3rd Heaven

What do you look forward to most about Heaven?  This was the question posed during an opening devotional at a business meeting last week.  Answers ranged from, “I don’t think about Heaven very much – I don’t think I get it and so I just trust” and “I’m ashamed to say, I’ve had thoughts in the past about the continuous chanting and it worries me – will I be bored there?” to “I look forward to reuniting with loved ones” and “I’m looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face.”

As we prepared to consider business here on Earth the scripture reading for the devotional was from Colossians 3:2, ‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.’  The discussion was Heaven.  The issue, we all agreed, was that we should be thinking about heaven more.  

What do you look forward to most about Heaven?

Have you ever been reading a book, listening to a sermon, or on your knees in prayer and been completely overwhelmed with a flood of emotion to commit everything to the LORD?  This is the time, I want to let go of everything I want and give it all to the LORD, I’m done with doing it my way, I always mess everything up, I want to rest and trust the LORD with everything: every moment, every thought, every desire.  

Expressing this feeling in words is challenging.  Perfect freedom.  Perfect trust.  Perfect peace.  If I’ve gotten close at all you may be recalling your own testimony of how you came to Christ or a renewed commitment to Christ along the way.  This feeling, in my estimation, is as good as it gets this side of life’s great divide.  

However, for me, this feeling is all too shortly followed by a failure.  My flesh realizes a victory as I choose, say, entertainment over time in the Word, etc.  

Still, If even for a brief moment, that feeling touches my soul as if to say, ‘this is what you were created for.”  I can not wait to be done with the fight against the flesh.  Until then, and through the power of the Spirit, we fight the good fight.

God would You bless us with more and more freedom from self as we wait on You?  Please be gentle with us LORD.  May our souls find rest in You.  Amen.  

Psalm 27:13-14
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

Today’s reading: James 5 and Psalm 27

 

Sources for study on Heaven:

Sources for study on eternal rewards:

Among Us

Today’s Reading; James 4 and Psalm 26

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1)

“Among you” is translated by some scholars as “in you“. When I reflect on the many battles in my life this would be a consistent one. I understand that some of the many struggles we can face are not always visually seen by others. These struggles are faced “in you” and can internally impact your mind and heart.  These struggles can take away the joy you can fill into others. Our earthly desires, worries, and fears are tucked back in our mind and the wrestling match of external, desires are grappling with our internal thoughts and heart. Leaving us questioning within our heads and walking through this earthly life half-minded.

James pastoral counsel can lead us back to place of love, grace, and peace.  Personally, as I start back to the school year with much excitement. In my mind, my earthly demands, desires, and fixed mindset moments can make room for questioning thoughts and actions. My thoughts can be like a thief that robs me of being truly “in the moment” by wondering what is to come. It can be hard to be at peace with anyone else when you are not at peace with yourself. That’s what makes being in the word so valuable.   I’m reminded, we need to turn to our Father who provides all the peace we need. That God is with us all the time and I need to stop trying to do things my way.  Jesus said,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

As we continue to read through James we are reminded to simply ask. Call on Him at any and all times. In addition, when we pray we are to pray with the right motives.  James 4:3 We pray with faith and according to God’s will not ours.  This will detangle the internal mess that can leave you walking through our day with this internal struggle.  Here are a couple complimenting verses that God’s living word provides for us to pray through.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1John 5:14).

But when we ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

It’s easy to get caught up in everything going on day by day, minute by minute. My prayer is that we not let our external worldly desires distract our internal mind and heart knowing that God has an eternal place waiting for us.  Be encouraged and don’t rob yourself of who we belong to. Steal back the moments God desires us to enjoy. James reminds us that the time is now to let go of these worries and fears.

“Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”    (James 4:14).

Today as I read one of daily devotionals Jesus Calling had this perfect reminder.

Trust Me in the midst of a messy day. Your inner calm- your Peace in My Presence- need not be shaken by what is going on around you. Though you live in this temporal world, your innermost being is rooted and grounded in eternity. When you start feeling stressed, detach yourself from the disturbances around you. Instead of desperately striving to maintain order and control in your little world, relax and remember that circumstances cannot touch My Peace.

Seek God’s Face, and He will share His mind with you, open your eyes to see things from His perspective. The peace I give is sufficient for you.  

