Don't discount the value of the elderly in your life. They have much to invest into your life; and you can repay them with gratitude-- usually shown by intentionally taking time to listen to and just be with them. They are not strangers to the troubles, temptations, and wonderings of youth. They not only deal with aching bodies, but also know emotional and spiritual struggles as you do. Proverbs 16:31 (NKJV) says, "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness."
There is an elderly Christian man my family knows who has been a real blessing to us. He purposes to not be grumpy as so many afflicted seniors. He lives joyful in the Lord, grateful. He presses on in battle for souls -- witnessing nearly every day: he goes to an ice cream shop and there reads his Bible and prays; then God brings people for him to talk to and pray with.
Recently, when we saw him, we saw a very discouraged man. He found himself able to share the burden that was on him-- the attacks of Satan; the accusations of the Devil. I was reminded once again that Satan does come to "steal, kill, and destroy." He does not give up until people reach eternity. He especially fights those who are working to advance God's Kingdom as they strive to win people to Jesus!
But I was AMAZED at what the Enemy was fighting this dear brother with.
Endeavoring to make this brother feel like a failure, the devil used several "arrows":
- Plaguing his emotions with the nagging, experiential memory of the impossibility of pleasing his father (as a child).
- Causing him to despair over human frailty: mental dullness, scholastic ineptitude, lack of success
- Blaming him for the lost condition of his children
Fighting to isolate him from God's people, the Enemy wanted him to feel unloved:
- Lack of personal connection with other church people
- Destruction of courage to even go to church when he's feeling so down.
- Not feeling valuable to the church. What can he give? Who needs him?
Discouraging him, by lying to him: you are alone:
- His peers and heroes have already gone on to Heaven. Some others have given up on serving Jesus, though they are still physically alive.
As you can see, the devil fights Christians of all ages in much the same way. But praise God! He has the victory for His people. He has saved us and He has all the grace we need to make it safely to Heaven. He's not going to bring us so far and then leave us to be ruined by Satan.
Besides praying for our brother's victory over all of the Adversary's attacks, he asked us to pray for him that:
- He keep Heaven in view, its entrance his chief objective
- He have power to speak the gospel just as he ought
- He keep sweet in all of old age
- He help his family come to knowledge of salvation
Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Parallel Testimonies - Lord, do it again!
I've been reading in Luke the past few days. Today a "regular" story jumped out at me, because it's not just "regular," it's the account of a man being saved: and that's never "regular," that is always something to stop and meditate and praise the Lord about. So that's where I camped.
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Luke 5:4-11
4 When [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
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Then the account of Isaiah's vision came to my mind, same pattern, different means.
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Isaiah 6:1-9a
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people..."
______________________________________
Also Apostle Paul, when he was brought from darkness to light, while on the Damascus road.
In each of these three men's experiences, they shared these 5 realities:
1. They encountered GOD / Jesus. Because they saw Him for who He is,
2. They were convicted of their unholy (sinful) hearts.
3. They, agreeing with God, confessed that they were sinful.
4. They were cleansed from all sin!
5. They were commissioned as ambassadors of the Lord.
6. History was changed because they became "vessels for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." (2 Tim 2:21)
Amazing! I worship You, Jesus. I ask You to do Your work in hearts today: reveal Yourself, and one's sin. Bring people to repentance. Help them to be cleansed "from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1) Commission them as Your ambassadors, so that the world might know You, and bow before You.
______________________________________
Luke 5:4-11
4 When [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
______________________________________
Then the account of Isaiah's vision came to my mind, same pattern, different means.
______________________________________
Isaiah 6:1-9a
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people..."
______________________________________
Also Apostle Paul, when he was brought from darkness to light, while on the Damascus road.
______________________________________
Acts 9:1-19
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with himstood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, andthough his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Acts 9:1-19
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with himstood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, andthough his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man fromTarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.
