Whose Fault Is It?

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

God has blessed us in so many ways, but I’m sorry to say that there are those who make little use of His spiritual blessings. But stranger than that, many make little use of God Himself. He is our God! Why do we so scarcely give ourselves to Him, or ask so little of Him?

He’s ready in counsel, but we don’t ask for it. We lose direction in life, yet we scarcely seek His guidance. We bear many burdens rather than casting them on the One who cares for us. 

Let me be completely honest with you, my readers; it’s OUR fault that we don’t enjoy the fullness of our God. We should never be wanting while we have a great Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and still waters. Why do we fear when we have a Shepherd who is always with us?  

It’s OUR fault if we don’t go to God early and often. He is our God. Run to Him. He’s given us that privilege. Reach out in faith. If things are dark, God is your Light. If the enemy has attacked you, God is your Shield. Can’t find your way in the maze of life? God is your Guide, He will direct you.

What an amazing, awesome God we serve! He’s everything you want and more, able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think” [Ephesians 3.20].

Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear Him. Psalm 67.6-7

They Are Not Gods

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Idols and idolatry are not new to mankind. When archaeologists dig up ancient cities, they typically find quite a variety of gods, made of a variety of materials: stone, ceramic, wood, et al. 

One great besetting sin of the ancients was idolatry. But before we get all high and mighty, we’re vexed with the same folly today. Our “golden calves” are standing everywhere. We set up our altars wherever we can find space for them. It seems that our flesh just can't get enough of our gods, and our displays seems to be endless. 

It is accurate to say, “but they are not gods.” You won’t find real blessings there. Their counsel is dangerous. And try to find them in your hour of need. Why are we so drawn to these false gods? How is it that we are so bewitched with their vanities? 

We pity those poor “heathens” that worship gods of stone, and yet we worship the gold god every day. Where is the vast superiority between a golden god and a wooden one? The folly of the sin is the same in either case. Hence, we compound the sin; we turn from the true and living God, and turn to idols. That, dear friend, is a grievous iniquity! 

The hymn writer said it well…

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be;

Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

And worship only Thee.

(O for a Closer Walk with God, William Cowper, 1772)

Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods! Jeremiah 16.20

We the People... of God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“We the people.” You’ll probably hear those words many times over the next day or two as we celebrate our nation’s birthday. “We the people” are the first three words to the Preamble of our Constitution.

They can be applied to saints as to no one else, but in a much more significant way: We the people… of God. Over and over in Scriptures God called His Elect, “My people.” What a sweet title! 

Of course, there is a general sense in which all belongs to God. “The heaven, even the heaven of heavens, is the Lord's, and He reigns among the children of men” [Psalm 115.16]. But here’s the specialty: those whom He has chosen He calls “My people,” something He says of no others. 

If you are a Christ follower, God has brought you to Himself. He has set His great heart upon you. He loves you with an everlasting love. How strong is that love? Strong enough to withstand death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present , things to come, height, depth, and any created thing - it is inseparable love [Romans 8.38-39].

Do you have that hallowed fellowship with Him so that, like Thomas, you cry out, “My Lord and my God?” If so, then God says of you, and all others like you, “My people!” You are the object of His divine love — “accepted in the Beloved” [Ephesians 1.6]. 

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 2 Corinthians 6.16

You Can Count on It

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“You can count on it!” I heard my dear pastor, Dr. Richard Strauss, say that a million times about the Word of God. Well, several hundred times, at least. Have you found that to be true? 

Are you weary? Maybe you’ve had a rough time of it as of late, and right at this moment you’re faint. Here’s a word for you, “He gives power to the faint” [Isaiah 40.29]. Take this promise to the Promiser and ask Him to honor it. He will, you can count on it.

Are you hungry for God, seeking a closer walk with Him? Here’s your word, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” [Matthew 5.6]. You can count on that one too.

Are you distressed, burdened by a heavy load of sin? Oh, dear one, listen to this promise for you, “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins” [Isaiah 43.25]. Take that one to the bank, it’s His promise to you. 

Are you thinking you have been forsaken by God? Do you think He has withdrawn His love from you? Here’s a great promise, “The mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you” [Isaiah 54.10]. Be sure to count on that one!

The Apostle Peter said that we have received a boatload of great and precious promises that enable us to share God’s divine nature and escape the world’s corruption [see 2 Peter 1.4]. Feast on that today. And remember: it’s God’s Word. You can count on it!

Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. Psalm 119.49

We Live in God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Do you want to live in the perfect house for your soul? Your first question may be, “Well, how much would that cost?” Have I got good news for you! You can put your checkbook away because there’s no monetary transaction needed. That’s because the house I’m referring to is God Himself. The price of living in God is loving and serving Him forever. 

What a house it is. It is well stocked with enough spiritual food to last a lifetime. When you are weary, it is the perfect place to rest. It even comes with clothing; it’s filled with garments of righteousness of every size. And talk about a view, everywhere you look, heaven is in view. 

One more thing about this house: it’s a place of safety and security. It will last forever! When all other houses have melted away, this house remains imperishable; self-existent as God, because it is God… “we live in Him and He lives in us.”

And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us. 1 John 4.13 [emphasis mine]

Christ Follower? Then Imitate Christ!

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

If one claims to be a Christ follower, then I say, “Imitate Christ!” There are many reasons for doing so, but today, I offer you three:

Imitate Christ for your sake. Do you want to be spiritually healthy? Do you want to enjoy a robust, growing grace? Do you want deep rooted joy? Then, drink deeply of Christ's love and imitate Him. There is nothing as able to assist you in walking directly to heaven as bearing the image of Jesus. You are most happy when you are like Jesus. 

Imitate Christ for religion’s sake. True religion has been fiercely attacked by cruel enemies, but it has not been nearly as wounded by them as by hypocritical religionists. There is no weapon as deadly as a Judas-kiss. Inconsistent Christ followers have hurt the Gospel to a far greater degree that sneering critics or boisterous heretics.

Imitate Christ for Christ’s sake. Is His name precious to you? Is His kingdom dear to you? Is His glory first and foremost in your life? Are you longing for lost souls to be His? Then imitate Christ. Be a “letter (of Christ)… known and read by all men” [2 Corinthians 3.2-3].

Whoever says he abides in Him [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. 1 John 2.6

It’s OK to Hate Sin

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Let’s get real for a moment; it’s OK to hate sin. Go ahead, say it, “I hate sin.” You should feel a little better now. Just think what mischief sin has caused you. It has blinded you from the beauty of the Savior. It has stopped your ears that you could not hear the Lord’s tender invitations. It has poisoned the very life of your being. It has made your heart “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” [Jeremiah 17.9]

When sin had done its work in you, before divine grace intervened, you were an heir of wrath just like others [Ephesians 2.3]. After His grace, you were “washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” [1 Corinthians 6.11].

It’s OK to hate sin. Look back and trace its deadly work. We were dead in our trespasses and sin, and would have been lost had omnipotent love not intervened to redeem us. Even so, sin is an active enemy, intently searching for ways to harm us and drag us down. 

It’s OK to hate sin, unless you’re looking for trouble. If you want your path covered with thorns, then just stop hating sin. But if you want a holy walk, and to live a happy life and die a peaceful death, then keep hating sin right up to the end. 

Love God with all your heart, honor Him, and hate sin. By the way, there is no better cure for sin than daily communion with Christ. If you stay close to Him, it’s impossible for you to be at peace with sin! 

O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 97.10