pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 18, 2017 “Experience”

Experience

Experience is the final filter in our sifting of life’s meaning.
Like freshly ground coffee beans, experience colors and flavors the life we choose to live.
Tennyson wrote these words in “Ulysses”

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.

We interpret the past, perceive the present and prepare the future by our experience.
Some Christian theologies shun the use of experience to decide what we should expect from God. Experience is too subjective, too subject to personal interpretation—as Peter warns:

“…that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,…”

A Book of Experiences
With these very real dangers in mind, we must admit that the Bible itself is a series of narratives about the experiences people had with God or without Him. These stories link us to the ancient book. They remind of us our own hearts and provide examples of how to please God. Narrative (experience) cannot be dismissed as a dubious source of truth. In the Bible and in our own lives experience is a part of God’s plan, a tool the Spirit uses to “transform” us by “the renewing” of our minds.

Sifting Experience
As my brother used to say, we have to deal with “the things we have done and the things that have been done to us.” These experiences can be doorways into the plan of God for us or barriers to keep us out of His plan.

  • The adult child who was abused or abandoned by a father may have a tough time seeing God as his/her Heavenly Father.
  • The musician trained in the entertainment world may have difficulty being transformed from a performing star into a minister with music.
  • The worshiper who grew up in a formal worship may either fear demonstrative worship or desire it.
  • The worshiper who grew up in free, emotional worship may resist the use of planned liturgy, thinking that anything planned is inherently insincere.
  • The leader whose experience is rooted in manipulative leadership techniques will find servant leadership the greatest challenge of all.

Through faith in God’s Word we can trade our bad experiences for the truth we read, believe and obey.

  • The fatherless adult child can find his/her heavenly Father.
  • The performer can become a minister.
  • Worshipers can grow in the use of worship forms foreign to them and
  • leaders can learn to put down the sword and take up the cross.

A Wise Warning
Wise and wary leaders will warn Christians not to seek experience but seek God and there is a great truth in this warning.

  • We must always seek the Lord Himself, not just His benefits. He is a covenant-keeping God whose promises are dependable. He is not a cosmic vending machine into which we place our prayers and then wait for the answers to fall to the receiving tray.
  • He is Almighty God who deserves to be sought, to be pursued, to be engaged and to be enjoyed in spirit-deep fellowship.

A Warm Challenge
Seek God like the deer pursued by the predator, for that, indeed, is our experience. Interpret the things you do and the things done to you in the light of the Scripture and in the light of God’s call on your life.

  • Listen for His voice in His Word.
  • He speaks through the voices of others, also.
  • He sings to us through His marvelous creation and invites to sing along with a sunset or a rising storm or a gentle rainbow.
  • He warns us through the daily news and through our careful observation of events surrounding us—the experiences of others.

These practices and others like them will open the door the future God has for us and keep it open.

They are the coffee in the filter that makes the morning fresh and flavored with promise.

Scriptures
Psalm 42:1-6 NIV
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 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.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Peter 1:19-21 NKJV
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
1 John 1:1-3 KJV
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, following You is more than following a philosophy—it is an ongoing experience of relationship. Your truth is real and dependable but, more than that, You are standing there with us. Like the ancient prophecies, You are with us! Your touch is real and healing. Your presence is a reality, not a psychological phenomenon. You have changed my life in amazing moments of grace. You have molded my life in steady steps of discipline. I can look forward to more moments of grace and more blessed processes of grace—experiences of growth and maturation. Help me sift the experiences of life to determine what is from You and what is not. Help me cling to Your grace. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Song:
He Touched Me
Words and Music: William J. and Gloria Gaither

1. Shackled by a heavy burden,
‘neath a load of guilt and shame;
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.

Refrain:
He touched me, O, He touched me,
And O, the joy that floods my soul.
Something happened, and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.

2. Since I met this blessed Savior,
Since He cleansed and made me whole;
I will never cease to praise Him,
I’ll shout it while eternity rolls.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 16, 2017 “Substitutes”

Substitutes

A Poor One
In a TV interview, a contemporary film maker revealed that he did not grow up in a religious home. Film was their religion and the movie house was their church. To my mind cinema is a poor substitute for a loving, covenantal relationship with my Creator.

Life is an exchange.
Through no effort of our own we are given life—energy, intelligence, strength—all bundled up in passions, fears, ambitions and deep-seated needs. And, we are given time. None of us knows how much time, but we have a backpack full of memories of yesterday, a toolkit full of skills for today, and a hatful of dreams for tomorrow—if it comes.
Living is the process of exchanging these gifts for the rewards they might bring. “Time is money.” It is true, in a sense, and it is a lie in another sense. It is true in the sense of the exchange—we work by the hour or on commission or on salary, trading our time and skills for a living wage (and hopefully a little more.)

The statement is a lie in its incredible miscalculation. Time is much more than money.

  • It is the relentless retreat of life itself, a strategic withdrawal of our life-force that we cannot stem.
  • It is the diminution of opportunities and the accumulation of results, good or bad.
  • It is the inevitable passing of the planting and the unstoppable reaping and storing of the harvest.

So time can be money or it can be poverty. It all depends on the exchange.

  • Do we seek out the real or the substitute?
  • Do we mine for gold, or settle for fool’s gold?
  • Do we purchase the real diamond or the fake one?
  • Do we choose a sandy beach for the foundation of our lives or find the Solid Rock?
  • Do we choose false religion based on lies instead of worship in spirit and truth?
  • Have we substituted sports or film or music or money or fashion or pleasure for church?

The Jesus Question
Words spoken so long ago to anonymous crowds by an itinerant preacher still stir those who hear or read them today. Questions Jesus asked then, ring in our hearts today. One of them concerns substitutes.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The world offers so many scams, so many bad deals, so many ways to waste our precious lives. The Lord Jesus offers so many promises, so many amazing exchanges of grace for whatever we hold in our hands and hearts, so many ways to plant good seed in words and deeds that will doubtless bring an eternal harvest, even when we sow in tears.

  • Why settle for saccharin when we can have honey?
  • Why settle sell our lives for the paper money of empty promises when pure gold is the option?
  • Why devalue life by equating it with temporal wealth when there are heavenly storehouses to fill where there is no thief to steel, no moth to devour, and no corruption of time?

Jesus offers true life—accept no substitutes.

Matthew 6:19-21; 16:24-28 NIV
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”“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.
Isaiah 60:16-19 NIV
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler. No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Romans 1:21-25 NIV
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen
Revelation 3:16
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the Gospel of Mark promises that those who preach Your gospel are immune to the poison they may accidentally drink and impervious to the venom of any snake that strikes from the shadows. Help me see the poison posing as good food and drink in this culture. Help me avoid the snakes hiding in the deep weeds of iniquity all around me. Help me see the glittering, appetizing substitutes marketed by the sin-saturated society. Lord Jesus, You shine with a true light of brilliance in this darkness. Your Word is true food and drink for my spirit. True Worship is beneficial exercise for my soul. Help me traffic in the genuine rather than the substitute, the real not the theatrical prop. All for You, Lord Jesus, all for You! Amen.

Song:
Wasted Years
Words and Music: Wally Fowler

1. Have you wondered alone on life’s pathway,
Have you lived without love a life of tears,
Have you searched for the gray hidden meaning,
Or is your life filled with long wasted years.

Refrain:
Wasted years wasted years oh how foolish,
As you walk all in darkness and fears,
Turn around, turn around God is calling,
He’s calling you from a life of wasted years.

2. Search for wisdom and seek understanding,
There is someone who knows and always hears,
Give it up, give it up the load you are bearing,
You can’t go on in a life of wasted years.

Refrain

3. Don’t you know Jesus died for all sinners,
He loves you and your guilt he gladly bears,
Come to Him, Come to Him your sin confessing,
You can go on with a life of fruitful years.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 15, 2017 “Encouragement”

Encouragement

Encouragement is one of those things that you have when you give it away.
The way to have it is to keeping giving it. Encouragement is the “cup of cold water” Jesus told us about.

In the opening sequence of Frank Capra’s classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life, two angels discuss the crisis in George Bailey’s life. Clarence, the angel getting the assignment to help George, asks, “Is he sick?” His boss answers, “No, worse, He’s discouraged.”

Discouragement is worse than disease. 
It strikes without a warning cough or sneeze but soon we are unable to breathe. There is no fever but soon we are listless, the fires of our life burning without hope. No one is immune to this disease—we are all susceptible to it and it can spread from one discouraged soul to everyone he/she touches.

In his letters to the church, we see that Paul sought to be an encourager.
Everything any of us will ever attempt for the Lord requires courage. Courage is faith put to work—believe in action; it is theology as behavior. If we are a discouraging presence, we drain from our brothers and sisters the fuel they need for their engines. If we are an encouraging person, others draw energy for their work from the Lord Himself—our source of encouragement. It is not some sick transfer of human will from one person to the next; it is a tapping into the strength of the Lord and the power of His might.

What does discouragement do?

  • Darkness obscures the goal,
  • hides the face of our Savior, and
  • makes us feel alone, misunderstood, and put upon.
  • Discouragement only decorates pity parties.
  • A martyr spirit sours our faces and makes us whine instead of sing.

What does Encouragement do?

  • Encouragement turns the lights back on,
  • reconnects us with others, including Jesus, and
  • makes us smile and sing.
  • We celebrate the coming victory, even when it is a long way off.
  • We are refreshed by a cool cup of living water.

Encouragement comes from relationships with others who share our beliefs. It is more than a shared optimism. It is a shared faith, a hope held in common, and a love that we know will triumph in the end. But we must be more than receivers of encouragement; we must be givers. It is likely that the most encouraging person you know, may be the one who needs most to be encouraged. The person who gives encouragement to others will see it flowing back in strength and joy.

A Discouraged King
In King David’s life a time came when there was no one to encourage him. What did he do? In the King James Version it says “He encouraged Himself.” How can we do that? Through prayer and the Word of God.

We are not really alone.
Jesus is with us—when we read the Word, we open our hearts to His presence, our ears to His voice, and our minds to His vision for us. We all need encouragement so we must all distribute it like cups of cold water to those we meet. As we do, we ourselves drink deeply from the well of living water. When we are encouraged, it really can be a wonderful life!

Scriptures:
Mark 9:41 41
I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-14;2
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you…, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Romans 1:11-12
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Philippians 1:12-14
Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Colossians 2:2-3
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.
1 Samuel 30:6 AMP
David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You know the human condition; You know it well. You laid aside Your heavenly majesty to become someone like us. You were a helpless baby, a dependent child, an adolescent with raging hormones, and a young adult craftsman running a family business. You felt what we feel as human beings. I am sure You were tempted by discouragement. Since this is nor really a sin, perhaps You actually were discouraged. Yet You found the strength to complete Your mission. You found the courage to face Your accusers with deafening silence. Encourage me, Lord to do Your will today! Amen.

Song:
I Know Whom I Have Believed
Composer: Daniel W. Whittle

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

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 14, 2017 “Seeking”

Seeking

If the act of seeking burned calories we would all be thin.
It is something we all do, all or most of the time.

  • When we are weary we seek rest.
  • When we are bored we seek amusement.
  • When we are afraid we seek safety.
  • When we are broke, income is what we seek.

We could go on like this for 500 words but there is no need. I am seeking to make a point.

Seeking the Lord
The Psalmist recommends that, of all the things or people we burn calories seeking, we should also seek the Lord. Seeking God leads to a rejoicing heart. Constantly seeking His face is an unfailing source of strength. What does it mean to seek the Lord, more specifically, to seek His face?

Definitions
The dictionary helps us understand the many meanings of this simple word:

  • “To go in search of” our Creator.
  • “To try to find or discover” the truth about God.
  • “To try to obtain” the attention and care of our Heavenly Father.
  • “ To try or attempt” something with or for the Lord.
  • “To go to” where God is.
  • “To ask for or request” something from the Lord.

All of these meanings of the verb “to seek” are helpful to us as we see why we are so busy seeking.

  • We need God!
  • We need to know the truth about God!
  • We need to pray to Him; that is to spend time with Him and to be cared for by Him.
  • We need to do what He has put us on this earth to do in order to enjoy our lives.
  • We need to live in Him, under the authority of His Kingdom; it is the only safe place to live.
  • We need things that only He can provide

This is the multifaceted quest of human beings everywhere.
Without God, this is our restlessness and our frustration. Seeking God in all the wrong places wears us out.

  • We run from method to madness seeking a framework for living.
  • We are drugged and stupefied by the drone of voices in their monotone songs of pleasure and selfishness and deceitful freedom. The freedom of self-destruction is no freedom at all.
  • We are convinced by our mentors that there are indeed no monsters under our beds and no God to face when we finally wake up.
  • We sign our names on contracts already voided by experience.
  • The face we seek is the one in the mirror.

A Glowing Promise
For the Christ-follower, seeking the Face of God is every day’s business and every night’s comfort. This is no fantasy or myth—this is a glowing promise: if we seek Him we will find Him! We will find Him in His Word as we read and believe, in His presence as we pray and worship, in His will as we obey, and in His church, as we take our place in a family of seekers, like us, who have been found.

Scriptures:
Psalm 105: 1-5
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
Psalm 24:3-6 NKJV
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.
Isaiah 55:6-7 NKJV
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Jeremiah 29:13-14
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I seek Your face; help me bring my whole heart to the task. I read the promises You have made and as I do, my faith builds. I expect to find You! I believe that in my spirit I will see Your face. To behold Your glory is to be changed from glory to glory—this is my heart’s desire. Show me the things in my heart that block my spiritual vision. Show the behaviors in my life that block my spiritual progress. Your Kingdom is the object of my quest. Your righteousness is my desire. I know that You will meet all my needs as my quest continues. I ask You to let lesser things fade in my vision so that, unhindered, I can seek Your face. All for You, Lord Jesus; all for You! Amen.

Song:
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Words and Music: Karen Lafferty

Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness.
And all these things shall be added unto to you;
Allelu, Alleluia.

Man shall not live by bread alone
But by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of God
Allelu Alleluia,

Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Allelu Alleluia

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 13, 2017 “Duty”

Duty

Sometimes hope shines from an empty tomb.
Sometimes it sings in the quiet following a violent storm.  Sometimes hope whispers inside us while the storm still rages outside. Always, hope hardens the will as each day we perform our duty.

Duty is not a thing of sadness, nor is it a thing of parades and marching bands.
Duty is the quiet song of the sparrow in the morning, at noon, and in the late afternoon, as the worthless little brown birds fly joyfully from bush to bush, doing what God made them to do.

  • They don’t get the press that eagles get, high on their perches or soaring almost too high to see.
  • They don’t signal doom like circling buzzards or danger like the watching hawk.
  • They don’t form graceful lines as they fly like geese overland or like pelicans over the sea.
  • They do not make formations that we can discern.
  • They fly close to the ground in short hops, almost falling even as they fly.

Yet, the Lord told us to observe and learn from birds as examples of the Father’s excellent care. Sparrows are the least of these. We are certainly more valuable to God than sparrows!

He does not look for graceful arcs or impressive appearance or stunning skills.  God looks for the one who will do his/her duty, day after day, night after night.  The Lord prizes the one of the humble and contrite spirit who hits the mark and performs the job dependably at each opportunity.

What is our duty?
As His ultimate creation, each person has a duty to honor God.  We honor God

  • Through consistent and faithful prayer,
  • Through constant consumption of the Word of God,
  • Through continuing compassion for others, and
  • By walking through the doors He opens for us and refusing to enter those He closes to us.

Solomon’s Experiment
King Solomon had the resources and the time to conduct a grand experiment to determine the meaning of life.  Like a good researcher, he reported his findings in a thesis called “Ecclesiastes.”

  • When life is lived in vain, Solomon’s observations are bitter and realistic —it is like trying to eat the wind.
  • His conclusion is the hope that strengthens the heart—love God and keep His commands; this is the whole duty of man.

King Jesus lived that life for us.
He did His duty, taking up the cross of God’s love and justice and bearing it to Calvary.  His command to us signals the start of every day and shines like a bright star through every night—take up your cross—your duty—and follow me. That duty may seem small and little noted by others, but it is the brief flight of a sparrow that holds the intense attention of heaven. Each sparrow is an eagle in heaven’s eyes.

We should not underestimate the power of consistent living.  As we live faithfully each day, hope shines from an empty tomb, sings in the quiet following a violent storm, and whispers deep inside us while the storm still rages outside.

Scriptures:
Matthew 6:25-28; 33 RSV
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? …But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
Matthew 16:24-27
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Isaiah 66:1-2
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.”This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Acts 23:1-2
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”
Ecclesiastes 1:12-14; 12:13 AMP
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human]  wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind…All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to do my duty to You today. I will sing Your praise. I will respond to You with worship. I will read Your Word and listen prayerfully as I read. I will perform the tasks You have given me to do today. These things I will do with joy, anticipating Your reward both now and in eternity. Thank You for bearing Your cross of pain so that I can follow You, taking up my cross of joy in serving You. Show me my duty, Lord, make it clear. I will obey. In Your lovely name! Amen.

Song:
Give of Your Best to the Master
Words: Howard B. Groce; Music: Claribel

1. Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example,
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion;
Give Him the best that you have.

Refrain:
Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.

2. Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

Refrain

3. Give of your best to the Master;
Naught else is worthy His love;
He gave Himself for your ransom,
Gave up His glory above.
Laid down His life without murmur,
You from sin’s ruin to save;
Give Him your heart’s adoration;
Give Him the best that you have.

Refrain
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 7, 2017 “Heat”

Heat

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we do unplanned things.
At other times heat accumulates, building and building until we make elaborate plans to escape it. Heat can oppress us or it can surprise us, causing us to do things we carefully plan and things we do not plan at all.

In the winter, when heat is hard to come by, we fondly remember the warm winds of spring and even the hot blasts of summer. When it seems the sun takes more than a day to cross the heavens scorching the earth on its way, we fondly remember the refreshing cold of winter and long for the brisk promise of the cool autumn breeze. We are profoundly ambivalent about heat: we want it when it the weather is cold and we seek shade and shelter from it when the weather is hot.

Heat can also be a blessing. We measure the health of the body by a constant heat of about 98.6 F. Less than that or more than that is a sign of illness. God set the inner thermostat to regulate this body heat. We don’t even have to think about it. When it varies up or down, then we notice it.

Of course each of us has a spiritual thermostat in our heart.
God has given to us the responsibility of setting this spiritual instrument. We can willfully turn down our spiritual temperature or we can deliberately turn it up. When we feel our hearts cooling toward the Lord, we are the ones who have decided to let it happen. Most likely there is never a moment when we choose to let the fire within begin to die. It happens in a series of small choices that seem innocent:

  • Missing a daily prayer and Bible time of devotion,
  • Sleeping in on the Lord’s Day,
  • Avoiding potential conflict with a troubled brother or sister in the Lord,
  • Keeping silent when the conversation turns to the things of the Spirit, or even,
  • Telling a small lie to avoid exposure as spiritual things begin to slip away.

These things are far from innocent. They are deadly.

The inner fire of the Spirit of God within us needs fuel.

  • We stoke the fire with the Word of God and with prayer. A single day without these things reduces our passion for God and His Kingdom.
  • When we gather with brothers and sisters in the House of God to worship each week, the sparks fly! The fires of corporate worship burn bright and hot—cleansing each of us from the junk we have accumulated during the week.
  • When conflicts between spiritual family members are resolved, the discarded anger, envy, and strife are fuel for our inner flames.
  • When we speak up for truth and justice the fire within grows white hot and there is no longer any need to pretend to be spiritual—we are spiritual!

The heat of the moment will prove us true and the heat of the season will serve us well.

Scriptures:
Malachi 3:1-4
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Luke 3:16-17
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
2 Timothy 1:5-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, When I gave my heart to You, Your Spirit took up residence in my heart. Today I need a new baptism of the fire of Your Spirit, a new endowment of spiritual power to serve You in every moment of this day. In the heat of the day, in the cool of the evening, empower me, Lord. When the trials come in the guise of unfair demands or unfaithful people, grant me a cool center in the midst of the flames. Like those Old Testament heroes You walked with in the furnace, the flames will not even scorch my clothes! Moreover, in the process, the heat meant to destroy me will actually be a Refiner’s Fire to purify me. How wonderful that You walk with me every day in the cool of the day or in the fires of circumstance. Let my offering today be made in righteousness. Amen.

Song:
Send the Fire
Words: William Booth; Music: Frederick Booth-Tucker

1. Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Thy blood bought gift today we claim,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

2. God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To make us fit to live or die,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

3. ’Tis fire we want, for fire we plead,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
For strength to ever do the right,
For grace to conquer in the fight,
For power to walk the world in white,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

4. To make our weak hearts strong and brave,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To live a dying world to save,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
O see us on Thy altar lay
Our lives, our all, this very day;
To crown the offering now we pray,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 6, “Growth”

Growth

As a child we never had to think about growth.
It just happened as we ate and played and went to school and played and slept only to wake up to do it all again another day.  The only ones who worried about our growth were our moms and dads, and maybe just our moms.  It seemed like we always grew out of our dress shoes on a Sunday morning or we always had to buy new clothes that were too big at the beginning of the school because our mom knew we would grow into them. When the first baby tooth turned loose it scared us until we found out it was a natural part of growth and that new ones—permanent ones!—would replace them.  Some of us still remember the pains in the calves of our legs at night that our moms called “growing pains.”

In a few years growing up stopped and we were as tall as we were ever going to be.  At precisely that moment, whether we knew it or not, the battle to keep from growing out began.  We will fight against that kind of growth the rest of our lives.

From School to Life
Most of our growing up years involved schooling, first in the basics of communication, numbers, and a fundamental sense of who we were as citizens.  After varying numbers of years we were graduated from the school system never to return.

The learning processes, however, did not stop.  We had to learn how to live and how to make a living.  Some of us kept going to schools that specialized in skills, facts, and concepts to help us become productive members of society.  Our mental growth became our responsibility and we either reaped the rewards for growth or we suffered the consequences of the lack of knowledge and skills that locked us into poverty and dependency on others.

Spiritual Growth
Like so many other physical dimensions of life, there is a spiritual parallel to physical and mental growth.

  • The Bible is clear that we should grow up in the knowledge and skills required to be a productive member of the Kingdom of God.
  • Christian maturity doesn’t happen just because time passes.  It is all too common to find believers in Jesus who are advanced in years but still have not grown up in God.

Christian growth is not automatic or accidental—it is intentional.   We need spiritual food and exercise.

  • The Bible says the Word of God is both baby food and adult food—milk and meat.
  • Jesus said believing in Him at the Table of the Lord was like taking bread and wine for the spirit.
  • Jesus said that doing the will of God was “food” that the disciples knew nothing about.
  • Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would be a well of living water flowing inside of us.

If we regularly partake of the spiritual food and drink of unending life the Lord offers, we will grow.  We will mature and no longer be aged children.  To grow strong demands disciplined, consistent exercise.  Spiritual strength is the same; spiritual disciplines are a sure thing—if we do them we will have unlimited spiritual growth.

More than the Passing of Time
It is time to put away any childish notion that the passing time will make us grow in the Lord.  It just isn’t so.  For the disciplined believer who serves the Lord growth does not have to diminish with the passing of time, we can grow spiritually even as the outward person fades.  One day we will draw a final weak breath of earthly atmosphere and the next breath will be laden with the scent of glory and our growth in spirit will continue for all eternity.

Scriptures:
1 Peter 2:1-3
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Ephesians 4:14-16
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
John 4:32-34
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”  …”My food… is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 6:28-29; 32-36
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent…I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me grow in You today! When this day ends and this allotted sunshine fades, may the evening find me stronger than I am at this moment. May my knowledge of You be deeper and sweeter and may I look back on a day of obedience to Your will. As I rest tonight in the safety of Your grace, may my unconscious mind consolidate the day’s learning into permanent growth. Tomorrow, I will start all over again, but I will be different for today, by Your Spirit, I will have experienced growth! All for You Lord Jesus, all for You! Amen.

Song:
More about Jesus
Words: Eliza E. Hewitt; 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.

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

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

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, September

September 2, 2017 “Serenity”

Serenity

To us the storm of the Sea of Galilee is a metaphor; to the disciples it was a storm.
At the rebuke of Jesus, the waves went flat and the rain, lightning, and thunder ceased and a great calm ensued.

For the disciples there was no serenity in the calm. A different fear gripped Jesus’ followers as they considered the power of the One they were following. For Jesus there was no fear in the storm; He slept in the boat while the storm raged around Him.

That is serenity—peace while the storm does its worst.

The dictionary defines serenity and serene this way:

Serenity – the state or quality of being serene , calm, or tranquil; sereneness.
Serene – calm, peaceful, or tranquil; unruffled:

When you have a day of rest and recreation, may the Lord grant you serenity. May you be calm, peaceful, tranquil and entirely unruffled. The serenity that comes from God is not an illusion—it is a deep reality.

It is a gift of grace but it is not a mystery.
Serenity of the spirit is a choice we make. It is based on the character of the Heavenly Father. His Word is true and He is always true to His Word. The serenity of the worshiper of the Lord Jesus is composed of equal parts faith, confidence, and trust.

  • Faith—we see everything through spiritual eyes; we see beyond the storm of the moment to the serenity of the future.
  • Confidence—we know that with the passing of time we will see the blessing in each storm.
  • Trust—we take a deep spiritual breath and calm ourselves knowing that no storm is more powerful than Jesus and no storm lasts forever.

We believe in the promises of God. 
We know what they are. Our expectations of life spring from our knowledge of the Word of God.

  • We read His Book and commune with the Lord in prayer regularly.
  • We make choices based on the truth of God, the principles of the Kingdom, and the complete mastery of Jesus over all storms, circumstances, and enemy attacks.

We know that just as Jesus rebuked that storm, He will rebuke the storms we face. While we wait for the sea to go flat and the rain, lightning and thunder to cease, we can serenely sleep below decks just as Jesus did.

That is serenity.

Scriptures:
Mark 4:35-41
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Acts 3:19-20
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus
Ephesians 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 37:3-6
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 52:8-9
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Psalm 56:3-4
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?
Isaiah 12:2-3 NKJV
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.'” Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my peace, my serenity. I have anchored my life in Your character. I have informed my mind with Your Word. I have calmed my heart with confessions of the promises You have made. Oh I know the winds will rise against me. The rains will pummel me and seem never to stop. Circumstances will cry out for me to despair that perhaps this time You have forgotten me. But deep in my mind I know better. Your promises have been written there by the Holy Spirit. The rains will stop. The winds will shift and settle down. The noise of the storm will subside. I know that when the storm has done its worst, You will still be standing and I will be safe in You. You are my peace, my serenity. Thank You, Lord Jesus! Amen.

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

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

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions August, Devotions

August 30, 2017 “Fellowship”

Fellowship

Christian spirituality is more than an individual faith, it is a corporate reality as well—a fellowship.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions August, Devotions

August 29, 2017 “Friends”

Friends

Life throws people together.
We didn’t get to choose the people we went to school with or played sports with or made music with.  If we grew up in church, we didn’t choose the people in the nursery or the youth group.  Life threw us all together.

But then a mysterious process began to work its wonders.  Some of those people were more interesting than the others.  They were more fun.  They liked the same things we liked.  We selected them to be our friends.  The process was unquestioned and the need for friends was never challenged.  Somehow we just knew we needed to pare down the group to just a very few who would be our friends.  Hopefully the feeling was mutual and the people we selected also selected us.  If not, hurt feelings and jealousies ensued in the nursery, classroom, or youth group.  Groups of friends lined up against each other and cliques (a polite name for “gangs!) formed.

Of course, we all put this childish behavior away when we became responsible adults.

Of course we did.

Friends organize our lives.
We need for our lives to be organized so that the world that greets us each day seems more manageable.  There are more people in the world, in our town, school or church than we can manage so we find a few people to share our lives with.  This is not sin.

Friendship with Jesus
Jesus Himself sanctified friendship by describing our New Covenant relationship with Him as friendship.

John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Oh, we are still His servants, but we do not serve blindly at a distance, knowing only what we need to know to be useful.  He has called us to His side, to hear His heartbeat, to know His thoughts, and to understand as much as we can of His Kingdom.

Amazing!

Solomon draws the distinction between our friends and everyone else in the world.

Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

His Gift of Friendship
Through the ages of Christianity, believers have claimed Jesus as that friend.  And so, indeed, is He.
Part of His gift of friendship to us is a continuing supply of friends.

Life today tears people apart just as easily as it brings them together.

  • Jobs change.
  • Families stretch from coast to coast and even across oceans.
  • Wrenching separations break our hearts as we leave friends behind or are left behind by them.

Even these processes, so new to the world because of modern travel and communications, are in the hands of our Best Friend Forever—King Jesus!  He has new friends for us in the new place He is sending us.  We keep many of our friends over the years because of those same modern communications though miles separate us and we make new ones wherever we go.  They are waiting there for us in the church.  They need friends, too, and are looking for us.  More than life, God puts people together.

Psalm 68:5-6 NKJV
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the solitary in families.

It is God’s plan for us to cultivate friends, to pare down an unmanageable world to a small set of people who laugh at the same things we laugh at, enjoy the same interests and amusements, and treasure the same values.

Today is a day to be a friend to someone.  Enjoy the blessings of friendship as our greatest Friend looks on and smiles.

Scriptures:
Proverbs 18:24 NKJV
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 27:9
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
John 15:9-17
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there is no end to my amazement that You have chosen us not just to call us friends be to actually count us as such and deal with us as such. And to compound this blessing, You lead us to friends—brothers and sisters—in the church! You do indeed, set the solitary in families. As Your friend, I am made aware by the Spirit of Your concerns; I see things with Your eyes. I want to be worthy of this confidence. I know I can count on You, Lord, and I want You to be able to count on me. When I am weak, You are the Friend who bears me up. When I am strong, You are the Friend who keeps me in check for any pride in my heart is a barrier between us. “Friendship with Jesus!—O what bliss!” Thank You, Lord Jesus, my Friend! Amen.

Song:
Friendship with Jesus
Words: Joseph C. Ludgate; Music: Stephen Foster

1. A friend of Jesus! Oh, what bliss
That one so weak as I
Should ever have a Friend like this
To lead me to the sky!

Refrain:
Friendship with Jesus!
Fellowship divine!
Oh, what blessed, sweet communion!
Jesus is a Friend of mine.

2. A Friend when other friendships cease,
A Friend when others fail,
A Friend who gives me joy and peace,
A Friend when foes assail!

Refrain

3. A Friend when sickness lays me low,
A Friend when death draws near,
A Friend as through the vale I go,
A Friend to help and cheer!

Refrain

4. A Friend when life’s short race is o’er
A Friend when earth is past,
A Friend to meet on Heaven’s shore,
A Friend when home at last!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved