. They put a purple robe on Jesus and wove a crown of thrones and rammed it onto His head so recently bloodied by the sweat in the Garden of Prayer.

Angels wept. The disciples hid. Pilate washed his hands. The rabid crowd raged.

The soldiers led Him away to be crucified.

Scriptures:
Matthew 26:57-27:31
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled… Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied… Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”… Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.
John 18:28-19:18 NIV
Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor…
Pilate … summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.
… When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”…When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. … “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free…But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.” We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me walk worthy of You! My heart sinks at the thought of such injustice in the courts of men. You were not the one on trial that night and day—we were! Our sins were placed upon You. You drank all of the terrible cup of iniquity in the Garden. We could never atone for our sins so You atoned for us. You took the blows. You wore the thorny crown. You fell beneath the Roman lash—and all for love of us! Lord Jesus, help me walk worthy of You! Amen. (1 Thess 2:11-12 KJV)

Song:
He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels
Words and Music: Ray Overholt

1. They bound the hands of Jesus
in the garden where He prayed;
They led Him thro’ the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said, “Crucify Him; He’s to blame.”

Refrain:
He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.

2. Upon His precious head
they placed a crown of thorns;
They laughed and said, “Behold the King.”
They struck Him and they cursed Him
and mocked His holy name.
All alone He suffered everything.

Refrain

3 When they nailed Him to the cross,
His mother stood near by;
He said, “Woman, behold thy son!”
He cried, “I thirst for water,”
but they gave Him none to drink.
Then the sinful work of man was done.

Refrain

4 To the howling mob He yielded;
He did not for mercy cry.
The cross of shame He took alone.
And when He cried, “It’s finished,”
He gave Himself to die;
Salvation’s wondrous plan was done.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

Monday, Bethany

Bethany

A Large House
It was a large house, signifying wealth, but it was also a warm and welcoming house, signifying wealth of a more substantial kind. Martha ran this house she shared with her sister, Mary, and her now famous brother, Lazarus. It didn’t matter that Jesus traveled in such a large company. Martha was always up to the task because she kept her focus on Jesus. Those fishermen could make do the best they could; Jesus was the one who mattered. He must be made comfortable. He needed his rest from these daily forays into Jerusalem.

On this night, Mary, Martha’s sister, the quiet one, suddenly rose from her accustomed position at Jesus’ feet. No one paid her any mind as she left the room or when she returned.

The aroma of the contents of a broken alabaster jar filled the room.
Few of the men noticed as Mary produced this jar of ointment, a concoction ripe with pungent scent. The men were busy talking, eating. Only Jesus saw her steal away to her hiding place, find her most precious possession, break the container and lovingly anoint his feet with the spice. But the aroma gave her away, pulling back her curtain of privacy and thrusting her to the public stage.

The other men were not pleased.
They rebuked her. This simply was not the best way to use this valuable commodity. It was worth a year’s wages to the common man. Once committed to this line of reasoning, an alternative use had to be proposed. Let’s see, ah yes, the poor, always a handy cause to plead to gain the Master’s favor. The air was heavy with the smell of the ointment and with anticipation of how Jesus would handle this foolish woman.

Around that table were men whose names would become known throughout the world for centuries to come. At this moment they were obscure little men with glimmers of greatness that only Jesus could see.

  • Among them was John, so filled with fun and free with emotion;
  • Peter, his opposite, so rough and full of pride;
  • Thomas whose knife-like mind always sliced away the non essentials in an issue;
  •  James, John’s mischievous brother, a “Son of Thunder” he was called;
  • Matthew the former tax collector;
  • the other Galileans, and…
  • Judas, who kept the money.

This was a diverse group, hand selected, not for what they were, but for what they could become, if they centered their lives on God. All were silent now, waiting for Jesus to answer their question. Mary had wasted a valuable resource, hadn’t she?

“Leave her alone,” Jesus said. “Why are you bothering her?
She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

He went on to say that she had done what she could, that she had anointed His body for burial, and that wherever the Gospel is preached, her story would be told.

The men were ashamed. He had taken the woman’s side over theirs. But as they listened, something began to stir within them. It always did when He spoke. Soon, their embarrassment was forgotten and before long all but one was wishing that he had something valuable to pour over Jesus’ feet.

Scriptures
John 12:1-8; Mark 14:3-9
Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in the quiet moments of life, let me learn to sit at Your feet like Mary of Bethany. When it is time to work, let me learn to manage life’s kitchen like Mary’s sister, Martha. Through all of life, help me remember the tomb from which You called me, like their brother, Lazarus. The grave clothes gone, let me inhale the free air of grace that is Your presence. Above all, please be welcomed in my heart at all times, like the house at Bethany. All for You, Lord Jesus, All for You! Amen.

Song:
Broken and Spilled Out
Words and Music: Bill and Gloria Gaither

1. One day a plain village woman

Driven by love for her Lord
Recklessly poured out a valuable essence
Disregarding the scorn
And once it was broken and spilled out
A fragrance filled all the room
Like a pris’ner released from his shackles
Like a spirit set free from the tomb

Refrain 1:
Broken and spilled out Just for love of you Jesus
My most precious treasure Lavished on Thee
Broken and spilled out And poured at Your feet
In sweet abandon Let me be spilled out
And used up for Thee

2. Lord You were God’s precious treasure
His loved and His own perfect Son
Sent here to show me The love of the Father
Just for love it was done
And though You were perfect and holy
You gave up Yourself willingly
You spared no expense for my pardon
You were used up and wasted for me

Refrain 2:
Broken and spilled out Just for love of me Jesus
God’s most precious treasure Lavished on me
You were broken and spilled out And poured at my feet
In sweet abandon Lord You were spilled out and used up for Me
In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out And used up for Thee

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 8, 2017

Hope

Life, Heat, Hope
When the heat is on and life begins to boil, peripheral things vaporize and float away; only the solids remain. Hope is just such a solid. The last day of life before the week we call His Passion, Jesus could feel the heat increasing and His solid core of hope emerging.

It was the seventh day, the Holy Sabbath. Not a day for work but for worship and rest. We are not given details of how Jesus rested and worshiped on that particular Sabbath. It is not difficult to imagine that of all the psalms Jesus had memorized and prayed the one we call Psalm 42 may have been His prayer that Saturday. Like a wild deer pursued by frenzied hounds thirsting for a drink of water, Jesus wanted to spend time with the Father in prayer.

“The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
Though He was a young man at the height of His physical strength, He felt the weakness of His humanity. No innocent man had ever endured the trials before Him and none would ever do anything like it again. He knew that his physical strength and emotional resources were insufficient for His assigned task. He sensed that a moment would come when He would have to throw Himself on the strength of the Father and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Garden of Prayer, Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Sanhedrin’s illegal court, the scourging, the cross, and the final raising of it to suspend Him between heaven and earth, all required the strength of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

On the Sabbath Day before all of these events started in motion, I imagine that Jesus sought to marshal every ounce of strength or every kind. As the humanity He took on Himself when He laid aside Heavenly Majesty wasted away, a firm hope deep within Him did not at all diminish.

The Coming Cross
When on the cross He would at last surrender His spirit to death.

  • All of the creation that He had made would erupt in protest: storm, wind, lightning, thunder, a quaking earth and a deep darkness at midday. There would be no shortage of power. No one was strong enough to take His life; He would give it.
  • At that moment the hands of God would reach into the Temple and rip the heavy veil from top to bottom. The promises of God would then flood out of that Temple never to return to a forced seclusion made necessary by sin.
  • Sin, wickedness, iniquity, corruption, hate, and violence would all be nailed to the cross, their power broken by the force of love and the power of hope.
  • On the third day after the cross Jesus would walk among people again leading a victory parade in spiritual triumph, having disarmed the devil and won the hoped-for victory.
    For now, on this Sabbath, Jesus worshiped the Father and rested in the Spirit. Hope was his pillow. On the morning to come an impromptu process, one planned since before time began, would start the events of His Passion in motion. Hope sustained Him through the passion week just as it sustains us today.

