pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 17, 2017 “Evermore”

Evermore

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

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

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

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

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

Shakespeare got it wrong:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

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

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 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, June

June 8, 2017 “Rain”

Rain

It is hard to imagine this earth without rain.
We get all technical and refer to something called “the water cycle,” but what we mean is rain—clouds of vapor building until they are too heavy to stay aloft so they wring themselves out. Winds may push the clouds along in a different direction from the earth spinning below but somewhere the dry land gets wet. With enough rain the shallow creeks think they are rivers while rivers act like tidal waves spreading out in all directions at once.

When it is cold enough, the clouds dress in their gray winter clothes and sprinkle snow down from their high places to the earth below. We should not be fooled by these gossamer robes. When the weather warms, the costumes come off and we see that snow is only water after all. In the spring, swollen rivers care not whether their cargo fell as ice or rain.

No one can dance to the rhythm of the rain; it is too broad and irregular. It can rain for days at a time or not rain for even more. Drought conditions can give way to flood conditions in a matter of hours if the rain is heavy and hard enough. The earth and its people need the rain and depend on it to till the soil and make flowers and food stuffs grow.

Rain is a biblical image for the blessings of God to His people.
The parched earth is a picture of a people whose life rhythms have been disrupted by drought, a long time without rain. Crops are in trouble which means the people are in trouble, their flocks and herds in peril as their pastures bake in the sun. The people call on God for relief that only rain can bring.

Over the horizon water evaporates from the surface of the sea and rises to form clouds. The warm air ascends carrying the moisture with it as winds begin to push the thickening clouds toward the drought-stricken land. Soon the clouds turn from a bright white to a deep blue as they walk on lightning legs to cast their shadow over the thirsty earth rumbling a booming prophesy of what is to come—rain. When there has been no rain and then comes the storm, there is rejoicing not fear. The land, the animals, the people welcome the drenching.

Today our lands are dry.
White clouds tease us but they are clouds without rain. Arid winds, hot in our faces, fail to refresh us. It is time to turn to the Lord and seek His blessings. He will send rain. He has promised an outpouring of His Spirit in these last days. Even now the sea of His mercy is building up the cloud base as the prayers of the saints ascend to the Throne of God. Not a water cycle but a blessing cycle is at work: praise and prayer ascending; blessings descending.

There shall be showers of blessings!
God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh! The air we breathe is growing thicker with the waters of life as the Word of God is proclaimed. Signs and wonders follow the Word like bolts of grace striking here and there. The thunder of praise from the church is shaking the earth, preparing the way of the Lord.

He is coming! He is coming now in our worship and in our obedience. He is coming soon in clouds of glory—clouds full of the rain of His goodness and justice. Look to the horizon and expect to see the forming clouds, the coming rain. Our fields will not always be dry, our riverbeds will not always be shallow, but our prayers must always be humble. He has promised rain but we must be prepared for the deluge, ready to rejoice in the drenching.

Scriptures:
Psalm 72
Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor. He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. … Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field. May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
Isaiah 45:8 NIV
“You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.
Joel 2:23-24 NIV
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

Prayer Song:
Send Your Rain
Words and Music: Kelly Carpenter

Send Your rain, Oh Lord! Send Your rain, Oh Lord!
Send Your rain, Oh Lord, to Your People.

Soften our hearts and pour out Your Spirit,
Fill us anew. Let Your rains come!
Soften our hearts and pour out Your Spirit,
Fill us anew. Let Your rains come!

May Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done
On the earth as it is in heaven.

Send Your rain, Oh Lord! Send Your rain, Oh Lord!
Send Your rain, Oh Lord, to Your People

Song:
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing
Words: Daniel Whittle; Music: James McGranahan

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love.
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling.
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing:
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

Refrain

3 There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come and now honor Thy word.

Refrain

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 5, 2017: “Pressure”

Pressure

That we don’t just explode is amazing. It also astonishing that we do not implode.
We all live with tremendous pressure in us and on us.

  • These spaces suits our souls wear—these human bodies—have to exert pressure from inside to counter the weight of the atmosphere. Our hearts create blood pressure and our lungs produce pulmonary pressures that keep the brain going. Inside us also are the forces of the feelings and fears, affections and ambitions that pressure our souls.
  • From outside of us there is more than the atmosphere pressing down. The culture pressures us to compare and perhaps even to conform. Debts to complete strangers and responsibilities to those we love or work with or work for, press upon without letup. Time itself is like gravity on steroids pressing us to either take a nap or get busy.
  • The world we live in is filled with pressure: terrorism, wicked countries with nuclear weapons, chaos in the city streets and random crime in the towns and in the country. The weather gets stranger every year and they tell us we are past due for the “Big One” earthquake.
    Well, that’s enough of that!

There is a solid foundation of rock beneath the squishy, porous pressure pressing down on us.
Beneath the fear of what might happen, we have the solace of what happened:

  • Jesus has come to earth, bearing the Good News that God loves us and demonstrating the strength to push back against the pressures of life and of this world.
  • Jesus has come to us, bearing forgiveness for our sins and a precious infilling of His Spirit. He us our Rock, our security, and our counter-pressure, giving us inner strength that is more than a match for the forces pressing up on us from within.
  • Jesus makes all the difference for us. He sends an umbrella of angels to cover us, an army of them to watch fore and aft.

Deep inside us Jesus is like the core of the earth:

  • heated white hot with love, ever moving yet solid,
  • shaking anything that we think might shake us, and
  • boiling through the surface like a mountain on fire when it seems the atmosphere itself will press us into the earth.

With His personal strength he pushes back against the pressures we face from outside.

With His pulsing heart he calms our fears and comforts our minds, reminding us that He has us. That makes us strong enough to press through the pressure no matter where it comes from our how strong it is.

We will neither explode or implode.

Scriptures:
Psalm 55 BCP
Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition. Listen to me and answer me; I have no peace, because of my cares. I am shaken by the noise of the enemy and by the pressure of the wicked; For they have cast an evil spell upon me and are set against me in fury. My heart quakes within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come over me, and horror overwhelms me. And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee to a far-off place and make my lodging in the wilderness. I would hasten to escape from the stormy wind and tempest. …But I will call upon God, and the Lord will deliver me. In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, and he will hear my voice. He will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me; for there are many who fight me. God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down; they never change; they do not fear God. … Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous stumble. For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful down to the pit of destruction, O God. They shall not live out half their days, but I will put my trust in you.
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Romans 8:28-29 NIV
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11 KJV
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Isaiah 59:19 KJV
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am strong in You today. The forces pressing down on me are great, but Your power pressing up in me is greater. You said You had overcome the world and it is still the truth. Like an old-fashioned big game hunter in a photograph, You have defeated the “roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” and Your foot is still on him. In Your name I will walk in victory today. I will do the things You have called me to do and be the person You have called me to be. I will be “strong in the Lord and in the power of Your Might!” Amen and Amen.

Song:
The Battle Belongs to the Lord
Words and Music: Jamie Owens-Collins

In heavenly armor we’ll enter the land.
The battle belongs to the Lord!
No weapon that’s formed against us will stand.
The battle belongs to the Lord!

We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.
We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood.
The battle belongs to the Lord!
He’s raised up a standard, the power of His blood.
The battle belongs to the Lord!

We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.
We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 2, 2017: “Revealed”

Revealed

It’s like a curtain in your mind opening.
The teacher lives for what we call the “AH HA!” moment when he/she can see on the face the student that they get it! The curtain has opened for them.

There are several ways we learn things:

  • We reason things out.
  • We memorize words and repeat them until they become a concept.
  • We rehearse our lines in the play along with the cues the lines respond to.
  • We practice the hard parts until we can play them flawlessly, or at least better.
  • Baseball players drill the double play time and time again until it is a reflex requiring no thought to execute.
  • We read books and articles on subjects of interest and learn for fun.

And so many more ways are in our arsenal of weapons against ignorance.

Today were are considering a different way of learning something—revelation.
Through no process of our own doing, through no steps that we can recall, without the aid of any other person or source of information, we just suddenly know something. The curtain in our mind opens and there it is. We get it! Ah Ha!

This is the way the Holy Spirit works. The Bible says it this way: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit…” In other words the Holy Spirit works the curtain.

If we know anything about God, it isn’t because we have figured it out. The Bible makes it clear that His ways are beyond our capacity to figure out. It isn’t because we have memorized a bunch slogans and proverbs and formulas and incantations. It is because the Holy Spirit, just as promised, has written the Word of God into our hearts. The Lord’s brother, James, said this wisdom is from above not from below. James even tells how to get this revelation—it is a very involved process. He said. “Ask for it!” It really is that simple.

Don’t ask some celebrity or professor, ask God!
He is happy to reveal His truth to us. This marvelous grace makes the truth of God available to a child or to an adult with the mind of a child as well as the smartest person in the room.

How do we ask of God?

  • We come to Him humbly with thanksgiving.
  • We open our hearts to His instruction.
  • We open our Bibles and read prayerfully with a listening ear.
  • We listen all through the day for He often speaks through others in our lives.

The moment will come when the curtain in your heart will open and you will know. You will know with a knowledge deeper than logic or reason or intellect. Your spirit will come alive because His Spirit has borne witness to it. You will know in your spirit.

The word for this special “Ah Ha!” moment is an ancient one—Alleluia!

Scriptures:
Psalm 50: 1-2 BCP
The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory.
1 Corinthians 2:10 NIV
… 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.
Romans 8:15-17 NKJV
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
James 1:5-6; 3:17-18 NIV
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. …But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
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.
Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Prayers for Illumination:
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, in you are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of your Word; and give us grace that we may clearly understand and freely choose the way of your wisdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

God, source of all light, by your Word you give light to the soul. Pour out on us the spirit of wisdom and understanding that our hearts and minds may be opened. Amen.

God, source of all light, by your Word you give light to the soul. Pour out on us the spirit of wisdom and understanding that our hearts and minds may be opened. Amen.

Song:
Be Thou My Vision
Traditional Irish Hymn

1. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

2. Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one

3. Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art

4. High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun
Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 30, 2017

Weapons

Armies are known to be armed.
They carry weapons into battle. It would be foolish not to. From ancient times until today there have been two kinds of weapons: offensive and defensive—symbolized for all times by the images of the sword and shield.

The Scriptures carry on this imagery:

  • The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.
  • The Shield is the Shield of Faith.

There is no need to modernize these ancient images or to update them to the digital age for they have no metaphorical counterparts. All the weapons of modern warfare are conceived as either swords or shields.

Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare is not a metaphor; it is a reality; we are in a battle! In Scripture, the church is seen as the Army of the Lord and He does not send us into battle without weapons.

Evil is not some impersonal force, like an airborne plague that sickens individuals and society itself. Evil has a face, and a mind, and a plan. If we believe the Bible record, Jesus went toe-to-toe with Satan in the wilderness and defeated him two fantastic weapons: The Truth of God and Obedience to God.

Satan was beaten in the first round. His only counter-punch for Truth is a lie and the better we know the Truth the easier it is to spot a lie. As for Obedience to God, the enemy is outnumbered because he isn’t fighting just us and our will power but the Holy Spirit and a squad of warrior angels sent to help us inside and out.

That desert debate (“turn stones into bread”) wasn’t the only temptation of Jesus—He was tempted in every way we are tempted but never did He disobey. It is this record of purity that enabled Him to take our impurity upon Himself on the cross.

Evil is in this world because it dwells in the hearts of people.
The forces of darkness latch on to a person through thoughts and behavior. Until the Blood of Christ cleanses the heart and the Holy Spirit takes up residence there the evil will only be a matter of degree.

The Blood Bought Church is the Army of the Lord.
We have weapons of warfare that are of the spirit not the flesh. Our faith in Christ is our sure and certain shield. The Word of God is our double sharp sword. One more weapon do we need, it is both a defensive and an offensive one—Obedience. Hell has no defense against our obedience!

Armies are known to be armed—they carry weapons into battle. It would be foolish not to.

Scriptures:
Psalm 44:1-8 NIV
We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
Psalm 76:1-3 NIV
In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 NIV
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Ephesians 6:16-18 NIV
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Psalms 149:6-9 NIV
May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints.
Romans 12:21 NIV
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Captain of the Hosts of the Lord, call me to attention today. I will put on the Gospel Armor; each piece put on with faith. I will sharpen the Sword of Truth and wield the Shield of Faith. I will walk securely in the security of my preparation of the Gospel. With my head covered with salvation and my heart secured with Your righteousness, I will march forth wearing the belt of Truth. I will wage a good warfare today, with spiritual weapons not those of the flesh. And You will triumph through me! Lord Jesus, Captain of the Hosts of the Lord, call me to attention today. Amen.

Song:
For the Lord Is Marching On
Words and Music by Bonnie Low

1.For the Lord is marching on
And His army is ever strong
And His glory shall be seen upon our land
Raise the anthem, sing the victor’s song
Praise the Lord for the battle’s won
No weapon formed against us shall stand!

Refrain:
For the Captain of the host is Jesus
We’re following in His footsteps
No foe can stand against us in the fray!
No foe can stand against us in the fray!

2. We are marching in Messiah’s band
The keys of vict’ry in His mighty hand
Let us march on to take our promised land
For the Lord is marching on And His army is ever strong
And His glory shall be seen upon our land.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 29, 2017

Memorial

Remembering and Forgetting
Forgetting what we should always remember and remembering what is better forgotten are the twin plagues that can rob us of our heritage, our joy in each moment, and our legacy.  For this reason, the Bible instructs us both to remember and to forget.

  • We should always remember who God is in Christ Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do.  We must never forget the darkness out of which He called us and we must always remember to choose to walk in His light.
  • At the same time we must forget the guilt of our sin for these things have been cleansed from our record in heaven. We must let the Lord heal us from the wounds of our history. God can heal our memories so thoroughly that  there is no reason to cling to hurtful things.

In other words, the Lord can help us adjust our time consciousness to remember what we should remember and forget what we should forget.

There are memories and then, there are memorials. 
A memorial is a more formal reminder of something of high importance.  We celebrate the remembrance of birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with memorial rituals.  Some of us remember other milestones like the day we gave our heart to the Lord, the home-going of someone we love, or some other life-altering event.

In the USA, we celebrate a certain day in honor of the people who fought and died to preserve our political freedom.  We simply call it Memorial Day.  Throughout the country special ceremonies are held in remembrance.  Prayers of thanksgiving are offered to God.  People are encouraged to take the day off from work to enjoy the freedom won for us by those we honor.  This memorial activity has many effects:

  • We decorate the graves of the fallen.
  • We are reminded of the cost of our freedom.
  • We are humbled to remember those who gave all to preserve it.
  • We are grateful to live in such a land.
  • We renew our personal commitments to do our part to make their sacrifices count.

In the same way, each time of morning prayer is a memorial.
God not only hears our prayers, He collects them.  They are the record of our service.  In Acts chapter 10, we find an intriguing insight into this. An angel tells a Gentile believer named Cornelius that his deeds of mercy and his prayers had come before the Lord as a memorial—a remembrance.  He was about to be involved in the spreading of the New Covenant into all the world, not just the Jewish people.

When we take time to pray each day, the effect on us is similar to the effect of Memorial Day.

  • When we humble ourselves before our victorious Hero we do not bow at a graveside, for His tomb is empty.
  • We kneel before an empty cross, the symbol of death and of resurrection.
  • We honor the Lord Jesus who gave His life for us.
  • We remember those who brought Jesus to us, so that we might know Him.
  • We are thankful to live in this Promised Land of Grace.
  • We renew our commitment to live for Jesus in this, our time of service and sacrifice.

Prayer maintains the brain.
Faithfulness to prayer keeps us from forgetting what we must forever remember while it heals the wounds of memories best forgotten.   It is one thing when we remember—it is something else when God remembers!  In prayer today and in the way we live, let us give Him something to remember!

Scriptures:
Joshua 4:4-7
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
Acts 10:4-5
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Psalm 103:2-5
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to never forget! My freedom to worship You is mine because of those who gave all to secure it. The lovely sanctuary in which I worship You was by built by others. Generations before me handed down the Word of God to me, leaving their loving fingerprints on the Holy Book. Help me move out today in full remembrance of such blessings and thus fulfill my heritage. Other things are not helpful to remember. Help me, Lord, to forget these things. Remembering the right things and forgetting the rest, I walk forward into this day to serve You with joy! In Your name, Amen!

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

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 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.

3. O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 27, 2017

Unanswered

We live with unanswered questions.
Things we wonder about but never understand sing an unending drone tone in the back of our minds. Little things almost unrelated to the question will bring the unanswered question to the front of the mind and, turn it over how we might, no answer is found. Something distracts us and we go to whatever is next hoping that we will understand it. We don’t want to think of things without answers, problems with no solution, dilemmas that defy our wisdom, and life-riddles that we cannot seem to solve.

Believers in the Lord Jesus also live with unanswered prayers.
It is not a secret nor is it a shame that we have prayed for things and not received them. It is just a fact of life—of Christian life.

This fact itself is an unanswered question. The Scripture, even the words of Jesus, could not be clearer or less ambiguous. In Matthew, Mark and several times in John, Jesus said something to the effect that all we have to do is ask and we shall receive. Later James and John qualified this promise by adding the provision that you must ask according to God’s will.

But “God’s will” is really not an answer to the problem of unanswered prayer.
When we have prayed for something that clearly is the will of God and there is no answer, does that impugn the character of God?

The enemy, who is the accuser of the brethren, will certainly seize the unanswered question with an accusation that God is not really to be trusted. He does not deal evenhandedly with people: some people get answers to prayer and others do not.

This accusation that God is not really good and doesn’t necessarily tell the truth goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It was a lie then and it is still a lie. Perhaps that is why the highest moments of glory in the Old Testament seemed always to feature a song about the eternal goodness of God—“The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!”

Come to think of it, this is still the theme of worship.

It is Satan’s business to falsely accuse God as well as us. But Satan is and always will be liar.

So what do we do about unanswered prayer?
When Jesus said “Ask!” He was really saying, “Ask and keep on asking.” In other words:

  • Don’t give up on prayer!
  • Have faith in the Character of God the Father, “He knows our needs!”
  • We are in God’s hands and He is not all perplexed at what to do next.
  • Examine the unanswered request to see if it is consistent with the Word of God.
  • Search your heart and place your motives before the Lord for His approval. You may be surprised at what the Spirit reveals.

The reasons for unanswered prayers may be many:

  • It is out of God’s will for us.
  • It is delayed waiting on God’s time.
  • It is denied because of danger God sees that we do not see, or perhaps
  • It is denied because God has something better for us.

Meanwhile, remember all the answered prayers, recount the faithfulness of God, and recite the promises of God.
These things build your faith while you are waiting for the answer to come.
You’ll find your answered prayers far outnumber the unanswered ones.

Scriptures:
Psalm 35 NIV
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. … Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing. … I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you. …O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. …. May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.
John 14:13-14 NIV
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
James 4:2-4 NKJV
Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
1 John 5:14-15 NIV
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the Bible says Your ways are higher than mine and that they are past my capacity to understand. You do not administrate the universe within the limits of my mental powers. I will trust You with the things I do not understand. There is so much that I do understand; these things will sustain me when I am tempted to doubt You. When prayers go unanswered, I will fill those days remembering the many, many prayers that have been answered. Trusting and waiting will be my acts of faith. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Song:
We’ll Talk It Over
Words and Music: Ira Stanphill

1. Tho’ shadows deepen, and my heart bleeds,
I will not question the way He leads;
This side of Heaven we know in part,
I will not question a broken heart.

Refrain:
We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We’ll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I’ll ask the reasons – He’ll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye.

2. I’ll trust His leading, He’ll never fail,
Thru darkest tunnels or misty vales.
Obey his bidding and faithful be,
Tho’ only one step ahead I see.

Refrain

3. I’ll hide my heartache behind a smile
And wait for reasons ’til after while.
And tho’ He try me, I know I’ll find
That all my burdens are silver lined.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 20, 2017

Hunger

It is more than chemistry—calories in, calories burned, calories stored.
It is more than a process of the stomach signaling the brain that the body needs fuel. The hunger for food is so upfront in life that it retains our focus while deeper hungers drive us from deeper inside us.

There is something we want from life. When we get a slice of it, the taste and texture are pleasing but soon, like the proverbial cake which refuses to be eaten and possessed simultaneously, it is gone and the hunger remains, stronger even for the sweetness of the recent experience.

King Solomon and Mick Jagger
3000 years ago King Solomon expressed the hunger of his soul: “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.” The word translated “vanity” means trying to eat the wind. There is no wind made on earth that can satisfy hunger. 50 years ago Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were just as poetic. “I can’t get no satisfaction.”

In the most immediate sense the tragedy of hunger in the nations of the world calls for those of us whose only hungers are spiritual in nature to share our abundance with their lack. God has blessed us now we must be his hands breaking bread and fish to feed this multitude.

The Hungry Heart
Back in our own kitchens with cupboards, mimicking us–bulging with excess, we must attend to these deeper hungers. Jesus said that people speak in their words and deeds actions springing from what is in their hearts.

  • If there is emptiness in our hearts it will speak.
  • If there are drives, hungers for inanimate morsels like recognition, affirmation, affection, attention, and power, hidden in our hearts, these things will prompt our words, propel our choices, and power our deeds.
  • Other people will become the means to the end of satisfying our hunger.

These inner hungers are in us because of the sins we have done and/or the sins done to us.

  • They are the stuff of Calvary.
  • They are susceptible to the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus.
  • They are fuel for the Refiner’s Fire.

They are not a life sentence.

Righteousness
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invited us to enjoy another hunger—to hunger and thirst for righteousness. This invitation to dine at the Lord’s Table comes with a promise—You will be filled! Satisfied! Not a meal made of air, but a feast of real soul food that strengths the body, new spiritual wine that gladdens the heart, and the very Bread of Life! Here is the life sentence—hunger for God and you shall be filled—no longer driven by unnamed passions and hidden fears—but free to drink of the Waters of Life freely and to feast at the Table of the Lord.

Hunger is, indeed, more than chemistry.

Scriptures:
Matthew 5:6 NIV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
John 6:35-36 NIV
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NIV
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Revelation 19:9 NIV
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
John 21:12
Jes:us saith unto them, Come and dine.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I long to feast at Your Table today! I want to drink deeply from the cup or Your life, poured out for me. I want to consume Your substance today, the Words of life, the example of how to live this life, and the all-giving love, unsurpassed by any other. I hunger for You, Lord! Fill me! Fill me! Fill me! Amen.

Song:
Come and Dine
Words and Music: C.B. Widmyer

1. Jesus has a table spread where the saints of God are fed,
He invites His chosen People come and dine.
With His manna He doth feed and supplieth every need;
O, ‘Tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!

Refrain:
“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine;”
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time.
He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine!”

2. The disciples came to land, Thus obeying Christ’s command,
For the Master called to them, “O Come and dine;”
There they found their heart’s desire, Bread and fish upon the fire;
Thus He satisfies the hungry every time!

Refrain

3. Soon the Lamb will take His bride to be ever at His side,
All the hosts of heaven will assembled be.
O, ‘Twill be a glorious sight, all the saints in spotless white,
And with Jesus they will feast eternally!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 17, 2017

Mornings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maybe we will get it right this time!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved