Simplicity Perfection and Grace

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  
 

As Christians, it seems as though we often work at being spiritual. We read spiritual books, we study the Scriptures, we faithfully attend church. Yet, we must admit that all too often our lives remain virtually unchanged. We get all caught up in the snags and snares of living in the world and being too much a part of it. With the fast, frantic pace of life that we all experience, it is even more important to set aside time for God.  

Our awareness of spiritual things begins only when we understand that to feel close to God we must wait on Him and that requries an inward look at ourselves and a commitment to "listen" to his Word. God will not shout to be heard above all the earthly clamor. As a matter of fact, when we surround ourselves with multitudes of people and deafening noise, God whispers. We strain, but cannot hear. At times, we believe that He has left us; yet it is often our wavering faith and priorities that keep us removed from His presence.  

When it becomes noisy, God whispers; but He never leaves us, He always has something to say. Even when there appears to be no communication at all, when we experience spiritual dryness--at those very times, God the Spirit approaches. He touches our heart always at the proper time, encouraging us to be still and listen.  

God's will in our lives is perfect. His time table--His Masterplan is infallible. Only through our desire to place ourselves at the Master's feet, to humble ourselves as we seek to follow Jesus--only then will we feel his presence and be in touch with our own spirituality.  
  
The Practice of the Presence of God (See Brother Lawrence's first letter.)
  Nave's Topical Bible -- Study on Spirituality  
Torrey's New Topical Textbook -- Study on Prayer (Keyword: Prayer)  
  

 

"Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  
  

Reading in Matthew, we familiarize ourselves with the story of Jesus' temptation. Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Looking more closely, we read that He was led by the Spirit.  

In our lives, we seek the touch of the Holy Spirit within our hearts; yet, in this passage, we read how the Spirit led the Lord to be tempted by Satan. In our world, every day we can easily get caught in the traps Satan so craftily sets for us. But even at those moments, the Spirit is ever-present, waiting and watching. He wants us to call upon Him.  

Three times, Satan tried to trap Jesus into "proving" that He was the Son of God. Physically weak, tired, and hungry, Jesus could have succumbed to the temptation. He could have taken the easy way out. What would it have cost Him after all?  

We, too, are tempted, bombarded with so many distractions, so many indulgences that take us away from God. Like Jesus, our best line--no, our only line of defense is to firmly plant our feet on the solid ground of Scripture.  

When Jesus tells Satan, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," we are assured of God's power over evil. Likewise, when we confront our own demons, God gives us the power to defeat those enemies, one by one.  

Let our prayer be that we recognize Satan in all of his disguises and that we trust in the Lord to deliver us from all his evil schemes. May the words of Scripture be our sword that we may be victorious in the battle.  
  
Temptation Bible Study -- When Bad Things Happen: Study 3  
Armor of God-- An in-depth study of Ephesians 6.  
The Concise Matthew Henry Commentary -- (Ephesians 6: 10-18)  
Bible Gateway -- Finding Strength in times of Temptation (James 1: 12-16)  
The Armour of God -- A sermon by Rev. Don Robinson.  
  

"Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls."  
 

In some ways our lives are like the changing seasons. From the burst of new life in the spring, to the balmy breezes of summer, we absorb the warmth of this milder season and we cherish the fleeting days of rest and relaxation. All too soon, the beauty of autumn gives way to the stark, baren landscape of winter. Then the winter chill settles in and we begin to count the days until the first signs of spring appear once again with restoration of new life.  

It seems to me that life is much like the changing seasons. At times we feel the care-free existence associated with long summer days full of sunshine and play. However, there are also times when we experience the harsher realities of trouble and despair. We lose loved ones to incurable disease, we try to deal with the pressures of raising children in an increasingly hostile world. Through it all, we struggle to maintain balance in both our private and professional lives. It seems as though we are left to fight life's battles alone. Yet Scripture reminds us that we are not alone. Even in the darkest moments when we struggle to cope with whatever difficulties we have been dealt, we have God's hope and promise that he will not leave us.  

Jesus said "Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest." But is that what we truly believe? Aren't we usually too busy trying to pull ourselves up by our proverbial bootstraps to remember Jesus' promise? If we read His words again, more closely this time, we'll see that he tells us exactly how we can lean on Him. He continues by saying, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me." Together with Jesus we carry the load; and because we are His disciples, He desires us to learn of Him. When we learn from Him, we take His words to heart. That is when we find rest and the peace that passes all understanding. Our troubles will not miraculously disappear; however, in the midst of them, we are centered in the understanding that Jesus shares our burdens. We carry them not alone.  

So then, we learn of Jesus by entering into His presence. In spite of our busyness, we take time to pray, time to reflect, time to learn. We ask for the Spirit to guide us in our study and to speak to us through God's written word. The result of our continued discipleship is that we begin to experience newness of life, a sense of hope and fulfillment. Like the first taste of spring emerging after a long, trying winter, our souls are nourished by the Holy Spirit who brings a soothing balm to our broken spirits and troubled hearts. Once again we feel God's presence and his unconditional love.  

Through the hustle and bustle of daily life, we sometimes forget that Jesus is as close as our very thought of him. He is with us when we experience great heights of spiritual awareness and also when we face life's darkest moments.  

Father, we need to be reminded of your love for us. Cause us to desire a closer relationship with you that we may find true joy; and that in so doing, we witness to the greatness of your mercy, grace, and unconditional love.  
  

The Concise Matthew Henry Commentary -- Matthew 11:25-30  
Faith-Rest --The means by which Christians can have JOY  
Revive Us Again! --Sermon notes by Pastor Don Robinson  
Christian Living --A BETTER RELATIONSHIP by Rev. Michael J. Carney  
Discipleship --Meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus.  
  

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."  
  

Regeneration is a theological term used to describe what is commonly referred to as being born again. Simply put, it is the work of the Holy Spirit touching human hearts, offering spiritual life in place of spiritual death. John 3:8 states that when we are born of the Spirit, we hear the sound of the wind, but we don't know where it comes from or where it is going. In the routine of daily life, God enters the human heart and touches it in a way that cannot be reduced to mere words. He plants, deep within our soul, the seed from which our hunger and desire for Him continue to grow and mature through all the days of our lives.  

In His infinite wisdom, God the Spirit leads us and reveals His plan for our lives, not all at once, but in stages. As we begin our new relationship with Him through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we do so like a newborn child. Our dependence on Him is obvious as we struggle to grow in the faith, taking our first, somewhat wobbly, steps towards Christian maturity. We're eager to spend time with Him, reading His Word, trusting His Son. As we look to Him in a spirit of surrender, we feel those first wobbly steps become more secure. Yet even then, we do not know where He will take us on this journey of faith.  

As a child learns to lean on his/her parents, we learn that we must trust God and not worry where He is taking us or how He will meet our needs. We are comforted by the words of Scripture that remind us of the care He gives for even the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields. As the newborn baby knows its mother and her tender care, we desire to know you, Lord. Beneath the layers of doubt and fear, beneath hurts of the past and regrets for what might have been, we seek comfort, peace, and direction for the future.  

Let the world go by. Remember how it was when you were new creatures in Christ--long for Him again with the same passion and intensity. Let Him guide your footsteps here and now and into eternity.  
  
Regeneration--A discussion of the words referring to a believer's new life in Christ.  
Reconciliation--How God changes us to His own standards and righteousness.  
Faith--How Christian faith works; how to grow in faith.  
Holy Spirit--The Person and work of God the Holy Spirit.  
THE MARKS OF THE NEW BIRTH--a sermon by John Wesley.  
Born of the Spirit -- Ray C. Stedman Reference Library  
Matthew Henry Commentary--Chapter 3  Scriptures that relate to "conversion,'' "a new creature,'' "a new birth,'' etc.  

  

"For God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find God through human brilliance, and then he stepped in and saved all those who believed his message, which the world calls foolish and silly." TLB 
 

I marvel at how simple you make things, Lord; and how complex we humans make them.  So many times in our Christian walk we struggle to hear your voice and feel your touch.  In our heart, we want to feel the closeness we once knew when your Spirit filled us that very first time.  Yet we have allowed the demands of our every-day lives to rob us of the moments we used to spend with you.  

Like a fish out of water that is flailing against the ground as it seeks to return to its natural environment, we too struggle to return to the simplicity of our relationship with you in order to avoid being pulled further into a world of misguided values and misplaced notions of right and wrong. 

Sometimes we struggle because we have allowed ourselves to drift in a sea of secular propaganda and distortions.  The more we listen, the further we drift; and before we know it, we are not only in the world, but we have become a part of it.  Have we not listened to those who consider themselves wise in a worldly sense, arrogant in their own knowledge, yet foolish in their rejection of God and His wisdom.  At times, perhaps we have fallen into the pattern of allowing ourselves to drift away from God and from His truth.  But then, we feel the Holy Spirit tugging at our heart, convicting us of our waywardness, drawing us closer to Jesus.  

To unbelievers, the message of the Gospel sounds foolish.  They would tell us that Christianity goes against all rational thinking.  Yet Paul in his letter to the Corinthians makes it clear that no amount of human knowledge can replace what Christ has done for us on the cross. 

Father, I pray that we, like children, will be openly vulnerable to your word.  Create in us a desire to meet you in the silence of our lives where you teach us and nourish our souls.  And when we cannot hear your voice, teach us patience and grant in us a desire to return just because we love you.  Amen. 
 
God's Nonsense -- A sermon by Ray C. Stedman 
Bible Gateway -- 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Corinthians 
 

"But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."  
 

A very human characteristic is to want perfection.  At the grocery store, we carefully select that piece of fruit that is unblemished, discarding pieces having the slightest imperfection.  Sometimes we pass judgment on others, holding them up to a microscope, checking for flaws--parts in their being that make them less acceptable to us.  However, we do not think of our own imperfection or how we would react being judged in the same fashion. 

The Scripture in Matthew tells us to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.  Yet the perfection that God seeks in us only happens by His grace.  It is a perfection which reveals itself in Christian maturity.  Because of the Spirit’s work in us, perfection is a realistic goal. 

We can move closer to being more perfect in character, aspiring to be as much like Christ as possible.  By separating ourselves from the sinful values of the world, we move closer towards perfection, growing in Christ, maturing as God intended. 

What a miraculous thing it is to be welcomed by our Lord in all our brokenness and imperfection.  God sees all of our sinfulness; yet, he chooses to love us and touch that portion of our heart that responds to him, bringing us comfort and assurance of his mercy and grace. 

Perfection is a goal toward which we move.  It is a state of being mature or complete, not flawless.  As we run the race, like Paul, we strive not in our own strength alone, but rather because of the strength we have when the Holy Spirit dwells within us.  

Father, always remind us that it is your grace that makes our salvation possible.  We cannot earn it, nor do we deserve it.  No religious, intellectual, or moral effort can gain it.  Let us desire perfection purely because we desire to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen. 
 

Dry Bones	Devotions by C.H. Spurgeon
Drawing Near	Devotions by Oswald Chambers
Words of Hope	The Upper Room
Internetspirations	NIV Quiet Time Bible
GCN Daily Devotional	Guidepost's Daily Devotions
Daily Walk Devotional	The Omnilist of Devotionals
Fresh Start Devotionals	Keys for Kids--children's devotions
Devotional Christian Resources

 

"Prayer is an end to isolation. It is living our daily life with someone. With him who alone can deliver us from solitude. For he is the only one we can find in our own heart, the only one to whom we can tell everything that is in us. He is ever present. Intimately. Prayer makes us aware of his presence, which we might not realize if we did not pay attention."  - Georges Lefebvre 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.  - Romans 8:26-27 

I love that passage; especially the part where we are told that the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  During those times when our prayers seem strained and lifeless, when we suffer pain and anguish, when we are spiritually dry, the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that God understands because He knows our hearts.  It is the intention of our hearts, not our actual words to which the Father responds. 

Christian Meditation	Spiritual Journaling
Prayer Link	Meditative Prayer
Apostolic Prayer	Conversation with God
Centering Prayer	The Christian's Prayer Book
Contemplative Prayer	WWW Sources on Prayer
Secrets to Successful Prayer	OmniList of Prayer & Support

 

I have provided a sampling of Christian music sites which offer both contemporary and traditional Christian music.  Enjoy and make music in your heart to the Lord. 
 

New Song	Worship in Music
Grace Bible Midi Files	CCM Online
Songs of Praise	Christian Hymns Midi Collection
MCU Virtual Library	Complete Midi File Directory
The Virtual Perfect Church	Alive 93.5

 

 

Religious Resources on the Net Titles  URLs  Descriptions