Tag Archives: the Holy Spirit

Devotion

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The Pregnancy, The Purpose and The Person of our devotion.

The word devotion is pregnant with meaning, filled deeply with historical and practical guidance for the Christian life.  Devotion, has been described as a feeling, a pledge, a spiritual duty of fealty and those descriptions don’t even touch upon this word’s implications regarding loyalty, steadfastness and love.  It is a noun that may be used as adjective or utilized describe the rich, strong roots of a man’s dedication to work, family and Father God.  What then are we to think of this word as it passes by our minds in brief inspection?

Think on this.  What is the difference in comparison between commitment and dedication?  Can you effectively describe the veiled nuances that discriminate their use?  Is one used for duty and the other for prayer or are they simply interchangeable in their meaning, tone, use and timing?  How does Christian devotion differ from that of any single man who does not know God?  Does it bother us that each Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Wicken and agnostic follow their own daily devotions, each believing themselves a bit more worthy after practiced prayer and ritualistic murmur?  What then establishes Christian devotion as unique, resembling none other in its content, shape, practice and purpose?  Why, that uniqueness is found clearly, simply, unmistakably in the “object” of our devotion the Lord Jesus Christ.  For see it is the not the quality, quantity, consistency or content of our devotions, that make them precious but the fact that our God is worthy to be praised.

Why then is God so worthy of our unrequited devotion, our steadfast love, our undiminished dedication to service in the completion of His Will?  Perhaps we may for a moment think on the etymology of its inspiration, where did the word devotion arise?  Some say 12th century, some say 4th, but the Jewish People or those who have studied God’s Word know much better.  Just as God’s Word is filled with seemingly infinite layers of meaning, symbolism and personal conviction, as is customary of the Holy Spirit inspired thought, the Jewish word, Hesed, provides ample content for investigation.  See we often take things for granted in our own lives and miss the opportunity to truly peel back the layers of complexity, even with regard to our children, our spouses and our interactions with the Almighty and His Creation.  Hesed is not one of those words that may not be simply defined in a single word, or even phrase, but it best describes God’s Loyalty to the Jewish People.  It represents a loyalty to someone that has nothing to do with their actions, disobedience, rejection, kindness or dedication.  God has always been loyal to the Jewish Nation, because He committed to do so.  That type of loyalty is not easily described, just as in the word devotion, God’s Love for Israel transcends the simple classification of noun, verb or modifying adjective, it is an action, a thing, a way of living and a complex love.

Why then do we not contemplate God’s Loyalty with such commitment or devotion?  Are we to mimic this loyalty, of course, that is the challenge of God’s Christian, as set forth by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-39 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  This is the level of devotion to which we have each been called and unconditional devotion to God above all things and to love in the way that He has loved us even when we but sinners.  We should also praise Him for His steadfast loyalty to Israel, even when they openly disobeyed and challenged Him He has never once been unfaithful.  That my friends is devotion.

What then of the purpose for our devotion?

Is devotion a thing to be turned to ritual, calling us to rote prayer,  proclaiming us worthy by works of piety?  Of course not, the devotion we are meant to express may be described in a graph of a line over time.  Imagine the X and Y axis with the horizontal line being a time, running from left to right and the vertical line being level of devotion.  Each man’s devotion, not unlike sanctification may only be a thing measured over time.  Just as God’s Loyalty to the Jews was only visible through steadfast demonstration of the millennia, our loyalty must be demonstrated and grown as a slope of the line, a function over time.  No one may know if a man is loyal unless that man demonstrates that quality over time.  The center line of the graph is Jesus, and after we meet we either increase in devotion stay flat or decrease.  We all hope to be thought as entirely dependable and trustworthy, but each of knows that our lines probably goes up, down then up again all the way until we reach that day when we meet Jesus.  Is devotion a reasonable measure for the character of man?  I think so, perhaps you agree?

