Jesus Calling: June 5

Remember that you live in a fallen world: an abnormal world tainted by sin. Much frustration and failure result from your seeking perfection in this life. There is nothing perfect in this world except Me. That is why closeness to Me satisfies deep yearnings and fills you with Joy.
     I have planted longing for perfection in every human heart. This is a good desire, which I alone can fulfill. But most people seek this fulfillment in other people and earthly pleasures or achievements. Thus they create idols, before which they bow down. I will have no other gods before Me!  Make Me the deepest desire of your heart. Let Me fulfill your yearning for perfection. 

Exodus 20:3
English Standard Version

You shall have no other gods before me.

Psalm 27:4
English Standard Version

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.

My Prayer
(2015) Lord, I need to be trained by You. Help me to not look inward or outward to world for success, but I want to find my fulfillment in You. Keep me close to You even during trials and tribulations. I do not want to be guided by human wisdom, but only through the wisdom of the Lord. Train me daily for Godliness.
(2019) Lord, the closer I get to you or the more time I spend with you, the more I see my awful sin. I am embarrassed by the idolatry in my life: how I find refuge in a TV, movie; worth in my job; peace in a nice house and nice cars; fulfillment in getting to go on a long vacation; satisfaction in watching my children succeed; piety by having many people post on my blog. Lord, purify me and may my dependence be only on You. I so want to seek after You and dwell in the house of the Lord. Thank you for providing good and wholesome shows to watch on TV for me to find rest in, for providing a job that I can enjoy and help provide for my family, for providing me with great neighbors and a house that can bless many, for providing opportunities to see your creation and other friends and family living in other cities and for the joy in seeing how you have gifted my children. Lord, when I spend time with You, in your word, and reading devotions like this written by people you have spoken to, I am lifted up and encouraged and I'm amazed that my thoughts can encourage others. To God be the Glory.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 14:7-8 - Living and Dying to the Lord

Romans 14:7-8 - ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Message: Living and Dying to the Lord
 
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:
  
These 2 verses are just fantastic to place here in these sets of verses. Paul is talking about how I am  to conduct ourselves in the midst of disagreements. And sandwiched in these verses is this great proclamation that I am living to the Lord. This is why I conduct myself in this manner. 

The previous verses have dealt with difficult subject matter for disagreements are present all to often, not just as we proclaim Truth to the world, but even more prevalent as we belong in the Body of Christ. And that body is not simply within the walls of one church, but it is the Body that is made up of followers of Christ throughout many different denominational and non-denominational churches. I see too often people dividing over differences than simply acknowledging them, which is what Paul prescribes here:

• welcome him (verse 1)
• not to quarrel (verse 1)
• Do not despise one another for differences (verse 3)
• Do not pass judgment on another for differences (verse 3) 
• God welcomes each person (verse 3)
• Do not pass judgment as we are all servants (verse 4)
• Each person should be full convinced in his own mind (verse 5)
• You who observe, you who eats, you who abstains - honor the Lord and give thanks (verse 6)

This is just a beautiful truth to the believer in Christ.

One thing I notice working at my job is how "perfect" you are expected to be. Mistakes are not tolerated one bit. It is a hard work environment because there is little mercy to error. But, the church should not act in the same way. We are sinners and we are imperfect and we should be allowed to make mistakes. People will hurt each other through thoughtless behavior and obnoxious words. It will happen, but I believe the church, myself, should be quick to forgive and not quick to anger. God shows such great grace to us and we need to show it to one another.

I am to welcome others even when I do not understand why they have a different opinion. My first thought should be thinking the best of them, not the worst. Boy, I have failed on this on so many accounts, before I even leave my house, thinking too often the worst of my kids or wife.

For none of us lives to himself
This phrase begins the justification or reason for why I would not want to create a division among Christians or pass judgment or despise others because of differences that we might have in things that are outside of the Bible. That reason is I do not live for myself. My life is not about me, but it is about giving glory to God in heaven. And this should be the aim of every person and should be the reason why none of us argue with one another.

None of us dies to himself
We do not decide our own day of death. Our death is by his will, according to Him, and He should be glorified in our death. All believers, strong or weak, live out their lives in accountability to God. Our lives are not our own. I've looked at this thought before, in other passages, and to me it comes down to accountability. Being accountable to someone is not natural. It is why women's rights has been such a big issue, because submission has a tone of accountability in it and women's rights does not want to embrace submission or accountability. And man often just doesn't want to see that his life is not his own. He wants to be in charge of his own life.

We are the Lord's
Too often, I want to please man and feel good about man's opinion. But, I am the Lord's.

Promise: All believers, strong or weak, live out their lives in accountability to God.

Jesus Calling: June 4

Welcome challenging times as opportunities to Trust Me. You have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn't make it past the first hurdle!
     The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me.

James 1:2
English Standard Version

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds

Philippians 4:13
English Standard Version

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Verse thoughts
I read a book a couple of years ago called The Most Misused verses in the Bible. This was one of the verses mentioned in that book. The author's focus was defining what is meant by the phrase "all things." Paul wrote this letter in prison so I'm guessing doing all things doesn't necessarily negate prison time. In just the previous verse (v. 12) it says - I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Thus, in all things seems to be contentment that only comes about by Him giving me strength. That in all things or all of life's situations, I can be content. The author of that book writes, "So Philippians 4:13 is not so much about having the strength to stand up and sing a solo in church OR play the best of one's ability in a sporting contest OR having the strength to lift a bag of salt. Rather, this verse is about having the strength to be content when we are facing those moments in life when physical resources are minimal. This is about having faith in the God who provides. You can be content and find the physical strength to endure all things, because it is Christ who strengthens you."

Isaiah 26:3
English Standard Version

You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.

My Prayer
Lord, it is true that when I encounter various circumstances, what I am often focused on is getting through that circumstance and achieving the outcome I want and desire. Lord, I admit I sometimes use your Words in the Bible to get what I want. But, I miss the point. This is about You, not me. It is about You getting the glory, not me. And yet you also want me to have peace. But I must let you define peace. You are the Lord of peace. So retrain me Lord to welcome challenging time as opportunities to Trust You. You are near. You are close to me and therefore, I can handle it. Lord, once again, get my eyes off of my circumstances and instead focused on You.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Jesus Calling: June 3

     I want to be Central in your entire being. When your focus is firmly on Me, My Peace displaces fears and worries. They will encircle you, seeking entrance, so you must stay alert. Let trust and thankfulness stand guard, turning back fear before it can gain a foothold. There is no fear in My Love, which shines on you continually. Sit quietly in My Love-Light, while I bless you with radiant Peace. Turn your whole being to trusting and loving Me. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16
English Standard Version

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Verse thoughts
Peace. The deepest longing of every human soul is peace. In my house is a couch, a chair, and a bed and I often bounce between them - longing for rest, longing for peace. I know that my greatest joy is this peace - to know that everything is okay. I shirk away often from duty, avoid effort, in selfish absorption I seek for this down time, for this relaxation; I cry out for rest and peace. I grab a drink, a smoke, a pill - in order to remove quickly whatever pain I am experiencing at that moment. When I am sick or ill or have a family member hurting - I shake my finger at God. God knows I thirst for this rest and peace. It is not wrong to have peace. But I often mistranslate the meaning of the longing and think that resting on the couch and having another drink and never having a problem and never suffering and never going through a trial and never having a disappointment and always feeling safe and secure...is how I get peace. In my humanistic ways I take control and I decide how peace is defined. 

But God Himself, through the apostle Paul, speaks to me and tells me instead that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of peace Himself. Christ is named as peace Himself. In other instances I have read of the God of peace, so this is either blasphemy or divinity in naming Jesus the Lord of peace. And in Jesus there was experiences in His life of sorrow, weeping, wonder, anger, pity, grief, and love. In other words, peace is not found in the avoidance of difficult duty; peace is not found in the shirking away of pains and struggles; peace is not found in the drink, in the smoking of whatever, in the pill. Rather, the One despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief - He is peace. Despite what I think and the way I have been so often trained I can only know peace when I am made alive in Christ. He had peace. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him. He has taught me through His example the perfect submission of His will; that resignation is peace, that the surrender of self-will is peace, that obedience is peace, that trust is peace and fellowship with the divine is peace. Despite all that occurred in His life on this earth, He had peace.

So He is the sole giver of it to others. As a sinner, my peace comes and goes. I submit to Him and I surrender all to Him because He always does the things that are pleasing to Him. So I confess Him as Lord, believe in Him, and that God raised Him from the dead. He saves me. And He is the only One who can grant me peace in every circumstance. And when I have this peace then disasters, calamities, sorrows, losses, trials, disappointments, sufferings -- all have no power over me. For I have the Lord of Peace. The Lord is with me. The Lord be with you all!

I John 4:18
English Standard Version

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.  

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 14:5-6 - Honoring the Lord

Romans 14:5-6 - ⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Message: Our motivation

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

Paul begins this chapter by reminding the reader that people are at different spiritual levels of maturity. Many are weak in their faith or young in their faith and like maturity in understanding principles. But, I am not to seek to correct that person, necessarily, or make them feel like they are in the wrong, but "welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions." 

And then in verses 2-4 was a discussion about respecting people that have a conviction to eat only vegetables versus those who eat only meat. Paul seems to be clear that people will have different convictions, but we are not to pass judgment on someone for being different, "it is before his master that he stands or falls." 

And now Paul moves to people that have determined that one day of the week is more highly esteemed that another day. Then, he brings together the idea of observing days, eating, or not eating or abstaining that the motivation is what is key. What is the reason people do these things? Each person should desire to honor God. That is the motivation of each person, to honor God and give thanks to God. 

I am not to look down on people with these convictions. My concern is often is people get in arguments over what is the correct doctrine and then place this view of doctrine on a higher plane. But, it seems to be clear in these verses that Paul is recognizing that there will be differences, but other subjects such as "all have sinned" or that the righteousness of God has been imputed or pressed upon the person who has faith in Jesus are central. If the Bible is specific, then we need to follow it, but if the Bible is not specific, I think we need to examine our motives and make sure our practices are truly honoring God and giving thanks to him. 

There are many examples: homeschooling versus sending a child to public school, witnessing door to door versus more lifestyle evangelism, having music in the church versus singing acapella, large churches versus small churches, churches that meet in people's homes versus those meeting at a facility or building, paid staff versus all volunteer staff, parachurch versus church work. So, I think it is important that I have respect versus waging a war of disagreement. 

I think this is also an area I struggled as a parent. I had trouble accepting the childish ways of my children and wanted them to act differently, but I didn't take the time to just see them as being childish. I saw children that never misbehaved in church and so thought my children should act the same way or saw children that were courteous and talked to their elders and so thought my children should be the same way, but my motivation was not so much focused on honoring God, but looking bad and looking like I wasn't a good father. I had pride issues and I took it out on my kids. I really regret this because I fear I removed some of the fun by punishing the kids for putting their elbows on the table or cleaning their room. So, there was a hard balance in all of this.  

Promise: Mature should come along the immature and respect their views, not seek to correct them. Our goal is to honor God and give thanks.

 

Jesus Calling: June 2

     Relax in My healing, holy Presence. Be still, while I transform your heart and mind. Let go of cares and worries, so that you can receive My Peace. Cease striving, and know that I am God. 
     Do not be like Pharisees who multiplied regulations, creating their own form of "godliness." They got so wrapped up in their own rules that they lost sight of Me. Even today, man-made rules about how to live the Christian life enslave many people. Their focus is on their performance, rather than on Me.
     It is through knowing Me intimately that you become like Me. This requires spending time alone with Me. Let go, relax, be still, and know that I am God. 

Psalm 46:10
New American Standard

Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Verse thoughts

My default reaction to almost everything in life is to "try harder." God knows this and knows that I need these words each day, to be reminded, that my first reaction to things does not have to be to "try harder" but instead to cease striving, to silently and quietly wait on Him, without fear; to be calm and not tremble, but know Him to be God. I need to leave it to Him to fulfill His own counsel and support His own interests in the world.
 
I John 3:2
English Standard Version

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

My Prayer
Lord, so often my emotions get the better of me. This past week I saw something my son was doing and my emotions swelled up and I started to get angry at him, come down upon him. Thankfully God, you gave me the good sense to talk to my wife who helped me see that my emotions were getting the better of me and my son would have frozen up and not done his school work if I came down on him. I wanted to take action and take control, quickly. I wanted to react. But I didn't. I stopped and was silent and ceased striving and instead simply waited. You are God and You got this. You know me better than I know myself. And by the end of the week, he was making good decisions and having success. I got scared God and I wanted to just take control of the situation. I wanted to make my own rules. Lord, sometimes I do need to speak up but only after I have taken it before You and given You the opportunity to give me peace about me speaking up. Lord, thank You for waking me up and using my wife to help me not do something I would have regretted. I am Your child and I want to be like You.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.  

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Romans 14:2-4 - Partaking and Abstaining

Romans 14:2-4 - ² One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. ³ The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Message: Disagreements in the Body

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

Romans 12 and 13 dealt with man's responsibility and now in Romans 14 I begin talk on Christian Liberty or how I am to conduct ourselves on matters that the Bible s not clear on. Yesterday, I looked at the differences that normally arise from people at different maturity levels in their faith and the disagreements that can arise. 

Disagreements are normal and it is interesting that Paul when talking about principles speaks of disagreements or differences in conviction that arise among people in the Body. I think this a very hard lesson in the Church today because I see that there are different denominations or many different non-denominations that have differences in points of emphasis. Many churches are looking at the same Bible and have the same basic view of salvation and yet conduct their churches in different manners. I think the big danger in a church is the belief that they are better than other churches and to be a true Christian then people must worship or do church in the way that they see it should be done. Obviously, I think people need to be sensitive to falsehood, but it is amazing that this often results in separation.  

I think we really must be careful in this because people can alienate non-believers with their disagreements. I can do this often. I think I just need to be careful in this, that I don't make a new believer think that there is only one church they should attend -- my church. 

Today's passage is a prime example as it deals with people with 2 different convictions - meat eaters and vegetable only eaters. The concern that erupts is not just that people have these differences, but that God only accepts people that have the right application to the right conviction. I think what concerns God is our heart attitude.

Promise:  From TableTalk, - taking time to understand one another can go a long way in helping to not judge one another inappropriately.