pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 6, 2017

Shelter

Jesus and His men were used to roughing it.
They probably spent most nights huddled around a couple of fires, the flames dancing in their eyes as they listened to Jesus speak softly, with need to project His voice to a crowd. There was something tender in His voice muffled by the heavy night air speaking visions of another world and truths that must be resident somewhere out there in the darkness beyond the fire’s light. The clear nights with multitudes of stars seeming almost to sing of the glory of the Lord, made thoughts of eternity seem almost within reach.

The day’s events were reviewed. Things they couldn’t laugh at in public were enjoyed with bursts of laughter that would cause others nearby who were likewise bedding down for the night to wonder who this band of twelve, no, thirteen men might be and what they might be up to.

Parables were explained. Deep silences followed the astounding words of Jesus. One simply could not answer; one could only consider. One by one the Disciples would find a place to make a bed as the fires and the conversation grew smaller and smaller. When all the men had found their places and the slow, deep breathing of sleep was all there was to hear, I can imagine that Jesus stood up and stirred the fires a little, perhaps adding some more wood. He would then have another conversation, this one with His father, one that could only be heard in His heart. Soon, even that conversation would end only to be continued before dawn as Jesus, tired from the day as any man would be, found a place to lay His head.

But what about bad weather?
In cold seasons and on stormy nights, Jesus and His men needed more shelter than the stars could provide, hidden as they were by clouds or bright as they were in the frigid winter air. Lodging was the shelter they needed; fires safely contained in stone and vented by chimneys of stone. This was the shelter they needed but the kind they seldom had.

The House at Bethany
This made the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany such a special shelter for them. It must have been a large house to accommodate so many.

  • It is easy to see that Martha’s hospitality gifts were vital to the whole enterprise.
  • Mary’s love for Jesus was itself like a fire that warmed and refreshed Him.
  • Lazarus, perhaps not as strong as his sisters, watched quietly and listened intently.

No Shelter in the Garden
On that last night after their last meal together, deep in the green of the Garden called Gethsemane, a silent storm raged in the heart of Jesus. His time had come. He had set His face like a flint toward the moment that was now upon Him. His sleeping disciples were no solace to Him. The Garden itself was no shelter from the interior storm–the icy winter of His soul.

There was no shelter for Him. He must face

  • the winds of wickedness,
  • the storms of Satan’s schemes,
  • the treachery of the traitor,
  • the swords of the soldiers and
  • He must face all of this alone.

The shelter of the Father’s wings promised in the Psalms was nowhere to be found.  There was no towering rock to give cover; no defense could be made against the madness of men.

No one was ever so alone, so exposed, so vulnerable as Jesus, without shelter on the night when sin ruled the world.

Scriptures:
Matthew 8:20 NIV
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Mark 14:32-42 NIV
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba,e Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus You are my shelter against the storm. You are my rock and my salvation in this weary land. I have built my house upon you. You promised that the rains would fall down, the waters would rise up and the winds would howl and blow against my house but it would not fall. It would not be swamped by the rising flood or break beneath the weight of the winds. Today I remember all Your nights under the stars with no soft bed to receive You. I call to mind all those cold or stormy nights when You found to place to lay Your head. I remember also Your agony in Gethsemane where no shelter could shield You from the tempest in the hearts of men. I want my heart to be to You a shelter like the home of Martha and her kin. Be welcome in my heart and find shelter there. Amen.

Song:
Till the Storm Passes By
Words and Music: Mosie Lister

1. In the dark of the midnight I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me and there’s no hiding place.
‘Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Refrain:
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

2. Many times Satan whispered, “There’s no need to try,
For there’s no end of sorrow, there’s no hope by and by.”
But I know Thou are with me, and tomorrow I’ll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies.

Refrain
3. When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore;
In the land where the tempest never comes, Lord may I
Dwell wee with Thee when the storm passes by.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 5, 2017

Forgiven

There is a deep healing in forgiveness.
In His home region of Capernaum, a crowd filled a house to hear Him speak of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps there were as many motives for being there as there were people: curiosity, despair, pain, desperation, boredom. Any crowd is a gathering of such emotions as well as one of names, faces, and stories.

Friends of a paralyzed man brought him to the door but not through it; it was blocked by people in the crowd, each one focused on his own situational paralysis with no thought for the invalid and his friends.

So they came through the roof.

This gained them the full attention of the Lord Jesus. He saw men of compassion, ingenuity, and organized strength. He saw their faith. He looked at their paralyzed friend and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

That was nice but it wasn’t what they came for. They needed for Jesus to break the brokenness of their friend, to relieve him of his misery and them of their burden. The paralysis was real—it was present and unrelenting. Sins? Everybody had sins. Forgiven sins would not make their friend any lighter in their tiring arms.

He crossed a line.
Others in the crowd were surprised by the line this “son of Joseph and Mary” had crossed. Miracles were wonderful to see. They brought hope for more miracles and a faint confidence in the Jehovah they had heard about all their lives. But forgiving sins? That was a whole different issue. Miracles could be seen, like mental before-and-after-photos today. But sins, forgiven or otherwise, were spiritual things, blurry to the mind and invisible to the eye. Anyway, miracles were useful to people but sin forgiving was only God’s business and it was best left to Him.

“Which is easier,” Jesus asked, “To heal the body or to forgive sins?”

He had a way with questions that tended to silence the questioners.

“So that you may believe in me,” Jesus turned to the man on the mat and his friends still breathing hard from the work, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

He did exactly that, to the amazement of the crowd.

In this season of Lent, each of us tries to get to the real Jesus.  We need to touch Him, to see Him, and to be changed by Him.  We see His sufferings and beyond those we see His triumph–not just the crucifixion, but the empty cross and the forsaken tomb.

To look at the empty cross is like

  • Looking into the manger to see God in the flesh, or
  • reading the Gospels to see the Son of God at work, or
  • hearing the matchless music of His voice, or
  • beholding His glory in prayer and worship.

To do these things is to be changed. Not only are we forgiven—no longer guilty—but we are welcomed into His presence.

And we didn’t even have to come through the roof.

There is a deep healing in forgiveness.

Scriptures:
Mark 2:1-12 NIV
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
1 John 1:9-10 NIV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, all I have to do is believe in You, to somehow touch the hem of Your garment with my faith and repentance and I will be forgiven of my sins. Paralyzed by disobedience no longer, I can rise, take up my life and walk. As I walk in this amazing forgiveness today, help me also be a forgiver of those who have struck at me. My freewill offering today is one of humility, repentance, and thanksgiving. I will know your deliverance in my heart and see it in my friends. Amen.

Song:
The Healing Waters
Words: H.H. Helmar; 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

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 1, 2017 Ash Wednesday

March 1, 2017

Fasting

It was justice, of a sort.
Smudges of ash on my forehead in the rough shape of a cross, no, the Cross, the one cross that counts. So many crosses, so many executions, so many guilty souls departed this life from rough-hewn timbers, and perhaps, a much smaller number of innocent souls but with the same outcome. It was justice, of a sort—the Roman sort that kept the peace, Pax Romana, in the known world. All of them are nameless now, forgotten, all save One: Jesus of Nazareth. The actual wood of His cross has long ago rotted into dust. The blood He shed that day has long ago dried and returned as water to the cycle of life from death, life from death.

Yet somehow, that cross remains and that blood still saves.
Lifted to the sky as far as man can reach, the cross graces buildings as diverse as tall stone-cold cathedrals and small rickety wooden churches made of kindling standing in defiance of any threatening flame. The cross has become ornamental to fashion and glitters around the necks of sinners.

The blood is not so popular; it is too close to home. We have blood flowing in us and we want to keep it there, hidden from our eyes for we hate the sight of blood.

Now this—ashes in the shape of the cross on my forehead, expressing hope in the continuing power of that blood—the cleansing blood of Jesus—a spiritual force of forgiveness. It has never lost its power. That blood is my hope. So I take the sign of the cross in deep repentance. I will discipline my rebel flesh with fasting.

I will not speak of it or boast. It will be a secret between Him and me. Like that stone-cold cathedral and that rickety wooden little church, I have lifted His cross as high as I can.

Now, I must be still and let His blood do a deep work in me.

Scriptures:
Joel 1:13-14 NIV
Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
Matthew 6:16-18 NIV
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Acts 13:1-3 NKJV
Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Prayers:
(from The Book of Common Prayer)
Prayer of Repentance
Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved You with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Prayer for the Adminstration of the Ashes
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Song:
Just As I Am
Words: Charlotte Elliot; Music: William Bradbury

1.Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come!

2. Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come.

3. Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come!

4. Just as I am, poor wretched blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee I find, O Lamb of God, I come!

5. Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 28

February 27, 2017

Fellowship

Child of God, you are never alone.
Christian spirituality is more than an individual faith, it is a corporate reality as well—a fellowship.

2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

You are never alone. Even if all your friends and loved ones were taken from you, you would still not be alone. Our Christian fellowship is rooted in the fellowship within the Trinity:

  • The Father with the Son,
  • The Son with Father,
  • The Father with the Spirit,
  • The Spirit with the Father,
  • The Son with the Spirit, and
  • The Spirit with the Son.

We came from God.
The most amazing truth is that our very existence is rooted in the existence of the Triune God—we came from God. When Adam and Eve sinned and passed on their sinful nature to us, a barrier fell to earth and barred us from fellowship with God, just as the angel with the flaming sword barred re-entry into Eden. For centuries the sin barrier remained. The Old Covenant provided forgiveness in the innocent blood of animals. Fellowship with God was based in symbolic worship and the common bond of the Word of God.

It took a Roman cross on a Judean hill to break this barrier of sin—Jesus came as the final, innocent Lamb. Just as the veil in the Temple gave way to the mercy of God for all of mankind, the sin barrier between each of us and our Creator was destroyed by the death of the Lamb of God. When we repent of our sins and confess the Lordship of Christ, we are welcomed back into fellowship with Almighty God.

Fellowship, not isolation
As personal as our reception of communion with God may be, it is not done in isolation. Communion with God initiates communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ. No matter how alone you may feel, you cannot know who among your faith family is praying for you at any moment. The same Holy Spirit who abides in your heart, abides in their hearts, leading and empowering them. Their effectual, fervent prayers avail much—in your behalf.

The New Covenant disciple should enjoy close fellowship with a group of intimate friends from the church. These companions share our faith, our passions, our interests, and even our sense of humor. Some call this an accountability group and certainly our friends should function as that, but this fellowship goes deeper than that. Miles may separate these friends but distance does not break this fellowship. Words of affirmation and admonition as well as humorous comment and heartfelt confession sustain these relationships without reference to passing time or diminishing ability.

“In the midst of the congregation”
On the Lord’s Day we gather with the local expression of the whole family of God as our fellowship with God and His Covenant people draws us another step closer to heaven. One of the most important prepositional phrase in the Scripture is, “In the midst of the congregation.” If we are to feel the presence of God in our quiet, lonely moments when we are tempted to feel alone, we must be well schooled in the fellowship of Grace at all levels: Our fellowship with the church, with our closest friends, and our fellowship with God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

Scriptures:
Psalm 68:24-26
Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians, with them are the maidens playing tambourines. Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
Psalm 111:1
Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
Psalm 26:12
My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.
Psalm 52:9
I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
1 John 1:7 7;3:14
…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
Matthew 28:20 NKJV
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Even when I cannot feel Your presence I know You are still with me. You have promised to never leave me and You haven’t. Expand my heart, O Lord, that I might learn from You how to love and have fellowship with others. Help me pay closer attention to people around me, to hear a note in their voice that may be a call for help, to see a look that signals trouble within. Help me be an encourager of others, helping them to walk more closely with You. For when others do this, they are also closer to me, and as promised, walking together in the Light, we have fellowship with one another. For Your glory, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Song:
The Family of God
Words and Music: Bill Gaither

1. You will notice we say “brother and sister” ’round here,
It’s because we’re a family and these are so near;
When one has a heartache, we all share the tears,
And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

Refrain:
I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God,
I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I’m part of the family, The Family of God..

2. From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King,
No longer an outcast, a new song I sing;
From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong,
I’m not worthy to be here, but praise God I belong!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 25, 2017

Delay

Delay has more to do with life than with death.
Death stops the clock; delay winds it. Death and delay are not even casual acquaintances, much less intimate friends.

However, delay can feel like death and disaster, calamity and crisis. When the answer to prayer is delayed in its arrival, we feel the need to pace, to panic, and to pursue “Plan B.” We must fill the deep hole delay digs in our schedule—we have to do something!

Something, but not just anything.

A great temptation is to worry.
Worry requires the same mental skills as faith:

  • Constant rehearsal of the problem, in words with wringing hands during the day and in coded imagery in the night,
  • Relentless planning for contingencies that might occur, and
  • Repeated visualizations of the disaster looming before us.

While the answer is on the way, we can employ these imaginations in a positive way:

  • Constant rehearsals of the promises of God, in prayer during the day and in safety through the night,
  • Relentless rest, listening for the still, small voice of the Spirit giving comfort and direction for what will occur, and,
  • Joyous visualizations of the moment of release, of victory, of the moment when we realize the pain is gone.

Delay can make us stronger if we let it.

Meanwhile, a different drama is playing out on a stage we cannot see.
In the spirit world things beyond our imagination are happening while we are waiting out the delay. The Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of those who are part of the answer. When they are ready, the answer will come. Angels are on assignment to guard us and restrain the opposition to our progress. We can’t see them but we know they are stationed nearby with flaming swords and binding chains.

With unseen hearts prepared and opposing forces restrained and rebuked, soon the waiting will be over. Delay will become delight. Disaster itself will be destroyed. Provisions will arrive in packages of grace.

Until then we will sing with the Psalmist, “Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.”

Scriptures:
Psalm 42:11 NIV
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 70:1-72:1
Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!” Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
Psalm 71 NIV
In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you….Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. .. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. … My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you — whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, hope rises in me even as the clock keeps ticking and Your answer to the cry of my heart lingers just out of reach. I will hope in You. I will confess Your promises. I will rehearse the revelation of Your faithfulness. Your very name, Lord Jesus, is “Faithful and True.” I will not fear what man can do to me. Use this time of delay, O Lord, to make me stronger. When the answer comes, I will rejoice even if it is not the answer I hope for. That is simply another way to trust You. I will say to my soul, “Why be downcast? Put your hope in God. Amen.

Song:
Who So Downcast, O My Soul
Words and Music: Marty Nystrom

Why so downcast, oh my soul?
Put your hope in God Put your hope in God
Put your hope in God
Oh, why so downcast, oh my soul?
Put your hope in God
And bless the Lord, oh my soul.

Bless the Lord–He’s the lifer of my countenance.
Bless the Lord–He’s the lifter of my head;
Bless the Lord–He’s the lifter of my countenance
I will never be ashamed.

Why so downcast, oh my soul?
Put your hope in God Put your hope in God
Put your hope in God
Oh, why so downcast, oh my soul?
Put your hope in God
And bless the Lord, oh my soul.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 24, 2017

Judgment

Kings and Judgment
In King David’s final prayer in the Book of Psalms, (Psalm 72) he prays for the kings who would come after him to occupy the throne of David. It is sure that David was thinking of his son, Solomon, but it is also likely that he had some inkling of the Great King to come, Messiah.“Endow the king with Your justice, O God, the royal Son with Your righteousness,” was the cry of David’s heart.

We are familiar with the way King Solomon chose wisdom over riches when given that choice. Judgment became the fame of Solomon’s court—justice—wisdom put to work in a useful cause.

A Foolish, False Hope
It is difficult to think of a word that is more distasteful to the public taste than “judgment.” No one wants to be judged by anyone. A judgmental attitude is universally detested. People do not want to be held responsible for their deeds or words or tastes or values.

  • All of these public things are really private—nobody’s business but the individual.
  • As long as one doesn’t hurt someone else, anything goes.—Right?

A necessary corollary to this belief is the hope that there is no such thing as a Final Judgment:

  • When we are dead, it is all over. We fall into nothingness, the oblivion of non-existence.
  • All the words we have spoken, all the deeds we have done, the sins committed, the hatred harbored in our hearts, the prejudice and ignorance we chose to live with, all of these things and more will plunge into oblivion with us.
  • So, live for the moment; it is all we really have.—Right?

Such nonsense! Such a false hope!

There is a judgment to come.
Everyone who walks this earth leaves footprints. Every person who holds to someone else for a moment or for years of time leaves finger prints. Every word spoken into the heart of another person is inscribed there for good or for evil. These pain-prints remain after we are gone. In this way the sins of the fathers and mothers are visited upon their children to the third and fourth generations.

Enter Jesus…
But there is One who volunteered to take the judgment we deserve upon Himself. We famously say that Grace is amazing because by His Grace we can stand before God as if we had never sinned. By His blood we are declared “not guilty” and through His Spirit we are made holy in a life-long process of being conformed to His image—our sinful rags stripped away and gleaming robes of righteousness provided in their place.

Yet injustices remain.
Believers do not always win. I don’t understand it, but we are told in the Bible that part of following Jesus involves something called “the fellowship of His sufferings.” I don’t know how it can be true since Jesus declared, “It is finished!” from the cross. Yet, sometimes it seems the enemy triumphs over us, that sin defeats righteousness, that destiny denies grace. But these chapters end only to have a new page added to the narrative.

The story isn’t over at times like these.

  • We simply rest in faith, trusting Jesus to do the necessary repairs and get us going again.
  • He will defend the afflicted and save the children of the needy.
  • He will crush the oppressor.
  • He is like a gentle rain refreshing the earth.
  • One day righteousness will flourish.

All is not lost. On the contrary, we are safe in the cradle of His Judgement.

Scriptures:
Psalm 72:1; 17-200 NIV
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….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. This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Philippians 3:7-11 NKJV
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. … that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NIV
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Prayer:
For Social Justice
(from The Book of Common Prayer)
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song:
Let Me Touch Him
Words and Music: Vep Ellis

1. Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus
Let me touch Him as He passes by
So when I shall reach out to others
They shall know him They shall live and not die

Refrain:
Oh to be His hand extended,
Reaching out to the oppressed.
Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus,
So that others may know and be blessed.

2. I was straying so far from Jesus
I was lonely, had no peace within
Then the hand of my savior touched me
Now I’m reaching to others in sin

Refrain

3. There’s a river, a river flowing
From within and to cleanse my soul
And the flow sets my heart to glowing
Holy spirit, more than silver or gold.

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 22, 2017

Records

Our Permanent Record
When we were children in school we were told of an object of great fear—our Permanent Record. Anything bad that was ever inscribed on that dreaded document would haunt us forever. The most imaginative among us could envision a large safe with an incomprehensible combination lock guarded by big silent men with the Popeye-the-Sailorman arms folded with menacing dogs loosely tethered nearby—all just to keep unauthorized eyes from even a glimpse of our Permanent Records.

I still don’t know what my 7th grade IQ was; I only know it was an issue. But by the grace of God I got into college in spite of the shameful rap sheet that was my Permanent Record—and I seemed to have turned out OK.

Heaven Keeps Records
In one of the Psalms that helps us identify with the sufferings of Christ or our sakes, the poet speaks of keeping records. His enemies may have chronicled their assaults on him keeping careful records of their treachery but, if so, there are lost to history. The records that remain are those kept in the Heavenly books. The Psalmist speaks of laments and tears as the recorded items in the files of the Kingdom of God.

King David and King Jesus
The endangered King David was sure that every blow struck against him was seen by His God and recorded there and somehow there was comfort to be found in this spiritual bookkeeping.

As in so many cases, the life of David forecast the sufferings of Christ, the Son of David. There were no anonymous fists in the courts of Pilate, no nameless hecklers in the crowds, and no lashes unaccounted under the Roman whips. Just as the tears of those who loved Him, the blows of those who hated Him were faithfully added to the record. His was an account that compounded interest with amazing speed, growing in severity and quantity until the record was full when Jesus was hammered to the cross.

The indictment?

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

No prayer of Jesus ever went without an answer.

  • For every lie that was ever told, Jesus spoke overpowering truth.
  • For every foray into lust, Jesus brought purity.
  • For every hateful word that landed like a hammer blow against the innocent, the One Innocent Man took the repeated blows of evil until the record was expunged.
  • For every child of God ground to dust beneath the feet of the proud, Jesus humbled Himself, suffering the weight of Satan’s own feet until the Savior’s heel was bruised.

In a matter of hours, the record was clear.

“It is finished!” Jesus cried from the cross.

For those who will repent of their sinful record and iniquitous hearts and who will believe in what Jesus has done, the record, the indictment, against them has been nailed to His cross.

Now, new records are kept in heaven:

  • Deeds of mercy done in Jesus’ name,
  • Acts of service/worship presented in the power of the Spirit, and
  • The prayers of the saints, collected in holy vessels before the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

This Permanent Record brings a smile to the Savior’s face.

Scriptures:
Psalm 56:1-59:1
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?
Psalm 130:1-4 NIV
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Colossians 2:13-15
Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Revelation 5:7-8 NIV
He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 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:
(Adapted from the Pronouncement of Absolution from the Book of Common Prayer)
Almighty God has mercy on me. He forgives me all my sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. He strengthens me in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keeps me in eternal life. Amen.

Song:
It Is Well with My Soul
Words: Horatio Spafford Music: Philip 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 has 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

4. And, Lord, haste the day when my 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.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 20, 2017

Winners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of course not.

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

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

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

Song:
Victory Ahead
Words and Music: William Grum

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 19, 2017

Balance

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hebrews 8:10-12
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. (1) I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. (2) I will be their God, and they will be my people. (3) No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (4) For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

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

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

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

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

This life is balanced and anything but boring!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 18, 2017

Fortune

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

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

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

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

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

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

Darkness is not dark to Him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved