pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 1, 2017

Privilege

Yesterday, duty; today, privilege—these two things are not opposites. 
The dictionary definition of privilege: “…a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor: prerogative; especially: such a right or immunity attached specifically to a position or an office.”

Our duty to God is an extreme privilege—one reserved for those who enter into the New Covenant, the Jesus Covenant.  The Bible calls our privileges mysteries: knowledge, access, and peace unavailable until Jesus completed His mission on the earth.

Our privileges are many:

  • Above all, the real and complete forgiveness of our sins,
  • The active and thorough regeneration of the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence,
  • The ready access to the Throne Room of God Most High through Jesus—the privilege of prayer,
  • The amazing partnership we enjoy with God Almighty as we obey His will and our human efforts are sanctified in the natural world and amplified in the spiritual realm to advance God’s Kingdom which is coming and His will which is being done on this earth even as it is in heaven.
  • The permeating prize of the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts, and
  • The privilege of a hope beyond the reach of wrongdoers and above the temporary storms of circumstance.

Our Privileges in Christ
When we call upon Jesus in repentance and accept Him as Savior and King, the record of our sins is expunged from the heavenly books.  The spotless record of Jesus is inscribed next to our name and we stand before God as if we had never sinned.  This is privilege.

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit in all His power would not just visit us when we need a special touch (Oh, He does do that!) but to abide with us constantly as a holy fire fueling our life in Christ.  This is privilege.

Jesus gave us a prayer.  He told us where and when and how to pray.  He based our prayers on the character of the Father who knows our needs and has already set up answers to our petitions and set them in motion before we started praying and while we keep on praying.  This is privilege.

The Lord has called each of us to worship, Word, and witness, and He has also called us to specific tasks.  Some of these are temporary assignments and others last a lifetime.  None of these assignments is meant to be done in our own strength.  We are privileged to be guided by the wisdom of God and empowered by the Spirit of God as we work.  Such anointing is privilege.

We are called to peace, not strife, not turmoil, not tension, not fear, not dread, not doom, and certainly not gloom.  The game of life we play has an umpire—the peace of Christ.  That is what Paul meant when he told us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts—let His peace be the umpire.  Let the close calls be determined by the truth, the peace, the presence of Christ.  This is privilege.

Life isn’t fair.
Even with the Peace of Christ as the umpire, events sometimes go against us.  Sometimes we fail to live up to our privileges.  In those times, too, we have hope.  The game isn’t over.  We will win in the end.  We will reap someday if we keep on sowing the good seed.  This hope, this guarantee of a harvest is a privilege.

So, we can do our duty today, knowing how privileged we are.  The mystery hidden from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David and the kings, Isaiah, and all the prophets—“Christ in us the hope of glory”—is our amazing privilege of grace.

Scriptures

Colossians 1:24-27
I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Ephesians 3:7-12
…this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 3:17-18
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.
Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You made me a person of privilege. Totally without reference to my own merit, You have invited me to know You, to hear Your voice, to feel Your touch, and to be ruled by Your peace. Such is too much for me to imagine and I wouldn’t even try except that I am so desperate for You. I need you, Lord, more today than yesterday, and tomorrow will find me needing You yet again, even more desperately. Yet, Your are here—living in my heart! Your Spirit abides with my Spirit. You bring the Father near. Lord Jesus, You made me a person of privilege. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
I Need You More
Words and Music: Lindell Cooley

I need You more, More than yesterday
I need You Lord, More than words can say
I need You more, Than ever before
I need You Lord. I need You Lord.

More than the air I breathe,
More than the song I sing,
More than the next heartbeat,
More than anything.
And Lord as time goes by I’ll be by Your side
Cause I never want to go back To my old life

Right here in Your presence Is where I belong
This old broken heart Has finally found a home
And I’ll never be alone

I need You more, More than yesterday
I need You Lord, More than words can say
I need You more, Than ever before
I need You Lord. I need You Lord.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 22, 2017

March 22, 2017

Wait

It’s the answer no one wants to hear.
It’s the thing we don’t like very much to have to do. Yet, waiting is the line we must cross to move from immaturity to maturity, from childhood to adulthood. We give it a fancy name—delayed gratification—but it is still waiting. Patience, the thing we need so much, is the thing we do not want to learn, the skill we feel is some kind of punishment.

There was a time when waiting was an accepted part of growing up:

  • wait to drive a car, wait for boring private lessons and mind numbing practice to turn slowly into musicianship and the chance to play,
  • wait for the lead role and take the supporting role or the membership in the chorus or even the crew, before landing a lead,
  • wait in the middle level job for the advancement to an executive position, and
  • wait for love and marriage—both—before giving and receiving in the joys of Holy Matrimony.

In those days, gratification was surely delayed.

Gratification NOW at any Cost.
The order of this age is to plot and scheme to find shortcuts, inside tracks, and advantages either fair or unfair, to race to “the next level.” Immediacy is the thing we need. It is necessary to advance by any means for the ends will surely justify them.

This is not the story we tell as we approach the Passion Week.
There was no other place to pray than Gethsemane, no plea bargaining in Pilate’s court, and no shortcut to Calvary. Before the Passion, Jesus had already waited for more than three years of ministry, ministry full of

  • heartbreak and elation,
  • temptation and triumph,
  • miracles and unbelief,
  • huge crowds listening to every Word and then turning away to go about their lives as if nothing at all had been said, and
  • Disciples who loved Him and those who saw advantage in knowing Him.

Before those years of preaching He waited as a village craftsman doing good work with His hands while, after Joseph’s death, all in His family except His mother came to doubt Him.

Jesus knew how to wait; He learned the life lesson well, just as we have had to learn it.

Waiting is proactive not reactive; it is active not passive.
So, sometimes the answer to our prayers doesn’t come at once. Without explanation, we are delayed in our expected deliverance. The psalmists knew this and reported it faithfully. The word they used that becomes “wait” in English means to bind together as with cords in a sense of expectation.

wait-OT:6960 (kaw-vaw’); … to bind together (perhaps by twisting),… to expect…(Strong’s Dictionary)

Waiting is proactive not reactive; it is active not passive. We wait, bound to the Lord with Covenantal cords that cannot be broken.

That is why to wait upon the Lord is to renew our strength.

Scriptures:
Psalm 130
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. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Psalm 27:13-14 NIV
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Prayer:
From James 1:2-5 and Isaiah 40:31 (SRP)
Lord Jesus, help me count it all joy when I fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith produces patience. I will let patience have its perfect work, that I may wait in faith for Your answer, Your perfect, and complete answer. Lord, when I lack wisdom, instruct me. When I am weak and impatient, make me strong again. When it is time to fly, help me soar with eagle’s wings. When there is a race I must run, let there be no weariness at all in me. When a long road stretches before me, help me walk it without fainting. Amen.

Song:
Leave It There
Words and Music: Charles A. Tindley

1. If the world from you withhold of its silver and gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird –
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain:
Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there;
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

2. If your body suffers pain and your health you can’t regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal –
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

3. When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you, and will lead you safely through –
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

4. When your youthful days are gone, and old age is stealing on.
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end –
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

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 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 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