pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 11, 2017 “Guile”

Guile

Guile is defined as “the use of clever and usually dishonest methods to achieve something.”
It is an old-fashioned word, but it is a contemporary reality. So many people in this world are simply not to be trusted.

Two psychologists working in the same building rode the elevator together for a few floors before one got off. “Good morning,” said the exiting doctor as the doors closed behind him. The other doctor was heard to say, “Hmmmm. I wonder what he meant by that?”

The Toxic Environment
Living or working in a place where we are sure that what is going on is not really what is going on, we have learned to be untrusting of others.

  • Is their smile and friendly nature an act? –A clever ruse toward some unspoken end?
  • “I wonder what he/she meant by that?” is the subtext of every conversation.
  • Most of the reading done in such an environment is done in between the lines.
  • Plans are really plots.
  • Mumbling is the music in the background and accusing looks fly across the work space like silent arrows.
  • It is not the tasks but the tension that makes work or life so exhausting.

This atmosphere is poison to breathe, staining our lungs and starving our blood of oxygen.

Cleaning up the Atmosphere
What is the Christ-follower to do? Jesus must be able to say of us what He said about Nathaniel when He called him to be a disciple: “This man has no guile in him!”

This is our chance to be a witness, a living, breathing—real—Christ-follower. Jesus said we should just tell the truth: “let your no mean no and your yes mean yes.” Doing this simple thing will set us apart in the toxic space.

  • We will contribute to peace, not war.
  • We will encourage and never discourage.
  • We will turn the other cheek and go the second mile and give more than is required.
  • Above all else we will tell the truth or we will say nothing.
  • Our voices will be known for Gospel not gossip.
  • We will mean what we say and say when we mean.
  • The spaces between the lines of our speech will be empty of subtext.

No one will have to wonder “What we meant by that.”

Guile is a distraction.
Guile breeds darkness—the darkness of fear and trepidation—and waste—wasted time and resources. While we watch our backs, who is minding the store, running the machines, manning the presses and guarding the doors?

It may seem there is little the Christ-follower can do to change such an environment. We need to figure things closer:

  • Survival is an achievement.
  • A sweet spirit is a grace from God.
  • A clear conscious and restful sleep are causes for rejoicing.

We may not change the whole place, but there will be co-workers who turn to us for inspiration, “How do you do it in this place?”

The only answer is one that can change their lives forever.

Psalm 15:1-6; 24
Scriptures:
Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? who may abide upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart. There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor. In his sight the wicked is rejected, but he honors those who fear the Lord. He has sworn to do no wrong and does not take back his word. He does not give his money in hope of gain, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things shall never be overthrown….Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 32:2; 34:12-15; 55:9-11 KJV
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. … for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
John 1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJV
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
1 Peter 2:1-3; 3:8-12 KJV
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious…Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Matthew 5:33-37 NKJV
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want you to see me the way You saw Nathaniel—You were joyful there was no guile found in him! Help me to avoid the trap of guile, of entering in to conversations that are meant for deception, gossip, and malice toward others. Help me be truthful in all dealings with others and wise, knowing when not to answer a damaging question and when not to join in with those whose motives are harmful. Help me be a genuine person in times when it would be easier to be disingenuous. Keep me true, Lord Jesus! 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

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 10, 2017 “Near”

Near

When we know the Lord, it is natural for us to want to be near to Him.
We have confidence in His amazing grace. This confidence is faith not presumption. We trust that when we repented of our sins and confessed that Jesus is Lord, that the sin barrier between Him and us was removed. We believe His New Covenant promise that His Holy Spirit has come to dwell in us, not for an Old Covenant-type special visitation for a special task, but as the abiding Comforter, the Helper who enables us to serve and quickens our spirit to understand the truth about things.

We dare to approach the nearness of the Almighty because there is over us the shadow of a cross. The cross stood on a hill called Calvary, a place of Atonement where our sins were nailed to the cross by Roman soldiers with Roman nails through the hands and feet of Jesus, an innocent Man.

When they took Him down, the nails were removed and thrown back into the container to be used again but our sins remained on that cross, forever removed from our record, no longer separating us from God.

So we can say with the writer to the Hebrews, “Let us draw near!”
We can come boldly to the Throne of Grace because our sins are gone! They were cast into a sea of forgetfulness never to remembered against us again. We stand before God more innocent than newborn babies; we stand before as if we had never sinned.