Psalm 42
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, “Where is your God?”… Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; … Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 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.

Isaiah 53:1-12 NIV
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.… After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my hope. You conquered life as well as death. You came into the world You made. You even came into the flesh You created in Your own image. The world did not conquer You; You overcame the world. The humanity You wore did not wear You down. You endured every temptation possible and never gave in. You never slipped; You redeemed the image of God in us. There was still one thing that You had to do. In Your innocence, You took our guilt. In Your holiness, You took our iniquity. In Your pain, You healed our sicknesses. No one has done what You have done. My hope is in You and it is sure. Amen.

Song:
The Solid Rock
Words: Edward Mote; Music: Wm. Bradbury

1. My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 7, 2017

April 7, 2017

Celebration

People were created to celebrate. 
We celebrate at the slightest provocation.  Occasions for celebration run from private gatherings in honor of intimate events like the birth of a child to big family events like graduations and weddings to huge public celebrations like championships, inaugurations and coronations.  Human beings love to celebrate even when there is nothing to celebrate like young people celebrating nothing more than the weekend.

In the words of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof,

“God would like us to be joyful even when our hearts lie panting on the floor.
How much more can we be joyful when there’s really something to be joyful for?”

Is there a deeper significance to this human need or desire?

Without doubt—public worship should be a celebration.
The spirituality of the Old Covenant was marked by frequent and fervent celebrations:

  • The Sabbath was a weekly celebration of God’s covenantal faithfulness.
  • Three festivals marked each year with celebrations related to the provision of God through the hard work of His people.
  • Every seven years the land itself had a celebration of rest.
  • Every 50th year was supposed to be a year-long celebration called the Year of Jubilee.
  • The book of Psalms commands singing and playing music, rejoicing and dancing before the Lord in celebration of “His abundant goodness.”

In the Gospel narratives, celebration is at the heart of New Covenant spirituality as Jesus presented worship in Spirit and Truth.

  • Jesus and the disciples celebrated the Old Covenant feasts.
  • Jesus instituted the New Covenant feast of the Lord’s Table.
  • The Father of the prodigal son celebrated greatly at the return of his repentant child.
  • Jesus said the angels in heaven celebrated over one lost sinner who repented.
  • The book of Revelation describes a great celebration with Jesus as Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride.

Each Lord’s Day worship service should have a strong element of celebration in it.
Even if the Spirit is calling the church to solemn prayer, to “weep between the porch and the altar,” the prophet Joel said, we should also “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise,” as the Psalmist said.

As Palm/Passion Sunday approaches, let us prepare to celebrate His abundant goodness.  Let us gather together to celebrate the Lord’s abundant goodness.  Let us rejoice and be glad.  Why?  Because we were made for this purpose and because the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!

Scriptures

Exodus 23:14-16
Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
Numbers 9:1-3
The LORD spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said,  “Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time.
Psalm 145:3-7
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.   They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Luke 15: 10; 21-24
…I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, today I will lay aside my burdens to free my hands so I can lift them to You in celebration. I will realign my calendar to make sure I give time to the celebration of Your loving-kindness. I will tune my voice to the sound of angels celebrating around Your throne. As I spend this day in celebration, You will inhabit my praise, strengthening me for the tasks ahead. Your joy and your truth will go before me and Your mercy and peace will follow me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Song:
I Will Celebrate
Words and Music: Don Moen

I will celebrate, Sing unto the Lord
I will sing to Him a new song
I will celebrate, Sing unto the Lord
I will sing to Him a new song

I will praise Him, I will sing to Him a new song
I will praise Him, I will sing to Him a new song
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelu, hallelujah!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 6, 2017

April 6, 2017

Peace

Peace is not passive. 
Peace needs to be made, kept, and embraced.  We obtain peace from God through action on our part by active faith—choosing to act on the promises of God.

Jesus is our peace, Paul said, for He has broken down the walls life builds between us and others, between us and life.  But walls don’t come down for us until we obey the commands of the Lord.