Can we remain fully devoted to Jesus Christ the King by standing still in our Christian walk?  Is our any increase of devotion dependent on faith, sanctification and continue walking with the Lord?  If this is established truth then isn’t devotion one of the characteristics that we must attend regularly in our marriages, our work relations, our friendships, prayer and worship?  Can we practically consider that we shall ever resemble God’s Loyalty without intentional focus upon the building blocks of fealty?  Can we make up our minds to be devoted, increase our devotion, build our devotion or is increased devotion similar to forgiving an enemy, so difficult that we must have the Holy Spirit’s assistance to accomplish the task?  I think that devotion is so deep in its meaning, so rare in its importance, so desirous to every Christian man that we should take the steps and know that God is “Loyal” to complete the work that He first began in each of us.

What then makes this task so easy?  It is that the object of our devotion is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Do you know Him?  Do you comprehend to whom you have sworn your undying loyalty?  Ephesians 1:15-23 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.  Are you seeing the hope of His calling, are you seeing the reason for the practicality of your devotion, that Christ deserves our 100% devotion, our very best, our “all”, the last drop of our sweat, blood and treasure,  because that is what He gives us, “always”.  Christ has never sinned against us, yet He gives us unmeasured loyalty, grace and forgiveness because He chooses to do so.  Shouldn’t our “reasonable” act of service to Him first include a dedication, pledge and action plan to remain devoted in our relationships as a visible commitment to reflect His type of devotion.

Praise God in the Mighty, Faithful and merciful name of Jesus Christ the King.

 

In prayer

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In prayer, I am stripped of my camouflage, for to God I am always me.  This world and its crises, are sometimes beyond my capacity to tolerate, reason or comprehend.  It seems, even when we have the opportunity to rise above our own motivations and simply adhere to the wisdom each of our grandparents taught us, we backtrack and choose the lesser options of self gratification, anger and unforgiveness.  Even our love is tainted by stubbornness and insubordinate passion.  We have relegated reason and wisdom to contemptuous standing.  Now prudence is mocked and pronounced folly by the masses, replaced by ambition, ideology and covetous fear.  Father, may they listen to Your Words as mine have lost all weight in purchase.

Thanks be to God that Glorious victory is ours in perpetuity.  No matter the appearance of loss, suffering-though it be mortally real and chaos this arrogance is short lived and will soon see expiration.  My challenges are minor compared to the brothers and sisters who have died, lost their families, careers and voice for the sake of faith.  Forgive me for my ignorance and my weakness in standing for Glory’s sake.  There are those whom need my love, Lord give me the wisdom to see and the Words to say appropriate for their requirement.  The enemy reminds me that I will never win and sometimes I laugh, but there are still moments when I pay his lies heed and give in to momentary despair.  For he is correct in that I shall never win, with regard to a worldly sense of victory.  But he twists the truth about my overcoming this life, my own death and eternal sleep.  That victory is Yours Lord Jesus and I am blessed to share in the bounty of Your Glorious Appearing.  Forgive me for even for a moment forgetting that the war is not my own, but Yours.

I pray that they get to know you Father.  I beg you to set them free from their personal prisons so that they might see the truth.  Father forgive me for missing the slightest opportunity to tell people of Lord Jesus and His sacrifice for mankind.  Open our hearts to real understanding of love and forgiveness so that we might never be held captive to hate, spite and bitterness.  Let me lead so that others might follow where I am going and find You.  In Jesus Holy and Precious Name I pray.  Amen.

Happy to serve

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Where there is pain there is opportunity for healing and peace.  In hope lies the belief that cure exists.  This life is not misery as many paint it, but rather the opportunity to win and lose so that we may become refined through passion, pain, recuperation and time.  The fire quickens, the Holy Fire baptizes and the eternal fire displays constancy as a reminder of what must be done before the last breath of Earth.  So much pain that my eyes cannot consume it fast enough to keep up with the flowing tears.  I look away, not to hide my fear or shame but so that I may recover my courage to look again and see the pain of reality tainted by sin.  Evil may not be avoided, escaped or ignored, it requires resistance, acquiescence or allegiance.  There is evil in the heavenly realm that surpasses our human capacity, a priori glorificado, we were subject to fearful control, now we may exercise courageous knowledge of complete and completed victory.

