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My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power . . . —1 Corinthians 2:4 Human wisdom is grounded in experience. That’s why “older and wiser” run together. Generally those who have experienced the most, demonstrate the most wisdom. And there’s the rub. Human wisdom is also limited by experience. That’s why we should never base our discussion of Christ on our experience alone. Even if we have walked with Him for years, we can experience only a morsel of all that He is. This is not to say we shouldn’t share our testimony, our experience. We certainly should. But we should make clear that we are relating what God did in OUR lives. Leaving open the possibility He may do differently and greater in the life of another.  Nor should we rely on our “clever” or “precise” recitation of our experience. Rather we should rely on the Holy Spirit to pick the words and the time of their speaking. Only He knows what the need and state of the listener is. God is reality. We must be rooted in Him. Our hope for others is […]

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect . . . —Philippians 3:12 It is a difficult, but crucial point, to recognize that God doesn’t want to make us perfect — God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself.  What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him. But doesn’t Christ say to be perfect even as the Heavenly Father is Perfect? When you start talking about perfection, people immediately become very uncomfortable. None of us are perfect, as in flawless. We all make mistakes, we all do and say things we are sorry for. So what is the perfection our LORD is referring to in the above verse? We see the translation for perfect is: complete, of full age. How do we come to completion? How do we arrive at full age, or maturity? We grow up in Christ. We die to our flesh, our carnal thinking and reasoning, and learn to live totally under the guidance of the Spirit of God. That is why Christ gave […]

Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all —James 2:10 There is a strong tendency for Christians to seek to revert to a life under the law. It’s pride.  we are to understand and honor both Gospel and Law. Somehow we can’t get over the idea that we can satisfy the law, that we can be “good” by our own effort. Yet the law demands that we be absolutely moral, an impossible task. But the Gospel provides the answer: Jesus. When Christ works a change in us and we leave behind some sin or sins, we compare ourselves with others and swell up with pride that somehow we are responsible. But if we are living the spirit-filled life, as we leave some sin behind, He will point us to some other way in which we are falling short of perfect compliance with the law.  This is not to say that we should abandon yielding ourselves to Christ for His molding and changing. All we need to abandon is the pride that comes with change for which we can claim no credit.  I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get […]

By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain . . . —1 Corinthians 15:10   I still remember from childhood Popeye’s refrain, “I am what I am and that’s all what I am. I’m Popeye the Sailor man… toot toot.” It’s a good thing to know what we are. I was watching a movie last night and was saddened by the words of one character, “Who am I?” It’s crucial to know who we are. In doing so precision is crucial. It’s prideful to think we are more than we are and an insult to our Creator to be falsely humble.  Some like to say they are just “a sinner saved by grace.” True enough that we WERE sinners, but through the miracle of salvation and sanctification we are SAINTS. That doesn’t mean we are perfect; but He has sanctified us enough to allow us to be in His presence. Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people. To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you […]

He will glorify Me . . . —John 16:14 There are so many “expressions” of Christianity today. Visit a few churches. Spend some time watching “Christian” TV or surfing the internet. You will wonder what this “Christianity” thing is all about. How could so many exercise Christianity in such a variety of ways? The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration— no being born again into the kingdom in which Christ lives and reigns supreme. There is only the idea that He is our pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the Savior long before He is the pattern. Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion— a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God! Jesus said, “. . . when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, . . . He will glorify Me . . .” (John 16:13-14). When I commit myself to the revealed truth of the New […]

. . . being justified freely by His grace . . . —Romans 3:24 We have decided in our family to give only to the children for Christmas. We know that it is more blessed to give than to receive and, sometimes, I think it is easier for us to give than to receive. To accept the generosity of another we must admit that we need something. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service— I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for […]

. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world —Galatians 6:14 A bit late for today’s devotional. Chalk it up to a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. How do we accomplish being IN the world and not OF the world. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power. We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of […]

. . . except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14 Isn’t it strange that we move from Thanksgiving Day to Black Friday. We transition from a spirit of thanksgiving to the biggest shopping day of the year. If we have so much to be thankful for, why the need to go shopping? Oh I understand that much of the shopping is for others, but not all. And isn’t that still a dramatic change of focus?  Isn’t most of our gift giving totally expected? Doesn’t our shopping list consist of people we “need” to buy gifts for?  Maybe it would be better if we focused on Good Friday instead of Black Friday. If we want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in our human flesh, we must dwell on the tragedy of God. “Look to Me. . .” (Isaiah 45:22).  We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives. It’s fine to give gifts, but our best buys on Black Friday won’t change lives. Let’s […]