pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 17, 2017 “Loving-kindness”

Loving-kindness

A Hand to Hold
On the Path of Life, like a young child crossing a dangerous street, we have a hand to hold every step of the way.

Sometimes a truth is so powerful that we have to use more than one word to express it, linking an adjective with noun so that it must always be so modified. Loving-kindness is such a term. The kindness of God will always be a kindness marked

  • by love, not convenience or contract,
  • by mercy, not onus or obligation, and
  • by grace, not innovation or influence.

The Love of God is marked by kindness of a holy covenant—a solemn, unbreakable relationship that resounds with the joy of hope. As is the requirement of all biblical covenants it is sealed in blood, the Blood of the Lamb. The binding force that holds God’s love for us to His kindness toward us is the precious, sinless, powerful and spilled-out Blood of Jesus. His innocent life’s blood poured to the thirsty earth, carried our sins far away from us and bound our life to the life of God. There is no greater, no stronger bond than this. We can always trust the love of God to be kind and the kindness of God to be loving.

Kindness
We can always be sure that God’s ultimate purposes for us add up to kindness. His plan for our lives is one of usefulness and productivity, of relationship and deep joy. This is a kindness that supersedes circumstances for they are not always kind.

  • When there is pain, He gives strength until the healing comes.
  • When there is trouble, He supplies peace until the resolution comes.
  • When we experience need, He gives creativity until the need is met.
  • When it is night, He gives us a song until the morning.
  • When there are tears, He is the arm around our shoulders until the tears are all shed.
  • When there is reason to fear, He is the Rock on which we can stand in faith.
  • When we are guilty, He listens for our cry of repentance.

The kindness of God is a loving kindness.

Loving
The love of God is a reality, an unchanging, constant force in our lives. He never stops loving us, even when we are wrong and in rebellion against Him. We can understand a little about the love of God by considering the sun. It is constant as the earth and all the planets with their moons swirl around it. From our earthly vantage point, clouds may hide the sun so that it does not hurt our eyes, but even a hidden sun can still burn our skin. Clouds do not block the sun and its light; they only dim our perception of it. Our orbit is secure, our atmosphere is safe to breathe, and our clocks never cease to click off the hours.

And so it is with the love of God. Sometimes it is what we might call a “tough love,” when God lets us have our own way or permits injustice to come our way. This tough love draws us back to Him when we have done stupid things. The injustices we endure we count as the fellowship of His sufferings so that we can also share the joys of His resurrection.

How can this be? It is because His Love comes to us in Kindness and His Kindness toward us is always Loving.

Like a young child crossing a dangerous street, we have a hand to hold every step of the way.

Scriptures:
Psalm 63
O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a barren and dry land where there is no water. Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, that I might behold your power and your glory. For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; my lips shall give you praise. So will I bless you as long as I live and lift up my hands in your Name. My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips, When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches. For you have been my helper, and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast. May those who seek my life to destroy it go down into the depths of the earth; Let them fall upon the edge of the sword, and let them be food for jackals. But the king will rejoice in God; all those who swear by him will be glad; for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
Psalm 40:11-13 NKJV
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
Psalm 92:1-5 NKJV
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
Philippians 3:10-11 NIV
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have known Your loving-kindness and I can testify that is better than life. Life outside of Your covenant is random, dangerous, and beyond understanding. There is no place to look for guidance. There are no voices to sing encouraging songs to us in the night. There are no kind faces to look our way in simplicity—everyone is up to something. But life with You, Lord is not that way. With Your loving-kindness to shine Your face upon me. You sing to me in the darkness hours. You guide my every step. Yes, I can face today with courage based in Your loving-kindness! Amen and Amen.

Song:
The Love of God
Words and Music: Frederick Martin Lehman

1. The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.

2. When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain
3. Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 12, 2017 “Appointment”

Appointment

The great fear of a busy person is the possibility of an appointment missed.
We all know the feeling of standing in the door trying to leave while a mysterious sensation that we are forgetting something paralyzes us. We go through a silent inventory: Keys? Phone? Wallet? What? Was there someplace I was supposed to be now? An appointment…?

