Thank You Mr. Large

For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13, 14 (New American Standard Bible)


My eighth grade teacher, Mr. Large, was always seeking to stretch his student’s views. I recall many conversations he had with our class that encouraged us to think and to answer his questions. His favorite retort to most of our answers was, “I’ll give it to you if you can justify it.” It became our mantra to one another. “Hey Tony, they’re serving turkey and dressing in the cafeteria.” “Oh yeah? I don’t believe it. I’ll give it to you if you can justify it.”

To justify means to show to be just or right. The word ‘justification’ is a two-dollar word which ought to be worth a million bucks to every believer in Christ. What does it mean to be justified through faith? When I finally understood it it was an astounding concept. When I began believing it it unchained my heart. It is a judicial act by God to believers through the meritorious work of Christ where God declares the sinner pardoned from sin, released from its penalty and re-established to a right relationship with Him. The four essentials are release from a demand for justice; we ought to have suffered for our sins but God no longer requires punishment; return to favor; we are just not forgiven but now have God’s total approval; imputed righteousness; God gives the believer the quality and righteousness of Christ and new legal standing before God; instead of being under the condemnation of sin he/she stands before God in Christ.

Speaking honestly, all these years I’ve had a difficult time believing it as it sounded way too easy to me. All I need to do is believe on the finished work of Christ on the cross and I get forgiven, pardoned and restored to favor? My interaction with other humans has taught me my trespasses and mistakes stick to me like glue. Most people don’t pardon and restore like that, why should a holy God? Outside of the blood redemption of His dear Son there is no abundant life or relationship with God. He pardons and restores because of what His Son accomplished during His first human intervention 2000 years ago. What do I need to do? Nothin’. What can I do? Believe and rest in the fact that God has me covered. There is no downside. He doesn’t have to give it to me if I can justify it. You see, Christ already has.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Noah Kidding

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Genesis 6:9 (New International Version)

Remember Noah? He’s that funny little guy with a long white beard standing on the ark with all those animals. You’ve probably seen that picture in a nursery or playroom. But the reality of his ark was not so much a miracle as it was an act of obedience and determination to serve the Lord. It took Noah and his sons 120 years to complete the ark and it was a masterpiece of engineering. Figuring the dimensions given in Genesis the inner space of the ark would have been close to 1,400,000 cubic feet or enough room to hold the contents of 522 modern railroad stock cars. At 240 sheep per car the ark could have held 125,000 sheep. That’s a lot of lamb chops.

Noah didn’t come up with the idea of the ark; it was the Lord’s idea. Noah’s obedience brought that idea in being through hard work, sweat and skill. The whole world disbelieved his cry that God was going to judge the terrible sins of the people of the earth unless they repented so I imagine his obedience to build the ark was done at great personal cost to himself and his family. The local community always had someone to mock when they were bored and looking for a good laugh. That is unless one didn’t mind hearing the old man’s continued preaching about repentance.

The Lord loves it when we're obedient. He might never call us to a mighty undertaking like Noah but He is so pleased when we persevere in following His directions in simple faith. We discover when we do to find grace in His eyes and protection through the storms of life.  In those times we all can. Noah kidding.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Brain Pain

Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? Psalm 139:7 (New American Standard Bible)



My daughter, Tammie, once told me, “Dad, you think too much.” She was referring to a moment when I wondered about some kind of intangible cosmic concept. But I have to admit I’m not the only one. When my granddaughter, Dakota, was 8 years old she asked me out of the blue, “Peepaw, what’s outside the universe?” And I think too much?

When I share that story I am often asked, “And what did you tell her?” The only thing I could and that outside the boundary of our universe is the Person of God. He’s both transcendent and immanent which is not to be confused with imminent-without delay. Being transcendent means He is above and beyond all things, even outside of the known universe; immanent simply means He is presently active in every area. I sometimes have to press my brain’s reset button when I try to contemplate a place I could go to be out of God’s presence.

I have often wondered why David’s thoughts on this are in the Bible. There is no secret theological fact in God being transcendent. There is no life concept that directs me to act a certain way in my relationship with Him. Yet here it is from a Jewish king who thought about it 3,000 years ago. Even at that I take comfort in knowing I rely on a God who is there and is able to meet my need. I’m just plain awed because through His power all things were made-things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers and authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ (Colossians 1:16). Yes, God is everywhere present and there is no place I can hide from His Spirit. The life lesson in this for me is huge. There is no place He is not and there is no moment He is not in for me and you. His Power and Might are unsearchable and His Loving Kindness so tender. He is large enough to transcend eternity yet able to abide intimately and personally within a surrendered heart. Now that’s something really big to think about.

Thank You Lord Jesus, creator of all that is, that You have chosen to live within your children and fill us with your glorious Presence. Amen.
Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Nastiest Man Alive

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2 (New American Standard Bible)

I would cringe every time I would answer the order desk phone and hear his voice. He was and still is to me the vilest man I’ve ever dealt with. He would curse, belittle and spill his venom at me until it seemed to drip from my end of the phone. After getting off the phone with him I would be literally sick to my stomach. I approached my boss about it. Her response was that this man represented one of our company’s biggest accounts and even though we all knew how nasty he was no one was going to jeopardize that. “None of us like dealing with him, Ken. Just accept it and don't rock the boat.” The stress was so bad I considered looking for other employment but the Lord said pray. I set aside one hour every evening to pray for this situation and this man. About three weeks later as I walked into work one of my customer services associate stopped me and said, “Good morning, Lucky.” She was always such a kidder. I laughed and said “OK Joann, what’s the joke?” She smiled and said “You don’t have to work Raymond’s account any longer. The accounts have been switched around.” Then she frowned. “I’ve got him now.” A still small voice said to me, “See, I told you to trust me.” It was like an anvil had been lifted from my shoulders. Wow, this prayer stuff really works. I think all of us have a similar prayer story. So why is it so hard to be consistent with a determined prayer life?

Prayer is tough and it’s hard to pray for something we aren’t sure we’ll get from someone we can’t see with our eyes or hear with our ears. I know my senses are oriented toward a physical world and I tend to disregard what I cannot touch. Pushing the prayer envelope is usually done by something that poses a threat to my sanity or safety.

The Apostle Paul practiced a mature prayer life and prescribed it for every believer. I’ve seen so many wonderful answers to my own prayers even when I sometimes prayed without faith. I believe that if I could see into the spirit world and the good effects of my prayers I would have to say “Why didn’t I pray more?” Christ Jesus wants us to pray and delights in showing Himself strong on our behalf. He says, “Talk to me for nothing is too hard for me to do for you. I can even take care of the nastiest man alive.”

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Fear of Measure

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. 1st Corinthians 4:5 (New American Standard Bible)

I am being honest here when I say I lived for many years in the fear of what God would have to say to me when I finally stood before him. No one has ever had to tell me how dark and deeply some of my thoughts and desires run or some of the really foolish things I’ve done in the past. Remembering those things and thinking of standing before the completely pure Judge of the universe is quite a frightening proposition. As I heard one person say at a church I once attended, “I don’t want to be there when God flashes my life before everyone on a giant screen.” It sounds funny to some while others understand that terror. We seem to have a natural fear of having our sins revealed and the thought of others seeing them on some giant cosmic movie screen seems unbearable. I don’t want to be faced with my life’s poor choices and I surely don’t want anyone to see a replay of any of my wicked acts. Oh, and by the way, Ken; let’s put some of your many thoughts on audio for everyone present to hear. Aw, come on.

Not having that done to any believer is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All my sin was forgiven and forgotten through God’s full redemptive work (Micah 7:19). What a liberating thing to know all who are in Christ will not be humiliated by God but instead will receive their rewards and even praise from Him on the day we are called to stand before Him. Paul says all believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded for actions done in this life (2nd Corinthians 5:10). The good deeds will evoke one response while the ‘worthless’ actions will evoke another (1st Corinthians 3:15. Colossians 3:25). This judgment is for believers only. The unbelieving world will come before God at a future time to be judged for their deeds at His Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11).

No one can measure up to the perfection of God’s standard no matter how good they are. But there is rest from worry in the One True and Living God who says He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The great news is as we trust in this same One who promises us His eternal loyalty we can rest assured that on the day we do finally meet Him face to face, He will be absolutely delighted to see us. Sounds good to me.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Getting a Handel on Things

So we Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture Will give thanks to Thee forever; To all generations we will tell of Thy praise. Psalms 79:13 (New American Standard Bible)

I got a CD of Handel’s “Messiah” for my birthday recently. I hadn’t listened to this magnificent musical work in years but as I listened to it again I was immediately caught up in its beauty. Handel composed this work in 24 days during the summer of 1741. He became so caught up in the work that he slept and ate very little during the time he was writing. His own household servants reported that at various times as they brought him food he would be so moved by the theme of redemption by the Messiah that he would be sobbing as he composed this glorious oratorio. Listening to it again I can see why he was so moved. I get that way at times, so moved by just the wonderful love and grace of Christ I never deserved but was freely given anyway.

I sometimes get so caught up in finding a biblical truth that I miss letting my mind run free in simple meditation on the Messiah and the worship that naturally follows. This kind of worship has risen in the souls of many saints for the past 2000 years. Every once in a while we get to hear a treasure like Handel’s “Messiah” and be swept up in the euphoria of one Saint’s praise and worship to the One True and Living God. It is pure adoration as the words and music lift us to One who is purer and fairer than we can imagine and in whom is absolutely no shadow. Nothing beats the full electrical energy of praising the God who is Almighty. This promise is fulfilled in every Saint from one generation to the next.

At the establishment of the literal and eternal kingdom of God there are millions and millions of Saints of all nations and languages who lift up an anthem of praise to the Lamb of God who has taken away their sin. The good news of God’s great love and redemptive plan given to every tribe and tongue and passed down from generation to new generation will be celebrated throughout eternity. Every believer from every age will be in that grand group (Revelation 19:5, 6) from the Psalmist David who cried “Let all who has breath praise the Lord" to George Frederick Handel who composed such electrifying praise of his Messiah. We have occasional jolts of that current now in the awe and praise of our Mighty God. Imagine what it will be like as we stand together in our new bodies in a new kingdom and raise an anthem of praise to Handel’s Messiah that will vibrate the foundations of heaven. Let all who has breath praise the Lord indeed.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Perfect

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 (New American Standard Bible)

There have been moments in my life where I needed to face a situation or person that was fearful to me. On a couple of occasions I was fortunate to have someone who knew me step up and say, “Don’t worry, Ken. I’ll take care of this for you.” Wow, what a relief it was to know someone who was capable was going to go to bat for me and would get things set right. I am forever grateful to these few individuals who did this for me. I can only imagine they had faced a couple of fearful times themselves and knew the panic and dread of going it alone and extended grace to me in the situations. They were the perfect persons to step forward and represent my case.

I’ve often thought of this in regard to my relationship with God. The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus the Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (4:14). A priest is a intercessor or a go-between representing us to God. If I were going to have someone represent me to God I would certainly prefer it be another human being, one who knows what the daily grind is like. I’ve not only got that in the God-Man Christ Jesus but He is the Perfect Human to represent me perfectly to the Father. He totally understands what I go through having lived as a human on this earth. He was hungry, He needed sleep, He got thirsty, He loved to hang with folks, He experienced suffering and He knew death. I think He would qualify as knowing what the human existence is all about. The marvelous thing was He did it all without sin and remained the Perfect Man of History even raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19). No one else has ever measured up to that. How great it is to have the Perfect Human Being represent me to the One True and Living God.

I take the greatest comfort in the fact that as I live day to day in my imperfect life there is One who can understand my faults completely and goes before our Heavenly Father on my behalf with the deepest grace and compassion. I do need a little help now and then in situations I deal with on a daily basis. I can use all the help I can get. In dealing with a sinless and perfect God how sweet it is to have the ideal human who represents me totally sympathizing with my weaknesses. Better than sweet. It’s perfect.

Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspog.com