Dear God,

Thank you for all our writers and readers. We celebrate and praise your living word and understand how your words breathe through us. Please continue to encourage us to look to you at all times and not fall into the half-minded living of the world. You call us son and daughter, salt and light.  Help us to trust your word always and share this good news with everyone. God we ask you to help us break the chains of  inner struggles and help us to know we can walk in victory with you always. Amen

Resources

Jesus Calling August 26th ~ Sarah Young

David Jeremiah Study Bible

The Village Church App August 2017 ~ Marked by Matt Chandler

Logos Bible ~ James 4

 

 

The Word Incarnate

Good Morning! Today, I am excited to share a guest post from my friend Elizabeth Giger. I met Elizabeth at Eastview Christian Church through music ministry. A few weeks ago she shared a devotion that moved my heart and stirred my soul. She spoke a truth that I needed to hear that day!  When I asked her to write a guest post for Bible Journal, she graciously agreed.  I hope you enjoy her beautiful post and I pray you are moved by the Holy Spirit.

Today’s Reading: James 3

Our words have power.

It was so from the beginning.

The Word spoke and it was done. The Word breathed and life was bestowed.

We are created and we have His image and like our Father, our words make things happen.

Just as His words go out and do not return empty, we cannot throw heedless words to the wind. Just as all He speaks has deliberation and purpose, so should we have careful thought bolstering what we say. So should we speak with wisdom, with peace.

Too often we talk, we rant, we fill up the air with our words. And our words are not of grace.

When we who pray the Lord’s Prayer also write ugly in online spaces, when we who sing of God’s love also snip at our family at home, when we who praise His servant-love also speak short and proud to those who serve us,we pump poison into our world.

We forget that those on the receiving end of our arrows are just as beloved as we. When truth is forgotten, we who are called to reign and serve, to glorify and praise, we set the name of our King afire in the eyes of this world.

Words exist for a different purpose.

God’s Word created man. He created man and then God’s Word became a man. He put on flesh and dwelt among us.

The Word incarnate.
The Word came so that the incarnation can continue, so that our lives can become incarnate, the whole of life an incarnation of the Word.

The Word came to be wisdom and peace, and that is what we should speak into our world, with our mouths and with our lives, into this space we are given to influence.

So speak with wisdom and with peace rather than with poison and with fire.

Our harvest of righteousness is waiting.

Art credits: Holy Night by Antonio da Correggio; Christ in the House of Martha and Mary by Jan Vermeer; all other photos copyright by Made Sacred 2017

Today’s guest post is by Elizabeth Giger who writes weekly on her blog, Made Sacred  (madesacred.com).

Heads or Tails?

James 2, Psalm 24

Do you say that faith is the only requirement for salvation?  That if you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart you are done?  Maybe you prefer to think that your “goodness” will pave the way for you.  That salvation is about how you treat others and what you do to care for the world.  Today, in James 2, we get a full dose of reality.  Apparently, both are true and neither is true.  How can that be?  For me, it’s easier to think about faith and works as two sides of the same coin.  To help illustrate that, I am recalling a movie series from the late ‘70s called Oh God.  Those movies captured my imagination and probably, in some twisted way, shaped part of my theology. I’m thinking specifically of an exchange where God, played by George Burns,  was talking with a young girl, Tracy.  He was attempting to explain the paradox of good and bad.  It went like this:

God: I know this sounds like a cop-out Tracy, but there’s nothing I can do about pain and suffering.  Its built into the system.

Tracy: Which you invented

God: My problem was I could never figure out how to build anything with just one side to it

Tracy: One Side?

God: You ever see a front without a back

Tracy: No

God: A top without a bottom?

Tracy: No

God: An up without a down?

Tracy: No

God: OK.  Then there can’t be good without bad, life without death, pleasure without pain.  That’s the way it is.  If I take sad away, happy has to go with it.

It is this conversation, along side James 2 that shows me how faith and work are two sides of the same coin.  You can’t have faith without works.

We must have faith.  We must believe that Jesus died, for our sins.  We must acknowledge that this sacrifice removes allows us to live free and abundantly.  Through Jesus, we have no guilt, no shame and no punishment.  We are justified and sanctified.  Righteous even.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?  Some would have us believe that nothing more is needed.

The other side of the coin, however, is works.  Many in this world believe that their “goodness” is all that is needed.  They care for others and the world giving freely of their time and money.  They say, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). 

What faith alone fails to acknowledge is that Jesus’ resurrection gives us power.  What works alone fails to acknowledge is our need to be justified and sanctified.  They attempt to be fronts without backs, or backs without fronts.  Nonetheless, faith and work are two sides of the same coin.  When they work together, God’s plan is realized.

Consider Jesus’ challenge to his disciples.  He said, 

Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

God wanted the disciples to have great faith.  Not just so that they would be saved from eternal damnation.  He also wanted them to do great works.  Likewise, he wants us to do great works.  It is through faith that we are empowered to do anything.  Even move mountains!  Of course, we have to get on with moving the mountain.  Otherwise, all that power is useless.  It’s like an electrical generator running at full power with nothing plugged into it.  What a waste!

I could never write about faith and works without adding in a little Rich Mullins. One of my favs!

 

Is God Enough?

Today’s reading is James 1 and Psalm 23 which are two of my favorites in the Bible.

Is God enough? I first heard this question asked a few years ago by a speaker who was giving her testimonial about hitting rock bottom when nothing seemed to be going her way. She was about to lose her job due to poor performance, she was already in a bad financial position, and she nearly died in a motorcycle accident. It was until she asked herself this question and finally decided God was all she really needed that her life began to turn around. When I read Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want.” I can’t help but think of the question, “Is God enough?” This is a really hard one for me to say yes if I answer honestly. If I lost my family, health, home, money, possessions, and everything, could I honestly say, “I’m good..I’ve got Him, and He’s all I need.” (Psalm 23:4)

I find it very interesting James 1:2 says to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” The use of “when” instead of “if” is not a coincidence. This tells us we will face trials and the question is about how we will react. I don’t believe God causes these trials when you read Romans 8:28, “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” However, I believe He is watching to see how we will react and if we will trust in Him, and by the way, so is everyone else who knows we are a Christian.

“Count it all joy..” Really?! God can remove our problems and pains at any time because He’s God. We can understandably be mad at Him for not removing them and tell Him He’s wrong for not doing so or we can remember verses like Isaiah 55:9. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We can ask ourselves, I wonder what God is doing in my life and heart right now to turn this into a positive. James 1:2-3 tells us the testing of our faith in Him produces perseverance. It also tells us that perseverance needs to have its maximum impact so we may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. The question then comes, how do we become perfect and complete? If we look at James 1:5-8, I believe it’s by having faith, asking for wisdom, and TRULY believing He can do whatever you ask and need, but most importantly, I believe it is by the realization that He is in fact… enough. If we are real with ourselves, do we truly believe He can take our illness, financial hardship, broken relationships or whatever pain or problem we have away? If we believe that He can and that he’s enough, it does not mean that He will, but that’s what He’s looking for. That is how His perfect plan is complete, and we lack nothing. ..by trusting in Him fully. James 1:12 tells us that when we have persevered and truly tell Him that He’s enough and when He has all of our heart, we will receive the crown of life. He promises this to those who love Him.

Let’s end by going back to Psalm 23:6. It says, “goodness and mercy” will follow and that we will “dwell in His house forever.” Whatever pain and problem we are going through which seems really bad and is really bad and for however long it goes on which seems like a long time pales in comparison to the joy we will have in Heaven forever. And forever is a long time.

As we go forth today, let us pray and truly believe the following short and sweet prayer that is pleasing to God and shows we are complete and lacking nothing. “God, you are enough, and you will always be enough..no matter what happens in my life.”

James

The Book of James contains 21 epistles.  “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,” is the author and is writing this book to the twelve tribes who are scattered throughout the land due to the persecution in Palestine at that time. James is encouraging the people to remain faithful and to endure and be patient through trials and tumult. Sounds familiar to scenes we have recently seen in the country and in the world. We all need encouragement to keep the faith, to persevere.

Many of the references to James conclude that this James is the brother of Jesus. He is faithful and notes he is a servant of Jesus Christ.

This book was most likely written about 70 AD. It was only gradually accepted into the New Testament. It is noted that these readings will be similar to what we read back in Matthew and Luke. We will most likely find many short themes or thoughts. Some think he purposefully addressed many topics with short passages. Others state that he wrote in no particular order, only in response to what was happening to his people. It will be interesting to read and determine our thoughts on his order.

The part I am looking forward to reading is on justification and salvation. Justification by faith. One other theme called out will be the anointing of the sick.

