Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
June 2005
June 2, 2005
Psalm 102:12 certainly stirs up the joy within us: "For
you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations."
The 'foreverness' of God is a glorious thought to the trusting child of
His. He sits enthroned forever. So, what eternity past 'knew' and what
that first generation knew about Him has been passed on to succeeding
generations to the extent that His renown endures through all generations.
Let's check a few of the many power-packed ways this is stated in Scripture.
He is referred to as "the eternal God" with "everlasting
arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).
We are told that He "reigns forever" (Psalm 9:7), that He has
been our dwelling place "throughout all generations", and that
His existence is "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:1-2).
In Psalm 102:27 we are encouraged with the fact that He remains the same
and that His "years will never end".
The Lord revealed Himself to His people through the prophet Isaiah as:
"I am the first and the last" (Isaiah 44:6) and through Jeremiah
(5:19) as the One Who "reigns forever" and whose authority "endures
from generation to generation".
The writer of Hebrews (13:8) challenges every child of God of every generation
to remember that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever".
And, our precious Savior Himself states: "I am the Alpha and the
Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." "I
am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold
I am alive for ever and ever!" (Revelation 1:8, 17-18)
O Glorious, eternal God, may Your renown capture our laziness-prone
hearts and transform us into active, propagating 21st Century ambassadors
for Jesus Christ! Amen.
June 6, 2005
Psalm 36:9 is such an encouraging verse: "For with you is the fountain
of life; in your light we see light."
How often has each of us had experiences in our life for which the only
terminology which seemed appropriate was 'darkness'! The battery of our
faith was almost dead, not having faithfully and responsibly been charged
by the Word of God when we thought everything was OK and life seemed so
bright. We longed for the 'good old days' when God's lamp shone upon our
head and by His light we walked through darkness (Job 29:3); when His
light consistently dispelled the fears which relentlessly demanded our
submission (Psalm 27:1). We tried the 'natural', pump-yourself-up way
of handling darkness: someone said, "Cheer up; things could be worse!
So, I cheered up, and sure enough! Things got worse!" But, as we
repented of our careless spiritual maintenance, the Holy Spirit spoke
(again!) and said, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the
glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick
darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory
appears over you" (Isaiah 60:1-2).
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining
ever brighter till the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18) What a
glorious truth for the beleaguered child of God to grasp ahold of! "For
God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine
in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6)! No wonder we declare
the His praises! He has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light
for salvation (I Peter 2:9); He is the true light that gives light to
every man (John 1:9)! And, He continues to do so, as it were, for our
sanctification! (I John 1:7-10) The angels had it right: Glory to God
in the highest!
Father of faithful, steady, unflickering heavenly lights (James 1:17),
may some of us have the privilege today to encourage a sin-weakened or
discouraged child of Your's with those darkness-dispelling words: "Come...
let us walk in the light of the Lord!" (Isaiah 2:5) Amen.
June 8, 2005
Psalm 48:8 "As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the
Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever."
From time to time, I reflect back on my childhood days when we five children
and mom and dad would sit together for a meal at the table. There was
the reading and quoting of scriptures as well as discussion related to
spiritual things. The point: before I 'saw' for myself the goodness of
God, I had heard plenty! God is good. He is love. His Son died to save
us. Temptations are best handled when entrusted to the One Who promises
to deliver us. Service to God and His church is a high calling with immeasurable
benefits. There is nothing that is beyond God's power to deliver. We have
a very huge responsibility to let our school friends and others know about
what Jesus has done in our lives. The talents, skills, or gifts the Lord
has given us need to be faithfully used for His glory. The ground is level
at the foot of the cross. There is none righteous, no not one. On and
on I could go. It was a good, solid beginning to what has - thus far!
- been an unforgettable, glorious journey of faith and confidence! Without
equivocation and with deep conviction I can say: As I had heard... so
have I now seen! It's all true; no lies; no exaggeration!
I had the joy of late-night and very early morning praying this same principle
for my own children during their formative years. I will never forget
the devotions I wrote for them, the books we read together, the discussions
regarding spiritual things, and the teaching Ruth and I gave. And now,
I have three precious grandsons who need to hear of the unchanging greatness
of God. I will not hide this from them! (Psalm 78:3-6) It's an expected
responsibility which carries with it a profound sense of privilege (Isaiah
38:19b): my parents told me; I told my children; I will now make sure
that the next generation hears plenty until they have been able to 'see'
for themselves! (Psalm 44:1-2)
Glorious Father of every generation, we rejoice in the eternal security
we have in You and in Your Son Jesus, our Savior! May we joyfully, faithfully,
unabashedly preach and pass on to the next generation the gospel of Your
grace, so that even if they never 'see' for themselves, they may never
be able to say "I hadn't heard...". Amen.