How do we draw near?—In faith to be sure, but in a faith expressed. The expressions that bring us near to Him and Him near to us are these:

  • Thanksgiving
  • Praise
  • Adoration
  • Confessions of Faith

These are all forms of prayer.

There is a New Covenant promise we can count on.
If we draw near to God, God will draw near to us. When two objects are converging, the distance between is covered at twice the speed of each. In other words, it doesn’t take long for our thanksgiving and praise to become His dwelling place. Our submission to His Lordship brings us speedily to His Throne Room.

Each day at our private altar and each Lord’s Day in public worship drawing near to God should be the first order of business. We need not linger at a distance. The power of His blood calls us close, as the angel says to John in the Book of Revelation, to “come up higher.” We can lift our hearts with songs of praise and with the songs of heaven’ hosts. The Spirit will bear us up higher so that we, like Isaiah, can see the Lord “high and lifted up.”

To contemplate His nearness is to be changed from glory to glory. What joy! What a privilege?

When we know the Lord, it is natural for us to want to be near to Him.

Scriptures:
Psalm 148
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you angels of his; praise him, all his host. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, heaven of heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the Name of the Lord; for he commanded, and they were created. He made them stand fast for ever and ever; he gave them a law which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea-monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and fog, tempestuous wind, doing his will; Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; Wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds; Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the world; Young men and maidens, old and young together. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for his Name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven. He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants, the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 10:19-20 NIV
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…
Psalm 73: 28; 145:17-18
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
James 4:6-10 NIV
That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, by faith I rejoice in Your nearness. I refuse to ruminate on my past for it is covered by Your blood and erased from my record in heaven. I will not entertain any fear of the future, for it is covered by Your New Covenant. You will make all things work together for my good because I am called according to Your purpose. My past and future attended to, I will live in the moment today, confident that wherever this day takes me, I will be near to Your heart. Thank, You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Near to the Heart of God
Words and Music: Cleland B. McAfee

1. There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God;
a place where sin cannot molest,  near to the heart of God.

Refrain:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee near to the heart of God.

2. There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God;
a place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.

Refrain

3. There is place a place of full release, near to the heart of God;
a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 9, 2017 “Anointed”

Anointed

The words of the Poet are, beyond all doubt, true.

“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed…”

But what about…? You may ask and rightfully so. What about the times when the wicked win, the ungodly are unconquered, the devious defeat the righteous? How can these facts exist on the record of history and the proposition of victory to the Lord’s anointed also be true?

It is simple. The game isn’t over.
The battle is still raging. The truth will eventually come out. For the Christ-follower, to obey the Lord is victory, regardless of the immediate outcome of that obedience. We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

To follow Jesus is to be on the path of victory,

  • in spite of deep valleys of the shadow
  •  or treacherous mountain steeps,
  • or searing heat,
  • or pounding waves,
  • or shifting winds.

These discomforts blasts us while they last but we keep

  • walking,
  • climbing,
  • hydrating our bodies,
  • sailing or
  • flying and

we get through the tests.

Why? Because we are His anointed.
How? Through the power of His anointing.

The Anointing is God’s choice and it is the flow of God’s power.

  • In the Old Testament people and objects were set apart for God’s exclusive use by anointing them with oil especially prepared for that purpose. The Hebrew word means “to anoint, to consecrate.”
  • In the New Testament, the Greek word is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

We are the Lord’s anointed—all of us not just the preachers and singers! We have all been set apart by the Lord for His purposes. We have all been empowered by His Spirit to serve Him in His power, not in our own.

So this word is for us—“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed!”

All set backs are temporary. All acts of obedience are battles won. The story isn’t over. Though the battles still rage, the outcome of the war is not in doubt.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

Scriptures:
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, the Name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you help from his holy place and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice; Grant you your heart’s desire and prosper all your plans. We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; may the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand. Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall down, but we will arise and stand upright. O Lord, give victory to the king and answer us when we call.
1 John 2:20-21 NIV
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
Isaiah 10:27 KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Psalm 105:15 NIV
“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
Psalm 28:7-9 NKJV
The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Share Your victory with me today. You have chosen me—anointed me—for the work I am doing. I know that I am not left to my own power and strength to do this work. The powerful Holy Spirit abides with in, this too, is my anointing. Let Your power flow through me today. May my life bud like Aaron’s Rod! May my shadow fall as a blessing on those who pass by me today, like the shadow of Peter. Anoint my words with wisdom, my hands with strength, and my mind with clarity. I am chosen and empowered today—anointed! Thank You, Lord.

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 conqu’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 conqu’ror’s tread,
By faith I see 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 said,
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

3. Daniel prayed unto the Lord thrice each day,
Then unto 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

4. Often with the carnal mind I was tried,
Asking for deliverance oft I cried,
Trusting in the Lord, I reckoned I was dead,
By faith I 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

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 8, 2017 “Melted”

Melted

I was told a story by my college music theory teacher.
A huge symphony orchestra was recording a huge symphony, probably by a late Romantic composer. During a particularly loud part of the music, the two bassoon players who had rests at the moment and were having a conversation. They forgot that there was a sudden “grand pause” in the music and suddenly it was deadly quiet. In the moment of silence, one said to the other, “I fry mine in butter.” Recording ruined; bassoonists everywhere disgraced.

Some things gain their usefulness only when melted.
Butter is one of those delicious things. Our baked potatoes, toast, hot biscuits and rolls could testify to this if they stayed around long enough.

In a way, the Christ-follower who has been melted by the Refiner’s Fire of the Holy Spirit is the one who is useful to the Master. The Lord is the only One who can change hearts. We can cajole, nag, manipulate, plead, and abuse those whose hearts need changing and nothing works. We can change their behavior with rules, regulations, penalties, and cruel and unusual punishment but these things harden rebellious hearts instead of melting them.

Melting requires heat.
Life is full of heat: time pressure, performance pressure, unbroken self-destructive habits, financial demands, relationships, unspoken expectations. It is a heat we feel every day and it keeps us awake at night. In a character sense, this pressure hardens us in a good way—giving us inner strength and the confidence of experience.

The Refiner’s Fire spoken of in the Bible is a different kind of heat.
It isn’t based in circumstances or personalities or even our own shortcomings and commanding dreams. This fire is the fire of the Spirit of God applied to our human spirit. This part of us is deeper than personality, or ambition, or patterns of behavior. It is the source of those things. Let’s call it the “heart of us,” the place where the spirit abides within us.

Precious Metals and Us
The original language used in this passage refers to the refining of precious metal by the application of heat. The gold or silver melts quickly so the hard and worthless material bonded to it can fall away.

Do we see that we are precious to the Lord? We are to Him gold and silver, worthy of careful refinement. He controls the heat and will never harm us. When the fires of the Spirit are burning in our spirit, we can rest, knowing that we will better for it, cleaner because of it, more fit for the Master’s use, tried in the fire.

When the heart of someone we love seems impervious to logic, unaffected by reason, unyielding to the appeals of what is right and what is wrong, there is only one way that heart can change. Only the fires of the Spirit can melt a heart as frozen as this.

The plan of action is this: prayer. And when we are done praying, pray some more. There is a marvelous promise in the closing lines of the Old Testament: The Lord will turn the hearts of parents and their children to each other. If your child is the one with the frozen heart, claim this promise in prayer every day.

The Lord is the only One who can change hearts.

Scriptures:
Psalm 17:1-3
Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord; give heed to my cry; listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips. Let my vindication come forth from your presence; let your eyes be fixed on justice. Weigh my heart, summon me by night, melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
Malachi 3:1-4 NIV
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then 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.
Malachi 4:5-6 NIV
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
2 Timothy 2:20-22 NKJV
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, send me Your Refiner’s Fire to purify my life at the deepest level. As the song says, “Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me.” There are stony places in my mind; I invite You in, Holy Spirit, to melt that frozen rock. There are cold places in my heart; Come O Fiery Holy Ghost and melt my icebound heart. “Oh Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame. Grant my desire to magnify Your name.” “O Lord, Send the Fire!” Amen.

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

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

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 7, “Sure-footed”

Sure-footed

Animals can run, climb, and stand in amazing places.
They turn and look at the camera as if to say, “What are you looking at? This is simple. Can’t you do this?”

No we can’t and we don’t want to!

God made deer, big horn sheep, and mountain goats sure-footed to live the lives he planned for them. They may rightly fear their many predators but they never fear for their feet. Their unchallenged sure-footedness can speed them away from the cheetah or the wolf and deliver them to high and safe places even the climbing leopard cannot reach.

