Imitation Not Innovation

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.   Philippians 2:5

Growing up in a small town in the south, football was the focus in the fall (the conversation even continued year round for the hardcore fans). As a high school player I noticed we would attempt to copy how the college teams played. If they wore tear away jerseys, we wore tear away jerseys—which was very cool! Whatever helmet, cleats or pads an Alabama or Auburn player sported, we tried to emulate. Even our coaches, who had played college football, implemented collegiate level workouts. We increased our winning probability by imitating successful teams.

Fortunately in our Christian faith, Jesus Christ is the gold standard for our attitude and actions. We do not have to innovate a new way of living for the Lord, we just need to imitate Jesus. For instance, when we see and understand how Christ is other centered in His mindset, by grace we develop an other centered attitude. We look people in the eyes with love and long to know who they are and what makes them feel loved. When facing conflict we default to a prayerful response rather than a prideful reaction. Our imitation of Christ involves submission, training and time.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Since imitation is such a simple concept to understand, why don’t more Christians act like Christ? Imitation does not happen in an instant or by accident. It is a process of replacing an unhealthy perspective with a healthy viewpoint. For example, if we  struggle with low self worth because of a shame based background, we grow to understand that in Christ we are not condemned. We begin to see ourselves as Jesus sees us: loved, accepted and precious in His sight. Indeed, steps to becoming more like Christ are found in the Bible. Spirit-led learning is our guide to imitating God. 

Yes, our imitation of Christ includes instruction. The ability to apply unchanging truth to our ever changing circumstances is critical to following the example of Jesus. Jesus would only do what His heavenly Father showed Him to do. So, we learn to listen to the Lord through prayer, His Word and other godly or expert advisors. Prayerfully, we mold our attitude around humility and our actions around grace. Like a stellar athlete who carefully clothes herself in a uniform that enhances her success, so we imitate Christ as we clothe ourselves in His character.

“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, grow me into the likeness of Your son Jesus. Give me a humble attitude followed by grace filled actions. 

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 20

Death (continued)

Two things are to be set in order - the house and the heart. The house - by settling our worldly estate. We shall die none the sooner, but we shall certainly be readier for death (Isaiah 38:1). The heart, by settling our spiritual estate; that is, making our calling and election sure; repenting of sin, receiving Christ Jesus the Lord, walking in all His commandments blameless. He who hath done this, is ready for death. (Philip Henry)

Lord, be pleased to shake my clay cottage before Thou throwest it down. Make it totter awhile before it doth tumble. Let me be summoned before I am surprised. (Thomas Fuller)

Desertion

He who hath engaged to be our God for ever, cannot depart for ever. (Timothy Cruso)

God being a Father, if He hide His face from His child, it is in love. Desertion is sad in itself, a short hell (Job 6:9). When the light is withdrawn, dew falls. yet we may see a rainbow in the cloud, the love of a Father in all this. (Thomas Watson)

I know that, as night and shadows are good for flowers, and moonlight and dews are better than a continual sun, so is Christ's absence of special use, and that it hath some nourishing virtue in it, and giveth sap to humility, and putteth an edge on hunger, and furnished a fair field to faith to put forth itself, and to exercise its fingers in gripping it seeth not what. (Samuel Rutherford)

Though He leaves us for a time, yet doth He not forsake us for ever, no more than a nurse doth the weakling child. She maketh use of one fall to keep the child  from many, and God doth make use of our sinning to make us see how prone we are to sin, and so prevent us for the future. (John Lightfoot)

The wounds of conscience which are in God's people are of the quality that none but God can cure them; for the chief thing that wounds them is the loss of God's favor, not simply His wrath. Nothing gives peace but the restoring of His favor and the light of His countenance; the same dart that wounded must heal again. "I smote him, and I will heal him." (Thomas Goodwin)

Did God really forsake Jesus Christ upon the Cross? Then from the desertion of Christ singular consolation springs up to the people of God...1. Christ's desertion is preventive of your final desertion. Because He was forsaken for a time you shall not be forsaken for ever. For He was forsaken for you. 2. Though God deserted Christ, yet at the same time He powerfully supported Him. His omnipotent arms were under Him, though His pleased face was hid from Him. He had not indeed His smiles, but He had His supportations. So, Christian, just so shall it be with thee. Thy God may turn away His face, He will not pluck away His arm. (John Flavel)

The Devil

Let us watch satan, for he watcheth us. There is no corporeal enemy, but a man naturally fears, the spiritual foe appears less terrible, because we are less sensible of him. Great conquerors have been chronicled for victories and extension of their kingdoms; satan is beyond them all. Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands; but satan his millions. He that fights with an enemy, whom nothing but blood can pacify, will give him no advantage. (Thomas Adams)

He [the devil] sometimes slanders God to men; as to Eve ... sometimes men to God; as Job ... and continually, man to man. (John Robinson)

satan has three titles given in the Scriptures, setting forth his malignity against the church of God; a dragon, to note his malice; a serpent, to note his subtlety; and a lion, to note his strength. (Edward Reynolds)

How to Experience Christ's Peace

John 14:27-31

"My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Jesus spoke these amazing words just hours before His crucifixion. His peace isn’t dependent upon external circumstances, but rather, it transcends them. Although He gives His peace to every believer as a gift, our experience of it is related to our faith in the following truths:

• God is in control of everything. Without this assurance, the world is a scary place.
• He loves me and will see me through every circumstance, no matter how difficult or painful it may be.
• To have Christ’s peace, I must surrender my life to Him. When I hold onto my ways and plans, I’ll experience turmoil.
• I have a limited perspective and understanding of my circumstances and God’s purposes for allowing them. His goals for me are greater than my immediate comfort.
• The Lord promises to work all things out for my good. He is continually working to transform my character into Christ’s image.
• I must live in sync with God, walking in the Spirit and promptly confessing and repenting of sin.
• Scripture is my foundation for peace. It increases my trust in the Lord’s goodness, assures me that He keeps His promises, and reminds me of His sovereignty over every situation.

Sadly, many Christians live their whole lives without consistently experiencing this incomprehensible peace. Perhaps faith and submission are the most challenging issues. But only as we surrender control of our lives to Christ and trust in His plans for us will we discover tranquil rest for our souls.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 19

Death

God, to prevent all escape, hath sown the seeds of death in our very constitution and nature, so that we can as soon run from ourselves, as run from death. We need no fellow to come with a hand of violence and hew us down; there is in the tree a worm, which grows out of its own substance, that will destroy it; so in us, those infirmities of nature that will bring us down to the dust. (William Gurnall)

All are like actors on a stage, some have one part and some another, death is still busy among us; here drops one of the players, we bury him with sorrow, and to our scene again: then falls another, yea all, one after another, till death be left upon the stage. Death is that damp which puts out all the dim lights of vanity. Yet man is easier to believe that all the world shall die, than to suspect himself. (Thomas Adams)

There is none so old but thinks he may live one year longer; and though, in the general, he say, "All must die," yet, in the false numbering of his own particular days, he thinks to live for ever. (Nehemiah Rogers)

Rebirth brings us into the Kingdom of grace, and death into the Kingdom of glory. (Richard Baxter)

Death is only a grim porter to let us into a stately palace. (Richard Sibbes)

We spend our years with sighing; it is a valley of tears; but death is the funeral of all our sorrows. (Thomas Watson)

I account this body nothing but a close prison to my soul; and the earth a larger prison to my body. I may not break prison, till I be loosed by death; but I will leave it, not unwillingly, when I am loosed. (Joseph Hall)

If a man that is desperately sick today, did believe he should arise sound the next morning; or a man today, in despicable poverty, had assurance that he should tomorrow arise a prince; would they be afraid to go to bed? (Richard Baxter)

The fear of death is ingrafted in the common nature of men, but faith works it out of Christians. (Vavasor Powell)

Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death. Why shouldst thou be afraid to die, who hopest to live by dying! (William Gurnall)

Death is half disarmed when the pleasures and interests of the flesh are first denied. (Richard Baxter)

He may look on death with joy, who can look on forgiveness with faith. (Thomas Watson)

Pray that thy last days, and last works may be the best; and that when thou comest to die, thou mayest have nothing else to do but die. (Vavasor Powell)

Trust Overcomes Fear

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Fear engages in an ongoing assault on our heart and mind. If left unchecked, fear can whip our imagination into an anxious frenzy. Though only an ounce of what we fear may come to pass, we tend to give it a ton of attention. It is madness when we are overcome by fear. It may be the fear of death that dilutes our faith; It may be the fear of failure that drives us to control; It may be the fear of rejection that keeps us from speaking up; It may be the fear of financial ruin that refrains us from risk-taking; It may be the fear of divorce that shatters our dreams of a fulfilling family; It may be the fear of losing a job that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Though any number of fears may preoccupy our thinking, we are not alone.
   
Jesus walks with us through our valleys. He may not deliver us out of the valley, but He most certainly does not abandon us in the valley. He walks with us through the valley of doubt; He walks with us through the valley of shame; He walks with us through the valley of transition; He walks with us through the valley of disease; He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Our fear, many times, is but a shadow of Satan’s. It seems like reality, but it is not. It is but a reflection of the evil one. So we have no need to fear because our heavenly Father casts His long light of love. A shadow assumes a light.
   
Therefore, the light of Christ is there to guide us through the shadows of our soul. Death stands next to our life’s path and attempts to cast a shadow, but the light of heaven guides our way. We trust Jesus and overcome fear. We trust the Lord with the known and unknown. There may be consequences from relational baggage that we still unpack from our past. This is fruit from foolish choices for which we must take responsibility and trust God. Good can still come out of unwise actions, but good is gained as we regain our trust in Christ. In our valleys, we can forget our faith and be consumed by our fears or we can slow down and let the Lord love us through this time of loss.
   
No amount of pain can separate you from the love of God. Pain may be smothering your soul, but do not give up on God. Immerse yourself in the Psalms where David practically drowns in doubt, but by faith, wisely lifts an arm to the Lord. No one suffers well alone. It is with the Almighty and the prayers of others that we make it through. So go to Christ for comfort. His tools of trust invite us. He repairs our broken spirit with His rod and His staff. He comforts our crushed heart with His caring touch. At the very least, the Lord will bring clarity to your confusion. Saturate your soul with truth, and you will flush out your fears. Trust Him as you face your fears, whether of death or life.
   
Trust in Christ is a bridge to His comfort. Above all else, trust in the Lord overcomes fear. 

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

Puritan Nuggets ofGold # 18

Controversy

As in the burning of some wet fuel, we cannot see the fire for smoke; so the light of the Scriptures is dusked by the vapors of controversies. (Thomas Adams)

Were it not a piece of strange madness, when the enemy is at the walls, and the town every moment in danger of being stormed, the bullets flying thick about the streets, for the people within to be sitting still and consulting, whether a musket would carry further than a trunk. Truly, such folly, such madness, is it to employ ourselves about needless discourse about the world or superficial things, when our inestimable souls are continually in danger of being surprised and slain. (George Swinnock)

Many controversies of these times grow up about religion, as suckers from the root and limbs of a fruit tree, which spend the vital sap that should make fruit. ( John Flavel)

The devil loves to fish in troubled waters. (John Trapp)

I have other things to do than to be a contentious man. (John Penry)

The servants of God do mind the matter of religion more seriously than others do; and therefore their differences are made more observable to the world. They cannot make light of the smallest truth of God; and this may be some occasion of their indifference; whereas the ungodly differ not about religion, because they have heartily no religion to differ about. Is this a unity and peace to be desired? I had rather have the discord of the saints than such a concord of the wicked. (Richard Baxter)

Covetousness

He is not a covetous man, who lays up something providentially; but he is a covetous man, who gives out nothing willingly. (William Secker)

A poor man doth want many things, a rich miser wants everything. (John Boys)

The miser deprives himself of this world and God will deprive him of the next. (Thomas Adams)

They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it. (John Trapp)

Covetousness is called idolatry, which is worse than infidelity, (Colossians 3:5); for it is less rebellion not to honor the king, than to set up another king against him. (Henry Smith)

Antichrist is mammon's son. (John Milton)

Christianity teacheth me that what I charitably give alive, I carry with me dead; and experience teacheth me that what I leave behind, I lose. I will carry that treasure with me by giving it, which the worldling loseth by keeping it; so, while his corpse shall carry nothing but a winding cloth to his grave, I shall be richer under the earth than I was above it. ( Joseph Hall)

The Pattern for Servanthood

Matthew 20:25-28

In the world's thinking, great men are the ones with authority, prominence, and power. Though Jesus Christ had all that, He gave it up to become a servant (Isa. 42:1).

Jesus gave Himself completely to fulfill the Father's plan of redemption, even though the beneficiaries—namely, each of us—were undeserving. God is holy and righteous, and He cannot be in the presence of sin. Therefore, He must separate Himself from those who are stained by wrongdoing. That includes all of humanity (Rom. 3:23).

Everybody is born captive to the desires of the flesh (Rom. 6:16-18). When someone claims to be living on his "own terms," he is actually serving whatever his human nature craves. The penalty for that false sense of liberty is death (Rom. 6:23).

Jesus' ultimate act of service was to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). The word describes the price paid to set a slave free—Christ voluntarily purchased our liberation. There was only one way our holy God could remove our guilt yet remain true to His own law: Someone sinless had to pay our sin debt for us.

Jesus' sacrifice spared us the penalty we deserve. Instead, we receive the gift of grace and have been declared no longer guilty. Moreover, we are elevated from slaves to sons and daughters of the Almighty!

Jesus served the Father's purpose faithfully. He gave up His righteousness to carry the weight of all our wickedness—and endured a crushing separation from His Father. To meet our needs, the Savior held nothing of Himself back, and thereby set a powerful example of servanthood for us follow.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley!