pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 30, 2017 “Space”

Place

“I can’t be everywhere—Gimme a break, will ya!”
Thus cries our humanity when life’s demands come at us too many, too fast, and too much.
So locked into the space time continuum are we that cannot imagine being everywhere all at once.

Sacred Space
One of the great mysteries of God is that He is everywhere and yet still there are places where His presence dwells in a deeper way. Theologians call this “Sacred Space.” The Bible records that God has chosen certain places to be His “dwelling places.”

The first of these, the Tabernacle of Moses, was a mobile unit, made for a journey through a wilderness. In short order it could be collapsed, folded up, and transported by Levites, the family of Levi who were chosen for the task. At the next location it could be unpacked, unfolded, and reassembled quickly. What was supposed to be a one-way trek through the wilderness turned into a generation-long ordeal and a metaphor for life’s journey to heaven.

Their signal to stay put or to move out, was the Presence.
A shimmering pillar of cloud rose from the Tabernacle through the day and at night it became a shining tongue of fire. This was the glory of God, the effect on earthly things of a heavenly visitation. When the presence rested, so did the nation. When it began to move, the Levites went to work; it was time to move out.

God’s Dwelling Places
The Tabernacle of Moses was God’s dwelling place in the earth. He was everywhere, it was true, but in a deeper sense, He was in that place. Today we call this the “Manifest Presence of God.”

Within several generations after the people finally found the exit lane out of the wilderness, the whole business was moved indoors—into the Temple of Solomon and the other temples that replaced it. The presence of the Lord was in one sacred space. His Dwelling place was no longer a mobile unit. Old Covenant worship could be described as “worship in time and place.”

Then came Jesus—a New Covenant—a better covenant!—The Dwelling Place of God was mobile again! This new worship would be “worship in spirit and truth” not in time and place.This Sacred Space was designed to move, to shimmer in the sun and dance a flaming dance in the darkness.

We are the Temple! The God who is everywhere has taken up residence in His People—the church—you and me! When we worship Him (enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise, giving Him the glory due His name) His manifest presence is His gift to us. Jesus, who walks with us every day, walks among us when we worship, the Sun of Righteousness rising among us with healing in His wings!

Our redeemed hearts are now His dwelling Place. Together we are the tabernacle for this wilderness—a cloud of promise in a dry and desert place and a fire of hope through a dark and desperate night.

Scriptures:
Psalm 132
Lord, remember David, and all the hardships he endured; How he swore an oath to the Lord and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: “I will not come under the roof of my house, nor climb up into my bed; I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber; Until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” “Place” “The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; we found it in the fields of Jearim. Let us go to God’s dwelling place; let us fall upon our knees before his footstool.” Arise, O Lord, into your resting-place, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; let your faithful people sing with joy. For your servant David’s sake, do not turn away the face of your Anointed. The Lord has sworn an oath to David; in truth, he will not break it: “A son, the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne. If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.” For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation: “This shall be my resting-place for ever; here will I dwell, for I delight in her. I will surely bless her provisions, and satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will rejoice and sing. There will I make the horn of David flourish; I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed. As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; but as for him, his crown will shine.”
Exodus 40:33-38 NIV
Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out — until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 NIV
The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.
John 4:21-24 NIV
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your indwelling presence. My heart is a sacred space. If there is holy fire within me, Your Spirit is the flame. If there is a commanding compassion within me, Your love is the compulsion. The walls of this sacred space are walls of grace. The covering is the New Covenant in Your blood. The floor is that level ground at the foot of the cross. Your ancient covenantal promise is true, “Will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they shall be my People!” I am blessed. I am blessed! Amen.

Song:
O the Glory
Words and Music: Steve Fry

O the glory of Your Presence,
We, Your Temple, give You reverence.
Come and rise to Your rest and be blest by our praise
As we glory in Your embrace,
As Your presence now fills this place!

Jesus, all glorious, create in us a temple,
Called as living stones where You’re enthroned.
As You rose from death in power,
So rise upon our worship!
Rise up on our praise and let the hand that saw You raised,
Clothe us in your glory, draw us by Your grace!

O the glory of Your Presence,
We, Your Temple, give You reverence.
Come and rise to Your rest and be blest by our praise
As we glory in Your embrace,
As Your presence now fills this place!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 11, 2017 “Holiness”

Holiness

A single flame from a singular source—holiness.
Undimmed by time, unmoved by winds, unfaltering in its light, undiluted in any way, the holiness of God is the anchor of time and space, the master of gravity itself, standing in its own strength, in all, over all, and for all time.

Angels sing of it. Saints long for it. Those who reason, inquire of it. Those who feel, reach for it. Those with eyes, look and those with ears, listen for it. The faithless doubt it while the faithful expect it. It is the substance of heaven and the desire of earth.

“…holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord.”

The presence of God is a holy presence.

  • There is joy here but not frivolity;
  • peace but not lethargy;
  • authority without abuse;
  • truth without confusion,
  • love without dissimulation.

In the Holiness of God there is deity clothed in humanity made alive by Spirit:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, Amen.

There is narrative in this singular flame, a story older than age and truer than facts. A story begun before time and destined never to end, an eternal second act for its conclusion is always another beginning. It is also our story, wrapped in birth days and graduations and vows given and received and moving relentlessly to the ultimate graduation from this life to the one we have prepared.

Holiness now, God in us—

  • burning with a singular flame,
  • shining with a singular light,
  • steady when the world is shaking,
  • eloquent when the world is silent,
  • comforting when the world is at war—

will yield for us holiness then.

On the Lord’s day we do more than sing songs;

  • We process into the realms of the splendor of His Holiness.
  • We ascend the Hill of the Lord and stand in the Holy Place.
  • We pass through the torn veil of Jesus’ earthly life to enter the Most Holy Place.

It is a place of exchange:

  • Our guilt for His innocence,
  • Our weakness for His strength,
  • Our sickness for His health,
  • Our confusion for His truth,
  • Our fear for His promises,
  • Our tears for His joy,
  • Our apathy for His passion,
  • Our hate for His love.

There is no other flame, no other source for these things. Theses graces flow from heaven to earth through His Throne Room—the place we go when we worship.

If time has weakened our singular flame, if darkness threatens its light, if the shifting winds of culture are shaking it, we must come before the flame of the Holiness of God in repentance, praise, and worship. We will feel it, know it, see it, hear it—that singular flame of God’s presence.

We will sing with the angels and dance with the saints, for this is Zion, the dwelling and ruling place of God and healing holiness burns only here.

Scriptures:
Psalm 31
The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea — the Lord on high is mighty. Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord.
Psalm 24:3-6 NIV
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Hebrews 10:19-25 NIV
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 12:22-24 NIV
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I come before You today, just as I am—a flawed human being under reconstruction. Any righteousness I might present to You would be woefully stained and useless—yet You have covered me with Your righteousness. The sorry story of my life recorded in Your books has been erased by Your blood and Your Holy Life inscribed in its place. All I can do is join the song of the angels…

Song:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Text: Reginald Heber; Music: John B. Dykes

1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love and purity.

4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 13, 2017

Quiet

On the day before the Lord’s Day, find some time for silence. 
It is not easy and it will certainly not happened by accident.  There is a kind of ancient silence that we find hard to achieve today.  With all the blessings of the industrial revolution in 19th Century and the information revolution of the 20th Century, a drawback has been the proliferation of noise.  We have learned to live with a “silence” that actually rumbles with low pitch machine noises and sizzles with high pitch whirrs and whistles.  We have to retreat far from traffic and industry and find the deep woods or the restless sea for a silence filled only with the sounds of God’s creation. For our Saturday purposes, let’s call “silence” the absence of sound and “quiet” the absence of any artificial sounds.

What is the benefit of quiet?  The Bible uses several terms to describe being quiet before the Lord:

  • be still,
  • be silent, and
  • Wait patiently for the Lord.

Stillness, the cessation of activity, is for some of us a difficult thing to achieve.
Modern life is sometimes a thing of inertia. Some of us are at rest and we tend to stay that way while others of us are in constant motion.  The Bible says, “Be still and know…”  There are things we cannot know, truths we cannot learn, concepts we cannot grasp if we are distracted by ceaseless motion.  Stillness before God requires discipline.   It is more than a physical stillness; we must also follow the words of the old hymn, “Be still my soul.”  Some achieve this spiritual stillness by quoting memorized scriptures or concentrating on the person of Jesus.  The reward for being still before the Lord is promised in the verse: “Be still and know that I am God and I will be exalted in all the earth.”

Silence before the Lord is a response to the belief that “the Lord is in His holy temple.” 
This stillness, this silence in the throne room of God, stands in contrast to the majestic sounds recorded in the scriptural accounts of that location.  In these the atmosphere is filled with sound, voices singing, instruments playing, and elders calling out, an accumulation of sound that is powerful enough to shake the door posts of heaven.  The command of the prophet Haggai is given to the earth, not the worshipers around the throne of God.  The writer’s setting is the silence of the earth before God rises in judgment of Babylon. For us, we should fall silent in honor of the Lord upon His throne.  Surely He is about to speak.  Surely we need to hear what He has to say to us.

Waiting patiently for Lord is another way of being quiet before Him.
Most people have a limited supply of patience.  It is natural for us to want to hurry into the day, to fill the minutes and hours of the day with productive action.  It seems the clock and the calendar have taken control of our lives and we are dancing to their tunes.  It is important to cease from activity, to refrain from work, to find a comfortable position for waiting while at the same time we command our souls to be still, adding patience to our lack of action.  Part of that patience is expressed in listening.  When we retreat from the noise of modern life and force our minds to concentrate on the reality of God’s creation around us, we can hear “the music of the spheres,” as another old hymn says.

There are things we cannot know until we are still.  In reverence before the Lord, let us be silent.  In deliberate postures of rest let us be quiet today.

Scriptures:
Ecclesiastes 3:7
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…a time to be silent and a time to speak…
Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Habakkuk 2:20
But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
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:
Lord Jesus, I quiet my spirit before You. I will lay my questions aside. I will refrain from singing. I will be still before You, even in my restless mind. In stillness and in silence I will wait and as I do my strength will be renewed. My ceaseless mind will stop in its tracks for awhile. I will listen for Your voice. Speak, Lord. Your servant listens. Amen.

Song:
The Solitude of Silence
Words: Stephen Phifer; Music by Angela Danadio

1. In the silence of my soul, Lord, I will seek You.
In the stillness of my spirit I must stay.
I will flee from all the rush and noise around me.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

Refrain:
For Your voice cannot be heard above the clamor.
You presence does not rest upon our haste.
In the silence of my spirit I will find you.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

2. I will ask the singing winds to serenade me.
I will let the sunlight dance upon my fears,
Thinking back to those who listened here before me—
Silent laughter, silent prayers, and silent tears.

Refrain

3. In the pages of the Book Your heart is calling
As the ancient words fall soft upon my ear.
Like an early season snowfall, cool and healing,
Heaven’s peace, a glist’ning blanket, quells my fear.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 22, 2017

Giving

Relax. This is not about money.
This is about something much more valuable than the currency of any nation on earth. This is about the heart. More than a muscle or a pump for pushing blood round and round inside of us, the heart is who we really are. Our inmost thoughts and deepest desires are what the heart really pumps through us.

And the heart is what God wants us to give. He gave His heart to us—not just sharing His image with us—but sending Jesus to save us. The Gospel is the heart business.

The heart can deceive.

  • A rotten heart spoils worship that is otherwise flawless.
  • A deceptive heart creates a fantasy world for us to live in, not a real one.
  • We believe the lies our hearts tell us and build our lives on this brand of shifting sand.
  • When the storms come and the waters rise, our hearts are swept away with our furniture leaving us wondering how God could let something like this happen to us!

But there is another way to live.
Because Creator God has sent His Heart—King Jesus—to live in our world and conquer it for us,

  • His truth can fill our hearts.
  • Then, with the guidance of the Abiding Spirit within, our hearts start telling us the truth.
  • The truth goes coursing through our veins into every bit and bone, molecule and muscle of our being.
  • We believe the truths our redeemed hearts tell us and build our lives on this brand of solid rock.
  • Storms still come and waters still rise, but our hearts and all our accumulated stuff stay where they are, secure in the grace of God.

All of this to say this: When we gather with the saints of God to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, it is not really about receiving—it is about giving—giving our hearts to God. We are commanded to give the Lord the “glory due unto His name.” That’s a lot of glory! We can’t do that on auto-pilot. It takes our whole heart and our complete focus. We should not be distracted by anything or anyone. It is time to obey the Great Commandment, to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

With all the songs and the confessions and the prayers and actions of worship adoration, we are giving to God the thanksgiving and praise—the glory!—He deserves.

We are giving Him our hearts. After all He gave His to us!

Scriptures:
Psalm 29
Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!” The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Revelation 4:8-1; 19:4-7 NIV
Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:15-16 NKJV
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Colossians 3:17 NKJV
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Acts 20:35 NKJV
… remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I cannot add to Your stature with my praise. The honor and glory I give You does not increase Your magnificence at all. When I give You glory, my soul sees Your splendor more clearly. My heart hears the music of Your Throne Room and sings along with abandon. I come boldly to the Throne of Grace bearing my petitions, knowing You hear me and care for my needs. I cannot add to Your glory but I can express it to the best of my ability. Let the measure of my praises be “the Glory Due Your Name!” Amen.

Song:
Give unto the Lord
Words from Psalm 29; Music: Steve Phifer

Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due His name.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Give Him blessing. Give Him honor.
Give Him glory. Give Him power.
Give unto the Lord the glory due His name.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

We give You blessing. We give You honor.
We give You glory. We give You power.
We give unto You, Lord, the glory due Your name.
We worship You, Lord, in the beauty of holiness.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 4



Sabbath

The center-column strength of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple was the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath, all activities were forbidden except those associated with the worship of Jehovah and rest for the souls and bodies of people. The Sabbath principle held the Old Covenant together. The Law extended the Sabbath beyond the seventh day of worship and rest into annual festivals celebrating the agricultural seasons of the year—the production of food and wealth was halted for times of worship and rest. Every seven years the land was granted the blessings of rest and twice each century all the people were to be granted Sabbath rest and a new start in the Year of Jubilee.

When the Sabbath in all its phases was honored, God’s blessing rained on the Holy Nation; His covenantal power secured their borders and His holy presence dwelt at the center of their hearts, their homes, the politics, and their peace. Continue reading “January 4” →