pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 6, 2017: “Recorded”

Recorded

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How can this be?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 4, 2017

Commands

Commands are great—if they are for someone else—dogs, students, soldiers.
The ability to give commands involves a commander and an individual who has surrendered his/her rights. Not the kind of thing for which most of us would volunteer. The one being commanded is at the mercy of the commander. If the commander is skillful and caring, the commands given will be wise and beneficial. If the commander is incompetent and cruel the commands given could be deadly:

  • Abusing the dog,
  • Confusing the students, and
  • Using up the soldiers.

In the Viet Nam era some young men of draft age fled to Canada to escape the loss of freedom that would subject them to a military system of command. Others submitted to the draft and then to the service, surrendering their freedom and doing as they were commanded. In this way they followed the example of their WWII fathers who set their rights aside to secure ours. They did as they were commanded and saved the world.

Starting at Mt. Sinai
This remarkable record of sacrifice of rights for the good of the community goes back to the foothills of Mt. Sinai. The Kingdom of God under the Law of Moses was expressed in commands. Ten of them summed up the morality and spirituality of the People of God. These were not guidelines or suggestions. They were the commands of One who had the authority to give them and to expect obedience. Moses was the leader of the people, but Jehovah God was the Commander.

  • The people were not like dogs, responding by instinct learned in repetitive drills. They were the beloved creations of a Commander who understood the chaos in the world where laws were of the moment and were the province of men whose moments indeed were fleeting.
  • They were not school children whose job it was to sit down and shut up while the teacher droned and drilled the lessons of the day. They were adult family members who were meant to partner with God to subdue and sustain a land flowing milk and honey.
  • They were not nameless pawns of war, so much fodder for the hungry animals of battle. There were battles to fight, enemies to rout, and strongholds to bring down but the fighting would be done in name of the Lord and in the power of His might.

The songwriters of the day often expressed love for the commands of God, and not just the Big Ten—but all of them. This love for Law may be difficult for us to understand. In their best moments the psalmists remembered what God had done:

  • He delivered them from Egypt.
  • At His command the Red Sea split open for them to walk through.
  • They had food that fell from the sky and water sweetened by a tree or spilling from a rock.

Impressive! Their God had the right to issue commands. His love for them formed the context for their obedience to the Law.

A New Context
Now we follow the same God with a New Covenant. If the commands begin to chafe a little or we find ourselves longing to taste a few of the world’s delights, let us remember what God has done:

  • Choosing a manger over a heavenly throne,
  • An example of the faithful, faith-filled life,
  • A cross and an empty tomb,
  • Sins forgiven and cast away, and
  • An Abiding Spirit who gives us the victory.

Jesus has won the right of command. God, give us the sense to obey.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:97-120
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. … The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. … I stand in awe of your laws.
2 Timothy 2:1-5 NIV
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer.
John 14:21; 15:10-15 NIV
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” …If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
1 John 5:2-5 NIV
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my commander! You have every right to send me on any mission You choose for me. It is my extreme privilege to obey Your commands. As I obey You, I will remain in Your love. How foolish it would be for ne to walk away from Your love! Help me know today that Your love is the context in which you command me. You see what is ahead; I cannot. Your formed me in the secret place of my mother’s womb with a plan in mind for me. Lord, I will follow You. Your commands and Your love are enough for me today. Amen.

Song:
Trust and Obey
Words: John H. Sammis; Music: Daniel B. Turner

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Refrain

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

Refrain

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 29, 2017

Collecting

To be human is to be a collector. 
We just seem to accumulate things.  Collections range from a garage filled with so much stuff you could never park a car there, to carefully indexed and displayed collections of books, paintings, model cars, guns, recordings, films, etc.   People collect things.  Some of us find it difficult to let go of the past and those boxes of random objects in the garage are all that’s left of it in the physical world.  Others of us have become so fascinated by an object that we can’t seem to get enough of them.

On days of rest and recreation, our collections call to us. 
A casual trip to the garage reminds us of all the boxes we need to go through so we quickly get back in the house.  For those intentional collections, the possible ways to enjoy them are many:

  • We can just look at them, appreciating their value and meaning.
  • We can look for more of them online or out in the market place.
  • We can choose one or more of them to play with.
  • We can catch up on the indexing and cataloging for it seems we are always behind on that.