June 13, 2005
Psalm 113:5-7 says: "who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits
enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
How emotionally devastating are certain circumstances of life! Some may
be the justifiably 'deserved' results of sin committed, because what a
person sows is what he/she will reap. In the bittersweet process of sanctification,
whether by divine permission or by divine design, they are perhaps intended
by the all-knowing, gracious God to bring us to our knees in deep repentance
and humble confession for having violated His holiness. Then, on behalf
of the penitent "who lays his cause before him, God performs wonders
that cannot be fathomed". For example, "the lowly he sets on
high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety", away from the boisterous
threats and unfortunate gossip of those who know little or nothing about
mercy and grace and forgiveness. Our glorious God "saves the needy
from the sword" which is in the mouth of the ignorant or of our accusers,
and "saves them from the clutches of the powerful" in such a
way that "the poor have hope and injustice shuts its mouth"!
Hallelujah! (Job 5:8-9, 11, 15-16). Oh, the depth of the riches both of
the wisdom and the knowledge of God!! (Romans 11:33)
Regardless of the perceived darkness or bleakness of your circumstances
right now, remember that our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases
Him! (Psalm 115:3) Remember that He promises restoration and renewed fruitfulness
to the spiritually needy and brokenhearted (Psalm 107:41). So, "whoever
is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the
Lord". And, let us loosen our tight grip on what we may think is
the 'unpleasantness' of what is going on in our lives. (Psalm 107:43)
Father of tender mercies, forgive! Forgive our judgmental spirit.
Help us to not insult the economically or spiritually poor, the needy,
or those fellow Christians who may be dangling precariously by the slightest
thread of hope as they face the circumstances of their life today (James
2:5-6). In the gracious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
June 15, 2005
Psalm 115:12 brings deep, abiding peace to the troubled heart of God's
child, wherever he/she may be: "The Lord remembers us and will bless
us..."
But, Lord, I'm so ashamed of the sin that has righteously brought Your
judgment against me. In the depths of my heart, I do welcome Your discipline;
but I really feel sort of forgotten! Yes, my son, but humbly consider
this: Can a husband or wife, whose covenant with God and with each other
is binding, just casually forget the other, though one or the other may
have carelessly put that relationship in jeopardy? Though they may forget,
I will not forget you! Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and
have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget,
I will not forget you! I have you engraved on the palms of my hands! (Isaiah
49:14-16) Your sin is heinous, yes! But, the love, mercy, and grace in
which my discipline is thoroughly enveloped is my personal assurance to
you that I will always remember you! And, my further promise is to continue
to bless you as you walk before me in a renewed sense of genuine brokenness,
humility and commitment to holiness.
You are good, O Lord! (Psalm 25:7). I just had flashbacks of some of the
sins of my youth and of the rebellious ways I treated You. At the time,
I was just beginning to "hear Your voice" through study of the
Word; I was just beginning to understand who You are and how you care
for Your children. You had given me this unbelievable desire to please
You (I know many were faithfully praying for me!), and my conscience was
beginning to 'work'. I confessed and confessed, hoping that my youthful
sinfulness - which was great! - would be forgiven and forgotten! I know
it was, for the sake of Your name! (Psalm 25:11) All these years later,
I know that's the only reason why I'm still around! I love You!
Gracious Father - Daddy - all Your ways are loving and faithful! You
are truly good and upright, instructing sinners in Your ways, guiding
the humble in what is right, and teaching them in Your way, the way chosen
for them! (Psalm 25:12). I worship You, Almighty God! Amen.
June 20, 2005
Psalm 120:6-7 tell us: "Too long have I lived among those who hate
peace. I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war."
When I read these verses, honestly, the first thing I thought of was "I
know of too many marriages which seem to always be lacking peace because
they always seem to be at war!" How many struggling marriages do
you know of where one spouse appears to be for 'peace' and the other appears
to be for 'war'? And yet, when you listen to each one individually, in
actuality they're both waging war! And if you listen in on their interaction
with each other, you quickly realize that if peace were ever a genuine
desire on somebody's part, it has long ago ceased to be a viable option.
What if we all began to more seriously pray for marriages, that spouses
would "turn from evil and do good; that they would seek peace and
pursue it"? (Psalm 34:14) What if we more faithfully prayed that
Christian spouses would ask God to help them "speak peaceably"
to one another and to stop "devising accusations" against each
other? (Psalm 35:20) What if we were to more consistently pray that couples
would truly see their marriage as a covenant agreement, would stop attacking
their best friend (Psalm 55:20-21), and would cease deceptive communication
practices with each other? What if we more sincerely prayed that individual
spouses would take very personally the challenge from God to them that
"if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone"? (Romans 12:18); and to further pray that they wouldn't
take advantage of the "if it is possible" clause or make it
an 'out' for not trying hard to have a godly marriage? What if we all
more fervently prayed for Christian couples to make every effort to be
holy, and in that context that they would make every effort to live in
peace with all men? (Hebrews 12:14) With the statistics regarding marriage
and divorce being what they are today, it is a wonderfully righteous thing
we could do for the church by so praying for Christian marriages!
Father of love, peace, and unity, burden us to more faithfully and fervently
pray for all the struggling Christian marriages around us. It is truly
for Jesus' sake, and for the sake of a vibrant church we pray, Amen.
June 23, 2005
Psalm 133:1 is a great statement which, if or when given proper heed to
by God's family, should bring all us feisty Christians to our knees in
sorrow and deep repentance: "How good and pleasant it is when brothers
live together in unity!"
Years ago, you may remember a Charlie Brown comic in which Charlie Brown
said something very close to: "Of course I like human beings! It's
only people I don't care for!"
Through eternity past and present, the glorious trinity of God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have modeled for us the kind of unity
which the Lord desires to see in all His people. It is that oneness which
oozes with love for one another instead of competing among ourselves,
or bickering, and holding worthless grudges against each other (John 13:35).
It is a loving oneness which sets the standard very high: complete unity
among His children as it is between the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit (John 17:21). That kind of love and oneness is somewhat 'rare',
especially among modern day Christians who must constantly be appealed
to "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with
one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may
be perfectly united in mind and thought" (I Cor. 1:10). This kind
of unity and mutual love does not come easily or automatically. The groundwork
of continual gentleness, humility, and deference must pave the way and
lay a solid foundation upon which submitted Christians "make every
effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"
(Eph. 4:2-3), and to "keep on loving each other as brothers"
(Hebrews 13:1). May that be so among an increasing number of the Lord's
people worldwide!
Father of peace and mercy, teach us; give us the mind set to truly
"live in harmony with one another; to be sympathetic; to love as
brothers; to be compassionate and humble"! For the sake of Jesus,
our loving, peace-giving Savior we pray, Amen.
June 26, 2005
Psalm 126:3 is good for any day of the week, isn't it? "The Lord
has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
He gives great victories (Psalm 18:50):
For the sin-weary unbeliever longing for a radical change: salvation.
For the tempted child of God, deliverance from 'enemies', whether they
be persons or habits.
For the single mom, release from the gripping fear that tempts her to
forget that she has a more loving, gracious, faithful 'spouse' in Jesus
than she could ever imagine!
For the incarcerated, 'release' from the guilt of sin against a Holy God,
and crimes against society.
For the abused, rescue from the burning urges warring within to take matters
into their own hand and carry out revenge on the perpetrator who has been
Satan's tool of physical, emotional, and spiritual destruction.
For the abuser, gratitude for the unimaginable forgiveness of God and
hope for a new life and radically changed habits.
For the oft battle-weary shepherd, renewed passion for the Lord of Glory
and fresh daily commitment to serve the Master and His people until Jesus
comes.
For the bereaved, the consoling anticipation of reuniting with loved ones
who've gone before.
For all who trust in Him: His promise of meeting every need in accordance
with His unlimited, glorious riches and power.
Truly the Lord has done - and continues to do! - great things for us.
No wonder we're filled with a joy and peace that surpasses human understanding!
No wonder we "do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For out light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all." (II Corinthians 4:16)
All Powerful God, full of mercy and grace, You have done great things
for us! We praise You and worship You with all our heart, for You have
preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping! (Psalm 66:8-9) Amen.
June 30, 2005
Psalm 130:8 is both a challenge and an unbelievable word of encouragement
for every precious child of God: "O Israel, put your hope in the
Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."
Isn't it glorious? I mean, you put your hope in the Lord and He puts
a new song in your mouth to sing (Psalm 40:3) and with which to shout
for joy (Psalm 33:3) and with which to have a 'ball' creatively making
music to Him (Psalm 144:9)! Put your hope in Him and watch how your confidence
in Him (NOT in yourself!) grows (Psalm 71:5)! Put your hope in Him and
in real, every day life situations, He becomes your unbelievably consistent
help and shield (Psalm 115:9-13)!
With the Lord there is mercy, unfailing love! Wrap your mind around this:
He is forgiving and good (Psalm 86:5). He is compassionate and gracious
(Psalm 86:15). He is full of mercy and He freely forgives (Isaiah 55:7).
Where our horrific sins are in incalculable abundance - and daily adding
to the pile! - His grace abounds even more (Romans 5:20-21)! Knowing full
well 'who' we are in our human nature, and even more so 'who we are in
Christ', He delights in lavishing His undeserved kindness upon us (Ephesians
1:7-8)! Being yet in our sin; being active enemies of His, yet He gave
Himself a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:5-6)!
We worship You, Almighty God. Receive our praise, Father. You alone
are worthy to receive our praise and worship, for You forgive all our
sins, and heal our diseases. You redeem our lives from the pit and crown
us with love and compassion. You satisfy us with good things so that our
youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103)! Worthy, worthy is the Lamb,
who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and
honor and glory and praise! (Revelation 5:12) Amen.
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