Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
October 2006
Most of the next few months' devotionals will have
been written in the jungles of Panama, an airplane, isolated cottage,
or other location during the wonderful sabbatical the Lord has graciously
given us... and which terminates the end of August. It'll be fascinating
to 'see' how the Lord 'anticipated' the various needs of our lives beforehand
and is addressing them today. The thought gives joy to my heart. I'm smiling
as I write this. Blessings!
October 2, 2006
Psalm 66:1-5 “Shout with joy to God, all to earth! Sing the glory
of HIS name; make HIS praise glorious! Say to God, ‘How awesome
are YOUR deeds! So great is YOUR power that your enemies cringe before
YOU. All the earth bows down to YOU; they sing praise to YOU, they sing
praise to YOUR name.’ Come and see what GOD has done, how awesome
are HIS works in man’s behalf!”
Many years ago, someone far wiser and certainly more deeply discerning
than I said, “Take note of the words of music these days; they are
increasingly focusing on man: how or what he feels rather than on the
beauty and glory and power and authority and majesty of God!” Sadly,
I am discovering the disturbing trend of their concern.
Early this morning, already perspiring in the early morning damp heat
of rainy Central America (you’ll read this many weeks later), I
had this wonderful thought: even on my best day, it’s not about
me; it’s about the LORD and HIS unbelievable mercy and grace to
me and to all mankind! So here’s a suggestion for today: pick a
hymn or song you know which clearly focuses on the LORD and determine
to reflect on praising HIM throughout the day.
Father of mercy, forgive our inclination to think about and to focus
more on ourselves than on you during times of praise. May today be a different
and better day as we sing the glory of YOUR name and make YOUR praise
glorious! For Jesus’ sake and for the strengthening of your church
we pray, Amen.
October 6, 2006
Psalm 22:22 “I will declare your name to my brothers….”
(i.e. literal family members or metaphorical intimates)
(When you read this, we will have returned from the Republic of Panama
and will be in the USA) Yesterday (June 17, 2006), Ruth and I witnessed
a wonderful work of God as Christ’s name was clearly declared. Let
me explain. We are at the very beautiful camp of Word of Life International,
some 2 hours outside the bustling Capital metropolis of Panama City. Word
of Life is a ministry to children and young adults that has been very
effective here in Panama. Some 14 soccer teams from various interior ‘cities’
paid $25 per team to come to this beautiful 60 plus acres of land to compete
in an all-day soccer tournament, coinciding with the “Mundial 2006”
world soccer games in Germany. Half way through the 6 hour elimination
marathon, everyone gathered in a common room where the young, vibrant
director of WOL Panama gave a beautifully lucid and comprehensible declaration
of the gospel. At the end of his 15 minute ‘declaration’,
he asked if there was anyone in the room who understood what had been
said and who felt the need to establish a personal relationship with God
through faith in Jesus Christ. (We had been praying that among the 200
or so who would be present, there would definitely be those who were being
drawn to Christ already, whose hearts were prepared to receive the seed
of the Word of God; see John 6:44.) Over the next very quiet 2 minutes,
some 20 young men publicly raised their hands and were then directed to
speak with individual counselors and receive portions of Scripture (John
and Romans). I got up quickly, hoping to use my Spanish ability to speak
with one of them; but disappointingly, they were all ‘taken’
by eager missionaries and co-workers who were anxious to be available
to the Lord in bringing another ‘brother’ into the family
of God. I was ‘disappointed’ but thrilled!
Merciful Father, care for those new sons of yours who put their faith
in your promise to give them eternal life through Jesus’ death.
Water the seed of your Word in their hearts. Guide the Christian workers
now responsible to follow up and disciple as many of these individuals
as possible. And, please, open the eyes and hearts of your people in the
United States that we might more faithfully and obediently declare your
name to those around us! Through Jesus our Savior I pray, Amen.
October 10, 2006
Psalm 32:1 Blessed (happy; excited; animated; energized) is he who……
What is it that makes you truly happy in the Lord? Today, let’s
just review some of the blessings in our lives.
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are forgiven!
Psalm 32:1
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to
the proud, to those who turn aside to other gods. Psalm 40:4
O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light
of your presence, O Lord. Psalm 89:15
Blessed are those who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.
Psalm 106:3
Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law
of the Lord. Psalm 119:1
Blessed are they who keep His statutes. Psalm 119:2a
Blessed are they who seek Him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2b
Have an exciting, holy, happy consecrated day rejoicing in HIM and in
His goodness to you!
October 16, 2006
Psalm 28:8, 9 “The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress
of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
The proneness toward independence by the human spirit should be an area
of concern for Christians in every generation. While we may be quick to
acknowledge that the Lord IS our strength, how often do we carry out the
chores of life without much thought or even without much desire for Him
to enable us in those endeavors. How often is there deep concern that
others around us take careful note and truly realize our human inability
on the one hand and our utter dependence upon Another on the other hand?
How often do we hear pleas for divine intervention and blessing, but little
of the desperate need we have for the Shepherd to not simply aid or support
or back us up (to make us look good) from time to time, but to literally
carry us in and through the circumstances of life?
Father, for each one of us may today be a special day of deep dependence
upon the One Who is truly our strength and our shield! Amen.
October 20, 2006
Psalm 27:1 reminds me that, in darkness or light, in tough times or easy,
in lack or in plenty, the LORD is my light and my salvation.
HE is the key to the absence or the calming of fear in my life. Should
difficult times come, I do not rush to find solace merely in knowledge
or awareness about how great is His light and how wonderful is His salvation.
Rather He Himself, as my Light, as my Salvation, becomes the stronghold
into which I rush for the protection and intervention I may need.
No wonder David said (26:8), “I love the house where you live, O
Lord, the place where your glory dwells.” In that context –
in the glorious presence of the living God, where there is such fullness
and plenteous provision of all I could ever need – the one overwhelming
request of the submitted heart is: “one thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to (further)
seek Him in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
In other words, Lord, right now, this is where I need to be, residing
and resting: in Your presence. I really don’t want this to stop,
ever! I just want my life and my time and my energy to be consumed in
seeing you, in hearing you, in listening to you, and in just knowing more
about you in all the circumstances and situations of my life.
October 24, 2006
Psalm 97:10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives
of his faithful ones.
In this verse, faithfulness in the Christian life implies a hatred of
evil by those who truly love the Lord. Sort of like simple math: loving
the Lord = hating evil; godly faithfulness = hating evil. Therefore, the
promise of divine protection, we might say, is for those who love the
Lord, hate evil, and live faithfully for Him.
However, when I look at my life, I see divine protection and incredible
divine guarding of my life, my family, and my ministry that goes way beyond
what I might call my (puny?) love for Christ, my (inconsistent?) hatred
for evil, or anything else in my life that might (occasionally?) be called
‘faithfulness’!
Here’s what I come up with: Where sin did abound…. Grace did
much more abound! (Romans 5:20) And though every facet of my life is touched
by sin (Romans 7:18), the Lord, in His great grace, accepts even the smallest
expressions of love and faithfulness which come from an honest, sincere
heart which understands that grace now reigns through righteousness to
bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21). Hallelujah
for the cross!
Righteous and Holy Father, we bow in deepest humility before you to
thank you for your faithful protection over our lives! Accept our sincere,
but seemingly feeble, expressions of gratitude for such limitless love,
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
October 31, 2006
Psalm 97:1a “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad…..”
Calvin referred to “the formidable majesty attaching to God”.
It is such ruling majesty which drives the people of the earth mad! We
will have our way and do what we want, regardless of who is reigning,
thank you!, is the arrogant response resounding through the heavens as
mankind exalts himself as supreme and exerts his puny – and often
ruining! - authority over the earth.
No wonder the earth is glad! Just to know that one day those who seem
to be endeavoring so hard to ruin this awesome work and recreational place
He made for us, will be put in their place and the true, eternal Ruler
of it, often hidden because of man’s vain philosophy and temporal,
conjured conclusions, will shine and be clearly exalted as the eternal
God, brings unfettered joy.
O eternal Ruler of heaven and earth, hasten the day when your created
beings bow the knee and freely confess that Jesus Christ is LORD! Amen.
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