The Christ-follower has his/her own kind of sure-footedness.

  • When our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, we can stand in places where those who try to walk bare-footed (without the Gospel) through life cannot.
  • When the Holy Spirit sounds the alarm, we can run like the wind to flee youthful lusts, outrunning any temptation that would dare pursue us.
  • When we have climbed above the danger and outrun the enemy, we can stand in high places where truth itself stretches to the far horizons.

The Word of God balances us.
The key to being sure-footed is a sense of balance. God has equipped these animals with senses of balance far beyond anything humans can achieve. Spiritually He can do the same for us. We can have an inner sense of balance based on truth, stabilizing truth. In the New Covenant the Lord promises to write His word into our hearts. This means that the truth of God is not an outward force, a philosophy forcing its way inside our minds despite our natural tendencies. This wisdom is a match for us, working from the inside out. The Word is alive in us through the enablement of the Holy Spirit giving us a sort of spiritual inner ear to help us keep our balance.

The place for the Word is already in us—our redeemed hearts—but the Word itself has to be written into our hearts. This happens as we give our attention to the Word through Bible reading and study, through teachers and preachers, and through praying the Scriptures.

The worship of God strengthens us.
A sense of balance is only good when the mountain-dwelling animal is strong in limb as well as in mind. Our spiritual stability is the strength that comes when we spend time with God. Daily worship and weekly Lord’s Day worship are times when our spiritual muscles are stretched and exercised. This is a process of emotion converging with faith producing joy—and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

This means Christ-followers can run, climb, and stand in amazing places.

Scriptures:
Psalm 18: 21-34
The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; because my hands were clean he rewarded me; For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not offended against my God; For all his judgments are before my eyes, and his decrees I have not put away from me; For I have been blameless with him and have kept myself from iniquity; Therefore the Lord rewarded me according to my righteous dealing, because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight. With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; with the forthright you show yourself forthright. With the pure you show yourself pure, but with the crooked you are wily. You will save a lowly people, but you will humble the haughty eyes. You, O Lord, are my lamp; my God, you make my darkness bright. With you I will break down an enclosure; with the help of my God I will scale any wall. As for God, his ways are perfect; the words of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a shield to all who trust in him. For who is God, but the Lord? who is the Rock, except our God? It is God who girds me about with strength and makes my way secure. He makes me sure-footed like a deer and lets me stand firm on the heights.
Hebrews 8:10 NIV
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
Psalms 17:5 NIV
My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
2 Samuel 22:31-34 NIV
“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
2 Timothy 2:22-26 NKJV
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, keep me balanced today. With Your steadying hand I will not fall. Guide me with Your Shepherd’s Staff today—Your eternal, sure and certain Word. Your will for me make take to some tricky or even treacherous places where the path is narrow with deep gorges on each side of the path, but show me each footfall and keep me looking forward the heights of Your will for me. “My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay.” Lord, lead me on to higher ground. I will be sure-footed all through this climb! Higher, Lord higher! Amen.

Song:
Higher Ground
Words: Johnson Oatman, Jr.; Music: Charles H. Gabriel

1. I’m pressing on the upward way
New heights I’m gaining every day
Still praying as I onward bound
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven’s table land
A higher plane than I have found
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay
Tho’ some may dwell where these abound
My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

Refrain

3. I want to live above the world
Tho’ Satan’s darts at me are hurled
For faith has caught the joyful sound
The song of saints on higher ground.

Refrain

4. I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright
But still I’ll pray till heaven I’ve found
“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 6, 2017 “How?”

How?

We all know this move.
There is a two-hand gesture, a dropped jaw and the “o” vowel formed with the lips that go with the question, “How?” This little piece of improvised human choreography accompanies the sudden need for a solution.

  • Some impossible task is demanded;
  • some totally new job must be done;
  • some inexplicable event has just unfolded before wide-open eyes and mouth and both palms outstretch to the sky, “How?”

This is usually followed by an oath, “—in the name of _________ how can we____________?”
Documentary evidence of this gesture and petition achieving anything at all is more than sketchy.

Truth be told, adults can suffer from over-stimulation as much as children.
We need solutions, too. We are often presented with new problems, challenges, and worst of all new unspoken expectations.