The first two are simple and lead to success in all the others:

  1. Love God with the sum total of our humanity, and,
  2. Love others as we do ourselves.

Jesus said success in all the other requirements of living with God flow from these two.  Peace and faith are integrally related to each other.

There is a spiritual progression from no peace to much peace:

  • Our confidence in God’s faithfulness to His promises gives us peace when He seems to be paying no attention to us at all.
  • Faith is ours according to the depth of our knowledge of the Word of God.
  • The more we know of the Word of God the more of His peace we enjoy.
  • The greater our availability to the Holy Spirit, the more we will know about Jesus, the church, worship, service, humility, and the Kingdom of God.

We make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit through regular prayer and Bible reading and through an unbreakable commitment to the local church in worship, fellowship, and service.  Faithfulness to God provides peace that passes all understanding.

Peace is not accidental; sometimes it must be made. 
Jesus said those who made peace would be called the children of God.  The most obvious meaning of this is to help peace come to others through the ministry of reconciliation.  Those who foment conflicts among people are not doing the work of the Kingdom.  Believers are called to help bring an end to conflicts by fairness, truth-telling, and by being a friend and good listener.

Peace is not passive; sometimes we need to go get it.
Isaiah said that those who fill their minds with the things of God will have not just peace, but perfect peace.  When peace has flown from our lives we should deliberately go to the Book or to the place of prayer and pour truth about who God is and what He has promised into our minds. With that rehearsal of eternal truth, the peace we need will flood our souls.

Peace is not passive; sometimes we have to keep it.
One of the most ancient of Christian ministries was called “the passing of the peace.”  At a special time in a worship services believers turned to embrace each other with the words, “The Peace of Christ be with you.”  The one who was embraced responded with, “And also with you.”  In the early church this part the worship service was considered so important and so powerful it was reserved for only those who had been baptized into full fellowship with the church.  Perhaps it is time to return to this ancient spirituality.  The personal touch, the kind prayer, the good will in this moment of sharing would surely promote peace within the church.  Church strife could be avoided and the proper focus of each believer could be maintained—loving God and loving people.

On this day, don’t wait for wait passively for peace.  If you don’t have it,

  • Embrace it (go get it.)
  • Make it (speak peace to others.)
  • Keep it (do the work of the Kingdom.)

And watch Jesus tear down some walls.

Scriptures

Ephesians 2:14-18
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Romans 14:17-19
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Prayer:
St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Songs of Peace
He Is Our Peace 
Composer: Kandela Groves

He is our peace who has broken down every wall
He is our peace, He is our peace
He is our peace who has broken down every wall
He is our peace, He is our peace.

Cast all your cares on Him for He careth for you
He is our peace, He is our peace
Cast all your cares on Him for He careth for you
He is our peace, He is our peace.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 5, 2017

Death

Death is not a terminus, that is, a final goal or a finishing point.  Death is a passageway.

Consider the death of Christ.
From the moment He could grasp the thought of it, Jesus’ appointment with the cross dominated His life on this earth.

  • The long years in the home of Joseph and Mary,
  • the days in the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, and
  • the three and a half years of public ministry all led Him inexorably to Calvary.

Suspended there between earth and heaven by the cruel nails of our sin, Jesus declared “It is finished!”  Then He gave up the ghost and slumped in death, real death: no breathing, with blood no longer coursing through His body but dripping from His wounds.  He did not swoon; He died.  He was not drugged; He was executed.  Faithful friends took His lifeless body down from the cross, prepared it as best they could in the short time they had before the Sabbath, and placed it in a tomb.

It was finished.

But He was not finished.
Jesus’ death was not a terminus, a finishing point.  He descended to the place where those who were faithful to the Old Covenant waited for Him.  Each of their deaths was a passageway from earthly life to the place reserved for them called, Abraham’s Bosom.  In another spiritual location, Satan and his demons danced and celebrated their triumph over Jesus.  In the midst of their revelry, Jesus strode among them, shattering their noise to silence.  The only sound was the triumphal footsteps of the One who had died, but now lived again.

He demanded and received the keys of death, hell, and the grave from the fallen angel Lucifer and exited hell in absolute victory over all evil.  Jesus led captivity captive as He escorted the faithful from Abraham’s bosom to His Father’s presence in paradise.  Moses, Noah, Abraham, Samuel, David, and Isaiah were in that procession:

  • Moses realized the meaning of the lamb’s blood on the doorposts.
  • Noah saw the global saving grace of God in another ark; this one was a man named Jesus.
  • Abraham knew that God had indeed provided a Lamb.
  • Samuel could feel the anointing oil burning as he recognized the Lord’s Anointed One, The Christ of God.
  • David danced before His greater Son and the eternal Kingdom He was bringing.
  • Isaiah saw the scars of the suffering Messiah and knew he was about to enter the throne room of God he had seen centuries before.

Death is no terminus; it is a passageway.

  • Baptism brings another passageway into sight.  We are buried with the Lord in baptism and we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
  • We live a crucified life, dead to sin and alive to the Spirit of God.
  • Physical death is the passageway to life eternal, so we do not sorrow as those who have no such hope.
  • As we die daily in surrender to God, we are made alive in Christ.

The questions of Paul become our challenge in the face of the inevitable:

“O grave, where is your victory?  O death where is your sting?”

Death, you are not a finishing point, not at all!  When we meet you, we will simply go on from there!

Scriptures

Ephesians 4:7-10 NKJV
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says:” When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended” — what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
Revelation 1:17-18 KJV
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
1 John 3:14
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
2 Timothy 1:9-10
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 KJV
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus You faced down our greatest fear—death itself! You seized that old lion by his beard and broke its neck. At Calvary Satan bruised Your heel and in his smoky domain You bruised that Serpent’s head. You disarmed our enemy, robbing him of his greates weapon against us—the fear of death. You reduced the end of life to simply the turn of a page in our story. You have made the passage ahead of us so that those who believe may follow You even there—to life eternal. You robbed death of its sting and plundered the grave of its victory. No one has done what You have done and yet when our time comes the hand we feel will be Yours. The face we see, the voice we hear, and the peace we find, will all be yours. Thank You, Lord. Jesus! Amen and Amen.

Song:
The Victor
Words and Music by Jimmy and Carol Owens

1. Swallowed into earth’s dark womb,
Death has triumphed, That’s what they say.
But tried to hold him in the tomb
The son of life Rose on the third day

Look! The gates of hell are falling,
Crumbling from the inside out!
He’s bursting through The walls with laughter!
Listen to the angels shout!

Refrain:
It is finished. He has done it Life conquered death.
Jesus Christ Has won it!

2. His plan of battle fooled them all.
They led him off to prison to die.
But as he entered Hades hall,
He broke those hellish chains with a cry!

Listen to those demons screaming!
See him bruise the serpent’s head!
The prisoners of hell redeeming,
All the power of death is dead!

Refrain

Look! The gates of hell are falling,
Crumbling from the inside out!
He’s bursting through The walls with laughter!
Listen to the angels shout!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 4, 2017

Life

Searching for Life

  • Powerful telescopes search far out into space looking for signs of life.
  • Powerful microscopes peer into the smallest of spaces looking for the mysteries of life.
  • Here on earth scientists scrape the surface and probe the depths of this globe for clues of how things and people lived and died before our time.
  • Secular prophets study current trends and
  • pagan fortune tellers read palms to try and see how life will be lived in the future.

For the follower of Christ the search is simple—life is a gift from God.
The breath in our bodies came from the Spirit of God, giving us a life that is unique in all of creation—one that lasts for all time.  This life must not be lived as an animal lives, following instinct:

  • the will to survive, and
  • the avoidance of pain.

Neither is our life like that of plants: thoughtless, responding to wind and rain and sunlight only to perish with the passing of time.

Ruach— Hebrew for the Breath of God
The breath of God in us, first given to Adam and now passed through the generations to each of us, gives purpose to the life we live.  We are not the center of our world.  As the solar system revolves around the sun, the believer’s life revolves around the Son of God.  His will is our highest goal, not our survival and pleasure.  Wealth and prominence are not the measures of the life we are called to live for Jesus.  Jesus’ approval is the reward we seek.

The life we are called to live for Jesus is one of joy, an unusual joy that gives strength.  We have a guaranteed eternal destination and s daily walk with God to take us there.  We share a community with others who follow Jesus, and we are noted for the love we share together.  This life is more than physical systems: air coming and going through us, blood coursing in us, and the systematic transformation of food into energy.

It is even more than the sum total of our thoughts and words spoken each day.

  • Our real nourishment comes from the Bread of Heaven.
  • Our wisdom is from the Living Word.
  • The animating spirit within us is itself animated by the Holy Spirit.
  • According to scripture, we have the mind of Christ.
  • The life we live we live by faith in the Son of God.
  • Our innocence before men, healing through time, and justification before God are ours the through the power of the Blood of Jesus.

We have no need of telescopes or microscopes to find the life we enjoy.  We simply inhale the Breath of God, gaze into our hearts, and find Jesus there.

Scriptures

Romans 6:23 NKJV
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 12:15
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Genesis 2:6-7
…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Matthew 10:39; 19:17
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
… If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
Luke  21:19
By standing firm you will gain life.

Prayer of Confession:
John’s Testimony of Christ
John 1:1-5; 1 John 1:1-3; John 1:10-14
(from The Book of Daily Worship, adapted SRP)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us 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. 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. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Song:
My Life Is In You
Words and Music: Daniel Gardner

My life is in You, Lord,
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it’s in You. (Repeat)

I will praise You with all of my heart.
I will praise You with all of my hope.
With all of my life, and all of my strength.
All of my hope is in You.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 3, 2017

Profit

“What’s in it for me?” 
Undoubtedly this is a crass question, unworthy of our highest efforts.
Really?  In human terms the question above speaks of pragmatic self-interest like other common sayings:

  • “I’m looking out for number one.”
  • “I’m gonna make hay while the sun shines.”
  •  “The world be hanged!  I’m getting mine while the getting is good.”
  •  “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”
  • “Do unto others before they do unto you.”

Being cold-hearted and profit-driven are often equated in such thinking.

On a higher plane, each of us analyzes our efforts to determine success, failure, or ineffectiveness.  The most sophisticated organizations ask very sophisticated questions about what’s in it for them.

The Lenten Season
Self-assessment is a proper and godly thing to do and it is an emphasis in this season.  In business, in church, and in daily living, our methods must match our motivations.  Because we are fallen, selfishness profit motivations lie somewhere beneath the surface.  Prayerfully we root these out, cleansing our motivations from a selfish profit drive to a passion for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus spoke in terms of profit in one His most repeated questions.

Mark 8:36-38 NKJV
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Measuring Profit
We judge success in terms of numbers, increase of goods or wealth, acclaim, excellence of product, etc.  The profits of the Kingdom of God are counted by spiritual computations.  The coinage of the Christ’s Kingdom is not the same as that of the world.  Spiritual things that may not register on a cash register or accrue in a bank account, count for much in God’s economy.

Faithfulness to one’s calling is success, regardless of the measurable outcome.
Ask the pastor or missionary who faithfully sow and water the Word with little harvest to show for the effort.

  • When he or she enters into the courts of heaven, the angels and saints will stand in silent homage as the faithful one comes before Jesus.
  • A hushed heaven awaits the words of Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  You have been faithful…”
  • As soon as the commendation is out or Jesus’s mouth the innumerable company of joyful angels and the gallery filled with those of earth who are now perfect will erupt into praises loud and high sounding, and dance to rhythms that rock the doorposts of glory.

Why?  Numbers?  Hardly.  Money? Not at all.  Earthly acclaim?  It pales in comparison to the approval of Jesus.  It will be the same for all the faithful, not just pastors and missionaries.

May this coming moment of commendation from the Lord Jesus motivate us to a life of faithfulness.

This is true profit.

Scriptures

Mark 8:36-38 NKJV
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 25:22-23
“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NKJV
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Luke 12:16-21
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my reward. Your approval is what matters most in this life and the one to come. I renounce any selfish profit motive in my work. I know that you will provide my needs since I have made Your Kingdom my primary passion. Set me free to do what You call me to do from a pure heart with Your glory as my only goal. Your smile is my motivation, Your joy in me and my work is profit, indeed. Help me measure this life by the values of the next life. In Your Lovely Name, Amen.

Song:
Mansion over the Hilltop
Words and Music: Ira Stanphil

1. I’m satisfied with just a cottage below,
A little silver and a little gold.
But in that city where the ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that’s silver lined.

Refrain:
I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we’ll never grow old.
And some day yonder we will never more wander
But walk on streets that are purest gold.

2. Don’t think me poor or deserted or lonely.
I’m not discouraged I’m heaven bound.
I’m but a pilgrim in search of the city.
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 2, 2017

Holiness

Surprisingly, there is beauty in holiness. 
Many tend to tense up at the sound of the word, gearing up for expectations they know they can never fulfill, demands they can never meet, and stern judgment at the end of the road.  Those concerns come with the contemplation of our attempts at holiness.  The good thing about the Good News is that Jesus fulfilled the expectations, met the demands, and took the judgment for our shortfalls.

Our subject today is not our holiness, but the Holiness of God.  This is the day the Lord has made. It is another appointed time to “give unto the Lord the glory due His name” and to worship Him “in the beauty of holiness,” His holiness.

We are so broken by Adam’s fall and our complicity in it, that we cannot imagine true holiness.

  • To be without flaw, to be completely complete,
  • to be true from the core to the surface,

is a state of being we cannot begin to understand.

However, we can pay tribute to it. 
We can confess with our lips and believe in our hearts the absolute holiness of the Lord Jesus, pristine in pre-incarnate life and unsoiled and unspoiled by more than thirty years of incarnation here on earth.  With no sins of His own to subtract from His goodness, our sins alone left their mark on His hands and feet, on His brow, side, and His back.  Yet these scars are not flaws; they in no way mar the beauty of His holiness.  Indeed, they add to the wonder of the Father’s mercy and the Spirit’s power to bring the dead back to life.

Each Lord’s Day the Holiness of God is the subject of the liturgy we present to the Him.

  • It will be heard in all three points in the pastor’s message and even in his poem.
  • This will be the appeal in every invitation and the prayer at every altar.
  • The Holiness of God will flow in the cup when we drink it and nourish us the when the bread is broken and blessed and the truth believed.

The Glory Due His Name
Oh, there is beauty in Holiness, the beauty of the One who is the originator of all beauty, the designer of all designs, the master of all mastery and the creator of creativity.  We stand in awe of Him.  We lift our hands, our lives, our voices, and our hearts to Him in adoration, gratitude, and homage.

Most amazing of all, He responds to our praise and worship.

  • He inhabits our liturgy and reigns upon our sacred actions.
  • This Almighty One gently holds us in His loving embrace.
  • His wholeness then transmits to us and we are healed.

Oh, there is beauty in His Holiness!

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.
Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Revelation 4:6-8
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Hebrews 10:19-22
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water
Psalm 22:3 KJV (NKJ)
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel….(Enthroned in the praises of Israel.)

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I join the song of angels today, singing with all of my might of Your holiness. Let me see you high and lifted up. Let the train of Your robe cover me as I stand before Your throne in worship. Let your strength brace my knees, Your mercy bath my heart, Your peace calm my soul and Your truth bind up my mind. Your holiness is indeed beautiful, shimmering in the air of glory, not distant, but close, close enough to touch me. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
I See the Lord
Words and Music: Chris Falson

I see the Lord seated on the throne exalted
And the train of His robe fills the temple with glory
And the whole earth is filled And the whole earth is filled
And the whole earth is filled with His glory

Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy is the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy is the Lord

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved