Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
What you can see makes a big difference in your attitude. Once, while I was hiking, I spent a night in the lean-to on the top of Glastonbury mountain in Vermont. I was told that you could see all the way to Massachusetts from the shelter. Unfortunately, the night I was there it was thick fog and rain. The shelter felt closed in and miserable.
Of course I also remember hiking up Mount Katahdin in Maine. The day of that trip was crystal clear. From the top you could see to the horizon in all directions. It was life-changing.
What made the difference? Obviously it was the view. It is the same in life. How far ahead you look determines your attitude. There are some people who don’t look beyond what is right in front of them now. They want the quick fix. They’re only looking for the “feel good” experience.
If we want the best that life can offer, then we must take God’s advice. We must view the eternal rather than the temporary. We must live today knowing that we will exist a million years from this day. Not only that, but we must ask ourselves what will be important a million years from today. This allows us to live in this moment with a view of eternity.
As you go before God today, ask Him to increase your vision. Let Him work in you to see the eternal over the temporary. Make it your goal to live for that which will never fade away.
Tags: attitude, Bible, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, eternity, feel good, glory, hiking, Holy Spirit, mountain, mountaintop, prepare, quick fix, temporary, vision
2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Thousands of people start new things each day. A new diet, hiking the Appalachian Trail or an exercise program just to name a few. It is a sad fact that most of them never finish what they have started. They had good intentions. They started strong and were eager to take on the new challenge. But somewhere along the way they fizzled out before the finish line.
Think about an athletic event like the Olympics. Nobody remembers how the race started, only the finish. The winner may have started at the back of the pack – it doesn’t matter – it is the strong finisher who gets the gold medal. We need to pick up the attitude that says, “No matter the obstacles, I’m finishing strong.”
What counts in God’s economy is not how you start, but how you finish. Whether it’s in athletics or in our walk with the Lord, we need the persistence to keep going even when we would much rather quit. It doesn’t take any special ability to drop out of the race. Most people never finish half of what they start. Find out what is important to the Lord in your life and commit yourself to finishing it.
We need God’s strength to keep going. Seek His power for your life today. Seek the Lord’s wisdom to know if there is some area of your life that you have quit that you should now pick up and bring to the finish line. Take the time needed to get this area of your life back in line.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, finish, finishing strong, God's will, good intentions, Holy Spirit, overcoming, path, persistence, power, quit, run the race, start, strength
Luke 24:1-8
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:’The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'”
Then they remembered his words.
Today is the greatest reason on earth to celebrate.
Let the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart, soul, and spirit with the joy that can only come from a life that has been transformed by the power of the resurrection.
Tags: Bible, celebrate, Christ, Christian, devotion, Easter, empty tomb, encouragement, faith, fellowship, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, overcoming, power, praise, resurrection, risen, testimony, victory
Hebrews 6:7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
Your life is like a field, bearing crops for the Lord’s use. We plant the seed of the Word of God. Then our lives yield the Fruit of the Spirit. This is what the Lord desires of us.
There are many factors that affect our fruitfulness. Just like growing plants in the physical, our spiritual fruit require care. There are a lot of things that can destroy the crop if left unchecked.
Prayerlessness is one of the things that can devastate a spiritual harvest. However, spending time with the Lord in a wilderness setting – alone and undisturbed – will bring forth a bountiful harvest.
Spending time in the presence of God is like spring showers on dry, thirsty ground. It will provide the nutrients needed to bear an abundant harvest of righteousness. Always remember that the fruit cannot be forced, they must be grown. It takes the daily presence of God to change our lives into what we should be.
Take the opportunity given to you this day to spend quality time in the presence of the Lord. Let His grace permeate the good soil of your heart. Let the seed of the Word germinate and take root in you. Be the kind of farmland that produces a bumper crop for your King.
Tags: Bible, Christian, crops, devotion, disciple, encouragement, farm, field, fruit, fruit of the Spirit, harvest, Holy Spirit, holy worship, prayer, prayerlessness, presence of the lord, righteousness, spiritual
Matthew 26:45-46
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
I always stand in awe of how determined Christ was to accomplish the work He was called to do. After His time in the presence of the Father we see no hesitancy or fear. He has set His face toward the path ahead.
I realize that, unlike us, He had no sin nature. However, it is clear that He keenly felt the sting of His mortality. I believe that He also understood clearly the pain that He would have to endure. It was these realizations that brought Him to His knees in the garden.
What I really need to grab hold of is the understanding that it is only in the presence of God that I can receive the strength and determination that it takes to move forward in my life. All of my will power and good intentions will never bring me to my destiny in the Lord. I need help from beyond myself.
Seeking intimacy with the Lord is time well spent. Use this peaceful moment that you have been given to get into that place of safety in God. In that way – just like Jesus – you may leave your time in the wilderness physically drained, but you will be spiritually strong.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christ, Christian, destiny, devotion, encouragement, endurance, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, intimacy, Jesus Christ, mortality, path, prepare, presence of the lord, strength
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
This is one of the most simple yet profound prayers in the Bible. It is during these times of struggle that we dispense with the “religious protocol” of prayer. We forget about the intricate prayer charts or King James English. Our goal is to get right to the heart of the prayer – HELP!!!
It was no different for Jesus. He wasted no time on introductions. However, there is one difference between His prayer and many of ours. This is seen in His attitude. Rather than trying to convince the Father to work out His plan in an easier way, our Lord immediately bowed His knee to the revealed will of God.
This is the example we need to follow. How often do we try to convince God to do things our way? Instead, our goal should be to learn the kind of submission that brings us right into the center of God’s will for us.
Are there things that God wants you to do that you are having a hard time yielding to? Take this time to follow Christ’s lead. Surrender your whole life to God. Submit yourself by saying, in your own way, “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Make this time today your garden of Gethsemane with the Lord.
Tags: attitude, Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, garden, garden of prayer, Gethsemane, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Jesus Christ, prayer, presence of the lord, submission, yielding
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?
There are times that we need to test our walk with the Lord. To do that it is best to be alone and quiet. In this age of cell phones, MP3, and DVD players it is hard to have any quiet time at all. I even feel that many people – without Christ – “plug in” for the purpose of not hearing their own heart.
Many people are afraid to examine their inner man. It is probably because they are afraid of what they will find. Please realize that it is a healthy thing to take a long hard look at yourself. You need to see how you measure up to Christ, His calling, how far you have come and the direction in which you are headed.
Re-evaluation is at the heart of a holy walk. It means we are willing to take the occasional course correction when God gets our attention.
Take the time needed today to get a long glimpse of what is going on in your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and insight. Examine your life, dreams and goals in His presence. Then purpose to make the corrections that God offers you. You will be glad that you did.
Tags: Bible, Christian, course correction, devotion, encouragement, examine, faith, heart, holy, Holy Spirit, prepare, presence of the lord, quiet, quiet time, self examination, soul, test, trial
Psalm 24:3-6
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
These are the real mountain-climbers. Those who desire to ascend to the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place. Are you one of those who want to stand in this place of power where few have ever been?
To climb a daunting hill requires persistence. Step by step, sometimes just plodding along, you get to the top. This “hill” of the Lord’s presence requires the same kind of consistency.
It is good to know that the access we need has already been granted through the blood of Jesus Christ. That is all the permission we need to enter His holy presence. The daily walk, however, is up to us. We can choose to spend time in His presence – a choice that will reap eternal benefits – or we can ignore it and live for ourselves.
Make that choice today. Spend the extra time that is necessary in the presence of the Lord. Ascend His holy hill in the power of His Spirit. Allow His holiness to draw you further upward than you have ever gone before.
Tags: access, Bible, Christ, Christian, climb, devotion, encouragement, glory, higher, holy hill, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Jesus Christ, mountain, mountaintop, path, presence of the lord, step by step
Jeremiah 12:5
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”
God calls us to do greater things with Him than we could have ever done without Him. We can go above and beyond our abilities, because of His strength working in us. In this section of Scripture, Jeremiah is complaining about why the wicked prosper. It was upsetting him to the point that it was affecting his work for God.
Sometimes we get distracted by the lack of commitment that we see in others. What God tells him applies to us as well. God’s reply to Jeremiah is that if you are turned aside that easily – just by looking at what others are doing (or not doing) – then you will really be thrown off when you see how high I’ve actually called you to go.
It’s like the person who says that their dream is to walk the Appalachian Trail, yet all the while they complain about the number of stairs leading to their front door. Take some time to refocus your sights on the high calling God has for you. And remember, if you let the small stuff get you down, you will never move on to the great things.
Take the time to refocus your thoughts in the presence of the Lord. Let His plan for you fill your vision. In this way you will not be distracted from completing the assignment God has for you.
Tags: above and beyond, Bible, Christian, commitment, complain, complaining, devotion, disciple, distractions, encouragement, God's faithfulness, God's will, greater things, higher, Holy Spirit, Jeremiah, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems, strength
Exodus 3:4-6
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Yesterday I posted about the “burning bush” experience that God wants us to have with Him. Today I want to take it a step further. The first thing I notice, is that God did not reveal Himself until He knew that He had Moses attention.
Sometimes I like to go out hiking or camping in the woods. While I’m there, I usually take the time to pray and seek the Lord. The reason I love to meet with God in the wilderness is that there are no distractions.
We live in a world where there’s a whirlwind of activity around us. We desperately need to take the time and get alone with God in a solitary place. Only then will God have the freedom to speak with us on the level He desires.
The next thing is that God instructs Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. God wants nothing to insulate Moses from His holiness. So often we want a buffer between us and God. We want the Pastor to pray for us and tell us what to do. The truth is that we need to see ourselves as holy – set apart for the exclusive use of God.
Take the time right now to bask in the holiness of the Lord. Begin to see yourself as set apart for His plan. Lay down your desires upon the altar of God. In that way you are opening the door for a “burning bush” of your own.
Tags: alone with God, attention, Bible, burning bush, camping, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, fellowship, glory, God's faithfulness, hiking, holiness, holy ground, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Moses, prayer, presence of the lord, set apart, wilderness
The Spirit and the Word 