I found this quote interesting:

“The Letter of James also, according to the majority of scholars who have carefully worked through its text in the past two centuries, is among the earliest of New Testament compositions. It contains no reference to the events in Jesus’ life, but it bears striking testimony to Jesus’ words. Jesus’ sayings are embedded in James’ exhortations in a form that is clearly not dependent on the written Gospels.”[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James

We can get started in this first Chapter reading about trials and temptations and also listening and doing. James 1

Related to this verse, we read in Psalm 22 about trials.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]

James and the people of that time may cry out with this same theme? Why have your forsaken me? Why aren’t you helping me? Why aren’t you listening to me?   People of our time may be asking the same thing?  And finally, we ask God:

11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,

People of all times ask God for this strength to help us persevere through trials and through rough patches. May we learn from James and from our Psalms reading that it’s not just us today. It was people long ago and people along the way.

 

 

 

Jesus Doesn’t Change.

In the midst of a world that often feels unsteady with everything going on, whether in the national sense or my personal day to day life, reading Hebrews 13 was a breath of fresh air for me. I especially love Hebrews 13:18, which says:

For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.

Isn’t this incredibly comforting? I love that the God we worship has never not existed, and yet He has never once changed. I love that the God we worship will never not exist, and yet He will never once change. And I love that the God we worship is so steady to hold onto, even when everything in our lives feels exactly the opposite.

Even though I know these truths deep down, and my head knows the truth that God is unchanging and completely steady, my heart sometimes forgets. I’ll try to hold on to anything else I can when my life feels crazy, from relationships to possessions to any other place where security can be found. And then I read Hebrews 13:9, which says:

The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life.

It doesn’t get much simpler than that, does it? God is the only thing that will never change in this world, and His grace is the only good ground for everything else in our life. Rest in that today, no matter how unsteady our world or your life feels… and let go of whatever other “good ground” you’ve been trying to build your life on lately.

Discipline is Love?

 

Today’s reading is Heb 12/Ps 20

Discipline is Loving?

Heb 12 is so full of powerful and meaningful messages, I am having a hard time deciding what to focus on today. The first few verses seem to be taught often and memorized by many that have grown up in a church.  I would guess because the writer is so clear in giving instructions to help us continue to grow in our faith. Strip off the weight that slows us down, especially sin, so we can run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Him. Then in verses 3 and 4, we get a bit of more specific help that is not talked about or quoted quite as much as vs1-2. vs3-”Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. vs4-After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”  So if you are feeling tired in your “race” right now, think of how Jesus was treated and then killed and maybe your struggles don’t seem quite so severe. It is a very sad and difficult way to be encouraged, but it actually does help. When we take our focus off of our own struggles and think on far harder and more unfair circumstances than our own, our difficulties seem smaller than they felt before we considered Jesus. It changes our mindset enough to help us have the grit to continue striving for what we are aiming at.

Next we move into a section of verses dealing with God’s discipline. I’m pretty sure that it’s not news to any of us that discipline is painful and unpleasant. Why does something have to be painful or unpleasant for us to learn from it? Discipline doesn’t sound very loving so why does God choose to use it? Below are several reasons God brought to mind to help me see His love and protection in discipline.

*We are stubborn and strong willed people who don’t very often learn well from others mistakes. Most of the time we need to live through a situation to actually own the lesson.

*God uses discipline to set us on the proper path. We very rarely wander on our own to the best things for us. We prefer the easier path with less friction. God is trying to train us in His right way of living because He cares for us.

*God wants us to be more like Him so he uses discipline to shape us and change us. We will usually choose the simplest and most pleasant path possible which leaves us very much the same as when we started…selfish. God’s discipline is always intended to direct us to greater holiness. Holiness is about making God bigger, not ourselves.

*Sometimes God uses discipline to turn us away from harm. We are so narrow minded and self centered that sometimes God has to use discipline to get us to look outside of ourselves and see a bigger picture. We forget that His view is so much broader than ours and that He knows more than we do. I think we often miss seeing things He is protecting us from because we can’t see past the end of our own noses.

Last, I couldn’t help but wonder what benefit or up-side there is for God in disciplining me. The answer, I think is none. There is no benefit for Him. The only motivation for Him investing in me is His love for me. It takes more of His time and energy to teach me a needed character trait or a new attitude, but because His love is so much bigger than I can understand, He actually WANTS to invest in you and me. Today, I am overwhelmed by His love and desire not only to save my life, but to go beyond rescue, and actually take the time to help me change. Vs 8-If God doesn’t discipline me as He does all of His other children, it means that I am illegitimate and not really one of His at all. My heart is melted today that God wants me to be one of His children. The truth is that I am worth filthy rags to Him without Christ purchasing me, washing me clean and working in my heart to make me more like Him. The Creator of the universe, the One who stops the waves on the shore, the One who calls the sun up every morning, the One who fills my lungs with air,  sees value in my filthy rags, and wants to rescue and change me. “Thank you” is too small. I can not express my gratefulness this morning.

By Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Our reading for today, Hebrews 11, opens with this short definition of faith. Although this definition is not long, it is not necessarily simple. The concept of faith – believing in something we cannot see – is complicated, at least for me. The author of Hebrews knows that just giving us a definition won’t make the concept any more real to us. So, he gives us examples of people who have obeyed God by faith alone. The author of Hebrews names Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the Israelites, and Rahab! As if these were not enough, the author tells us that he doesn’t even have time to tell us of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets!

Listen to what just a few of these people accomplished through faith: Noah obeyed God and built an ark – even though he had never seen rain. Abraham obeyed God and traveled with his people to an unknown land. The Israelites believed God and crossed the Red Sea – on dry land. The walls of Jericho fell after the people obeyed God’s instructions and faithfully marched around it seven times. “Through faith [they] conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight…received back their dead by resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:33-35)

What have you done in your life that you could not have done without your faith in God? In 1998, our family moved from upstate New York to Central Illinois – far away from our family and friends. We did not know a single person here in Bloomington / Normal when we arrived. Yet we knew that God was leading us here, and so we moved in faith. A few years later, in the summer of 2000, my husband and I decided to homeschool our children. At the time, we knew only two families who homeschooled; yet we knew that God was asking us to teach our kids at home. And so we obeyed, in faith.

Opposition often accompanies obedience. We read in Hebrews 11 that many “were tortured…suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment…were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword…went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated…wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves…” (Hebrews 11:35-38). In both of the situations I described above, we encountered opposition from friends and family who disagreed with our decisions (although certainly not to the magnitude that the author of Hebrews details!) I can only imagine the opposition that Noah faced when he began building a boat before the world had ever experienced rain. Yet Scripture tells us that Noah worked on that ark in “reverent fear” (Hebrews 11:7) God saved Noah and his family from the flood. When we moved our family to Bloomington, God brought people into our lives who taught us about Jesus. The blessings of obeying God and following Him in faith far outweigh any opposition we encounter.

What could you do, what dream could you accomplish, because you have faith in God? Today, listen to the stirrings in your heart. Begin to dream big. And remember that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20).

Christ: The Ultimate Sacrifice

 

Today’s Reading: Hebrew 10, Psalms 18

God works in an amazing plan and strategy, as with Michael and his blog on Hebrews 5, I have had an epiphany as I write my journal. The Holy Spirit is reaffirming scriptures and messages to me on daily basis and today is no exception. I have been preparing for this week’s post since last Monday and had a particular focal point, but it was changed today with the sermon that was given, Christ the ultimate sacrifice.

In the sermon, the pastor illustrates the original Passover that the Israelites experienced.   He explained in detail the actual act of how each family had to choose the Pascal lamb on a certain day. Then after choosing the lamb, the family then takes the lamb home and keeps it inside for four days. Next, the lamb is slaughtered in a particular fashion to keep the blood and also to keep the body intact. Following this the family then roast the lamb whole and the entire body is presented to the family to eat.

This detailed explanation allowed me to peer a little deeper into the setup that that God was preparing the people for the ultimate sacrifice. God choose the perfect Lamb for the sacrifice. Then He allowed the Lamb to be with the people and become part of the family for a short amount of time. Then the Lamb is sacrificed whole to take on ALL of the sins of the World and make a perfect sacrifice.

Take some time to read Hebrews 10 and Exodus 12, and you can sense the awesomeness of God’s Plan. He has setup the redemption of the people, given them signs and ways to remember the Sacrifice centuries before, and He has a plan to complete the journey. God’s plan is above anything we can imagine or conceive.

Hebrews 10: 4-7

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ[a] came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

 

Heavenly Father, you have plans before we are even brought about on this earth. Your plans are to allow Your Glory to be seen and witnessed to all. Allow us to be instruments in your plan.