Luke 1:15 - "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb." - John the Baptist
Luke 1:35 - "And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." - Mary
Luke 1:41 - "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." - Elizabeth
Luke 1:67 - "Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied," - Zacharias
There is so much I do not understand about the Holy Spirit and how He fits into and works out God's will and plan. It's probably a good thing I do not understand, even a little bit - if I did I might be tempted to try to manipulate God (Acts 8:18). Besides, who wants a Holy Spirit that is perceivable by the human mind? I would never submit to or fer an authority that I viewed as my equal or one that was predictable.
That being said, I wish I understood more about the Holy Spirit. I wish I had a relationship with Him the way that Jesus did (Luke 4:1, 4:14, 4:18, 10:21). I wish I heard His voice more often and more clearly. I wish I felt His filling and presence more powerfully. I wish I demonstrated His power and joy more faithfully. I wish I knew His filling and His calling moment by moment so that I might also do His work.
Holy Spirit - fill me with Your presence and speak to me. Guide me to do your work and to point others to Jesus Christ. Let me know and display Your power and joy to those I encounter today and each day. Amen.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Salvation, Rightousness & Judgment
Psalm 98:7-9
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
One would have to be very confident in his own righteousness to sing such a psalm. The writer of Psalm 98 notes at the beginning, "the Lord has made known His salvation, His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations" (98:2) It is no mystery that God chose Israel through and to whom He would reveal His power and salvation. By the law and the prophets God has spoken of His redeemer, His righteous One who would judge righteously and bring salvation (Rom. 10:1-4). In Christ, the righteousness of God has been made known. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Rom. 3:21-23). To him who believes, who has seen and received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ - to him the day of judgment is a day of celebration. The day of judgment is a day to celebrate God's final triumph, the full redemption of His creation and recreation (2 cor. 5:17-18).
Am I confident of this truth? Is my confidence in His righteousness applied to my life or have I misplaced my confidence in my self, my works or my efforts?
Father, make me confident in Your righteousness alone. Teach me to long for your judgment, the final day of Your salvation and redemption of all that is Yours. Amen.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
One would have to be very confident in his own righteousness to sing such a psalm. The writer of Psalm 98 notes at the beginning, "the Lord has made known His salvation, His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations" (98:2) It is no mystery that God chose Israel through and to whom He would reveal His power and salvation. By the law and the prophets God has spoken of His redeemer, His righteous One who would judge righteously and bring salvation (Rom. 10:1-4). In Christ, the righteousness of God has been made known. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Rom. 3:21-23). To him who believes, who has seen and received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ - to him the day of judgment is a day of celebration. The day of judgment is a day to celebrate God's final triumph, the full redemption of His creation and recreation (2 cor. 5:17-18).
Am I confident of this truth? Is my confidence in His righteousness applied to my life or have I misplaced my confidence in my self, my works or my efforts?
Father, make me confident in Your righteousness alone. Teach me to long for your judgment, the final day of Your salvation and redemption of all that is Yours. Amen.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Beauty of Holiness
Psalm 96:9
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
My righteous living is a beautiful offering of worship before God. My fear and reverence of Him, of His majesty and power, is praise to His name. This reminds me of Romans 12:1-2 which encourages us to "offer (our) bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God - this is (our) spiritual act of worship," not to be "conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (our) minds."
When I sacrifice the desires of my flesh, when I give up my thinking patterns and embrace a fear of His name, a reverence for His holiness - God is greatly praised. As it says in 1 Samuel 15:22, "to obey is better than sacrifice." My greatest offering before God before a Holy God is my own holiness. For this God is most pleased. My ability to please God is this way is founded on my view of Him, on my fear and reverence for who I know Him to be - HOLY. As the Lord says in Leviticus 19:2, "Be Holy because I the Lord your God, I AM Holy."
To see Him, to know Him is to worship Him in holiness.
Lord let my life be marked by holiness. Let me offer to You a daily sacrifice of obedience. Teach me to fear Your name, to know Your holiness and to walk each day in humble worship of You. May my life please you. Amen.