As a Christ-follower we also accumulate valuables:

  • Moments with the Master, times of presence and power filed neatly away in our hearts for times when we need to remember,
  • Truths eternal, packed into certain words and into the many names of God for times when enemies or errors confront us,
  • People we love and who love us in return, gifts of grace from God’s own hand for times when we need a human touch or a word from a friend, and
  • Blessings all around us, far outnumbering the things we still need, for every moment of every day, the provision of Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Provides.

The treasures we have accumulated speak peace to us, bring a smile to our face, relax the tension in the back of our neck, and give us pause in that wonderful gap between the work of the week and the worship of the Lord’s Day.

Follow your interests.
Collect wonderful things that fascinate you.  If God made them, they were made for you to enjoy.  If human beings made them and they are honorable, those artists and craftsmen have created from the image of God in them.  That same image in you responds to their work and it is a good thing.

We must also look deeper than our various collections of things to the astounding accumulation of grace stored in our hearts, indexed in our minds, and available to our spirits.  They are kept in heaven’s secure vaults where there are no moths, no decay, no thieves, and where nothing is ever lost.

To be human is to be a collector.

Scriptures:
Luke 12:32-33
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 13:52
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Colossians 2:2-7
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.  For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Romans 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”   “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”   For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Ephesians 1:18-19
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I love the Bible, that shinning collection of stories and words of wisdom and unbelievable poems and essays that brings You to me. I love the massive collection of worship songs Your people have written and sung through the ages, going all the way back to King David. I see Your Church as a collection of narratives, stories of grace so amazing and I see beyond their stories to the people in Your collection, people You have called out of darkness into Your marvelous light. I consider my own story, a narrative of Divine intervention, of miracles of miles and inches, of moments of astounding grace and most of all, the people in my life, good people and true. When I count my collection of blessings, there is no ending to them. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Song:
Count Your Blessings
Words: Johnson Oatman; Music: E.O. Excell

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Refrain

3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

4. So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 20, 2017

Repentance

He sits there shivering in his sin-cloak.
He is covered by these rags but they are no shield against the cold. Alone, so alone. He hears no music to entertain him. No colors or shapes distract his abused mind. On the other side of the room a cheap lamp is on the verge of exhaustion. The only voice he hears is that of the Accuser rehearsing his guilt, reading the charges against him over and over until the din of this silent indictment envelopes him completely.

The only movie playing in his mind unfolds scene after scene, sequence after sequence of sin after sin:

  • his own words and deeds—profanities cloaked in humor,
  • his passions parading as aesthetics,
  • his hate and prejudice crammed deep into his heart, remaining unspoken,
  • his selfishness—the wolf dressed like a lamb—masquerading as service, and
  • his greed giving no space to charity.

Something somebody said has plunged him into this depressing study, this contemplation of his past. Desperately he tries to turn his thinking in a different direction—the future! It is there, waiting and full of promises. Things could be different tomorrow. He could be different. Past is not necessarily prologue. Change is possible—isn’t it?

Try as he will, thoughts of the past spread outside the lines of the future he was trying to paint. Now, in addition to the guilt that assaulted him before, his thoughts throw open a window to the freezing winds of failed attempts at personal reformation. Like a year filled with Januaries, his life is littered with broken resolutions, frozen in failure.

Shaking, he tries his best to close that window and lock out that frigid blast of guilt but it will not close.

Someone, somewhere is praying for him, calling his name out to a listening Savior.

An old children’s song comes to mind: “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” This simple song of memory begins to muffle the noise of the Accuser’s recording. The Bible! He searches his mind for things he had once known. The Holy Spirit is there to help him remember fragments—but in this dark room fragments are mighty things:

  • “For God so love the world…”
  • “The wages of sin…the gift of God…”
  • “If we confess our sins…”

With a faith he barely knew was there, he starts turning each accusation of guilt into a prayer of repentance. Through the open window a grace-breeze clears the room and the chamber begins to warm. The nearly useless lamp seems to surge in light just as a long unused smile dances lightly on his lips.

Suddenly he can breathe again, and not just the newly clean air in the room but a different oxygen that flies straight to his spirit. He breathes more deeply than he can ever remember breathing. He needs the air for he is now singing, his spirit draped in shining white robes: “Jesus loves me this I know!

Scriptures:
Psalm 51 NIV
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Mark 1:14-15 NIV
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
1 John 1:9-10 NKJV
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us
Romans 10:8-11 NIV
“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

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

Song:
Jesus, I Come to Thee
Words and Music: William T. Sleeper

1.Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus I come, Jesus I come;
Into thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

2.Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

3.Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 19, 2017

Perfection

We have a love-hate relationship with perfection.

  • The image of God in us longs for perfection, seeking symmetry in all things, seen and unseen, awestruck when we find it and perplexed when we expect it and don’t get it.
  • The fallen humanity part of us suspects the whole business of perfection, thinking it impossible in the first place and an illusion in the final analysis, a shimmering mirage of no material substance and no real use.

Despite our suspicions, we demonstrate a constant search for perfection. We want to

  • look at perfect faces,
  • hear the perfect music,
  • experience the ideal of any concept,
  • enjoy mutually fulfilling relationships all around, and
  • “Chamber of Commerce” weather every day.

Despite our expectations, we take what we can get from life and perfection is seldom in the hand we are dealt.

A Battle for Dominance
These two things, the inborn need and the acquired realistic outlook, battle for dominance in our thinking. In some things we accept the imperfect as the reality we can do nothing about. We pray with the alcoholic, “Lord help me accept the things I cannot change…” This is wise and it is the path of peace.

But it can be an uneasy peace, far from perfect. The unpleasant, unchanged things in life do not go away just because we are at peace with them. The deep conviction, born in the clay of Eden when God fashioned Adam and Eve by hand and breathed into them the breath of life, will sometimes fail to accept the imperfect. Something must be done, flaws identified, solutions found, and corrections made. There is a standard of excellence and a vision of perfection that form the true measure of greatness.

The Life of Adventure
A life crammed packed with the mediocre and mundane may be an efficient and peaceful one but we know there is more to life than comfort and predictability.

  • There is adventure and discovery and creativity and, dare I say it, perfection “out there” waiting for someone to make the journey and, “in here” waiting for someone to dig it out.
  • As we long for perfection, we cannot bear the perfectionist, the one who is never pleased, even with excellence. This one is a different kind of bore and an imperfect companion.

So where can we turn to slake our thirst for perfection?

The Psalmist gives us the obvious answer: Only God is perfect.

“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”

Divine perfection is beyond our understanding and stubbornly refuses to yield to our logic. God’s perfect ways are “past finding out;” case closed. But the perfections we can see: stars and sky, sun and sea, mountain and mole hill,satisfy us and leave us speechless except for that angelic confession—“Holy, holy, holy.”

With this revelation of perfection, excited hearts can rest, inquiring minds can fall silent, and the spirit within each of us can find its home.

Scriptures:
Psalm 50:1 NIV
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Deuteronomy 32:3-4 NIV
I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Psalm 18:30-32 NIV
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
James 1:17 NIV
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Isaiah 26:3 NIV
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Romans 11:33; Isa 55:8-9 NKJV
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 6:3-4 Rev 4:8;
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, only in You does my soul come to rest. You are the end of all my quests, the answer to all my questions, the object of my artistic eye. Though centuries of sin have marred Your creation, I can see the perfection of “in the beginning.” Lord, once in a while You help me bring something new into this world. While my work is far from perfect, there is sometimes a glimmer or Your perfection there. After all, You made me in Your image. You put creativity in me as well as this deep appreciation of perfection. Help me take joy in my work but to always look to You for perfection—“Holy, holy, holy!” Amen.

Song:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Words: Reginald Heber, 1826; 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, blessèd 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,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall 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, blessèd Trinity!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 18, 2017

Redeemed

The opposite of redeemed is ruined.
For a creature that was designed to exist in a state of being “a little lower than the angels,” we have made an amazing mess of things. We can’t plead innocence, saying we didn’t ruin things; it was Adam and Eve. That is technically true but it is no acquittal. It is not even a verdict of “not guilty.” We come into this world filled with the potential for ruination which is quickly set in motion.

The home, intended as a safe haven, has been invaded by media and malice, anger and abuse, hunger and hatred, neglect and negativity and has for too many children become a danger zone. Even in the best of homes, children have to be taught to be truthful, unselfish, considerate, respectful, and thoughtful of others. These things do not come naturally to us. As Oscar Hammerstein said of prejudice in the musical play, “South Pacific,” these things have to be carefully taught.

A Slow Ruination
Though Adam and Eve were created whole, they failed to live in obedience to God, tempted by the one tree of which they must not partake. That tiny harvest of forbidden fruit ruined them. Like them, each child comes into this world with a clean slate, a record free from accounts of evils done. At some point, the child will find his or her one tree that is forbidden and with full knowledge that it is wrong, pluck its sweet fruit and consume it. From this point the ledger will begin to fill with deeds and attitudes right and wrong, good and bad. In supreme irony, as the child grows in stature and intellect, the list of sins grows as well—a slow ruination at work in the background of a fast-developing life.

Other, more blessed processes are also in motion.

  • Prayers from parents, relatives, pastors, and other Christian friends are at work.
  • The Holy Spirit is on the scene speaking to the child in quiet, surprising moments.
  • Christian music is on in the car and in the home—the words of the godly poets flying like arrows to the heart of the child.
  • Pastors and teachers get the child’s attention and tell them things the world will never tell them. They embrace each child and become the arms of Christ to them. They listen to the children and show them that God is there and He is concerned.

At some point many  who have been ruined will be redeemed.
When the work of the Spirit and the fallen nature of the child are both at work, they are on a collision course.

  • That collision may occur in a Sunday School room as it did for me at age five. It may happen during a worship service or in the quietness of a child’s room just before going to sleep.
  • Some children may live to be adults before the prayers of the saints, the words of the witnesses, and the pursuit of the Spirit collides with their ruination.
  • The result is the same—redemption. Sadly, many will never reach that moment.

The Verdict Is Innocent
Jesus came to redeem us, to clear our record of wrong and restore us a new verdict before God. The verdict goes beyond “not guilty” to “innocent.” How can this be? It is because to be redeemed is to not only be restored from ruination, but it is to stand before God as if we had never sinned. It is the sentence pronounced at the end of the Creation Week—“Good. Very Good.”

Scriptures:
Psalm 107:1-32 NIV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this — those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. …Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
Colossians 2:13-15 NIV
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross
Ephesians 1:3-9 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ… In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the prayers of saints I have yet to meet who prayed my forbears and me into Your presence. Thank for the divine encounter I had with You as a child—knowing Your presence has been the central reality of my life. Thank You for my parents, pastors, teachers, and friends who instructed me with words and by example in the ways that would please You. Thank You, Lord for saving me from ruin and giving me, instead, a wonderful, on-going redemption.

Song of Testimony:
Redeemed
Words: Fanny Crosby; Music William J. Kirkpatrick

1. Redeemed—how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.

Refrain:
Redeemed! Redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed! Redeemed! His child and forever I am.

2. Redeemed and so happy in Jesus, no language my rapture can tell;
I know that the Light of His presence with me doth continually dwell.

Refrain

3. I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long;
I sing for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song.

Refrain

4. I know I shall see in His beauty the King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps and giveth me songs in the night.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 14, 2017

 

Generations

The Inevitable Effects of Time
The passage of time is, for individuals, a slow and certain devastation. For creation the passage of time is a constant renewal. What makes the difference?

Generations.

Each of us walks the earth for a brief time and then we are gone. We leave footprints and finger prints in the form of the works we have done and the people we have touched. This second generation of prints will also fade and be replaced by those of the next generation. In this way, we live our lives and the world is replenished.

Two Life Spirals
This is the plan of God—a productive spiral of sowing and reaping: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

But we also see the fall of man—the entrance and effect of sin and rebellion. These evil things corrupt the system, creating a downward spiral: “…when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

It is imperative that we think generationally. No governments of kingdoms or empires have written any laws to countermand the laws of the spirals.

  • The Covenant with God produces life extending to all generations. The righteous ones continue for they are the overcomers in every generation—the Upward Spiral.
  • The Covenant with death produces corruption and violence to the third and fourth generations. These generational iniquities overlap and multiply—the Downward Spiral.
  • The Downward Spiral continues of its own momentum until something stops it.
  • The Upward Spiral is a matter of our obedience to God’s Word and His faithfulness to His Covenant.

The most important things must be hand delivered.
In this technological world we must realize that some things must be hand delivered from one generation to the next. These are the personal things, the real treasures of life—spirituality, creativity, craftsmanship, morality, faith, hope, and love.

We must worship together, pray together, serve together—BE together! The culture calls upon us to divide in order to transfer our faith. To divide is the first step toward being conquered.

Let us connect across generational lines. Let us allow our mutual love for Jesus bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.

The Upward Spiral is there waiting for us.

Scriptures:
Exodus 20:5-6 NKJV
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
James 1: 15; 17-18 NKJV
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
“…when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
2 Peter 1:5-9 NKJV
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:12,14 NKJV
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you know all the generations of life that have brought me to this day. Thank you for forgiving and redeeming my forebears of their sins. Thank you for grandparents whom I have yet to meet who served you sacrificially from their hearts. Their prayers still resonate around Your throne. Their deeds of mercy are recorded in Your book. Thank you for parents whom you rescued from destruction. You healed them and made them strong in Your goodness. Their prayers and deeds are likewise recorded above. These are the generations that produced me. Thank you for those who follow after me. Help me to be faithful in prayer and in good works so the upward spiral of godly living may continue in the generations to come. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Song:
Higher Ground
Words: Johnson Oatman, JR; Music Charles H. Gabrie

1. I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

Refrain

3. I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

Refrain

4. I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till rest I’ve found,
“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 13, 2017

 

Forever

Time is God’s invention.
We cannot understand time. It is linked with existence itself. If something is—then it may not have always been and it may not always exist forever. I’m not sure about eternity—that particular time of “forever.” Will it be a single moment that simply never passes or will it be an endless passage of time that never wears on us? Either way it will be good for those who have heard and responded to the Lord’s call. For others? Not so much.

I lean toward the endless passage of some sort of measure of time because the book of The Revelation describes the worship of heavenly creatures as ceaseless: “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘”Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”’

Locked into Time
There is no doubt that we are locked into time, this thing that God created. We may not know what “day and night” means in heaven, but we are certain of what it means here on earth. It means we will each live a certain number of days and nights and then we will make our exit. For those of us who want to accomplish something in this life, it is a race between our skills and opportunities and the relentless calendar.

We deal with this truth with a number of sayings:

  • Time waits for no one.
  • All we have is today.
  • Tomorrow will take care of itself.
  • Let go of the past.
  • I won’t think about that right now; tomorrow is another day.

These platitudes are of little help to us. They neither speed up the clock nor slow down the calendar. They are also more easily spoken than accomplished.

Where can we go for some “forever” help?

A Timeless Book
The Creator who invented time also speaks to us from a supernatural—a timeless—book. God can speak with authority about forever—he is already there! The Bible tells us that before our personal clock started ticking, the Lord knew who we were and what He had planned for us. Our times are in His gentle hands.

The theme song of the Old Covenant was “For the Lord is good and His love (mercy) endures to all generations.” This is the chosen anthem of the great moments in Old Testament history from the giving of the Law to the dedication of Solomon’s Temple to the army of musicians King Jehoshaphat sent into victorious battle.

This central truth is fulfilled in Jesus.

“The Lord is good!”
We must not entertain theories from the culture which question the character of God saying that if He exists at all He must be either evil or indifferent.

“His mercy endures forever.”
The passage of time so destructive to us, never wears God down. A day will never dawn when His mercies aren’t fresh and new. God is the God of Covenant—binding promises to those in covenant with Him.

Today, just as in Psalm 136, let us make every statement end with a statement of faith—“The Lord is good and His love endures forever!”

Scriptures:
Psalm 90 NKJV
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.  You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night. … The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. …Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 20:21 NIV

  • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
  • 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 raise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.”
  • After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

Revelation 4:8 NIV
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

Prayer:
Psalm 136
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights — His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
…to the One who remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever.
and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. Amen.

Song:
Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand
Words: Jennie Wilson; Music: F.L. Eiland

1 Time is filled with swift transition.
Naught of earth unmoved can stand.
Build your hopes on things eternal.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Refrain:
Hold to His hand, to God’s unchanging hand.
Hold to His hand, to God’s unchanging hand.
Build your hopes on things eternal.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

2 Trust in Him who will not leave you.
Whatsoever years may bring.
If by earthly friends forsaken,
Still more closely to Him cling.

Refrain

3 Covet not this world’s vain riches
That so rapidly decay.
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures.
They will never pass away.

Refrain

4 When your journey is completed,
If to God you have been true,
Fair and bright the home in Glory
Your enraptured soul will view.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 22, 2017

Records

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

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

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

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

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

The indictment?

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

No prayer of Jesus ever went without an answer.

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

In a matter of hours, the record was clear.

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

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

Now, new records are kept in heaven:

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

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

Scriptures:
Psalm 56:1-59:1
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.
They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life. On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations. Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record?
Psalm 130:1-4 NIV
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Colossians 2:13-15
Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Revelation 5:7-8 NIV
He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Prayer:
(Adapted from the Pronouncement of Absolution from the Book of Common Prayer)
Almighty God has mercy on me. He forgives me all my sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. He strengthens me in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keeps me in eternal life. Amen.

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

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

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

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 21, 2017

Youth

Ah Sweet Youth!
Youth–we anticipate it as children, spend it lavishly as young adults, and mourn its loss when we are old. The Path of Life offers a fourth alternative—we can renew our youth in prayer. The Psalmist makes this promise:

Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits…Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Youth is the premium in most cultures of the 21st Century.

  • Age and experience have become career liabilities where once they were advantages.
  • Children play at being young adults.
  • Some adolescents delay adulthood until the last possible moment in a futile attempt to squeeze every ounce of life from the wine-skins of youth.
  • Other teens strain at the leash, doing all they can to prepare for adulthood, their young adulthood.
  • For a brief time lasting just a few decades, training and experience combine with energy and stamina to produce our maximum output as professionals or craftsmen, thieves or robbers, and workers or players of games.

With little warning, youth begins to wane, strength gradually flees, aches and pains replace flexibility and ease and poof!—youth is gone.

Or is it?
At any stage in this process, the Spirit of God can come to rest upon us as we praise and worship the Lord, pouring our hearts out before Him in prayer.

  • Prayer is the green pasture in which He feeds us.
  • Worship is the still water by which He leads us.
  • The Scriptures are the table He has prepared for us in the face of our enemies.
  • In prayer the Lord anoints us with oil, filling us to overflowing with the strength of the Spirit and empowering us to handle the goodness and mercy He sends in pursuit of us each day.

He restores our soul when we spend time with Him—and our youth is renewed like that of the eagle.

The New Testament command is:

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV
…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

This is not a psychological trick. It isn’t mind over matter. It is the Covenantal Promise of God! God knit each of us together in our mother’s womb. He carefully guarded us in our infancy, childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, the prime of our productive lives, the years of declining strength, and all the way through to our translation to His presence beyond this life.

Remember the Eagle!
Along the way, a daily miracle is promised us—the renewal of strength in His presence as we wait on Him. We must not despair over any stage of life; each passage can have a youthful spark, a fresh joy, and a surprising strength.

Scriptures:
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
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.
Psalm 25:4-7
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”-
1 Timothy 4:12-13 NKJV; 2 Timothy 2:22-23 NIV
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you entered into time out of a comfortable eternity. You knew growing pains and a child and you experience the sore muscles of a tradesman after a long day’s work. Human weakness is not a theory to you; it is a memory. Help me today to be young spiritually: excited, enthusiastic, optimistic and ready to enjoy serving you. I’ m not there yet, Lord, so I will wait here in Your presence. I know that the strength of youth will return to me in some measure, this time mixed with experience and faith. I shall run or walk or soar like an eagle as the day demands of me—a living demonstration of Your faithfulness and Your mastery of time itself! Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
They that Wait upon the Lord
Traditional Chorus

They that wait upon shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not be faint.
Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved