pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 20, 2017 “Midnight”

Midnight

The darkness fell hours ago. The morning light is hours away.
Midnight—the suspended time in the middle, the dissonant chord without a resolution, the question as yet unanswered, the song without an ending, repeating, repeating.

Midnight.

Most nights we sleep through midnight, our long slumber breaths undisturbed, our eyelids dancing to a tune we will never hear in the daylight.

But there are those other nights when sleep is far away. The mind relentlessly runs a race to nowhere like a small animal on a cruel treadmill in some heartless laboratory. On nights like this there is usually another midnight in play, some unresolved dilemma robbing us of rest.

God knows about time—it is His invention. He created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night. He knows the beginning from the ending and He also knows the middle. He is with us at midnight, whether we are asleep or awake, and He has something for us—a song!

A Song in the Night
Not an unending beat or an unresolved chord pattern, but a song of rest and peace, a song of praise. It is a song made for the midnight hour for it turns our unclosed eyes heavenward, away from the trial before us to the victory ahead of us, from the darkness of the unresolved to the promised dawn of resolution. It is a song about Him and not about us, about His power and not our weakness, about His success and not our failure, about His Word and not our worries.

The song in the night must be sung—it demands action—a deliberate transfer of thoughts from nightfall to morning light. As we sing of the faithfulness of God and rehearse in our minds the promises of God, a gentle smile will reassure us that all is well, even in the darkness.

“Why be downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God!

The Midnight Cry
Soon, at some undisclosed midnight to come, we will hear a cry—not the weeping of fear, but the Midnight Cry of the Bridegroom. Jesus will return or His church. Then for us a day will break that will never end and the last midnight will have passed.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:49-64
Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope. This is my comfort in my trouble, that your promise gives me life. The proud have derided me cruelly, but I have not turned from your law. When I remember your judgments of old, O Lord, I take great comfort. I am filled with a burning rage, because of the wicked who forsake your law. Your statutes have been like songs to me wherever I have lived as a stranger. I remember your Name in the night, O Lord, and dwell upon your law. This is how it has been with me, because I have kept your commandments. You only are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to keep your words. I entreat you with all my heart, be merciful to me according to your promise. I have considered my ways and turned my feet toward your decrees. I hasten and do not tarry to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked entangle me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I will rise to give you thanks, because of your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all who fear you and of those who keep your commandments. The earth, O Lord, is full of your love; instruct me in your statutes.
Psalm 42:5-8 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. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me —a prayer to the God of my life
Psalm 32:7 NIV
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 77:1-6 NIV
I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.
Psalm 16:7-8 NIV
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Acts 16:25-26 NIV
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
Matthew 25:6 NIV
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, each morning the midnight hour seems far away, the one that is past and the one yet to be. Help me remember the song You gave me in the night all through this day. Let my song of praise be constant, just as is Your care. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.

Songs:
You Can Have a Song in Your Heart
Traditional Chorus

You can have a song in Your heart at night,
After every mile, after every trial.
Anyone can sing when the sun’s shining bright.
But you need a song in your heart at night.

The Midnight Cry
Words and Music: Charles and Greg Day

1. I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind and
It’s closer now than its ever been
I can almost hear the trumpet
As Gabriel sounds the call
At the midnight cry we’ll be going home

Refrain:
When Jesus steps out on a cloud and calls God’s children,
The dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air.
And then those that remain will be quickly changed
At the midnight cry When Jesus comes again

2. I look around me and the prophecies fulfilling and
Signs of the times their appearing everywhere
I can almost hear the Father as He says son go get my children
At the midnight cry The bride of Christ shall rise.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 18, 2017 “Springs”

Springs

Springs are natural sources.
They are self-sufficient, requiring no pumps or pipes, no acts of congress to create or engineer’s blueprints to build, no helping human hands to handle, or leaders to keep them motivated. They simply do as their name describes—they spring—from mountain sides and desert floors, from flowering meadows and at the bottom of clear water pools.

The Psalmist has a message for artists, (he mentions musicians but this applies to all artists) those who create new and better things in the Kingdom of God. Remember where the springs are found—In Zion! I’m not talking about the Holy Land; in the New Covenant Mt. Zion refers to the place where God lives and rules. So let me rephrase:

Creative people! Remember where your springs are found—in the Kingdom of God!

All of My Springs Are In You
The springs in our faith are many. The Word of God is a whole field of springs:

  • The Life of Christ—drink deeply here and often.
  • The Psalms—every human emotion is brought before the Throne of God here.
  • The Histories—the inspiration and admonition of the accounts of the People of God and their enemies have much to say to us.
  • The Prophets—this steaming spring of passion for justice and purity mirrors our own times.
  • The Wisdom Literature—well-crafted wells of godly truth and human observation full of irony and riddles are found here.
  • The Letters—these real words from real persons are inspired by the Spirit to speak to every generation.

Worship is a bubbling spring of strength:

  • Fellowship with God,
  • Fellowship with other believers, and
  • Shared ministry, joy, sorrow and hope.

Witness is a spring in the town square:

  • Making a public stand for the truth of God,
  • Touching a hurting soul with the compassion of Christ,
  • Telling the Jesus story with words and deeds, and
  • Living pure in a polluted world.

There are other springs.
The artist must go into the world to learn his/her craft but we must be in these arenas, not of them. Like the liberated slaves who escaped Egypt loaded with the riches of their oppressors, we must plunder this world of its corrupted gold and return it to the uses of God: music, dance, visual arts, dramatic arts, technology, narrative, poetry, and language itself.

We must not drink from the springs of profanity and cynicism, of despair and degradation, of hate and prejudice, of lust and self-absorption. These are poison springs.

The invitation of Jesus must never leave our minds:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

All my springs are in You.

Scriptures:
Psalm 87 NKJV
His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.'” And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there. “Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”
John 4:13-14 NIV
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:37-41 NIV
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Christ.”
Revelation 21:6-8 NIV
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Psalm 84:5-7 NIV
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, (sorrow, weeping) they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am thirsty! It seems I must drink from the Spring of Living Water again today. I have tasted the bitter wine of this world and it left me thirsty still. As You promised, Living Water becomes in me a spring, flowing upward from my spirit to nourish my soul and refresh my physical being. It is a good thing that I cannot tank up on Living Water today and have enough for tomorrow. When I come to the Spring, it is a time of fellowship with You. Thank You, Lord.

Song:
Springs of Living Water
Words and Music: John W. Peterson

1. I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame,
And nothing satisfying there I found;
But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came,
Where springs of living water did abound.

Refrain:
Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I, My soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply!

2. How sweet the living water from the hills of God,
It makes me glad and happy all the way;
Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I’ve trod,
I’m shouting “Hallelujah” ev’ry day.

Refrain
3. O sinner, won’t you come today to Calvary?
A fountain there is flowing deep and wide;
The Savior now invites you to the water free,
Where thirsting spirits can be satisfied.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 17, 2017 “Evermore”

Evermore

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

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

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

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

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

Shakespeare got it wrong:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

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

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 15, 2017 “Study”

Study

It is really quite simple: a real student really studies.
For twelve years or so each American is more or less forced to be a student. However each student retains the option to study or not to study. Many of us studied just enough to get by. My own high school scholarship was based on interest: if I was interested in the subject, I studied. My grades testified of this eloquently. I was blessed that in my college and post graduate studies I was interested in everything! My grades testified of this, also.

True study takes motivation.
To study against one’s will is not to really study at all. Such students learn things long enough to pass the test and then they quickly forget most of what they “studied.” Motivation to study springs from interest in something. When this is the case we don’t even think of it study—we are just having fun, learning about something we really want to know about.

Today we have so many study tools to help us learn:

  • books, magazines and the libraries where they are found; the internet and EBooks and
  • documentaries on DVD, and computer programs containing amazing amounts of information.

It is practically true that we can study anything all on our own without ever setting foot in a classroom.

The unknown composer of what we know as Psalm 119 makes this intriguing statement: “Your decrees are my study.” We would have to say that this is an unusual hobby! There is no way to know why the Psalmist is so interested in the Law of the Lord for it to command his interest.

  • Perhaps his job was to prepare and present the music of worship and he wanted to make sure that his songs were full of truth.
  • It could be the composer simply loved the God he worshiped.

Study and Passion
This is more than a vocational, professional study; I see true passion in these words.

  • When he read, he read the Law.
  • When he settled into deep thought, he meditated on the Law.
  • When he met with friends, they discussed the Law.
  • When he walked through life making all the routine decisions that life demanded, he made those decisions based the Law he had studied.

His study of the Law shaped his life.

For us there is a difference between Bible reading and Bible study.

  • Bible reading is a devotional. It is an essential part of daily prayer. We read in several places each day: the Psalms, the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Gospel. We read prayerfully listening for the voice of the Lord in our hearts making application of the Word.
  • Bible study is topical. We research the Scriptures seeking to understand God’s will about a certain topic. Also we can study a certain author or a certain history. This is more than reading, this is compare and contrast, letting scripture interpret scripture. Bible study requires tools that are available today on the computer: commentaries, dictionaries, study Bibles, concordances and other helps. It is not difficult to study the Word of God.

The motivating factor makes the difference.
The Lord can give us the gift of a love for His Word. Like the Psalmist, it can be our study.

  • When we read, we read the Word.
  • When we settle into deep thought, we meditated on the Word.
  • When we meet with friends, we discuss the Word.
  • When we walk through life we make decisions based the Word we have studied.

Through our study of the Word, the Lord shapes our life.

It is really quite simple: a real student really studies.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119: 97-112
Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind. Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study. I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments. I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word. I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way. Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path. I have sworn and am determined to keep your righteous judgments….Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; truly, they are the joy of my heart. I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes for ever and to the end.
Ezra 7:8-10 NIV
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Psalm 119:9-11 NIV
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want this day to count for something so I will begin with a study of Your Word. Throughout this day, I will make my life a laboratory of study as I put Your Word to the test in my thoughts, intentions, and deeds. When this day ends, I will report to You in prayer my findings—Your Word is true and reliable for it stands the laboratory test of daily living; it holds up under close scrutiny, and it continuously reveals truth both old and new. By contrast, I will see the shallow philosophies of this world, the endless circles people without You must run, and the impenetrable darkness the wisdom of this world offers to those who can study nothing else. I will arise and shine for Your Light has come and it covers me. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
More about Jesus
Words: Eliza E, Hewitt 1887; Music: John R. Sweney

1. More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.

Refrain:
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.

2. More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.

Refrain

3. More about Jesus; in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing His voice in every line,
Making each faithful saying mine.

Refrain

4. More about Jesus; on His throne,
Riches in glory all His own;
More of His kingdom’s sure increase;
More of His coming, Prince of Peace.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 11, 2017 “Guile”

Guile

Guile is defined as “the use of clever and usually dishonest methods to achieve something.”
It is an old-fashioned word, but it is a contemporary reality. So many people in this world are simply not to be trusted.

Two psychologists working in the same building rode the elevator together for a few floors before one got off. “Good morning,” said the exiting doctor as the doors closed behind him. The other doctor was heard to say, “Hmmmm. I wonder what he meant by that?”

The Toxic Environment
Living or working in a place where we are sure that what is going on is not really what is going on, we have learned to be untrusting of others.

  • Is their smile and friendly nature an act? –A clever ruse toward some unspoken end?
  • “I wonder what he/she meant by that?” is the subtext of every conversation.
  • Most of the reading done in such an environment is done in between the lines.
  • Plans are really plots.
  • Mumbling is the music in the background and accusing looks fly across the work space like silent arrows.
  • It is not the tasks but the tension that makes work or life so exhausting.

This atmosphere is poison to breathe, staining our lungs and starving our blood of oxygen.

Cleaning up the Atmosphere
What is the Christ-follower to do? Jesus must be able to say of us what He said about Nathaniel when He called him to be a disciple: “This man has no guile in him!”

This is our chance to be a witness, a living, breathing—real—Christ-follower. Jesus said we should just tell the truth: “let your no mean no and your yes mean yes.” Doing this simple thing will set us apart in the toxic space.

  • We will contribute to peace, not war.
  • We will encourage and never discourage.
  • We will turn the other cheek and go the second mile and give more than is required.
  • Above all else we will tell the truth or we will say nothing.
  • Our voices will be known for Gospel not gossip.
  • We will mean what we say and say when we mean.
  • The spaces between the lines of our speech will be empty of subtext.

No one will have to wonder “What we meant by that.”

Guile is a distraction.
Guile breeds darkness—the darkness of fear and trepidation—and waste—wasted time and resources. While we watch our backs, who is minding the store, running the machines, manning the presses and guarding the doors?

It may seem there is little the Christ-follower can do to change such an environment. We need to figure things closer:

  • Survival is an achievement.
  • A sweet spirit is a grace from God.
  • A clear conscious and restful sleep are causes for rejoicing.

We may not change the whole place, but there will be co-workers who turn to us for inspiration, “How do you do it in this place?”

The only answer is one that can change their lives forever.

Psalm 15:1-6; 24
Scriptures:
Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? who may abide upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart. There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor. In his sight the wicked is rejected, but he honors those who fear the Lord. He has sworn to do no wrong and does not take back his word. He does not give his money in hope of gain, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things shall never be overthrown….Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 32:2; 34:12-15; 55:9-11 KJV
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. … for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
John 1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJV
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
1 Peter 2:1-3; 3:8-12 KJV
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious…Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Matthew 5:33-37 NKJV
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want you to see me the way You saw Nathaniel—You were joyful there was no guile found in him! Help me to avoid the trap of guile, of entering in to conversations that are meant for deception, gossip, and malice toward others. Help me be truthful in all dealings with others and wise, knowing when not to answer a damaging question and when not to join in with those whose motives are harmful. Help me be a genuine person in times when it would be easier to be disingenuous. Keep me true, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song:
Keep Me True
Traditional Chorus

Keep me true, Lord Jesus, keep me true.
Keep me true, Lord Jesus, keep me true.
There’s a race that I must run.
There are vict’ries to be won.
Every hour by Thy power, keep me true.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 9, 2017 “Anointed”

Anointed

The words of the Poet are, beyond all doubt, true.

“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed…”

But what about…? You may ask and rightfully so. What about the times when the wicked win, the ungodly are unconquered, the devious defeat the righteous? How can these facts exist on the record of history and the proposition of victory to the Lord’s anointed also be true?

It is simple. The game isn’t over.
The battle is still raging. The truth will eventually come out. For the Christ-follower, to obey the Lord is victory, regardless of the immediate outcome of that obedience. We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

To follow Jesus is to be on the path of victory,

  • in spite of deep valleys of the shadow
  •  or treacherous mountain steeps,
  • or searing heat,
  • or pounding waves,
  • or shifting winds.

These discomforts blasts us while they last but we keep

  • walking,
  • climbing,
  • hydrating our bodies,
  • sailing or
  • flying and

we get through the tests.

Why? Because we are His anointed.
How? Through the power of His anointing.

The Anointing is God’s choice and it is the flow of God’s power.

  • In the Old Testament people and objects were set apart for God’s exclusive use by anointing them with oil especially prepared for that purpose. The Hebrew word means “to anoint, to consecrate.”
  • In the New Testament, the Greek word is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

We are the Lord’s anointed—all of us not just the preachers and singers! We have all been set apart by the Lord for His purposes. We have all been empowered by His Spirit to serve Him in His power, not in our own.

So this word is for us—“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed!”