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
My righteous living is a beautiful offering of worship before God. My fear and reverence of Him, of His majesty and power, is praise to His name. This reminds me of Romans 12:1-2 which encourages us to "offer (our) bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God - this is (our) spiritual act of worship," not to be "conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (our) minds."
When I sacrifice the desires of my flesh, when I give up my thinking patterns and embrace a fear of His name, a reverence for His holiness - God is greatly praised. As it says in 1 Samuel 15:22, "to obey is better than sacrifice." My greatest offering before God before a Holy God is my own holiness. For this God is most pleased. My ability to please God is this way is founded on my view of Him, on my fear and reverence for who I know Him to be - HOLY. As the Lord says in Leviticus 19:2, "Be Holy because I the Lord your God, I AM Holy."
To see Him, to know Him is to worship Him in holiness.
Lord let my life be marked by holiness. Let me offer to You a daily sacrifice of obedience. Teach me to fear Your name, to know Your holiness and to walk each day in humble worship of You. May my life please you. Amen.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Delight in Anxiety
Psalm 94:19
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
Anxiety and worry are a part of life. Relationship issues, conflict, confusion, sin and its effects are all part of our daily struggles and plague our thoughts. The psalm writer boldly acknowledges this and does not paint over it with Christian piety or minimize it with religious posturing. Instead, in honesty and vulnerability he reveals his struggle and sets it in contract not to his own strength or courage but to God's comforts. What are God's comforts?... Justice (1-7), Understanding (8-11), Instruction (12), Rest, (13), Presence (14), Defense (16&22), help (17), Mercy (18). In the multitude of anxiety, God's comforts are multiplied and produce delight... not just comfort. I can have joy in the midst of many trials and troubles. I can delight in God. What a joy!
God - teach me to focus on Your comforts in the midst of my troubles and help me find delight in You. Amen
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
Anxiety and worry are a part of life. Relationship issues, conflict, confusion, sin and its effects are all part of our daily struggles and plague our thoughts. The psalm writer boldly acknowledges this and does not paint over it with Christian piety or minimize it with religious posturing. Instead, in honesty and vulnerability he reveals his struggle and sets it in contract not to his own strength or courage but to God's comforts. What are God's comforts?... Justice (1-7), Understanding (8-11), Instruction (12), Rest, (13), Presence (14), Defense (16&22), help (17), Mercy (18). In the multitude of anxiety, God's comforts are multiplied and produce delight... not just comfort. I can have joy in the midst of many trials and troubles. I can delight in God. What a joy!
God - teach me to focus on Your comforts in the midst of my troubles and help me find delight in You. Amen
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
God's Work, God's Glory, my children...
Psalm 90:16-17
Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90 is a psalm of Moses. His words here remind me of God appearing to him on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19-34) and Moses request in Exodus 33:18, "Please show me Your glory." When God revealed His mighty work to Moses and showed him His glory, Moses' face shone brightly for the people, a testimony of God's glory (Exodus 34:30).
Our children will see the glory of God when we seek the Lord's face, to see Him face to face, and reflect His beauty in all we do. Our work in the Lord will then be established and even our children will say along with Moses, "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations" (Psa. 90:1). However we must first seek Him, pursue Him on His holy mountain, receive His Word, and fall in love with the beauty of His face. We must first be changed if our children are to know Him and His glory.
Father - change me. Reveal to me Your mighty works, let my face reflect Your glory. Let my children know Your beauty and be confident that You have established Your work in our home. Amen.
Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90 is a psalm of Moses. His words here remind me of God appearing to him on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19-34) and Moses request in Exodus 33:18, "Please show me Your glory." When God revealed His mighty work to Moses and showed him His glory, Moses' face shone brightly for the people, a testimony of God's glory (Exodus 34:30).
Our children will see the glory of God when we seek the Lord's face, to see Him face to face, and reflect His beauty in all we do. Our work in the Lord will then be established and even our children will say along with Moses, "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations" (Psa. 90:1). However we must first seek Him, pursue Him on His holy mountain, receive His Word, and fall in love with the beauty of His face. We must first be changed if our children are to know Him and His glory.
