Posts Tagged ‘Jesus Christ’
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
I’ve been enjoying my Church History class these past two weeks, and today stumbled across something I really enjoyed and thought worthy of a rare-as-of-late blog post.
This is a translation of Rufinus of Aquileia’s (Tyrannius Rufinus) work, Commentarius in Symbolum Apostolorum, a commentary on the Apostle’s Creed. In this section, Rufinus describes God’s “transaction” with the devil in the act of Atonement. I really enjoyed the simile presented here:
The purpose of the incarnation … was that the divine virtue of the Son of God might be as it were a hook hidden beneath the form of human flesh … to lure on the prince of this age to a contest; that the Son might offer him his flesh as a bait and that then the divinity which lay beneath might catch him and hold him fast with its hook.
… Then, as a fish when it seizes a baited hook not only fails to drag off the bait, but is itself dragged out of the water to serve as food for others; so he that had the power of death seized the body of Jesus in death, unaware of the hook of divinity concealed therein. Having swallowed it, he was caught straightway; the bars of hell were burst, and he was, as it were, drawn up from the pit, to become food for others. …
Tags:Apostle's Creed, Atonement, bait, devil, fish hook, flesh, God, Jesus Christ, Rufinus, Satan, trap
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Sunday, August 17th, 2008
Verse: “Yet lackest thou one thing; sell all that thou hast…and come, follow Me.“
– Luke 18:22
Quote: “Our Lord never pleaded, He never cajoled, He never entrapped; He simply spoke the sternest words mortal ears ever listened to, and then left it alone.”
God wants to give you every opportunity possible to live the life He has designed for you, but He is not going to force you to; that does Him no good. He also isn’t going to promise you that everything will be easy for you, because it more than likely is not going to be. God lays out the truth, and lets you decide what to do with it.
Chambers says that if Christ’s words have never pierced you the way they did the rich man from the above verse, then you have probably never heard Christ speak. That is to say that until you are completely His, there is always something in your life that you don’t want to be reminded of, and when a rebuke comes with the undeniable authority of the voice of Christ, it penetrates deep down and shakes you to the core.
The rich man heard the penetrating voice and left discouraged, but Christ knows that His Word never returns void, so He allowed the man to leave. When you feel discouraged, remember that no one lives the life of Christ on their own strength. Give to God all that He asks, and trust that He will get you to where He wants you to be.
Tags:all, Are You Discouraged in Devotion, Bible, daily devotion, give, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Luke 18:22, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, trust
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Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Verse: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
– Proverbs 28:13
Quote: “Furthermore, we must forsake the evil: having owned our fault, we must disown all present and future intent to abide in it. We cannot remain in rebellion and yet dwell with the King’s Majesty. The habit of evil must be quitted, together with all places, companions, pursuits, and books which might lead us astray.”
Today Spurgeon tells us that the sinner’s “business” is to confess and forsake his sin. I love his line of owning our fault, and then disowning our connection with the sin. You cannot truly be healed from sin until you do both of those completely. You must take full responsibility for the sin, not shirking the blame off on anyone, then take every measure not to engage in that sin again.
It is not easy as humans to disassociate ourselves with certain creature comforts that we might have, but if there is a specific person, or restaurant, or TV show, or personal goal, or whatever that is making you more susceptible to sin, you must distance yourself from it immediately. There is nothing in this life that is more valuable than your relationship with the Father, and as we discussed yesterday, there is no room for sin in that relationship.
It is easy for us to downplay sin because it is everywhere, and we are born with the inclination towards it, but let us not forget that sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross, and it is still what separates us from God. However, God continues to love us, and invite us back into fellowship with Him. Confess and forsake your sin, and walk hand in hand with the Creator once again.
Tags:Bible, business, C.H. Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith, Confess and Forsake, daily devotion, disown, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, own, Proverbs 28:13, responsibility, sin
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Friday, August 15th, 2008
Verse: “Ye must be born again.“
– John 3:7
Quote: “The effective working of the new birth in us is that we do not commit sin, not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have stopped sinning.”
Not the immediate reaction to the new birth, but the “effective working” will produce in us the functioning life of Christ Jesus. 1 John 3:4-9 paints a detailed portrait of sin’s role in the life of a Christian: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin.”
Does this mean that if you sin you have never received the saving grace of Jesus Christ? No, what it means is that if you truly accepted God’s free gift of salvation and committed your life to Him, then you would pursue the life of Christ until you are living it out in actuality. God has given us the power over sin, and He commands us not to sin, so it is up to us to act out what God freely gives in the form of redemption.
If we have been born of God, sin is not in our nature; we have been given a new nature where sin has no place. When you sin, you are putting on your old, rotting flesh and parading around like a sheep in wolves clothing. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” This means that when you sin, it is a deliberate act of separating yourself from God and refusing His help.
To live a sinless life after your new birth is commanded, not suggested.
My 5 (almost 6) year old nephew understands this, so it cannot be too difficult to grasp. I wish I could remember the verbatim conversation he had with my brother where he decided he wanted to tell everyone to stop sinning, because it’s what God wants. Great story. Maybe he’ll post it on his blog before long.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, God, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 3:7, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Signs of the New Birth, sin, working
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Thursday, August 14th, 2008
Verse: “Despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him.“
– Hebrews 12:5
Quote: “Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me; sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me…”
We have to let go of the idea that God simply wants to give us the desires of our heart, and learn that God wants to shape our heart so our desires match His. God has a specific plan for our lives, and as soon as we learn that His plan is better than ours, the sooner we will live a fulfilled life.
It is not that we are helpless, thoughtless creatures; it is that He is the Almighty Creator, and His ways are far greater than ours. We are not changing our lives to allow room for Him; God sacrificed everything to allow room for us.
Tags:Bible, Chastening, daily devotion, God, Hebrews 12:5, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Sanctification
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Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Verse: “Quench not the Spirit.“
– 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Quote: “Whenever the Spirit checks, call a halt and get the thing right, or you will go on grieving Him without knowing it.”
No on who has tasted the saving grace of Christ Jesus would ever want to intentionally grieve His Spirit, but when we ignore His leading, that’s exactly what we are doing. The checks don’t only come in the obvious places. You may be avoiding every major sin in your life, but when God told you to write that thank you letter, you put it off. Or when He asked you to volunteer your time at church, something “more important” came up.
God allows us to govern our lives with common sense, and the more time you spend in communication with Him, the more your natural, common sense decisions will reflect His will and nature. But there are times when you get off course, or He wants to take you down a different road, and His Spirit simply checks. Waste no time answering the call of the Holy Spirit, He is the messenger of the Father’s voice.
Tags:1 Thessalonians 5:19, Bible, check, common sense, communication, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, listen, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Quench Not the Spirit
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Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
Verse: “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”
– Matthew 8:26
Quote: “What a pang will go through us when we suddenly realize that we might have produced downright joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, no matter what was ahead.”
Sometimes the most painful truth is not that you’ve done something to hurt Jesus, but that you’ve robbed Him of a joy. This quote shoots straight to my heart and reveals an area of my life that needs improvement.
We should have an unwavering confidence in our Lord, and He has a right to expect that from us, especially in prayer. We have to remain sure of God in our trials, or our prayers become quick and panicky like the prayers of the ones who do not know God.
When a crisis arises, you will reveal where your trust lies. Learn to worship God through trust, and rely on Him until the crisis is over.
Tags:Bible, confidence, crisis, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Matthew 8:26, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, prayer, The Theology of Rest, trials, trust
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Monday, August 11th, 2008
Verse: “And he saw him no more.“
– 2 Kings 2:12
Quote: “If you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be, then go through your Jordan alone.”
The reference to “your Jordan” is from the story that today’s verse is taken out of. In verse 12, Elisha, Elijah’s student, has just witnessed his master being taken up into heaven by fiery chariots and horses. Elisha had witnessed countless miracles during his ministry, but up until now they had all been called upon by Elijah.
Back just a few verses in verse 8, Elijah parted the Jordan so the two of them could pass to the other side. Now Elisha is at the bank of the river without his master, needing to cross. Without hesitating, Elisha calls on the God of his master to part the Jordan and crosses it alone.
It is good to study under strong, Godly people in your life, but there will come a time when you have to face obstacles on your own. Only then will you truly put your faith in God’s omnipotence to the test. If God is the God He claims to be, then you can go through any trial with Him alone. Learn to rely completely on God’s goodness, and nothing this world throws can shake you.
Tags:2 Kings 2:12, alone, believe, Bible, daily devotion, faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, This Experience Must Come, trust
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Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Verse: “Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing.“
– 1 Peter 4:19
Quote: “To choose to suffer means that there is something wrong; to choose God’s will even if it means suffering is a very different thing.
Suffering by itself is never a good thing—it is the result of the evil that man brought into this world. However, remaining patient during your suffering and continuing to trust God through every situation is a blessed opportunity to glorify the Father.
God doesn’t want to see any of His children suffer, but He does want to see them remain loyal to them in the inevitable darknesses of this life. Don’t look for suffering, but do look for God in your suffering.
Tags:1 Peter 4:19, Bible, blessed, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, situation, suffering, The Sacrament of the Saint, trust
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Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Verse: “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.“
– John 11:41
Quote: “God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God is formed in me the Father will always hear my prayers.”
What an amazing promise! It is easy for us to take the effects Christ’s sacrifice for granted because it’s all we’ve ever known, but through His death on the cross, Jesus opened up a direct line of communication between us and the Father. God hears and answers our prayers because we pray on behalf of the life of Christ hid within us. This is an enormous blessing that we should daily take full advantage of.
Tags:Bible, blessing, communication, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 11:41, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Prayer in the Father's Hearing, sacrifice
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