Devotional Christian » persevering faith

Wholesome and Clean

Patricia Day — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:42:02 +0000

Ezekiel 37:23b – I will wash away their sin and make them clean, and I will protect them from everything that makes them unclean. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (CEV)

There is a major house renovation going on close to where we live. Actually, it has been in progress for weeks and weeks – new roof, insulation, siding, windows, doors, sunroom and storage addition – a complete overhaul! I don’t know, because I have not seen inside, but I have to assume that there is a great deal of updating, repair and cleaning being addressed inside the home too: and I assume this due to the time it is taking to complete the work.

I recall when my husband and I, were looking for a home in this park, that we viewed one particular unit that was in a beautiful location, the price was amazing (it would have left a great deal of ‘spare’ cash for renovations) but the condition inside was nothing short of ‘disgusting’: how anyone could have lived in the home in the condition it was in, was beyond our comprehension.

We had agreed that we were willing to move into a house of our choice and do work while living there, but the filth and the updates needed in that particular house, were way too bad for us to even consider moving in and living there in – there was far too much to do to make it habitable.

When some people are challenged to give their lives to God and invite Jesus into their hearts, they recognize the truth that they have sinned before God. As a result, they want to clean up their lives before they issue an invitation to Jesus. They don’t yet understand that God comes into our lives to clean us up, precisely because we can’t do it for ourselves.

Isaiah 64:6a – But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. (NKJV)

The good news is that God loves us just as we are. So when we become willing to accept God into our lives, thankfully, He does not shun our dirty lives like we rejected that dirty home. He welcomes us and cleanses us. He does not leave us as we are, with our disparaging thoughts, our criticism of others, our idolatry of all things material, and all our major and minor sinful ways. This process is called “sanctification”.

Isaiah 1:16 – Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong. (CEV)

Just as the house we viewed had much to clean up before being habitable, so God needs to clean up our lives, thoughts, and actions, so that we become a true reflection of His Son, Jesus, in our hearts, minds, and spirits.

James 4:8 – Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can’t make up your mind. (CEV)

Prayer: Abba, make us aware of all that is in our lives, our thoughts, and our deeds, that is unworthy of Your presence within us. Wash us clean, and renew our spirits and hearts so that we are wholesome, presentable, and welcoming to all who look at us and the ways that we live. We want to be acceptable to You and winsome to them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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The Twelve Days of Christmas

Patricia Day — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:31:58 +0000

Did you know this?

From 1558 to 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

- The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

- Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

- Three French hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love.

- The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

- The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

- The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

- Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

- The eight maids a-milking were the eight Beatitudes.

- Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

- The ten Lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

- The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Disciples.

- The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

MERRY (Twelve Days of) CHRISTMAS!

And so, let us remember, that it is not OK to say “Happy Holiday” – when did that all come about?

As CHRISTmas approaches, let us remember that it is a Christian celebration of Christ’s birth! In order to give Him the praise and the glory – let us remember to say loudly and clearly to those we meet; to those we send greeting cards to; to them all let us say: HAPPY CHRISTMAS one and all!

http://pepeprays.wordpress.com

We Are In It Together

Hariette Petersen — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:40:39 +0000

When a team plays a game. When a country goes to war. When a crew builds a house. When a church is planted. Each person has a specific contribution to make to another within the whole. So often in relationships we have expectations of what another will give to us, of what we will receive. We take for granted that we will give to another our best, be as diligent and loyal as necessary. For a team to succeed, a country, a crew or congregation–each person is just as responsible to the relationship as others. As Christians we’re more than ourselves. We are part of the body of Christ. Peter knew this when he wrote:

“As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4-5

Christ died and rose again and ascended into heaven to sit at the right-hand side of God the Father. He was the Cornerstone to the Church. We are as precious to the Father as Jesus was. Jesus was rejected by men, but chosen by God. We also are like living stones–being built into the spiritual house of God. We are called to be a holy priesthood, just as Jesus was the chief Priest. God wants our spiritual sacrifices just as He wanted Jesus to be the acceptable physical attoning sacrifice. He asks us to live for Him.

Just live. Through Him, love. Through Him, forgive. Through Him, reconcile. Through Him, restore. Through Him, stand.

As Believers we live through Jesus Christ…He in us, we in Him. Spiritually, we positionally sit with Him in heaven just as surely as we sit here on earth.

What joy to know we are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We are righteous through Christ. We are set apart and made holy through Christ. The world rejected Jesus; the world rejects us. And that’s okay. We are acceptable to our Heavenly Father. The battles on this earth we face together in His name. The trials, the persecutions, the difficulties. We are in it together–building one living stone upon the other–mortared together by the blood of our Savior and Lord. Rejoice, dear friends. Rejoice.

Who can defeat us? Who can be against us? We are “living stones” in the spiritual house of God. When the earth quakes and the mountains tremble and seas roar and man threatens, we are one, built together and standing strong as a fortress. Thank you for standing with me, my brothers and sisters.

PRAYER: Lord bless my brothers and sisters in Christ today. Give them wisdom and discernment. Let them each grow more in love with You each day. Let each rest in Your grace and be the blessed stone You’ve chosen them to be in the kingdom.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

Why Must We Suffer

Hariette Petersen — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:49:00 +0000

Suffering is something we all want to avoid. None of us invite pain. We tend to seek comfort and pleasure; it’s the way we are. We rebel against discomfort. We have innate defenses against that which hurts us or can bring harm. We buy things to eliminate pain. We invent things, we construct things, we work for things, we purchase things to bring us more comfort, more ease, more time to spend at ease. So when we face a season of suffering, our first reaction is to fix the situation–not accept it. We question why? Quite often, if we sit awhile and consider our discomfort–we can see our suffering is far, far less in comparison to another’s.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

We have conditioned ourselves to believe we should not suffer, be inconvenienced, or deal with pain. Yet, the Apostle Peter tells us to look beyond the temporary “grief in all kinds of trials”. They come to prove the ”genuineness” of our faith. Anyone can suffer and whine. It takes a person full of faith, and a hope beyond the temporary difficulties of life, to bring glory and honor to God. Such is our joy. Our endurance through the suffering, our steadfast faith in God amid the trials–these bring refinement which results in praise and honor and glory.

Does this mean we should keep our suffering to ourselves–stay silent when heartache, discouragements, and grief press upon us? I don’t think so. I think when we suffer we have a great opportunity to show the grace of God. We may hurt. We may mourn. But we show the greatest honor to God as we stand firm in our faith in the midst of our suffering. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to smile…to laugh, or sing. Our Lord knows that. He suffered the cross to bring glory to the Father. He suffered alone. He does not want us to suffer alone. He left His Spirit to comfort us. He gives us one another to help carry our load. Knowing this, may we each find our voice to sing praises to Him for the victory He has set before us.

PRAYER: LORD, gives us voices to raise in praise to You in times we find most unbearable. Keep us ever close to You as we go through trials meant to strengthen our faith, and bring light of Your goodness to a lost world. We can all praise You on the brighter days, LORD. Give us Your Light to shine on those days which seem darkest before the dawn.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

When You Want to Know What To Do

Hariette Petersen — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:27:50 +0000

Last week I was really sick with a stomach virus. I couldn’t seem to bounce back and felt despondent. However I was far more troubled about some of my friends who are struggling. One friend has a two year-old grandson just diagnosed and undergoing treatment for leukemia. Another has a new-born daughter with spina-bifida. Another learned of his mother’s sudden death. My granddaughter’s father-in-law died of lung cancer. Illness. Death. Funerals and grief. My illness was so small in comparison to all those I know and love. I did my best to encourage them, but felt so tiny in the scheme of things. I wanted to be able to do more, but had no idea what I could do. Then today I read this verse:

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Just as in fact you are doing.” God has a reason for everything in this world; likewise, He has a reason for us. As we walk through our sufferings, we have each other for encouragement. Each day we have an opportunity to encourage someone, somewhere. Yet, all too often we fail to do so. Why? Perhaps our problems loom so large in our own lives, we fail to notice the problems of another. We fail to ask, or even to hear. So we go along, do our jobs, gas our cars, never even realizing someone else has the same struggles we do–friends dying, loved ones undergoing chemotheraphy. We often fail to turn them over to God, to let go of them. Sometimes we promise to pray for them, and then forget.

This week, when despondency gripped my heart, a teenager emailed me from her phone to say “hello”. She’s my grandson’s girlfriend. It was so sweet of her to let me know she cared. I emailed back and she replied and told me how much she looked forward to seeing a new blog from me at the end of her school day. Encouraging words. A few other friends left comments on my website. It wasn’t huge, just words fitly spoken at just the right time–when my body was worn, my spirit was low. God wants each of us to bring our problems to Him. He wants us to depend upon Him and recognize He is with us. He longs to love us and give to us and bestow the riches of His glory upon us. He often uses others to encourage us. It’s part of His plan.

How about you? Do you sense the leading of the Spirit this week, this day? Can you hear Him urging you to follow through on writing a note, or sending an email, making a call, a visit? Someone needs you. Do you know who it is?

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Running Interference

Hariette Petersen — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:18:33 +0000

In football, a receiver catches the quarterback’s pass, secures the ball, then runs for the goal line. His teammates legally block defensive tacklers to protect and make way for their ball carrier. The opposing team does all it can to catch that receiver and keep him from meeting his objective. Sometimes a confident ball carrier is blindsided and taken down, despite teammates running interference for him.

Ever been blindsided? It can be financial, vocational, physical, emotional. It’s like hitting a brick wall. When a Christian is running his race, any hit becomes a spiritual one. We think we’ve settled something in our minds or hearts, then ”that something” rears its ugly head. It challenges our faith, tries our patience, or tests our faithfulness. When the problem looms higher than life itself, we are most susceptible to forget about the goal ahead. All our energy and mental capabilities is spent dealing with this interruption. Before we know it, we are sitting on the sidelines. Aggravated. Confused. Weary.

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.” Galatians 5:7-10

In Galatia, Paul saw people he had led to Christ being tripped up by another’s false teaching. He knew how to run interference for fellow Christians. He stood on the truth of Christ and did a bit of cheerleading: “I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.”

Christ lives in our hearts. When we turn to, and rely upon Him, He meets our need and provides a way to accomplish what He calls us to do. He gives us clarity and discernment. Most times in football, the ball carrier is brought down before he makes the touchdown. However, those who run interference often are successful enough to help the runner make a first down. With a first down, the runner gives his team four more tries at the goal. So he gets up, and starts all over again.

Have you hit a brick wall? Remember Jesus is with you, in you. He is your advocate, the propriation of your faith, your Redeemer. Will you get up one more time? Is He calling you to run for the goal? Do you know someone who needs you to run interference, to block the forces that seek to wear them down? Whatever God calls us to do, Paul gives words of encouragement: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Gal. 5:13-14 A single command, love.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to get up. Let us be ever mindful that You, Lord, are in us, giving us freedom to move away from our sinful nature.

Running w/ Perseverance

Seeing God’s Glory In the Valley

Emily Riley — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:23:17 +0000

“let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.” A Puritan prayer

Every human being experiences valleys at one time or another during his or her life. Even though as Christians we know God cares about our suffering, many of us wonder at times why He allows it. I’m not very fond of valleys of suffering. I’d rather spend my life in mountain top experiences. And often, when I’ve gone through a season of suffering, it has been accompanied by many tears and questioning.

Sometimes my valleys are valleys of discouragement and loneliness. Sometimes they are valleys that I’ve created as a result of my sin against God. Other times they are valleys that I’ve been thrown into (painful migraines or other health issues, circumstances at work, unexpected expenses like car repairs, etc). What matters most is not what type of valley we find ourselves in, but rather, what we do when we’re in the valley. Do we complain, groan, and allow bitterness to enter our hearts? Certainly, these are natural feelings. But God can help us past these places. He can restore our souls in the valleys of life.

The Puritan writer of the prayer above knew that God’s glory often shines the brightest in the valleys of darkness. I think the reason for this is that as we stumble through valleys, we learn more of our own weakness. We realize in a tangible way that we are unable to save ourselves or muster up the strength to fix our situations. In the valleys of life, we learn that we need a Savior. So, our response is to look up. Look up to the One who planned your steps through this valley. Look up to the One whose glory is shining through your weakness. Look up to the Savior whose grace is greater than your sins, whose riches are infinitely more than your need, and who will never leave you hopeless in the valleys of life. As we look up to Him, our hearts will grow in gratefulness for His goodness to us.

You restore my soul. You guide me in the path of righteousness for your name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:3-4

God Will Keep You from Stumbling

John Starke — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:14:59 +0000

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” Jude 24

Jude’s epistle calls his readers to persevere in belief. His great effort is contending against false teachers who had crept in and were defiling “the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). As Jude tells us, God’s judgment is sure against false teachers and those who lead others astray (see verses 4-16). Yet, what is astonishing is that Jude’s call for Christian faithfulness is so straightforward.

Basically, Jude’s word to Christians is to keep in the love of God by (1) building yourself up in faith, (2) praying in the Spirit, and (3) waiting for Christ’s return (see verses 20-21). Building yourself up in faith is not necessarily believing in God more, but rather, in every aspect of life we are to act in light of God’s saving promises. The Gospel should affect the choices we make and how we respond to others. Jude’s phrase praying in the Spirit instructs us that Christian prayer is Spirit-led and not led by our own agenda. If left to ourselves, we would pray in line with our sinful desires and passions – as James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Waiting for Christ’s return sums up Jude’s picture of the Christian life. We are not to be anxious, but rather wait on the Lord who has set upon us a sure and unfailing hope of life eternal through his cross.

If all this true, then Jude’s doxology is appropriate. All the glory, forever and forever, is to the Lord who keeps us from stumbling through his power and presents us blameless through the finished work of the Gospel and gives us great joy because in his presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).