Quiet Time: Hope Springs Eternal

Hope Springs Eternal

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,…     - 1 Peter 1:3-4

Every human hope can be deferred, but one.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the imperishable inheritance of heaven are the Christian’s hope. This hope renews itself daily without the need of perishable proof.

Jesus resurrection is historically well documented and attested to by many first century eye witnesses.  And, this fact gives the Christian confidence that there is a future beyond what he knows and experiences here on earth; therefore, the believer’s hope is unaffected by time space, and matter and supernaturally grows within him the closer He walks with God (1 Peter 1:8).

The bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

Hope springs eternal with Jesus.

Quiet Time: Blessed to Bless

Blessed to Bless

Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. – 1 Peter 3:9

God has blessed me; therefore, I must bless others (Pulpit Commentary)

“Skin for skin”, “an eye for an eye”, and “Don’t get mad-get even” are all well known and well practiced idioms of the day.

(1 Peter 3:9) tells us not to return: apodidontes: to give up, give back, return, restore; evil: kakon: bad, evil for evil or insult: loidorian: abuse, railing for railing. Then it goes on to say we are to give a blessing: eulogountes: to speak well of, to praise the person who insults us.

Why would God command such a realistically implausible and practically impossible response to verbal abuse? It is because He knows us better than we know ourselves. We need to do this. Also it is the fact that His Holy Spirit indwells and empowers the believer to do the seemingly impossible.

Actually, though, in this case, we are told to follow Him in this response because of our future, our inheritance. In other words, this world is where we walk by faith knowing that one day our faith will be sight and we will see Him face to face.

Just in case we think that it really is impossible to accomplish this command, God has given us several examples to follow:

• Joseph could’ve gotten back at his brothers but instead he, “Gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey.” – Genesis 42:25

• David had could’ve killed Saul. Instead he said, “But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go." – 1 Samuel 26:11

• Solomon tells us “Do not say, ‘I'll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you”. – Proverbs 20:22

• Jesus, the ultimate example tells us to, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”. – Luke 6:28.

"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). I think that something happens in our heart when we walk out the word. In that instant we experience a little bit of heaven here on earth. We are blessed by God at that moment so that we can give Him glory.

Be a blessing. (Romans 12:14)

 

 

 

Song Series: Glorious

Glorious

1Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

2Sing the glory of his name;

make His praise glorious. – Psalm 66:1-2

I’ve led worship for a quarter century now and have enjoyed seeing the growth, changes, and various manifestations of the worship arts. One change that is bitter sweet is the waning use of choirs for leading worship. 

The reason choirs are in decline is undoubtedly pragmatic: cost, time, and lack of church member participation. However, most would agree that there are few things more moving than a mass vocal ensemble obstreperously magnifying the Lord of Hosts.

David wrote Psalm 66 as a choral. He wanted to insure that the message in the music was presented in a grand and awe inspiring celebration of who God is: Creator, Provider, and Dispenser of blessings, giver of the Gospel, Messiah; the one true God, King, and Lord over all.

Three words challenge us to fully and unashamedly worship God through song: 

Shout: ruwa`  (roo-ah') figuratively, to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy)

Sing: zamar  (zaw-mar') give praise, sing forth praises, psalms.

Make: suwm  (soom) to put wholly (all in), to work.

So, let me ask you; when was the last time you actually worked hard at placing God’s praise whole heartedly at the center of your personal Sunday morning worship time? When did you last sing God’s praise so loudly that it almost felt like you were too loud? 

Frankly, I think the problem may be that, sometimes we are more aware of those around us than the Holy Spirit within us. 

Singing is a spirit lifting experience, not just for us, but for those around us. 

You cannot be too loud for God’s ears

Sing loud – sing proud and make His praise glorious!

More verses about singing His praises:

Ephesians 5:19, Psalm 95:2, Acts 16:25, 1 Corinthians 14:15 & 26, Colossians 3:16

GLORIOUS by BJ Putnam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVlECDpWyHE 

BJ Putnam official website:  http://bjputnam.com/

Quiet Time: Dealing With Disappointment

Dealing With Disappointment

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
    but a sudden good break can turn life around. – Proverbs 13:12

Everyone understands what it means to be heart sick. 

I’ve met people over the years that have developed personal philosophies to help them deal with disappointment. 

One friend builds his life around two words, “Never settle”.  Consequently, he has made and lost millions of dollars over the years. I asked him what that feels like. He said, basically, the difference between being rich and being broke is where he eats and what he drives. 

Another friend faces life by simply asking, “Who cares?” This guy is pretty steady, actually. He doesn’t take anything too seriously. He has suffered many life setbacks, as well as, his fair share of personal losses. But, all in all, he keeps a positive attitude and never seems flustered or stressed about anything.

Most of us are probably somewhere in between these two perspectives. Solomon, in Proverbs 13:12, does a good job in reminding the reader of how easily people are pushed from one emotional extreme to another. In short: when things are bad, life is bitter, and when they’re good, it’s great! 

So, how do we stop being tossed about by life’s circumstances; read the next verse (Proverbs 13:13)

We stop scorning the Word and start stepping in faith toward what God says is true. 

We have a hope and a future that is unshakable. (Proverbs 23:17-18)

Quiet Time: Return

Return

Then the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." – Genesis 16:9

Submission is an act of obedience to God.

It was wrong of Sarai to mistreat her maid, Hagar. Unfortunately, people often lord their positions over one another, especially when we feel our place is being threatened by a subordinate.

However, doing what God says to do when He makes His way clear is always better than running our own way or worse, running away.

How often has a word from the LORD come to us in a time of need;  but, had we simply submitted to its bidding the stress would soon be replaced by a sense of inner peace and strength from the indwelling Holy Spirit as we walk in accordance with God’s direction?

When we are bewildered and beset with fear and frustration, that’s the time to stop and listen closely to what God has to say. Then, simply submit to it.

Return; it is the LORD God whom you serve.

Further Reading: Genesis 16:7-16

Quiet Time: Time's Up

Time’s Up

"Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." – Genesis 15:16

No one knows when their day of reckoning will come, but one thing is sure, whether it is four days or four hundred years, the Righteous Judge will judge rightly (Gen. 18:25).

God told Abram that his descendants would be strangers in a country not their own for four hundred years (Gen. 15:13).

True to His word, the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years, at the end of which they headed back home for Cana.

God also said that the Amorite’s would be disciplined for their heinous unrepentant sin and removed from Canaan around the time the Israelite’s returned; and that’s exactly what happened (Gen. 15:16).

Of course we understand that God is patient with people. He doesn’t want anyone to parish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, it is reasonable to think that after 400 years of God reaching out; at least one of those Amorite generations should have chosen to love Him. But, that was not the case.

We may even be tempted in judging the Amorites too harshly, but, perhaps we should first take stock of our own foolish predicament.

Here we are, 2000 years after God's own Son gave His life for our sins and rose again, proving that He has conquered both death and the grave; yet, still we choose to question His grace, goodness, and method toward saving mankind.

Frankly, we humans have not changed much. Like Old Testament pagans we do not honor Him as God or give thanks, but we have become futile in our speculations and in the process, our foolish hearts have been darkened. Professing to be wise, we have become utter morons (Romans 1:21-22).

One thing no one will say when the time of reckoning arrives is, “God, You’re wrong.”

(2 Peter 2:21)