We invest in phones, computers, and notebooks to help us remember where we are supposed to be when, and most of the time we get it right. We asked for emails and internet messages to remind us. We might be late, but we make the appointment—almost every time.

Appointments are meant to be kept: the ones we make with others and those other make with us. It is common courtesy and a sign of personal effectiveness. It may not appear on our resume, but we don’t want to be late for the interview

God makes appointments with us.

  • The believer enjoys salvation because at some moment someone was appointed to lead us to Jesus. They made it to the appointment.
  • Jesus promised us a Baptism of Spiritual power and when we were ready He met us at the appointed time and place.
  • Each of us has a work to do for the Lord, a divine appointment.
  • Jesus said the Father was in the Secret Place each day; we have an on-going appointment with the God of the Universe!
  • He has appointed a pathway for us to follow, the Path of Life, and a certain way to walk in it—walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh!
  • He uses us to keep appointments with others who are seeking Him; that is why we must stay on the Path of Life.

We are appointed to grace! That is the Good News! It is good because there is another appointment we each will keep.

Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The world denies this, of course. There is only this moment, they say, live it to the max. There is no Judge, no judgment to come. But this isn’t true.

  • For the one who has yet to make it to the Grace Appointment with the Savior, this is a fearful thing to consider, and rightly so.
  • For the one who is walking the Grace-appointed Path of Life, the prospect is rightly sobering, but ultimately inspiring.

According to a parable Jesus taught, the faithful believer will hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That is an appointment I want to keep.

Scriptures:
Psalm 75
We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. “I will appoint a time,” says God; “I will judge with equity. Though the earth and all its inhabitants are quaking, I will make its pillars fast. I will say to the boasters, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not toss your horns; Do not toss your horns so high, nor speak with a proud neck.'” For judgment is neither from the east nor from the west, nor yet from the wilderness or the mountains. It is God who judges; he puts down one and lifts up another. For in the Lord’s hand there is a cup, full of spiced and foaming wine, which he pours out, and all the wicked of the earth shall drink and drain the dregs. But I will rejoice for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. He shall break off all the horns of the wicked; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
2 Timothy 1:11-12 NIV
And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
1 Corinthians 12:28
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
Acts 1:4-5 NIV
Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Galatians 5:25 NKJV
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Psalm 16:11 NIV
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Matthew 25:21 NIV
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Prayer:
Lord Jesus as this work week begins my calendar is not empty. I have a standing appointment with you every day—help me keep it, Lord! I know also that You have planned a week full of appointments for me: projects and people, work and rest, and surprises only You know about. Help me deal with pressures of some of these appointments and to take joy in the interruptions. Faithfulness is the coin of Your holy realm Lord; let me deal in it this week. Amen.

Song:
At Calvary
Words: William R. Newell; Music: Daniel B. Towner

1. Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.

Refrain:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.

2. By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.

Refrain

3. Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary!

Refrain

4. Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 9, 2017 “Ruins”

Ruins

Some say the worship of the church today is in ruins.
The old ways, the tried and proven ways, are gone and in their place are experiments of dubious origin and doubtful outcome.

Others say the church is in ruins. The world has passed her by. She clings to outdated thinking and methods. It is time to rethink, redefine, and retool. We must become all things to all people to win some.

Still others say the world is in ruins. Man’s worship of Himself as the measure of all things has proven to be the most destructive of all idolatries. Despair has become the highest hope of the best people.

Anything that people built will eventually fall into ruin.
The world is littered with the ruins of great civilizations whose crumbling temples, palaces, castles, and monuments testify silently of the temporary nature of the most ancient of things. Tourists climb over them and take pictures, trying their best to recapture the past when real people occupied these old structures and the silent crumbling walls were sturdy and reflected the sounds of real life.