Father - change me. Reveal to me Your mighty works, let my face reflect Your glory. Let my children know Your beauty and be confident that You have established Your work in our home. Amen.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Presence of God
Psalm 89:14-15
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.
I am so blessed to enter into the presence of the Lord, the throne room of the almighty creator each day. Each day I open my Bible I hear the joyful shouts of praise, the royal trumpets proclaiming the sovereign rule of the King of creation. Each day I pray I gaze upon His face and meditate on His nature. In the light of His countenance I find mercy and truth applied to my life. At His throne I find strength to line in righteousness and demonstrate justice. These go with me all day long and sustain me in my trials and temptations.
I am blessed to know the presence of the Lord!
How then could I choose sleep over prayer? How could I choose the news over the good news? How could I choose breakfast over the Bread of Life? How could I choose work over letting God work on me? How could I pass up the opportunity to enter into the throne room of the Almighty God?
I am so blessed to know the joyful sound of entering into His presence.
Father - thank You for your mercy and grace that allow a sinner like me to enter into Your presence and meditate on Your face. Draw me into Your presence more and more each day and let me face each and every day in the joy of Your blessing. Amen.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.
I am so blessed to enter into the presence of the Lord, the throne room of the almighty creator each day. Each day I open my Bible I hear the joyful shouts of praise, the royal trumpets proclaiming the sovereign rule of the King of creation. Each day I pray I gaze upon His face and meditate on His nature. In the light of His countenance I find mercy and truth applied to my life. At His throne I find strength to line in righteousness and demonstrate justice. These go with me all day long and sustain me in my trials and temptations.
I am blessed to know the presence of the Lord!
How then could I choose sleep over prayer? How could I choose the news over the good news? How could I choose breakfast over the Bread of Life? How could I choose work over letting God work on me? How could I pass up the opportunity to enter into the throne room of the Almighty God?
I am so blessed to know the joyful sound of entering into His presence.
Father - thank You for your mercy and grace that allow a sinner like me to enter into Your presence and meditate on Your face. Draw me into Your presence more and more each day and let me face each and every day in the joy of Your blessing. Amen.
Monday, February 16, 2009
To Fear Him
Psalm 86:11
Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
What does it mean to "fear" the Lord? I know I am supposed to respect and revere Him but it seems like so much more. His works are amazing and powerful. His judgment is true and right. His justice is swift and complete. I should literally fear such a God whom I am so unlike. To know Him is to fear Him. To be united to the Lord, to know Him intimately, will produce in me a healthy and righteous fear that will cause me to walk in His truth. Apart from this fear, I am prone to wander into lies, to walk in my own way, to offend my terrible God. It is this fear that leads me back to His ways, to His truth, to His mercy and grace, to His peace (Psa 85:10).
To know Him is to fear Him; to fear Him is to obey Him.
To not obey Him is to not fear Him; to not fear Him is to not know Him.
This alone is a fearful thought.
Father - teach me to fear You. Teach me to know You in such a way that I will walk in Your truth and obey You in all ways. Let my conduct reflect an intimate knowledge of You and display Your truth. Keep me from lies and teach me to fear You. Amen.
Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
What does it mean to "fear" the Lord? I know I am supposed to respect and revere Him but it seems like so much more. His works are amazing and powerful. His judgment is true and right. His justice is swift and complete. I should literally fear such a God whom I am so unlike. To know Him is to fear Him. To be united to the Lord, to know Him intimately, will produce in me a healthy and righteous fear that will cause me to walk in His truth. Apart from this fear, I am prone to wander into lies, to walk in my own way, to offend my terrible God. It is this fear that leads me back to His ways, to His truth, to His mercy and grace, to His peace (Psa 85:10).
To know Him is to fear Him; to fear Him is to obey Him.
To not obey Him is to not fear Him; to not fear Him is to not know Him.
This alone is a fearful thought.
Father - teach me to fear You. Teach me to know You in such a way that I will walk in Your truth and obey You in all ways. Let my conduct reflect an intimate knowledge of You and display Your truth. Keep me from lies and teach me to fear You. Amen.
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