This world is the place in which God wants me to serve His Will, a vessel, a conduit, a willing participant in the experiment of man’s struggle to rekindle relationship with God.  That is the mystical pondering, it is not whither God exists, but do I have the gumption to call Him Lord, Father, Friend?  Oh, passionate misery spent in desirous escape of God’s ever present Spirit.  This is foolishness, yet we who see, respect, fear and obey truth are soundly ridiculed for disliking flux.  Firmer foundations may neither be found, secured or acquired through clever trade.  This thing is beyond man and that strikes the chimes and sirens of fear in our controlling hearts.  But it is entirely about man, which puzzles, infuriates and confuses most.  For a love of someone undeserving that love we have been given all for the price of simple acceptance.  Glorious bounty and abundance given timely and mercifully without ransom.  Knowing fully that what we comprehend is simplistic imagery, contemplated as a child wonders about the sky, vacuums, sun and weather.  Service is easy, taming the raging egoist seated at the helm, entitled in his pride, utterly unimaginable in its complexity.  It is only through reminding myself of Him who I am meant to reflect that I may overcome this berserker and at His hand I am made again in peace, thankfulness and calm.  All for the love of Christ, just as He gave all for me.

Fear not the kings, criminals, seas, storms or calamities of pestilence and war.  For we have been given a savior who commands all these things and bids them to be silent.  It is for His coming that we wait, not for some episodic relief, but for coronation of eternal King.  Peace for a thousand years is only the beginning, the first steps in coming Kingdom.  Is poverty a death sentence, is infirmity a complete loss, is imprisonment the end, is hunger final, when all shall be rectified by the first moment of sanctified glory in His presence.  None of this matters except you.  For it is you that God loves.  If this world gets to be too much for you to bear, look to the heavens and call out loud the mighty name of Jesus, victory is assured.  If I may be of any encouragement, consider me your servant.

The apple of God’s Eye

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What would you do if you were God, and someone, even someone you once loved threatened your children, your pride and joy, with extinction, assassination and brutality?  What if even your children had forgotten about you, thinking themselves instead capable of producing their own prosperity, blessings, protection and eventual entry into the hereafter?  Would you allow this disdain, this threat, this monstrous intent to stand, doing nothing because your children maybe even deserved some of the things that were being said about their character?  What would you allow to threaten them, when you had promised that no one would ever snatch them from your hand and that you would never leave them even in the darkest moment?  Would you allow anyone to poke you in the eye by threatening the destruction of your beloved children, whom you alone hold the right to judge, discipline and correct?

Would you allow them to mock a nation of your beloved children, especially when they were speaking truth, asking those remaining righteous in the world for assistance with the nefarious encroaches?  Would you stand up against your own rulers, governors and kings to defend their right to speak the truth and receive assistance, even when it threatened your own prosperity or sanctity?  What if the opportunity stared you in the eye even as we speak, knowing fully that this is the day to which the Lord had referred where we all would get the opportunity to stand and be counted?  Will we bless them or shall we be cursed?  There is only one choice with two possible outcomes, for this scene does not include a wait and see or sit upon the fence option.  Would you go against all to which you have dedicated your life, wealth and growth if it in fact stood against God?

We apparently have abandoned reason and our logical functions of discernment and determination.  For this position is where we currently find ourselves entrenched, standing juxtaposed to the Will of God, making an adversary of those to whom He made eternal promise.  What shall be done for a once blessed nation who has forgotten God’s Hand and turned her face away to worship idols of many colors, shape, size and type?  What would you do if it were your decision to make, especially if you had warned them well before their misgiving?  Will we now stand for a nation who appears determined on provoking God’s Wrath, a nation who now believes it is no longer collectively under God but instead under the fickle will of man’s determination?  Have we entirely abandoned our faculties and faith or shall we speak when given the opportunity to address the public, beseeching a rapid and lasting return to consciousness and enlightenment?  What shall any man be named who stands bye and allows wrong to occur, turning back or blind eye to wickedness, assault or enslavement?  Will we repeat Adam’s mistake and allow what should never have been suggested, knowing fully the Will of God, yet standing idly in complacence?  Or shall we be like David and realize that we should never raise a hand to God’s anointed even if they are in the wrong, for it is with God we shall battle, not man?

I don’t know about anyone else, but this one is where I must draw a line.  Unlike our leader, I cannot acquiesce for there are some things worse then lost face.  God Bless and protect the Nation of Israel, from all who seek to do her harm.  I shall not curse her, because who am I to curse what God says shall always be blessed, the same thing He said to Peter about we gentiles.  We live or die by God’s hand, by His everlasting Will, Grace and Spirit we shall enter rest and peace.  Man may be frightening in his roaring madness and chaotic blood thirst, but I only fear God who can commit my soul to eternal damnation.  The time has come, rejoice for now we shall be asked and offered the opportunity to prove our faith and allegiance to Christ.  That moment when you are told to denounce or deny His name is when you shall truly know that you believed.  Stand and be of Good courage, knowing that it is for the Lord God you stand and that He shall ever be your Rock, your Salvation, your strong Tower of hope and faithfulness, even to and past the end of the Earth.

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/why-god-allows-evil-and-suffering/  A little bit of Comfort

Thinking, doing, reviewing

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Why did Jesus tell us to target the thought?  Is there a sin or noble action that is free from the thought that sponsored it?  If I am lustful, it is not the stimuli that sponsors the sinful action, it is the imagination of my mind which precedes any acknowledged or hidden sin.  Equally, doing good for the Kingdom must first be contemplated before action ensues.  This is a natural process of humanity, to think, then do and then review our actions and behaviors.  If this process is inhibited at any point it instructs the resultant impacts.  For example; if I capture an evil thought that originates from my flesh before it may be encouraged by powers and principalities of the air, uttering the name of Jesus, then I will prohibit the propensity/probability of some sinful action.  I will in fact has saved myself, not only from the material sin but also eliminate the guilt which invariably follows.  I have been set free from the power of sin and death, I no longer need to follow through with the action that follows the thought.  That is truly free.

This natural process must also be projected upon our actions for the Kingdom.  If we leave ourselves engaged in our own corrupted thinking, deviance or self worship, then we will never act on the prompting of the Holy Spirit when directed to accomplish the Lord’s Will.  We must practice employing the bellows of our own internal fire, by heading the prompting of Spirit and following through with “action”.  Just as in the sinful review this willful surrender to the promptings of the Holy Spirit will increase our remembered response to God’s direction.  We will remember what it felt like to respond to God’s command, leading and advice, effectively preparing and training ourselves to respond in kind at the next opportunity.  Whatever is fed will grow.  If we feed healthy review of actions taken at behest of Spirit filled thinking, the growth will be unavoidable and recognizable as Truth.  That simple reason is why we should be washing ourselves in the Word of God, for this showering grows faith which leads to right thinking, action and reflection.  God’s word will never return void, it will always produce growth, life, learning and maturation.  If you want to grow in God’s Will, then shower daily in the washing of God’s Holy Word.

We that believe are free.  What we do with that freedom still falls under the parameters of “choice”.  Will we embrace the surrender to Jesus by willingly complying with Spirit’s leading, guidance and reproof or will we accept redemption with a return to the compromised thinking of our previous lives?  It all comes down to thinking, action and review.  Whatever we commit to practice we will eventually master.  Will I master following God’s Plan or encourage the poisonous actions of God’s enemies.  There are only two positions in this journey, aligned with God or against God, which best describes your life?