  • Bosses tend to send work to those who can get the job done.
  • They send problems to those who are good at finding solutions and
  • they assign puzzles that no one solve to the those who can unravel confusion and make the necessary connections.

In the process, the “chosen ones” feel like spreading their hands to heaven and asking, “How?”

For those who ask in faith—God has answers. When you are on speaking terms with the One who knows everything, you can get answers to your questions.

The poet poses this question: “How shall a young man cleanse his way?”
A commendable question to be sure. I want to meet young men like this one. They are swimming upstream in this generation and have earned my respect. I prefer these to those who seem to want to know how to pleasure their way through life, not cleanse it.

Whether in the ancient days of the Psalmist or in this post-modern age, the answer is the same:

“By keeping to Your words.”

The Bible it is unique among ancient books—it is up to this moment in truth. These are words here not only to be heard and read but to be kept.

The New Testament makes the most astounding claim—“We have the mind of Christ.”
We don’t have all of it but we have all we need. Not only the “How’s” but the “Why’s” are covered in the Book. God has communicated His heart to us in words, in saving deeds, and in human form by sending Jesus to show us how, and why to live.

Take the same gesture: palms uplifted to heaven, mouth and eyes open to all praise and possibilities and use a different word, no longer a question, “How?” but a confession of worship, “Hallelujah!”

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:9-16
How shall a young man cleanse his way? By keeping to your words. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commandments. I treasure your promise in my heart, that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; instruct me in your statutes. With my lips will I recite all the judgments of your mouth. I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees than in all manner of riches. I will meditate on your commandments and give attention to your ways. My delight is in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 NIV
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 John 2:3-6; 18-19; 3:16-20; 23-24
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
2 Timothy 1:12 KJV
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so glad that Your know how. No what is demanded of me today, the answer is in Your great mind. Give patience, concentration, insight, so that I might be a problem solver today. You know “how” and I ask You to show me “how.” Of course, if it takes more than today, help me keep listening tonight and tomorrow add in the days to come. Use the dreams of my sleep to speak to me. You have placed me in this position, help me prosper in it by showing me “how.” My hands are lifted to You in faith and my mouth is open and filled with praise. To God Be the Glory! Amen.

Song:
I Know Whom I Have Believed
Words: Daniel W. Whittle; Music: James McGranahan

1.I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain:
But “I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day.”

2. I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

3. I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

4. I know not what of good or ill May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days, Before His face I see.

Refrain

5. I know not when my Lord may come, At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him, Or meet Him in the air.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer
For more on Pride: “The Invisible Mountain”

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 5 “Lions”

Lions

Lions—there are many lions to watch for and one Lion to trust.
Using an image that meant something to an ancient people who lived among the real things, the poet describes his enemies as a pride of lions waiting to destroy. There is danger in the world. There are those who are the predators and there those who are the prey. The Christ-follower is considered the valued prey to spiritual predators who rely on stealth, deception, numbers, and speed to overcome the objects of their hunt.

This is not paranoia. This is simply the truth. To deny the presence of the artful enemies of the soul is to fall prey to their deception.

A pride of lions will lie about lazily in the tall grass, capturing the attention of the lookouts among the prey, warily grazing on their own grass in an adjacent field. The hunting lions creep through the tall grass perfectly hidden by the camouflage of color, stalking the herd. If a calf drifts too far from the center of the herd, one of the lions will strike with amazing speed and force, and the young one is dead.

In the same way, evil gathers in groups; “pride” is an appropriate name for these packs of predators. Their revelry gets the attention and is fairly easy to avoid. However, their influence extends beyond the borders of their bacchanal; there are hunters dispatched to hide in the weeds of the culture, stalking the unwary potential prey.

These hunting lions have much cover to conceal their threats. So many wonderful grasslands intended for the nourishment of man have been infiltrated by the agents of the enemy: arts and entertainment, education and industry, work and retirement. We must be wary for the good things in life are often camouflage for the evil things in life.

There are many lions to watch out for. We need a protector. We need One who sees through any camouflage, who detects the presence of danger when to us all seems well. The lions are there. We can’t see the hunters, only the diversion of the pride, and we might think we are safe.

We must not be the oblivious, contented calf who wanders away from the protection of the herd. We must stay close to each other, remain in the true faith, and rejoice in our destiny within the safety of God’s Kingdom.

There is one Lion to trust—Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah! He is the victorious One.
He defeated the lions of evil. In the placid pride or in the grassy field, they are all subject to Him. He knows their intent. He unmasks their methods. When he roars, they run.

There are many lions to watch for and one Lion to trust.

Scriptures:
Psalm 10:1-12 NIV
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.” Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Isaiah 5:29; 59:15
Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue. …Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
Psalm 17:8-14
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover. Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword. O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life.
Revelation 5:1-5 NIV
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Lion of Judah, I find comfort in Your roar. Your strength flows into me with the sound of it. My fear morphs into courage the way medieval sorcerers dreamed of making gold out of iron. The same roar of Your truth that comforts and strengthens me terrifies my enemies. You are the Master of All. No puny pride of predators can get through to me for You guard me with angel herdsmen watching all sides with spirit-swords drawn. You are on my side; whom shall I fear! Let us take this day in strength and victory! Amen!

Song:
The Lion of Judah
Traditional Youth Camp Song
(Sung to the tune of “The Bells of St. Mary’s”)

The Lion of Judah shall break every chain
And give to us the victory again and again.
The Lion of Judah shall break every chain
And give to us the victory again and again!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 4, 2017 “Peoples”

Peoples

“Peoples” is word Bible uses for “nations.”
We Americans are a nation and we are a people. These terms carry similar bonds but also some different bonds unique to each one.

We are a nation because we live in the same geographical location and under the same set of laws. We are a people because we live with the same ideals, or at least with enough of the same ideals to give us

  • a shared character—the American Spirit,
  • a consolidated hope—the American Dream, and
  • an agreed upon ideal—American Freedom.

Guest Teaching at Continental Seminary in Brussels, Belgium, I visited the American Cemetery in Luxembourg, pictured here. This was my first missions trip to Europe and I was full of the missionary spirit. I am also a Baby-Boomer, the son of a WWII veteran, so I have always had an interest in the war. Inside the beautiful chapel I found an inscription that brought the missionary spirit and the American Character together for me. Beneath a cross it says:

GRANT US GRACE FEARLESSLY
TO CONTEND AGAINST EVIL
AND TO MAKE NO PEACE
WITH OPPRESSION

In that beautiful chapel the extraordinary truth of the American Spirit enveloped me—Who else goes across the seas to fight for the freedom of others? My father did, and my father-in-law, my pastor, and all my friends’ dads went. They are the greatest generation of a great nation and a great people. General Patton’s grave stands a lonely guard in front of the chapel facing row upon row of crosses and Stars of David.

On the grounds of a rural Catholic church in Belgium I also visited a memorial to Rev. J. W. Tucker among the names of missionaries from all branches of the church killed in the Belgian Congo in the early 1960’s. Heroes one and all, named and nameless, they sprang from a great nation and a great people to die in behalf of others on foreign soil.

Could they speak to us today, they would blush at our faint praise, and quickly remind us that the job isn’t finished.

  • There is still evil abroad in the world that someone must oppose.
  • There is oppression behind the high civilized walls of nations and violence walks randomly among the cities of the peoples of this earth.
  • We cannot make peace with wrong by calling it right.
  • There are nations and peoples bound in chains and in darkness. They sing empty songs, tell elaborate, meaningless stories, and trudge from day to night in hopelessness.

Our heroes would remind us that the nations and the peoples of need Jesus.
If there are seas to cross, let us set sail. If there are nations in bondage let us cry out as the prophet did, “Let these people go!” If there is darkness let us go there to shine our light.

Let this resolve be our pledge to our children and to their children and our prayer to God:

Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil
And to make no peace with oppression!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scriptures:
Psalm 2
Why are the nations in an uproar? Why do the peoples mutter empty threats? Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt, and the princes plot together, against the Lord and against his Anointed? “Let us break their yoke,” they say; “let us cast off their bonds from us.” He whose throne is in heaven is laughing; the Lord has them in derision. Then he speaks to them in his wrath, and his rage fills them with terror. “I myself have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” Let me announce the decree of the Lord: he said to me, “You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall crush them with an iron rod and shatter them like a piece of pottery.” And now, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Submit to the Lord with fear, and with trembling bow before him; Lest he be angry and you perish; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are they all who take refuge in him!
Isaiah 60:1-3; 62:10 NIV
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. …Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.
Psalm 117 NIV
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 102:18-22 NIV
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.
Mark 11:17; 13:10-11 NIV
And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Luke 24:45-49 NIV
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I will judge my life and work today, not by standards of success or wealth or influence but by the benefit of my being here on this earth. I do not serve you to the point of my comfort for you meet all my needs. I do not accumulate the acclaim of people for Your pleasure in me is my goal. Save me from a diffused life that accomplishing little. I temper my passions to focus them on Your plan for me, the steps You have laid out for me since before the foundation of the world. Help my solitary life to somehow bless the nations. Just as You multiplied the little boy’s lunch there in the wilderness, multiply my words and my songs and my deeds to bless the peoples of the earth. In Your holy name. Amen.

Song:
America the Beautiful
Words: Katherine Lee Bates; Music: Samuel A. Ward

1. O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

2. O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

3. O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!

4. O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood  From sea to shining sea!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions July

July 3, 2017 “Mornings”

Mornings

Mornings are matters of perception.
We perceive the sun is moving but really it takes no effort at all for the sun to rise in the east. All it has to do is stay where God put it and burn until its allotted fuel runs out and chances are that will never happen.

Mornings for us, however, require effort. We are the ones who have to move. We move stiff muscles and crooked necks and rub our eyes which remain only half open. We stumble through our morning routine only half-conscious until the hot shower water baptizes us to a new life. Before long we might be singing, much to the annoyance of those nearby. We moved alright.

Some things are certain.
“As sure as the turnin’ of the earth,” mumbled John Wayne as the bitter Ethen Edwards in John Ford’s magnificent film, The Searchers, “We’ll find her.” He was searching for his niece lost in a raid by hostile Indians. His fatalistic measure of time was not the seeming motion of the sun, but the sure and certain turning of the earth.

And it is certain; we can be sure of many mornings to come. As sure as the turning of the earth they will come but the one uncertainty that remains is how many we will enjoy. How many will bring us pain we can’t rub away? How many mornings remain until our allotted fuel runs out as our inner fires cool to cold ashes?

Of course, we don’t know the answer.

So we have this one, this morning, another gift from God. We can make this one count.

  • We can be who God has called us to be.
  • We can do what God has called us to do.
  • We can plant seed where no one has sown before.
  • We can water the good seed others have planted.
  • Who knows? Before the night falls we could even bring in a harvest for the Lord Jesus!

Mornings are the product of the night, the inevitable consequence of darkness is the rising of the light. There may have been tears in the night, but there is joy in the morning. If there was fear in the darkness, it turns to faith in the morning sun.

One of these many mornings will begin the day of our translation. This mortal will put on immortality. This fading, corruptible body will be made new and better, impervious to the wear of time and the tear of circumstance, made like His glorified body. On that day we will see Jesus and those who left us on mornings past—a grand reunion that day will bring!

Mornings are full of promise—as sure as the turning of the earth.

Scriptures:
Psalm 30 NKJV
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord , you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord , be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
2 Peter 1:19 NIV
…we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Ps 90:14-17 NIV
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us — yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 59:16-17 NIV
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
Psalm 5:1-3 NIV
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord , you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
Because of the Lord ‘s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55 NKJV
Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will 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 has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory?”

Prayer:
On this morning, Lord, Your mercies are new again! Today, as the scriptures say, You have “hemmed me in behind and before and laid Your hand upon me.” I will not fear this day for it has started well, here in Your presence, here in the Secret Place where You, my Father meet with me, knowing my every need before I even ask and yet asking is an act of fellowship with You. Clouds may hide the risen sun, but nothing will hide Your presence and faithfulness from me. I will not be guided by my senses or my emotions. I will walk by faith in You this morning and throughout the day. Amen.

Song:
Reunion Day
Words and Music: Stephen Phifer

Reunion Day! Yes, there will be
A gathering by the Crystal Sea
Where we will see
Those who’ve gone before,
Faces we adore,
Sweet voices, Lord, will sound once more
On Reunion Day!

Reunion Day! Oh, Reunion Day!
It can’t be long till we sing the song
Of the Redeemed.
Reunion Day! Reunion Day!
Soon the trump will sound.
We’ll find higher ground
On Reunion Day.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions July

July 2, 2017 “Between”

Between

“You send the springs into the valleys; they flow between the mountains.”

To be in between two things is neither always good nor always bad, but it can be a thankless position to occupy. The attention always seems to be on the things one is between; the valley between the mountains is made to be overlooked, yet in that valley the waters of life flow.

Of course, life is lived between.

  • The moments of arrival are far outnumbered by the years of travel.
  • The time we carefully manage with our hard-earned life-skills is the time in the middle, between the inception and the completion of any job.
  • Screenwriters and playwrights will tell you the second act is the most difficult to write. The crash-bang beginning and the thrilling climax practically write themselves. Act Two, where characters are developed and subplots and themes are explored, is the most taxing on the writer’s creativity.

Our lives are one big Act Two in which our character is developed, our life themes are discovered, and we work our way through one subplot after the other. It seems random characters come and go in our story and unexpected events happen while expected ones fail to happen.

All the time our hearts are faithfully beating, asking no questions, seeking no respite and our minds swell with more and more information, so many facts stored away for some future use. (Soon our supply of numbers is used up and we have start writing them down to remember them.)

But there is no surprise here—we are on track, on the journey between the beginning and the end. We don’t remember the beginning but we celebrate the date every year watching the candles crowd to the edge of the cake. We don’t know when the end will be so we don’t think about it.

Two Possible Endings
If we don’t know when, and it is a blessing that we don’t, we can be sure of one of two endings:

  • Jesus will return in our lifetime, or
  • We will, as the old preachers used to say, “Go by way of the grave.”

What these two outcomes have in common is that we must prepare for them. We can’t stop either from happening.

  • We are living in Act Two—between the beginning and ending of our lives and
  • we are living in the Church Age—Act Two—between the Coming of Christ and His Return.

If we properly prepare for them, either ending will be a graduation from earth to glory.

If we fail to prepare either conclusion will bring the curtain down on the most precious thing we human beings possess—our ability to choose. Dying without Christ or living without Him when He returns will be the end of our options. Before our coffin closes our chance to choose Jesus will have flown away forever. When the trumpet sounds and graves open and saints around us disappear, we will just be spectators, watching in wonder and regret that we did not prepare our hearts for this day.

Today is another day to be lived between the beginning and the end. If we did not begin well, or it we need a new beginning, we still have these choices. Remember it is between these two mountaintop events, that the waters of life freely flow. Worship the Lord today!

Scriptures:
Psalm 104
Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness! You are clothed with majesty and splendor. You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak and spread out the heavens like a curtain. You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers and flames of fire your servants. You have set the earth upon its foundations, so that it never shall move at any time. You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; the waters stood higher than the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, to the places you had appointed for them. You set the limits that they should not pass; they shall not again cover the earth. You send the springs into the valleys; they flow between the mountains.   All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them … I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. May these words of mine please him; I will rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the wicked be no more.  Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!
Psalm 51:5 NIV
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Hebrews 9:27-28 NKJV
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Matthew 24:36-47 NIV
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, on this, the day that You have made, I will sing Your praise with all my might. I see that I am in the Second Act of my life’s drama. In Act One You found me, saved me, filled me with Your Spirit and anointed my life for ministry. In Act Three You will call me home to my eternal reward and to glorious things I can scarcely imagine. Today, I will worship You, serve You, and tell Your Story in public worship. Tomorrow Act Two will continue in my work. May it also be a witness to You at home and out in the world. Lord, You are with me in this in between time! Thank You! Amen

Song:
When Jesus Returns for His Own
Words: Herbert Buffum; Music: Robert Winsett

1. There’s coming a wonderful, wonderful day,
Its glory has never been known;
When free from our burdens we’re going away,
As Jesus returns for His own.

Refrain:
When Jesus returns for His own,
And carries us up to His throne,
There’ll be no more sadness,
But all will be gladness,
When Jesus returns for His own.

2. Then those who have suffered and toiled for His name,
Tho’ hated, rejected, unknown,
No longer shall suffer the world’s scorn and shame,
When Jesus returns for His own.

Refrain

3. Triumphant they’ll rise with their Lord in the air,
And sit with Him soon on His throne,
While those who once ridiculed weep in despair,
When Jesus returns for His own.

Refrain

4. No longer we’ll think of the trials down here,
The days when we suffered alone,
For God’s loving hand wipes away ev’ry tear,
When Jesus returns for His own.

Refrain

5. Then let us be faithful, e’en down unto death,
Nor ever our troubles bemoan,
But render Him praise, and rejoice full of faith,
That we may be counted His own.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved