Our Very Great Reward

The more I face in life, the more I find that nothing comforts or satisfies my spirit more than Jesus. Material possessions, achievements and comforts are wonderful blessings. Yet, without the Lord's companionship, none of these matter. What I have learned most over the past few years, is that my relationship with God matters most and is my greatest treasure.

My husband, our children and their families fill my life with love and joy. I can’t imagine life without my husband, he is more than a spouse: he’s my best friend, confidant, advisor, playmate, sojourner, encourager and reality check. Likewise, my son brings more love and laughter into my life than I thought was possible. My step sons fill me with pride and keep life full of fun. And while life is not always peaceful or pleasant, this family unit is my pleasure and I am richly blessed and thankful to love and be loved by them.

There is no “but” in this situation. My family is what they are meant to be. God is also what He intended to be: my rock, my salvation, my comfort, my refuge, my strength, my courage, my all. The Lord is indeed “my very great reward,” (Genesis 15:1NIV). No one in my life could take God’s place, nor should I want them to. For it is through these roles, the Lord determines to build our relationship. If I allow anyone else to attempt to fill the Lords shoes, I will be tragically disappointed and will prevent a close friendship from developing with my heavenly Father.

When I was recovering after a major surgery a few years ago, I developed a new intimacy with the Lord. The days were spent in fellowship, praise and prayer. What could have been a monotonous and boring recuperation --with my family at work and school most of the time—actually became a treasured experience. It was during this time the Lord revealed His desire to be my main source of comfort.

God first reminded me of our history. When my mom died in January of my junior year in high school, I was fifteen, afraid and so angry that I cursed God and told him I wanted nothing to do with Him. God, allowed me to walk away from His comfort. My mother’s death soon became the first of many traumas following my rejection of God. Years later, after I had become a Christian, my father died as well. It was sixteen years later and death once again visited in the month of January.

This time though married with children, I was very much alone. My husband had been on the road to take our eldest to college. They had just arrived at my sister’s in Missouri after a two day drive of absolute misery: grid lock, snow storm, icy roads, car breakdowns, and then rental car breakdowns. They were exhausted when they finally reached my sister’s house just before midnight. Our middle son was away at winter church camp. I was home alone with our two year old son, when my step mom phoned with the news my dad had suddenly died.

Two of my sisters live nearby and yet I was unable to reach either of them by phone. My nephew had fallen asleep with the phone line switched to the computer and my younger sister didn’t hear her phone ring. I was completely without someone to comfort me in my sorrow. It was several days before my husband returned and nearly twelve hours before I reached anyone in my family.

It was during my recovery ten years later that I asked God why he allowed me to be alone in my greatest time of need. His response was a surprise and absolutely amazed me. The Lord revealed His desire to be the one I turned to for comfort. When my mom died I had cursed Him and turned to others. With my father’s death, there was none I could turn to…but the Lord. He wanted my sorrow and pain this time around. Since this revelation, I have come to see my moments of isolation differently. Now I see them as invitations to draw closer to God, and I no longer resent them.

Oswald Chambers, notes there are “delights” and “difficulties” in our friendship with God. In regards to the delights he states: “This friendship means being so intimately in touch with God that you never ever need to ask Him to show you His will. It is evidence of a level of intimacy which confirms that you are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith.” This intimacy doesn’t come without effort. Time is necessary, trust is crucial and obedience is a must to become one with God in mind, body and spirit.

According to Chambers, one of the signs that we are not as intimate with God as we may like, is indecision. “Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer and say, “Well, I don’t know, maybe this not God’s will,” then we still have another level to go. It shows that we are not as intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as Jesus would have us to be—“…that they may be one just as We are one…”(John 17:22). The Lord desires to be intimate with us in times of sorrow and joy. He cares about the big issues in our lives as much as the little things.

Regardless of where we are in our friendship with the Lord, we have the gift of a perfect promise: when we seek the Treasure of heaven, we will find Him. God desires a deep and intimate relationship with us all. While blessings certainly abound in our relationship with Jesus, the God of heaven and earth, the Great I Am is indeed, our very great reward.

Set Apart For Service

There is need to be determined in our efforts to be the hands and feet of Christ in this life. Believing we are living as the Lord desires, may give us a false sense of what we are set apart to do. Yet, when we look to the words of Jesus, we find a clear expectation of what work God's children should be involved in.

Jesus, speaking about when He returns to gather up His followers, has this to say. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory...all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance , the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me," (Matthew 26:6).

This passage goes on to show how the goats on the Lord's left were told; "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me," (Matthew 26:41-43NIV).

Christ has set us apart, to minister on His behalf,to the lost and in need of this world. Therefore, I can measure the eternal value of my work to a large degree, based on who and how I am serving others. Did our Lord not proclaim; "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor," (Luke 4:18-19NIV). We who have the Spirit of the Lord within, are also anointed to do as Jesus.

Oswald Chambers teaches: "Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading." Trusting in God is key to living a successful life set apart from others. Chambers points to the faith of Abraham to leave everyone and everything he knew behind to be set apart for God. It is amazing that Abraham removed himself--without a bible or scripture to encourage his steps--from those he loved. How can we do less?

I have been set apart to do good works. I have also be set apart to receive: the truth, a renewed mind, a new self, holiness and an eternal inheritance.

I am called to be a lamb in a world of goats. For on the day the Lord returns--as promised--He alone will determine who are of His flock and who are of the devils herd.

Lord, may my life reveal my heart to be yours.

Apart From What?

When a soul sets their mind to follow Jesus, the moment they seek forgiveness for their sin, the Lord sets them apart. No longer are they eternal orphans, for they have been adopted into the Kingdom of God by their heavenly Father. This new child therefore, begins their awakening, and bit by bit, their old self will be cast off, revealing more of the image of God. A divine fire burning within them, they set off towards heavenly thrones, their journey of faith marked out before they were born.

The moment of salvation is sweet in my memory. Though life's circumstances around my surrender to the Lord were dim, the hope I found for something more in life, lifted me from the mire of a sinful life at set a path of light before me. Looking back I can still feel the sensation of my spiritual prison doors being flung open. Like Peter, I followed the Angel of the Lord from my dark and diseased cell into the light of Christ. Though chains still remained on my body, my spirit was free and for once in my life I felt the warmth of the Son.

While the memory of salvation is a treasure to me, I have become more and more aware of my sanctification. The process of refinement in the hands of God touches my soul in ways I can not express. Like a smitten child in awe of a real hero, I boast of my God's power and might, his love and kindness, his affection and great compassion. And God, lovingly boasts of me: his precious daughter whom he has set apart to be part of His eternal flame.

In pondering my new Christian heritage and the inheritance to come, my thoughts drifted to what I am "set apart" from. Believers are called away from "foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures...malice, envy, being hated and hating," (Titus 3:3NIV).

On the contrary, believers are called to: kindness, goodness, gentleness, love, mercy and devotion to what is excellent, profitable to all and purity, (Titus 3:3-8NIV). While purity is not something we will obtain this side of eternity, we are called to strive for it in all we do.

Oswald Chambers addresses the need for believers to seek purity in his devotional.
"I must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious and defiant? Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me?"

Referring to Philippians 2:5, Chambers calls us to note the attitude of Christ Jesus; humble, obedient and desiring to serve others.

Therefore, if I am to be like Christ I too must be humble, obedient and a servant. For I have been set apart from the world which is full of people who are prideful, rebellious and self serving.

I find that it is easy to be set apart in some areas of my walk with Christ. In other areas I am weak. Though sanctification is a life long process, I must continually hold myself up to the Lord and seek new traces of his character in my own. I must search for evidence that Jesus is my Lord and my friend. And though it is important for me to see signs of Christ in my life, it is just as important for others to see Him too.

The term "set apart" suggests Christians will be notably different in character and behavior than other men and woman. If you can not find an area you are "different" than non-believers in your life...it's possible you have strayed from the fold. Do not be dismayed. Simply repent and set yourself apart once more. Allow your light to be rekindled that you may shine in the darkness. For just as moths are drawn to the flame, others are drawn to the light of Christ which shines through believers. Then, like Jesus, we will have opportunity to serve them.

May the Lord give us strength and courage to be bright lights in this world, as we seek to live righteously, in a world growing darker day by day.

Spring Cleaning

Looking around your house, it is easy to become dismayed. The endless amount of chores and needs of a home can oppress the most zealous of do it yourselfer's. Windows need to be washed, rugs need to be steamed, drapes need to be laundered, furniture vacuumed, fixtures dusted, cabinets wiped down, closets cleaned out and chimneys swept. The dust piles up as soon as your turn your back and the laundry mockingly spills over the edge of the basket onto the floor. Daily life can easily be consumed by the demands of a home.

Sometimes our spiritual house can feel like our dwellings. For as necessary as it is to manage our homes, so too we must put forth the effort to keep a well managed body. I confess, I am much better at tending the former over the latter. Yet, if I am to be consistent with my witness, I must apply God's principles to every part of my life. The daily chores necessary to keep a house kept up must also be applied to my body and spiritual walk. All must be met with resolve and commitment. The word "try" needs to be obliterated from our vocabulary. We must simply do.

Ohhhhh...I know this is hard for many of us! Still, we must...must...tend to our temples of flesh and spirits. Focusing on one day or one task at a time seems simple but necessary. Heeding the words of Jesus can help us tackle the mountain of chores:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own," (Matthew 6:34NIV).

Chambers encourages the believer to "At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard he has for you." While some of us are in need of spring cleaning--our homes and bodies--others are in need of cleaning up minds or hearts. Thoughts that muddy the walls of their mind or attitudes which create toxins in the body,need to be addressed. And though every chore will require us to roll up our sleeves and get dirty, the results will not only be fantastic, they will bring glory to God.

However, setting goals is crucial to succeeding. Once goals are in place, daily chores can be compiled to keep us on track. In time these chores will become a habit and soon new patterns of behavior will emerge. We know this...right? Yet, we can limit these principles to certain areas of our lives.

Chambers states; "I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life."

Pondering this truth awakened something in me this morning. I discovered that I am more willing to do something for God than I am willing to do something for myself. When I look at caring for my home, body or spirit for the sake of myself or others I feel oppressed and tired. Discipline gives way to comfort or doubt.Yet, when I consider my efforts would bring glory to the Lord, I feel a surge of inspiration. Again and again, when I placed God next to the task the vision was lighter, brighter. Placing myself or ______ next to a chore, physically weighed on me.

Jesus knew the weight of the world in ways we will never have to comprehend. Therefore, He beckons us: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light," (Matthew 11:28-30NIV).

Jesus is not talking about resting your body, lives of leisure or becoming a couch potato. On the contrary, the Father is always at work. The yoke is an instrument used in labor: worn by the animal in service. The ox does not wear the yoke while grazing or resting in the pen. Therefore, Jesus is calling us into service with Him. The rest is for our souls not our bodies. When we come under His yoke, we will find the burden is light because Jesus is carrying the weight of the world. We simply attach ourselves to His side in service.

When we do this, the heavy burden of keeping up with needs in our lives, spiritual or physical become inspired and light when we tackle them at the Lord's side. In my own strength I struggle to pull the cart or plow the field. Yet, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength," (Philippians 4:13NIV). Jesus is the key to victory. Victory of God's will not our will is guaranteed,for when yoked with Christ we are certain to go where He goes and Jesus does not fail.

This truth should indeed inspire us to become zealots in all areas of our lives. For when we are yoked with Jesus, our efforts will produce endless crops for the harvest. Will the season of service and sowing be easy? No. But this question of ease is what causes us to stumble. We fear the struggle, the pain and failure so we put off what must be done. Our focus needs to move from questioning what we will have to endure, to what will be accomplished through our service. For the gain in taking up the yoke of the Lord is immeasurable: the Lord's companionship and strength in service, success, glory to God, blessings and no doubt fruit are only some of the benefits.

Ultimately, when we approach everything as if we are doing it for the Lord, we will find not only a zeal to accomplish the work, a sense of peace will replace the dread once attached to the tasks of life. Imagine the joy that comes from bringing glory to God.

Oswald Chambers ends his devotional with this question worth pondering: "Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?"

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it's time for some spring cleaning...and you know I'm not talking about dust bunnies!

An Eclipse of the Son

One of the most tragic realities in life, is that millions believe heaven is the final destination of every soul. The concept life is merely a detour to eternal bliss--and has no impact on our soul's final destination--is widely embraced. This pernicious lie has eclipsed Almighty God's just character and fuels the self-focused and self-loathing culture we live in. For life was not created in man to glorify himself.

Pondering why people who reject God in life want to go to heaven when they die, a thought occurred to me. They no more want God to be a part of eternity than they want Him to be part of life on earth. For these, heaven is not considered a means to finally look upon the divine face and dwell intimately with their Creator. Nor is it about becoming the perfection of who they were designed to be in order to worship and bring glory to God. No. Heaven is reduced to an eternal state of self satisfaction and peace: no loss, pain or toil for those heavenly saints, who deserve nothing less than an eternity of bliss. After all, they were good people...

Can you hear the hiss of the snake?

What man deserves is death and an eternity of hell. For the Bible teaches sin of slander or a little white lie is as severe as murder, adultery and theft in the eyes of God.

"There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus," (Romans 3:23-24NIV).

Jesus also teaches in the gospel, that sin is rooted in the heart and mind of man. Whether or not man has the intent to act upon their hearts sinful desire, they sin just the same by their poor attitudes of: hate, jealousy, lust or pride, as well in their deceit and hypocrisy.

Jesus said; "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unlcean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander," (Matthew 15:18-19NIV).

So the case against man regarding sin is warranted and just. God will rule against the sin in man when he stands beyond the threshold of death. There, the Righteous Judge, Jesus the Christ, will proclaim a person either saved through faith in the blood of the Lord, or confess them to be outside His circle of friends. The reality of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, heaven and hell will no longer be over shadowed by man's self will. Eyes will be forced to behold the radiance of the Son: some to their great peril.

How does man live a self-willed life? Some live contrary to God's Spirit because they have a false concept of who God truly is. They misjudge His character. They focus on the love of God and therefore believe God's goodness will cause him to overlook unrighteous living. Other's play Russian roulette with God's grace. They know God's nature to grant forgiveness and they fool themselves into believing a life of disobedience and sin can be erased with continual trips to the confessional or delayed repentance. And there are those who give little or no thought to God, for they are simply too busy to bother with spiritual matters...until they are faced with peril, loss or their own death. Sadly, these perspectives are as prevalent in the pews as they are outside the Church.

Oswald Chambers refers to the apostle Paul's teaching on God's judgment to come. "Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, "appear before the judgment seat of Christ." But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ's pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you."

We are challenged as believers to live daily as if we were standing before this judgment seat. For only when we set our whole selves: body, mind and spirit, before the Lord, will we allow the light of His goodness to reveal our impurities. Only when our impurities are illuminated by Christ, can we be mindful of them. If left in the shadows, even believers can slip into a state of denial or complacency, where sin seems irrelevant or at the most nagging.

False security of salvation can develop in a believer's mind the idea their personal sin is no longer a threat. This is dangerous for as Paul claims..."we must all" be judged. While the believer will avoid eternal separation from God, there is still much to be lost through sin in our lives. The greatest of which is souls. For it is evident some of the world's negative view and dismissal of Jesus Christ is due to the lack of righteousness in the lives of Christians. Chambers states: "The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie."

Likewise, believers can ignore the convictions of the Holy Spirit about a matter in their lives or attitude, until they become numb to the Spirits prompting. Chambers warns the believer; "One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. it is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin."

While believers put off dealing with strongholds in their lives or simply settle into lives of Sunday worship and week long self-service, the world is watching. Understandably, many outside of salvation believe themselves worthy of heaven when they measure themselves up against some of God's children.

Therefore, as followers of Christ, we must rise to the personal battles with sin in our lives, that we may be honest witnesses to the transforming power of God. Only by this will the world see, life is different when lived with Jesus. Furthermore, we must place great importance on self examination. Ask ourselves the hard questions: am I harboring sinful attitudes, am I dishonoring my body in any way, am I ignoring the Spirit in some area of my life? We must pray for insight, wisdom, discernment and courage to overcome our areas of weakness. Most importantly we must take action to change our attitudes, thoughts and behaviors.

Turning our thoughts toward Jesus and away from ourselves is the goal. When the Church begins to live lives that are focused on heaven, others will note the difference between righteous living and living for self. When we give a glimpse of eternity through our behavior, worldly thoughts of heaven will be eclipsed by Jesus. For what is heaven without it's Glory?

Christians must "walk in the light 'as He is in the light...'" (1 John 1:7). In so doing we will "store up treasures in heaven." According to Gregg Prickett, a dear brother in Christ, these "treasures will be souls" we point to the Son!

Waves of Mercy

Today’s devotional is focused on following Jesus though we are dismayed. A message of perseverance for a follower feeling overwhelmed with the journey.

Sometimes no matter how much we know of Christ’s ministry or how long our experience of God’s grace and mercy has been, we can feel terribly far from the Lord’s side. The constant challenge to abide with Christ, since we dwell in a broken world, wears on the believer. Days spent striving to keep up with Jesus can feel daunting when one truly sees the Lord. His agility, perseverance and pace in the sand, contrasts our stiff limbs, fatigue and lagging scramble. Distance grows between our footprints and the Lord’s, as both awe and amazement wake us to a new perspective of our Savior. Oswald states it this way; “Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar.”

When it hits a believer that they do not truly know their Savior as intimately as thought, a sense of dismay may wash over them. “We don’t recognize even one characteristic of His life, and we don’t know how to begin to follow Him. “ Oswald encourages followers to hold fast through the “darkness of dismay,” though part of their spirit feels unattached to the Lord. This is a scary stretch of shore to tread. For what one believed to be a sizable rock of familiarity and understanding, is reduced to a grain of sand. The idea of who Jesus is expands beyond our comprehension and a holy fear of the Almighty grips us.

“What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 7:4NIV).

Our efforts to live according to God’s principles can feel like we’re building castles in the sand: a day’s efforts, washed away by the tide of sin. No matter how we toil, sin comes again and again like waves. Yet, God intends there to be a message of grace and mercy in every rolling foam tipped swell. Though the tide has highs and lows, the waves are held back by the hand of God.

“Even the wind and the waves obey Him,” (Matthew 8:27NIV).

When Christian’s exercise discipline to stay the path--though Jesus becomes a greater mystery and the goal of life seems lost at sea--they will learn more about the Lord’s ways. On the other side of dismay they will draw nearer to God and find an “inexpressibly wonderful joy” in following the Master.