Societies of concerned citizens organize to protect the falling down houses and restore the neglected historical sights before time can destroy them completely. Why? Ruins of the past seem to somehow speak to us of the future. We are in the middle of a journey others have started and still others will finish. We need a connection to the past that gives meaning to today and a promise of tomorrow.

Ruin is the way of the world; time and gravity win eventually. All that is left are the hollowed out walls and arches of cathedrals hundreds of years old and the dry-rotted clapboard and collapsing roofs of humble country churches only a hundred or so years old.

But ruin is not the way of the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ!
Restoration is the business of King Jesus. Just as He was a builder in His shop in Nazareth for 30 years, He is now the rebuilder of broken lives. In this He does the work of His Father. It is practically routine that biblical heroes were reduced to ruins at some point and when they turned to God, he restored them.

If this is not your story yet, it probably will be someday. The enemy deals in ruin and few escape it completely in this life. Satan tells us the story is over. The curtain has fallen and there is no reason to go on.

But, as the old-time preachers used to say about the Devil, “He is a liar and the father of it.”

There is no ruin that Jesus cannot renovate, no relic that He cannot restore, and no derelict beyond His re-design. Impervious to time and untouched by gravity, the Lord’s work is quality work, work that stands the storm and resists the ravages of time.

But ruin is not the way of the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ!
Restoration is the business of King Jesus. Just as He was a builder in His shop in Nazareth for 30 years, He is now the rebuilder of broken lives. In this He does the work of His Father. It is practically routine that biblical heroes were reduced to ruins at some point and when they turned to God, he restored them.

If this is not your story yet, it probably will be someday. The enemy deals in ruin and few escape it completely in this life. Satan tells us the story is over. The curtain has fallen and there is no reason to go on.

But, as the old-time preachers used to say about the Devil, “He is a liar and the father of it.”

Look at people through the eyes of Christ.

  • When we see the homeless one leaning against the wall of a building in the center of the city,
  • when we hear of the recluse locked away in a fog of regret and pain, and
  • when we see young people speeding down the many roads to ruin, we should pray,

“Lord, speak to them somehow! Let some human hand be Your hand, some human voice tell them of Your love.” They are ruins waiting for someone to restore them before time and circumstance have finished their work.

There is no ruin that Jesus cannot renovate, no relic that He cannot restore, and no derelict beyond His re-design. Impervious to time and untouched by gravity, the Lord’s work is quality work, work that stands the storm and resists the ravages of time.

Scriptures:
Psalm 74 
O God, why have you utterly cast us off? Why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation that you purchased long ago, the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance, and Mount Zion where you dwell. Turn your steps toward the endless ruins; the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary. Your adversaries roared in your holy place; they set up their banners as tokens of victory…They burned down all the meeting-places of God in the land. There are no signs for us to see; there is no prophet left; there is not one among us who knows how long. How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? will the enemy blaspheme your Name for ever? Why do you draw back your hand? why is your right hand hidden in your bosom? Yet God is my King from ancient times, victorious in the midst of the earth…Yours is the day, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. …Arise, O God, maintain your cause; remember how fools revile you all day long. Forget not the clamor of your adversaries, the unending tumult of those who rise up against you.
Isaiah 58:11-12 NKJV
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Isaiah 51:3 NKJV
For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me see people with Your eyes! Each one is a creation in Your image, though that visage may be horribly marred by things done to him/her or the things his/she has done. I divest myself of any pretense of superiority on my part. Ruin has touched my life, too. But when I called to You, You answered with a healing, restoring touch. Your carpenter’s hands are skillful and willing to touch anyone I can see as I walk this earth. Restore us, again, O Lord! Amen.

Song:
The Healing Waters
Words: H.H. Heimar; Music: L. L. Pickett

1. Oh, the joy of sins forgiv’n,
Oh, the bliss the blood-washed know,
Oh, the peace akin to Heav’n,
Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain
Where the healing waters flow,
Where the joys celestial glow,
Oh, there’s peace and rest and love,
Where the healing waters flow!

2.Now with Jesus crucified,
At His feet I’m resting low;
Let me evermore abide
Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

3.O, this precious, perfect love!
How it keeps the heart aglow,
Streaming from the fount above,
Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

4.Oh, to lean on Jesus’ breast,
While the tempests come and go!
Here is blessèd peace and rest,
Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

5.Cleansed from every sin and stain,
Whiter than the driven snow,
Now I sing my sweet refrain,
Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

For an article on the restorative ministry of the Holy Spirit go to: “Turning Hearts” http://stevephifer.com/renewal-4/

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 7, 2017 “Heritage”

Heritage

Seeing the Invisible
Imagine for a moment that cameras capture everything in a photograph instead of only what is visible. There would be no such thing as an individual picture for behind each person would stand a multitude of

  • inventors and manufacturers ,
  • thinkers and writers,
  • tinkerers and mechanics,
  • teachers and scholars,
  • patriots and warriors,
  • parents and siblings,

who have formed the heritage of that person.

We simply do not stand where we stand alone.
Someone who lived before our time stands behind us—a heritage of people stretching back in time beyond our ability to see. We frame our thoughts in ideas they developed. We live our lives by laws they constructed. Our greatest treasures bear the fingerprints of this multitude. These invisible people in our portrait are the authors of our story, the architects of our civilization, and the builders of our society.

They are both our helpers and our hinderers.
Much of our heritage is a gift from God, given to us by faithful people of previous generations. There are also portions of our heritage that flow from evil hearts in this throng.

  • They have convinced us of lies.
  • They have sold us building materials that do not stand the stress of investigation.

It is our duty to test the substance of our heritage to see if some details are worthy of our use. When we find something that is wrong, it is our human right and our moral obligation is to resist that thing, to remove it from our storehouses, to replace the weak and beggarly materials with the true, the tested, the tempered, the stuff that lives, not dreams, are made of.

This is never more true than when worship is the subject of the photograph.

  • Every humble country church has a cathedral in the background where the glory of God is frozen in stone and colored sunlight.
  • Every cathedral stands before a long line of village chapels and house churches and synagogues, temples and tabernacles.

The worship of God did not spring into existence when we discovered it. We blend our voices with the unseen choir of our heritage every time we sing to the Lord.

Ours is a heritage in motion.
To be true to this invisible host we must learn from them, true enough. They have delivered us to this moment for the cause of the future not for the sake of nostalgia. The cameras of our souls must see the past in an unforgiving light, the good and the bad, the important and the inconsequential so that our time here can be what God intends. For soon we will be the invisible ones in the picture.

Scriptures:
Psalm 61
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
1 Peter 1:3-6 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Colossians 1:10-14 NIV
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You dwell in eternity, a concept beyond my ability to understand. Once You entered into time, leaving the eternal behind. As a child You learned of Your heritage as a Jewish boy and man. You sensed the invisible heritage that stood behind the visible elements of life. The record we have of Your teaching reveals how You tested those invisible things. Where wickedness had crept into the customs, you spoke against it. Where righteousness shone in those practices, You preached the truth in Your generation. Lord, help me do the same. Amen.

Song:
A Charge to Keep Have I
Words: Charles Wesley

1. A charge to keep have I, a God to glorify,
A never dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky.

2. To serve this present age, my calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage, to do my Master’s will.

3. Arm me with watchful care as in Thy sight to live,
And now Thy servant, Lord, prepare a strict account to give.

4. Help me to watch and pray, and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray, but press to realms on high.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 6, 2017: “Recorded”

Recorded

Recorders are everywhere today:
audio recorders, video recorders, and phone recorders that capture every live moment someone may want to keep for future reference. I am told that all our internet doings are recorded on a cloud somewhere or even deep in the caverns of our own computers.

All this technology is new, up-to-the-minute, state-of-the-art stuff that will be obsolete next week.

But the idea isn’t new. The Bible indicates that our dealings with God are recorded also:

  • The prayers we have prayed,
  • The praises we have offered,
  • The worship we have given,
  • The deeds of mercy we have done,
  • The kindnesses we have shown,
  • The burdens we have borne,
  • The tears we have we have shed,
  • The encouragement we have shared, and
  • The promises we have made.

A Body of Work
When an artist has reached a certain point in his/her life when much has been created, it is said that they now have a “body of work” that can be explored and cataloged by scholars as well as enjoyed by patrons.

In the same way, each Christ-follower is compiling a record, a body of works, we might say. It is a much more glorious file than any done on us before,

  • not the permanent record we accumulated in school,
  • not our college transcripts,
  • not the personnel files where we have worked or even
  • the book the IRS has on us!

Those records tend to remember everything, the good and the bad, the successes and the failures, as well as the skills and the ineptitudes.

Be Warned!
The recording in heaven has some really serious omissions:

  • The stupid things we did,
  • The bone-headed decisions we made,
  • The sins we committed and ours sins of omission,
  • The wounds we caused,
  • The ugly spirit we showed, and
  • More terrible things than we need to enumerate now.

All of these true facts and actual deeds are missing from the recording.

How can this be?

There is no scandal but there is a cover-up. For when we confessed all these sins to Jesus, He forgave us. He blotted them out of the book, the file, the recording and even His memory.—Amazing Grace how sweet the sound!

Makes me want to live for Jesus today. How about you?

Scriptures:
Psalm 56
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life. On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations. Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll— are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise — in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before Godin the light of life.
Psalm 32:1-2 NIV
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Psalm 51:9-10 NIV
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 103:2-5; 11-12 NIV
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. …For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 130:3-4 NIV
If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Micah 7:19 NIV
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Revelation 5:8 NIV
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the records Your angels keep in heaven are authoritative; their veracity is beyond question. Our thoughts and deeds are recorded faithfully there. These same angels break out into a celebration of joy when a sinner repents. They get to witness the power of the Blood of Christ to blot out the record of sins and inscribe in their place, “The righteousness of Christ.” “There’s new name written down in glory,” inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life as a new record begins—the record of faithful prayers and service. Help me be faithful in prayer and service today. For Your Glory! Amen.

Song:
It Is Well with My Soul
Words: Horatio G. Spafford; Music: Philip P. Bliss

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

2.Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

3. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

5. And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 4, 2017: “Sparrows”

Sparrows

Each day there are gatherings of sparrows over all the earth.
No exaggeration. Sparrows are found in every climate from snowy plains to deep jungles to desert wastelands to mountain peaks. The experts at Wikipedia say,

“Sparrows may be the most familiar of all wild birds worldwide.”

They are social little birds who love to gather together.  The Lord chose these little brown birds to illustrate the extraordinary care He provides to those who follow Him.

Like sparrows, God’s people are everywhere: from snowy plains to deep jungles—even those of steel and concrete—to wilderness wastelands to mountain villages. The church is everywhere and each worshiper is like a sparrow in the eyes of the Lord—cared for tenderly, faithfully by a Covenant Keeping God.

Wild Birds in the Church House
In Psalm 84, the poet reported that sparrows and a swallow had built nests next to the altars in the House of God. This sounds like a scandal to me—some maintenance man was sure to get in trouble for neglecting the altars! I am sure the poet, not King David but a member of a group called the Sons of Korah, is just caught up in the irony of the beauty of the carefully planned Temple and the rustic improvisation of the feral birds. He didn’t mean to get anyone in trouble!

The point is the birds found a home in the house of God and so should we! This lovely Temple was the House of God where all were welcomed if they were in the covenant and they came to worship.

It was also the house where altars were not be neglected.
They had to carefully tended. They had to be ready at any time for the penitent sinner or the troubled soul or the earnest seeker of the face of God. Neglect was not only a failure of the one charged with maintenance, it was a lost opportunity for the advancement of someone’s spiritual life.

On this Lord’s Day, we can each, like a healthy little sparrow and the enterprising swallow, find a home in the House of God—if we are in the covenant and if we have come to seek the face of God.

Our time will come to tend the altar—to pray and seek the Lord. When the praise music starts, let’s tend the altar. When the shift is made to worship music, let’s tend the altar. When it is time to pray let’s tend the altar.

He cares for us more than He loves the sparrows. Let us be faithful to His house and to His altars of grace today.

Scriptures:
Psalm 84
How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always be praising you. Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way. Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, for the early rains have covered it with pools of water. They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion. Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; hearken, O God of Jacob. Behold our defender, O God; and look upon the face of your Anointed. For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is both sun and shield; he will give grace and glory; No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk with integrity. O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you!

Matthew 6:26-27 NIV
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Luke 12:6-7 NIV
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Prayer:
Before Worship
BCP (adapted SRP)
O Almighty God, who pours out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver me as I draw near to You, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections I may worship You in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Songs of the Father’s Care:
His Eye Is on the Sparrow
Words and Music: Civilla D. Martin 1905

1. Why should I feel discouraged and why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home?
When Jesus is my portion, a constant Friend is He,
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Refrain:
I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free;
His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me.

2. Let not your heart be troubled; these tender words I hear;
And resting on his goodness I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Refrain

3. Whenever I am tempted; whenever clouds arise;
When songs give place to sighing; when hope within me dies;
I draw the closer to Him; from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Refrain

The Sparrow Song
Words and Music by J.D. Phifer

1. When you are sad downhearted and blue,
Think of how He cares for you.
When things look bad your courage you lose,
Think of how He cares for you.

Refrain:
Think of the sparrow He feeds with such care,
The flower He waters with dew.
Dwell on the things He’s promised to do;
Think of how He cares for you.

2. When you are lost in realms of despair,
Think of how He cares for you.
When there’s a cross you know you must bear,
Think of how He cares for you.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

See also: “A Prayer for the Sanctuary”

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, June

June 1, 2017 “Unturned”

Unturned

Intersections demand decisions.
That’s why whoever invented traffic circles should be put away somewhere. It is not simple—turn right? Turn left? Go straight? Turn around? And that’s the dilemma at the intersection of just two roads.

I lived near the nation’s Capitol where I-95 crossed the Capitol Beltway. Our town of Springfield, VA was called the Mixing Bowl because of the twisting, turning exits and entrances that were supposed to get you where you wanted to go. Turning long turns made you feel like you had accomplished something when you finally straightened out, but it might be a mistake. You could be headed straight—in the wrong direction!

The psalmist declares that though evil people have treated him cruelly, he has not deviated from the path he was walking—a life of obedience to the Law of God.

That is quite a claim. I don’t know many who could make it. Life seldom presents us with simple crossroads. We often face cloverleaves of confusion. Sometimes turning away from what we know is right looks like the right thing to do; it certainly can feel like the easier thing to do. Staying on the straight and narrow path takes clarity of thought, concentration and determination. The road signs may be confusing, even demanding. A turn may seem like the right choice.

When the road the Lord has chosen for us stretches clearly before us, there is no need to consider turning onto some other road. Of course the road He chooses will do some twisting and turning that we might not expect, but those kinds of turns are proper for we turn with the Lord, not against Him.

The Voice behind Us
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to give us direction. The Prophet Isaiah makes a strange statement about Divine guidance. When faced with an intersection we can hear a voice behind us saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” The words “behind you” could also be translated, “pursuing you.” In contemporary language that means the Lord “has your back.”

That’s good news! At such intersections, we can listen for the voice of the Lord and know exactly what to do. Turning away from God is never the right thing to do.

Intersections demand decisions. It is comforting to know that He is with us on this journey.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119: 49-51 NIV
Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope. This is my comfort in my trouble, that your promise gives me life. The proud have derided me cruelly, but I have not turned from your law.
1 Peter 3:10-12 NIV
“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
2 Timothy 4:3-5 NIV
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Galatians 1:6-9 NIV
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
Deuteronomy 5:32-33 NIV
So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Prayers:
For Direction
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT
Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. (From The Book of Daily Worship)
For Guidance
(from the Book of Common Prayer)
O heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget thee, but may remember that we are ever walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song:
Song God Leads Us Along
Words and Music: George A. Young

1. In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.

Refrain:
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

2. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.

Refrain

3. Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.

Refrain

4. Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 31, 2017

Citadels

A citadel is a fortified fortress.
It is a strong and high tower at a strategic point on a fortress or city wall. These watchtowers provided a higher vantage point for those charged with sighting potential dangers and warning the city. Every night someone had to leave the comforts of the streets and dwellings the city provided to help keep the precious peace of all involved. The height and strength of the citadel provided cover and safety for men with a dangerous job.

Walk about Zion
The Psalmist is like an ancient tour guide, inviting us to journey across the centuries to tour the Holy City, the City David, Jerusalem. The Temple is magnificent, built to King David’s specifications by his son. King Solomon. The city walls, with regularly spaced citadels, were impressive and effective, keeping enemies out and citizens in. When the gates closed at night, the safety of the whole city was in the hands of the soldiers in the citadels. Their eyes were the radar of the day; their ears the antennae to detect the sounds of danger.

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.

Citadels of Truth
The days of walled cities and castles on mountains are long gone, but the danger and the diligence remain. There are strong towers today that guard the peace of the church. These citadels are truths that guide us and define us. These citadels are the things that we agree on.

  • The Bible is the Word of God.
  • God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three in One and One in three.
  • Jesus is the only Savior and we are saved through faith in Him.
  • The Holy Spirit is our helper and guide.
  • God is our Heavenly Father.
  • The church is the Body of Christ on this earth.
  • The church should strive to be one, as Jesus prayed.
  • Jesus will come again.
  • We are commanded to Love God.
  • We are commissioned to tell our world the Jesus Story.

I counted ten Citadels of the faith. From these exalted vantage points we can see a great distance.

  • We can detect the dust of an approaching enemy who tells of a different God.
  • We can hear the music of hell wafting on the wind, even at great distance, so that distance can be kept. We must not dance to the devils tune.
  • From these fortified fortifications we can keep our families safe and secure through the long night until the Great Dawn when our King shall return with everlasting light.

Keeping Watch
We must see the signs of war before the attack. We need to hear the noise of their gathering armies. We cannot see and hear these things from ground level, if we think and act like the world. We need elevation. We must live on a higher level of morality and truth. We need a tower, a tower of strength—Jesus is our Citadel, our tower of Hope. He will not be surprised. He will not be defeated.

We can sleep tonight safe within the walls of His grace and under the watchful eye of His Spirit.

Scriptures:
Psalm 48 NIV
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw [her] and were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 61:1-4 NIV
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Proverbs 18:10 NIV
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Psalm 18:2-3 NIV
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 28:8 NIV
The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Psalm 46:4-7 NIV
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 62:5-8 NIV
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 91:1-2 NIV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my Tower of Strength! When evening comes I will rest in the safety of this citadel. But this morning the day is before me, not the night. I will take my battle station. I will scan the horizon signs of the enemy. I will listen with depth to the sounds on the winds of culture and media that blow without ceasing. The enemy seeks entrance into city; he wants to breach the walls. I will not be blind to him or deaf to him. I will sound the alarm to my fellow citizens. Your walls will stand secure; the citadel of truth will not fall to deception. Lord Jesus, You are my Tower of Strength! Amen.

Song:
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Words: Martin Luther; Music: Traditional

1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

3. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

4. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

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