Heavenhigh

Rejoice!

# 9. 2018 Dev. Ps.30:5. Rejoice! Read all of Ps 30. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Ps. 30 is a song of praise for the dedication of the temple but also a time of healing for David. God’s eminence, David’s praise of God and his personal well being are inseparable from God in his life. The Psalm is probably connected to 1Ch.: 21,22, David gathering material for the building of the temple. The Psalm may have been used for the rebuilding of the second temple along with the Psalms of assent (Ps. 120-134).

Verses 1-3 Exalts God and praises Him for deliverance. Verses 4-5 is a call to praise God for his mercy and a call for rejoicing after a time of suffering and mourning. Verses 6-7 Is a discussion of God’s favor and God’s rejection. Verses 8-10 Is a rhetorical discussion of God’s disfavor and a request for mercy. Verses 11-12 Is God’s answer to David’s request; “wailing into dancing, from sackcloth to clothed with joy, singing from silence, praising God forever!”

This Psalm has become personal for my wife and I, cancer for both of us drove us into the depth and placed us in the pit. It looked like the end of life as we knew it but God brought us back from what at the time seemed like the “realm of the dead”. We know illness comes from Satan and when cancer hits it is because God has allowed it but it was hard to get our heads around God’s sovereignty. What it comes down to is faith, God’s plan is a good plan even when it involves cancer. We learned about faith! Our faith grew large! Our dependence on God takes on a new meaning! We thank God that we can say: “Weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning”. God “turned my (our) wailing into dancing…” Thanks be to God!

Do Good!

# 8 2018 Dev. Gal. 6:9-10. Do Good! Read Chapter 6. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Galatians 6: 9-10 ^9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”.

Paul has been admonishing the Galatians for their regression into the legalism of Jewish law. Now he tells us to do good. What kind of freedom is Paul talking about? True, doing good in order to earn salvation is a slavery more intense than the boundaries of Jewish law, one never knows if one have done enough. What Paul is talking about is living free in the power of the Holy Spirit, doing good out of thanksgiving and as our response to God’s salvation.

Paul starts out with the most difficult situation, the falling into sin of a fellow brother or sister. “Restore that person gently”, and know that you also may fall into sin. If churches and individuals would admit that we are all forgiven sinners and listen to Paul we would have a lot more members in churches and many more people in the family of God! Verse 7 says it all and we do well to listen: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows”.

We are to do good to fellow Christians but also to all others. Doing good to people fulfills the law. Love God and love others is the summary of the law, Jesus tells us. We only are able to love to the extent we have received it; the love of Jesus sets the standard for doing good to others. Works aside, what matters is being the new creation we are in Christ, according to Paul. “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule…” Amen!

God’s Peace

# 7. 2018 Dev. Ps. :11. God’s Peace! Read all of Ps 29. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 29:11 “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

Ps. 29 is a hymn/prayer praising the God of creation and is the central theme of this series of Palms 25-33.

Verses 1, 2 is the introduction: “Ascribe to the Lord (attribute to the Lord) you heavenly beings. Later NIV translations, “O mighty ones”. David is calling all of God’s creation to stand in awe of the Lord (Yahweh) of His strength, His glory, His splendor and at His name.

Verses 3-9 is the main body of the Psalm. Here is described the most powerful events in nature attributed to the voice of the Lord. Massive thunderstorms and lightning strikes, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and volcanic action. “And in his temple all cry ‘Glory”. We see these advents as “acts of God” as the conclusion indicates. Yet this raises serous questions.

What about about the damage to the earth, to personal property and death to people, is all that attributed to the voice of God? What about global warming?

We have had an unusual number of devastating storms this year, how do we come to grips with the reality of the damage? These are difficult questions but the answer is simple.

The first thing we must not forget is that God is sovereign, He has complete power and complete control over nature. The second thing we must not forget is that Satan is the one who brings misery to this earth and to people, he is hell bent on destroying what God has created. The third thing we must not forget is that God has control over Satan, he can do nothing without God’s permission. The fourth thing we must not forget is that God’s plans our not our plans, His purposes are not our purposes. Humans are not able to understand God’s ways but we do understand His love as expressed in His voice, the Son of God, Jesus Christ!

Therefore, we are able to understand the conclusion of this Psalm. Verses 10,11 “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” It is by faith that we know that God has a good plan for our lives and peace as He prepares us for service in heaven! Praise be to our Lord God!

“Walk by The Spirit”

# 6. 2018 Dev. Gal.5:16,17 “Walk by The Spirit”! Read verses 13-26. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Galatians 5:16,17 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.”

“The Galatians originated as a part of the great Celtic migration, which invaded Macedon, led by Brennus (278-277BC). But by the time Paul wrote this letter sometime between 48-51 AD Galatia was a province of Rome” (Wikipedia). Though influenced by Greek culture most people here were not Greek or Roman. With this letter Paul moved Christianity out of the influences of Judaism.

We summarize Paul’s intention in this letter:” It is by grace through faith that people are saved and it is by faith alone that they are to live out their new life in the freedom of the Spirit” (NIV). Freedom does not give us a right to live after the flesh and Paul graphically describes what God does not approve. Verses 19-21: sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred and jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, drunkenness, orgies and the like.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Paul tells us that “the entire law is summed up in a single command: “love your neighbor as yourself”. That is the boundary within which we freely live in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit in our earthly living is freedom, for real! Praise God!

A Fortress of Salvation!

# 5. 2018 Dev. Ps 28:8. A Fortress of Salvation! Read all of Ps 28 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 28:8 “The Lord is the strength of his people a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.”

This section of Psalms (25-33) revolve around a central theme: prayer for David’s personal protection, for salvation and for his ability to praise God and he prays that for God’s people. In Ps 28 David begins with praise. Verses 1-2 begins with praise and quickly moves to what some call petition but to me it appears to be supplication. David has no right to God’s mercy, non of us have.

Verses 3-5 begin like a request but it is a commentary on “the wicked” who practice evil deeds, disregard God and live a life style not approved by God. David separates himself from such people as we all should. These verses give us very little hope. When we know the context of David’s life indeed the context of our own lives we realize, as David does that we all are sinners.

The next set of verses, the largest and most important 6-8 gives us hope and faith. Read those verses again! David: ”Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy”. We know this as repentance; acknowledging our short comings, acknowledging our helplessness and praising God for His mercy.

The next 3 verses 7-9 flow from verse 6 and is the faith of David that we share.

He is “my strength and my shield.” We “trust him and he is our help” Our hearts “leap for joy and we sing his praise”. This is a personal faith that we also practice.

But vs 8-9 is the communal faith of God’s people; the communal faith of those who follow Jesus. “The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed (one).” The prayer ends with supplication: save us and bless us, be our shepherd and carry us forever. We hold on to our faith, our communal faith and we pray this prayer for ourselves and for others! Praise God!

Love as Faith!

# 4. 2018 Dev. Gal.5:6 Love as faith! Read verses 1-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Gal. 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

What Paul is concerned about in this section is making clear why Jesus came to earth in the first place. He came to offer us salvation leading to freedom, righteousness, love, and faith.

Jesus tells us why he came in Mt. 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoner and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

“Good news”: the gospel: The poor, those who are spiritually poor, those who do not know how to live a good quality life because they do not know Jesus nor do they know themselves, sometimes bringing on physically poverty but always spiritually poverty. Good news encompasses what is discussed below.

“freedom for the prisoner”: Without Jesus we are prisoners of sin and there is no release. Guilt remains, disruption of our lives remain, the cause of sin often leads to physical incarceration. Jesus forgives sin yet sin remains for now but forgiveness heals and makes us righteous in Christ.

“recover the sight of the blind”: Without Jesus we do not see. This blindness is worse than physical blindness; we have eyes but we do not see. Only in the power of the Spirit of Jesus (God) do we have the eyes to see His salvation offered freely. Seeing and believing!

“to set the oppressed free”: Based on the three issues discussed before this one we have no idea that it is Satan who is oppressing us, indeed denying the existence of Satan and his angels. He does exist but is chained, he only has power if you get close to him in how you live your life.

This is what Paul is teaching the Galatian Christians and what he is teaching us: only faith in Jesus and his love for us described in Jesus’ explanation in Mt. 4: 18-19 is of any value. That is the bottom line, faith is love for Christ and His love for us!

But it raises one question; why is there such a difference among Christians on issues in life; abortion, sexual orientation, Sunday observance and differing life styles and world views? I don’t know how you would answer this question. I feel that sometimes we do not see or refuse to see and/or we are looking through a worldly filter skewing our view. May we all look by the Spirit through the lens of God in his Word and the living Word Jesus Christ! Amen!

The Light of Salvation!

# 3. 2018 Dev. Ps.27:1 The Light of Salvation! Read all of Ps 27. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”

It is obvious that David is in a very dark place. Perhaps because Saul was seeking to kill him, maybe opposition from nations around Israel as he is hiding out. How does this four-thousand-year old prayer speak to us in the here and now?

Verses 1,3 is part of the introduction to the prayer of David. It is a confession of faith, an acknowledgement of His dependence on God.

Verses 4-6 is the second half of the introduction. David wants to be close to God, to dwell in His house, see His grace, seek His face, to be kept safe, to shelter him and to set him on a rock, then he will make music and sacrifice to the Lord.

Verses 7-12 is David’s prayer proper: be merciful to me Lord, I will seek your face, you are my helper you will “not forsake me, God my Savior, teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path.” Do not allow evil to overtake me.

Verses 13-14 is the conclusion to David’s prayer. He is confident to see the Lord’s blessings in this life and he waits on the Lord.

How do we apply this prayer to our situation today? We ask again. It may be that we are in a very dark place, or maybe we are discouraged, depressed or experiencing illness. Satan is in opposition to our living out our lives in Christ and will throw obstacles in our path. Like David, recognize the enemy. Always confess your faith, know what you believe and always depend on Christ, the Rock that is our refuge. We need not be afraid. Seek God’s face in His Word, dwell among His people. At every opportunity seek God’s face in prayer, listen to His guidance by his Spirit, be confident of God’s blessings in this life and most of all do not run ahead of God. Wait for the Lord!

Freedom!

# 2. 2018 Dev. Gal.4:26. Freedom! Read vs. 8-31. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Galatians 4:26 “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.”

Paul is struggling with the influence of Judaism in the Galatian church. It is not hard to see why God moved the center of the church out of Jerusalem to the seven cities of Asia Minor. Christian Jews from Jerusalem, apparently very much opposed to Paul, wanted Gentiles to adhere to the rules and regulations of Judaism including circumcision. Paul is concerned for this church because they are trading their freedom in Christ for the slavery of tradition and for the old covenant under the law.

Speaking figuratively Paul makes the comparison of Hagar and Sarah. Hagar is the slave and Sarah is the free woman. Hagar certainly comes out on the short end of it all at the time and in this comparison. However, Hager and Ismael are blessed by God and became a great nation as God told Abraham. Isaac’s birth was much different because he is a divine promise at a time when Sarah could no longer conceive. Even so Abraham believed God by faith and that attributed righteousness to him. In that way Isaac’s birth is the foreshadowing of the birth of Christ. He is all that is needed for our salvation (righteousness) by faith in Him revealing the Kingdom of God, the greatest nation! Further, Paul comperes the earthly Jerusalem with all her Jewish legalism to the freedom of the heavenly Jerusalem. That is what Paul is teaching the Galatian church again and that is what he is teaching us.

Some churches and some Christians today are still living in the earthly Jerusalem and have compromised their freedom. How is that possible given the clear teaching of the Word of God? Satan is very subtle in limiting our freedom. We are comfortable with traditions we have practiced for many years. We have heard the law read to us so many times we mostly check out when read. With the brokenness of the world around us it has become easy to condemn. There is nothing wrong with any of this including being aware of what displeases God which is what the law teaches us. However, when these things are seen as contributing to our salvation we give up some of our freedom in Christ. Further, the lack of freedom in our worship and in our actions have a detrimental effect on church growth. This is a serious issue since the promise to Abraham is to bless all the families of the earth. We must stand with both feet in the heavenly Jerusalem because we are born of God (Isaiah 54:1).

The Church belongs to Christ and he “will build (the) church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Mt.16:18)” In the power of the Holy Spirit the church will grow, amen, but Christ wants to use you and me to do it. As individual Christians proclaiming the gospel will only be accomplished by building relationships with people who Jesus brings to us! Praise be to God.

Love and Faithfulness

# 1. 2018 Dev. Ps. 26:3. Love and Faithfulness! Read all of Ps. 26. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 26: 3 “for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.”

We begin 2018 with Psalm 26. This Psalm is David’s prayer asking for God’s vindications, for deliverance and for mercy. This is a group of prayers ending at Ps.33. As in David’s time we are surrounded with a broken world. What David prays in verses 4-7 surrounds us as well and occupies us as those living for Jesus. Further, if proclaiming God’s deeds, grace, forgiveness, salvation, are not part of our occupation it should be in this New Year.

Verses 1-3 stands in opposition to the above and gives us an insight into David’s relationship with God, he trusts the LORD, he has not faltered, “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.” David’s relationship with God would be a great New Years resolution. Think about it. Could we be that honest with God?

Verse 8-11 builds on David’s relationship with God. He asks for mercy because like David we know we fall short of God’s will for our lives but God is faithful. He forgives, He removes our short comings as far as east is from the west, Ps 103:12. All this is the result of our relationship with Jesus Christ, as imperfect as it is but is qualified in Jesus’ love.

We move to v.12: “My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.” Where will you stand this year? Are you standing with the people who follow Jesus, praising God? 2018 will be a good year by God’s Grace!

Jesus In Our Hearts!

# 52. 2017 Dev. Gal.4:4. Jesus in Our Hearts! Read vs. 1-7. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Galatians 4:4 “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[^m^] Father.”

As we think about Christmas and the New Year Gal.4:4 moves us into the New Year with great anticipation. Sons and daughters of God! Really? As we face the realities of this life both good and bad, this truth is difficult to get our head around.

Christmas, Jesus’ birth changes everything but our relationship with God in particular is changed. Jesus became like us, a perfect human, so that we may become like Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts we are brothers and sisters of Jesus. However, being like Jesus is not all wine and roses. We share in Jesus’ birth, we are born again, we suffer with Him, Satan’s attacks, we are buried with Him, our baptism, we die with Him, die to ourselves, we are raised with Him, new life in the Spirit, and we share in His glory, the New Heaven and Earth.

Therefore, we go forward into the New Year with great expectations. “If God is with us who or what can be against us”? Those who believe in the child of Christmas, He is our Brother and Savior! Praise be to God!