______________________________________
______________________________________
In each of these three men's experiences, they shared these 5 realities:
1. They encountered GOD / Jesus. Because they saw Him for who He is,
2. They were convicted of their unholy (sinful) hearts.
3. They, agreeing with God, confessed that they were sinful.
4. They were cleansed from all sin!
5. They were commissioned as ambassadors of the Lord.
6. History was changed because they became "vessels for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." (2 Tim 2:21)
Amazing! I worship You, Jesus. I ask You to do Your work in hearts today: reveal Yourself, and one's sin. Bring people to repentance. Help them to be cleansed "from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1) Commission them as Your ambassadors, so that the world might know You, and bow before You.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Dear Sarah
Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (KJV)
Dear Sarah,
In my time of devotions this evening, the Lord was speaking to me from this verse. I thought it may be of some help to you also, since you are young, and following in my footsteps, as I try to walk with the Lord. That's why I decided to write you.
It's all too easy for me to recite a verse like this, without letting it speak into my daily life situations. Why, I'm not even being persecuted... how could this apply to me?
The instructions are only to a select group of people. Those who "would" follow Jesus. Those who have decided to love and obey Him. Those who are devoted to thinking like He thinks, and doing what He does; to obeying the Father as He obeyed the Father. "If any man will come after Me..."
"...let him deny himself..." What is this "denial"? What is being denied? Food... clothing? No. Not specifically. Rather, MY self; my SELF. My "rights":
My way of being and doing,
My right to personal security, even that of knowing what the path ahead is, and the natural stubbornness that makes me unwilling to move a muscle, until I know what the provision of the future will be.
My right to not be a failure,
My right to feel the reward of a job well done,
My right to be appreciated and recognized,
My right to have people enjoy being around me,
My right to be comfortable,
My right to be right: the first time and every time.
My right to be perfect. hmm... (maybe my right to think I'm perfect?)
.......................................
My right to have servants who are submissive... wait a minute? really?
I am called to deny it all. But what does "DENY" mean anyway? It means to disown, to reject, and to refuse. To take as fact the truth that I have no rights. To completely disengage myself from these mindsets and patterns of living that are so worldly. When I am Jesus' disciple I am nobody else than who I am in Him. I have none of these aspects of my previous identity, but take my value in His grace. I rest upon not what I can do on my own, but instead, on the solid, unchanging Rock, Christ Jesus.
Sarah, I wonder: what does it mean to take up one's cross? I know that when Jesus was bearing His cross on the road to Golgotha, He was not thinking about the fun He had yesterday, or the good times next week. In other words, Jesus wasn't living for pleasure. His goal wasn't pleasure. On the other hand, His goal wasn't even pain. He was there with the distinct purpose of doing God's will, and He was going to accomplish God's plan without surrender to his body's cries of pain, to his emotions giving up, and to the mental torture. So as He was on that road, with the cross on His shoulder, He was preparing to die.
How about me? Am I living for God? for God's purposes? (Not just God's purposes for ME and MY life but His purposes to be accomplished in the world? His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it (always) is in Heaven?) Am I living with the same faithful obedience Jesus showed, that resulted in resolve and seriousness?
"... and follow Me." Follow His example. Follow His path of denial and suffering while fulfilling God's purposes. Follow His word. Follow the Holy Spirit as He shows us how to walk, how to live for God, just as Jesus did.
Dear Sarah, I hope this has somehow helped you to think through your current life situations from a Biblical perspective. As for me, I want to draw closer to Jesus everyday: know Him better, love Him more, hear Him more clearly, follow Him more readily, understand Him more completely. And let me remind you: the best thing in the whole world is to love Jesus.
Your friend,
Lady Theophilus
Dear Sarah,
In my time of devotions this evening, the Lord was speaking to me from this verse. I thought it may be of some help to you also, since you are young, and following in my footsteps, as I try to walk with the Lord. That's why I decided to write you.
It's all too easy for me to recite a verse like this, without letting it speak into my daily life situations. Why, I'm not even being persecuted... how could this apply to me?
The instructions are only to a select group of people. Those who "would" follow Jesus. Those who have decided to love and obey Him. Those who are devoted to thinking like He thinks, and doing what He does; to obeying the Father as He obeyed the Father. "If any man will come after Me..."
"...let him deny himself..." What is this "denial"? What is being denied? Food... clothing? No. Not specifically. Rather, MY self; my SELF. My "rights":
My way of being and doing,
My right to personal security, even that of knowing what the path ahead is, and the natural stubbornness that makes me unwilling to move a muscle, until I know what the provision of the future will be.
My right to not be a failure,
My right to feel the reward of a job well done,
My right to be appreciated and recognized,
My right to have people enjoy being around me,
My right to be comfortable,
My right to be right: the first time and every time.
My right to be perfect. hmm... (maybe my right to think I'm perfect?)
.......................................
My right to have servants who are submissive... wait a minute? really?
I am called to deny it all. But what does "DENY" mean anyway? It means to disown, to reject, and to refuse. To take as fact the truth that I have no rights. To completely disengage myself from these mindsets and patterns of living that are so worldly. When I am Jesus' disciple I am nobody else than who I am in Him. I have none of these aspects of my previous identity, but take my value in His grace. I rest upon not what I can do on my own, but instead, on the solid, unchanging Rock, Christ Jesus.
Sarah, I wonder: what does it mean to take up one's cross? I know that when Jesus was bearing His cross on the road to Golgotha, He was not thinking about the fun He had yesterday, or the good times next week. In other words, Jesus wasn't living for pleasure. His goal wasn't pleasure. On the other hand, His goal wasn't even pain. He was there with the distinct purpose of doing God's will, and He was going to accomplish God's plan without surrender to his body's cries of pain, to his emotions giving up, and to the mental torture. So as He was on that road, with the cross on His shoulder, He was preparing to die.
How about me? Am I living for God? for God's purposes? (Not just God's purposes for ME and MY life but His purposes to be accomplished in the world? His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it (always) is in Heaven?) Am I living with the same faithful obedience Jesus showed, that resulted in resolve and seriousness?
"... and follow Me." Follow His example. Follow His path of denial and suffering while fulfilling God's purposes. Follow His word. Follow the Holy Spirit as He shows us how to walk, how to live for God, just as Jesus did.
Dear Sarah, I hope this has somehow helped you to think through your current life situations from a Biblical perspective. As for me, I want to draw closer to Jesus everyday: know Him better, love Him more, hear Him more clearly, follow Him more readily, understand Him more completely. And let me remind you: the best thing in the whole world is to love Jesus.
Your friend,
Lady Theophilus
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Praise God!
I was reading this morning in my devotions, where Paul was telling the Romans about what it was like before he was saved. One of the pictures of his life before he surrendered to the Lordship of Christ shows that he was powerless to live righteously. He says (speaking from the perspective of that time), "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not." (NASB, emphasis mine) That is how every person is who is not Christ's own. (Remember Peter and the other disciples, to whom Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.") We have no strength in ourselves to do right or to not do wrong.
We would be helpless sinners were it not for GOD!! But God has made every provision necessary for our full salvation! In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (NKJV)
I am so glad that we serve an all-powerful Savior and Lord! I am so glad that He will impart the DESIRE and POWER to live His righteousness to ALL His own. I am so thankful He makes it possible for us to each have salvation ("work out your own salvation"), deliverance from the power of sin!
Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Christ gives us power to be all He created us to be!
"Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing eternal 'Hallelujahs' to Jesus Christ the King!" - Alfred Ackley
(Thank you to BibleGateway.com for these verses being already typed up!)
We would be helpless sinners were it not for GOD!! But God has made every provision necessary for our full salvation! In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (NKJV)
I am so glad that we serve an all-powerful Savior and Lord! I am so glad that He will impart the DESIRE and POWER to live His righteousness to ALL His own. I am so thankful He makes it possible for us to each have salvation ("work out your own salvation"), deliverance from the power of sin!
Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Christ gives us power to be all He created us to be!
"Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing eternal 'Hallelujahs' to Jesus Christ the King!" - Alfred Ackley
(Thank you to BibleGateway.com for these verses being already typed up!)
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