All set backs are temporary. All acts of obedience are battles won. The story isn’t over. Though the battles still rage, the outcome of the war is not in doubt.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

Scriptures:
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, the Name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you help from his holy place and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice; Grant you your heart’s desire and prosper all your plans. We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; may the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand. Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall down, but we will arise and stand upright. O Lord, give victory to the king and answer us when we call.
1 John 2:20-21 NIV
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
Isaiah 10:27 KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Psalm 105:15 NIV
“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
Psalm 28:7-9 NKJV
The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Share Your victory with me today. You have chosen me—anointed me—for the work I am doing. I know that I am not left to my own power and strength to do this work. The powerful Holy Spirit abides with in, this too, is my anointing. Let Your power flow through me today. May my life bud like Aaron’s Rod! May my shadow fall as a blessing on those who pass by me today, like the shadow of Peter. Anoint my words with wisdom, my hands with strength, and my mind with clarity. I am chosen and empowered today—anointed! Thank You, Lord.

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 conqu’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 conqu’ror’s tread,
By faith I see 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 said,
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

3. Daniel prayed unto the Lord thrice each day,
Then unto 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

4. Often with the carnal mind I was tried,
Asking for deliverance oft I cried,
Trusting in the Lord, I reckoned I was dead,
By faith I 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, July

July 6, 2017 “How?”

How?

We all know this move.
There is a two-hand gesture, a dropped jaw and the “o” vowel formed with the lips that go with the question, “How?” This little piece of improvised human choreography accompanies the sudden need for a solution.

  • Some impossible task is demanded;
  • some totally new job must be done;
  • some inexplicable event has just unfolded before wide-open eyes and mouth and both palms outstretch to the sky, “How?”

This is usually followed by an oath, “—in the name of _________ how can we____________?”
Documentary evidence of this gesture and petition achieving anything at all is more than sketchy.

Truth be told, adults can suffer from over-stimulation as much as children.
We need solutions, too. We are often presented with new problems, challenges, and worst of all new unspoken expectations.

  • Bosses tend to send work to those who can get the job done.
  • They send problems to those who are good at finding solutions and
  • they assign puzzles that no one solve to the those who can unravel confusion and make the necessary connections.

In the process, the “chosen ones” feel like spreading their hands to heaven and asking, “How?”

For those who ask in faith—God has answers. When you are on speaking terms with the One who knows everything, you can get answers to your questions.

The poet poses this question: “How shall a young man cleanse his way?”
A commendable question to be sure. I want to meet young men like this one. They are swimming upstream in this generation and have earned my respect. I prefer these to those who seem to want to know how to pleasure their way through life, not cleanse it.

Whether in the ancient days of the Psalmist or in this post-modern age, the answer is the same:

“By keeping to Your words.”

The Bible it is unique among ancient books—it is up to this moment in truth. These are words here not only to be heard and read but to be kept.

The New Testament makes the most astounding claim—“We have the mind of Christ.”
We don’t have all of it but we have all we need. Not only the “How’s” but the “Why’s” are covered in the Book. God has communicated His heart to us in words, in saving deeds, and in human form by sending Jesus to show us how, and why to live.

Take the same gesture: palms uplifted to heaven, mouth and eyes open to all praise and possibilities and use a different word, no longer a question, “How?” but a confession of worship, “Hallelujah!”

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:9-16
How shall a young man cleanse his way? By keeping to your words. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commandments. I treasure your promise in my heart, that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; instruct me in your statutes. With my lips will I recite all the judgments of your mouth. I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees than in all manner of riches. I will meditate on your commandments and give attention to your ways. My delight is in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 NIV
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 John 2:3-6; 18-19; 3:16-20; 23-24
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
2 Timothy 1:12 KJV
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so glad that Your know how. No what is demanded of me today, the answer is in Your great mind. Give patience, concentration, insight, so that I might be a problem solver today. You know “how” and I ask You to show me “how.” Of course, if it takes more than today, help me keep listening tonight and tomorrow add in the days to come. Use the dreams of my sleep to speak to me. You have placed me in this position, help me prosper in it by showing me “how.” My hands are lifted to You in faith and my mouth is open and filled with praise. To God Be the Glory! Amen.

Song:
I Know Whom I Have Believed
Words: Daniel W. Whittle; Music: James McGranahan

1.I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain:
But “I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day.”

2. I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

3. I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

4. I know not what of good or ill May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days, Before His face I see.

Refrain

5. I know not when my Lord may come, At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him, Or meet Him in the air.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer
For more on Pride: “The Invisible Mountain”

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 1, 2017 “Poison”

Poison

In an outstanding gift of mercy, God supplied rattlesnakes with rattles.
They warn before they strike. It is like an audio warning label—POISON!

Thank You, Jesus!

If life were a kitchen or a garage, all the containers with poison in them would be clearly marked. No one would accidentally die by poison.

Life isn’t a kitchen or a garage. It is an open field, a running game, a moveable feast, the “oldest established, permanent, floating craps game in New York” (from “Guys and Dolls) and everywhere else. The containers in our kitchens and garages have few warnings—the poisons are hidden among the blessings. How can we identify them without having to taste each one?

The playing fields in the Game of Life are infested with rattlers.
It is rumored that some snakes are helpful but most of us shiver at the sight of any snake, unwilling to make the close examination of the shape of the head and the eyes. Snakes depend on stealth, hiding in weeds and tall grasses, drain pipes and holes in the ground before they strike their chosen victims with serpentine lightning. Punctured and poisoned, the small victims of the poisonous snakes face the destiny of a long digestion.

The Poet compared his enemies with poisonous snakes:

“They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder’s poison is under their lips.”

We need to be as wise in our day as the poet was in his.

Avoiding Snakes and Poisons
Woods are made to be walked in and fields were made to be stood in so we can let our souls breathe air that isn’t sooty. Yet these wonderful places are habitats for snakes—poisons lurk unseen just off the path or in the tall grasses.

Avoiding snakes involves constant awareness—keeping a watchful eye on every step and on the way ahead, and a weapon at the ready. (My dad loved to hunt and fish. I am the proud owner of the 5-shot .22 revolver that was his “snake gun.”) How do we affect this constant awareness?

  • Daily time with God—prayer and Bible reading—is constant awareness, warning us of paths not to take and dangerous places not to go where there are sure to be dangerous snakes.
  • The choice and ready weapon of the Word of God causes poisonous things to light up like radioactive materials in 1950s Sci-Fi movies. The name of Jesus on our lips protects us from the corruption of Satan’s poisons.

Avoiding poisons involves:

  • Constant awareness of sources—keeping a watchful eye on every communication we encounter. Every container (entertainment, art, news, publications) has a source. With the fresh taste of the Waters of Life in our mouths, we can smell the polluted streams when our paths come upon them.
  • Constant consumption of the “Good Things” is a necessity. If we go about hungry or thirsty, these needs become drives that take control. We become vulnerable to the temptation to taste the pretty poisons on any shelf we find. If we go into the world full of good things from God’s supply, our lives are not driven by hunger, but are led by the Spirit.

We can enjoy the fields, the woods, the garage and the kitchen because the Word and Presence of Jesus protects us there. Since there are no labels, let us be constantly aware of the sources that produce the poisons hidden among the blessings.

In an outstanding gift of mercy, God supplied people with His Word, “Wonderful words of life,” and with common sense.

Thank You, Jesus!

Scriptures:
Psalm 140
Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, Who devise evil in their hearts and stir up strife all day long. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder’s poison is under their lips. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who are determined to trip me up. … I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor and render justice to the needy. Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, and the upright shall continue in your sight.
Gen 3:1-5 NKJV
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Mark 16:15-18 NIV
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Acts 28:1-4 NIV
Once safely on shore… Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. …But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
2 Peter 2:1-3;18-21 NKJV
… there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. … For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I love walking in the woods or on an old road by well mowed fields. But I do so with an eye for snakes and an ear tuned to the sound of a rattle by the road. Give me a like caution as I walk through this life. I know that the snake that slithered in the Garden of Eden is still at work, stealthily stalking each believer. I will not fear him but I will be wary of him. The delights of this world shimmer on every shelf around me; so many of them are poison. I feast on Your Word today. I will drink deeply from the Waters of Life so that I am no hungry or thirsty on my walk. I will be safe in the market place, on the road and in the field because I will be full of good things from You. Amen.

Song:
Wonderful Words of Life
Words and Music: Philip P, Bliss

1. Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.
Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty;
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.

2. Christ, the blessed One gives to all wonderful words of life;
Sinner list to the loving call, wonderful words of life;
All so freely given, Wooing us to heaven;
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.

3. Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever;
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer
For an article on dealing with deceptive people: “Handling Snakes with Safety”

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

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 26, 2017 “Fanfare”

Fanfare

As a band and orchestra conductor and arranger, I have to admit I love fanfares.
As a clarinet player I must confess I envy the role my brass-playing friends get to play in these short and to-the-point compositions. Usually all the rest of us get to do is play trills and chord tones.

A fanfare is a short, loud, brassy piece of music designed to get the attention of people who are not listening. Fanfares are used to call people to attention to something about to happen or to someone who is about to make an entrance.

Most people know there is song that must be played when the President of the United States enters a room, “Hail to the Chief.” How many also know the introduction to this piece is a fanfare called “Ruffles and Flourishes?” The fanfare announces the approach so that people can stand for the song.

The fanfare is not a modern invention.
It is an ancient practice for brass instruments and their ancient forerunners, ram’s horns, to be used to call people together for important information. It is easy to see how the development of instruments and the use of instrumental music progresses through the Old Testament. Famously, Psalm 150, which might be called the last word on worship from the Old Covenant, commands that the entire orchestra be employed in the praise of God. By the time of Jesus brass instruments which were capable of a more controlled sound were in common use in worship.

Listen for the fanfares!
I realize this may be of little interest to non-musicians so let me get to the spiritual point. As we rush through life randomly selecting what to listen to and what to ignore, we need to listen for the fanfares God sends our way.

It may be a sunset or a sunrise, or a cloud formation, or a rainbow. It may be the fragment of a song from long ago or a phrase someone uses that sounds like someone we love and miss. It may be the thunder that announces the approaching storm. It may be the sound of the surf before we get to the beach. It could be our loved one’s car turning into the driveway.

On the Lord’s Day it is the Call to Worship.

There are so many beautiful, promising fanfares in life announcing so many important events and the entrance of so many important people.

Soon a certain trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first and we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them and so shall we ever be with the Lord!

That is a fanfare and an entrance I don’t want to miss!

Scriptures:
Psalm 33:1-3
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; it is good for the just to sing praises. Praise the Lord with the harp; play to him upon the psaltery and lyre. Sing for him a new song; sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.
Exodus 19:18-20 NIV
Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
2 Chronicles 5:12-14 NIV
All the Levites who were musicians …stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 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.
Psalm 150 NIV
Praise the LORD .Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NIV
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I will listen closely today to the sounds around me. I know I will hear some kind of fanfare—a signal from You to pay close attention to something You want to say. I look forward to these surprises for they will lead me deeper into Your heart. And, Lord Jesus, today might just be the day when the heavens will vibrate with the sound of the Great Trumpet call! I will see You and join You in the air, forever changed! I’m listening, Lord! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song:
In the Twinkling of an Eye
Words: Fanny J. Crosby; Music: William J. Kirkpatrick

1. When the trump of the great arch angel
its mighty tones shall sound,
And the end of the age proclaiming,
Shall pierce the depths profound;
When the Son of Man shall come in His glory,
to take His saints on high,
What a shouting in the skies from the multitudes shall rise,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain:
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.
The trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised.
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

2. When He comes in the clouds descending,
and those who loved Him here,
From their graves shall awake and praise Him
with joy and not with fear;
When the body and the soul are united,
and clothed no more to die,
What a shouting there will be when each other’s face we see,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain

3. O the seed that was sown in weakness
shall then be raised in power,
And the songs of the blood-bought millions
shall hail that blissful hour;
When we gather safely home in the morning
and night’s dark shadows fly,
What a shouting on that shore when we meet to part no more,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved