The Judge

Acts 10:42-48

 

During our life on earth, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. However, as our days here draw to a close, and especially at the end of time, He takes His seat as Judge and prepares to reward believers for the good things they did in His name.

 

I think there is a widespread misconception that God the Father will be our judge. But it is Christ who gave us, His followers, the charge to go into the world and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Therefore, He has been given the right to determine which of our actions and thoughts furthered His goal (John 5:22).

 

Christ is an impartial judge. He is not influenced by what others think or say, but rather, He determines what is right and good based on His honorable, just standard. We'll be stripped of our worthless works--in other words, the actions and words we used for selfish ambition or vain conceit. All that will remain are the worthwhile things we thought, said, and did to honor God. These are the valuable parts of our lives for which we will be rewarded.

 

Reward is the whole point of placing believers before the judgment seat of Christ. Shame and guilt over past sin and mistaken motivation have no place there (Rom. 8:1). Our loving Savior is eager to show us our heavenly treasure.

 

Christ will expose the real you at the judgment seat by casting away the worthless things you've done. What remains will be the man or woman who endeavored to please the Lord. Let us determine to be powerful reflections of our Savior, both on earth and in heaven.

~Charles Stanley~

Humility - Evidence of Godliness

"No unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake" (Psalm 115:1)

Someone wrote to the godly Macarius of Optino that his spiritual counsel had been helpful. "This cannot be," Macarius wrote in reply. "Only the mistakes are mine. All good advice is the advice of the Spirit of God, His advice that I happened to have heard rightly and to have passed on without distorting it."

There is an excellent lesson here that we must not allow to go unregarded. It is the sweet humility of the man of God. "Only the mistakes are mine." He was fully convinced that his own efforts could result only in mistakes, and that any good that came of his advice must be the work of the Holy Spirit operating within him.

Apparently this was more than a sudden impulse of self-depreciation, which the proudest of men may at times feel - it was rather a settled conviction with him, a conviction that gave direction to his entire life.

The spirit of humility is conclusive evidence of vital godliness. It enters into the essence of religion. Here the new nature eminently discovers itself. The humble spirit is that childlike, Christlike temper, which is exclusively the effect of the almighty power of God upon the heart.

~A. W. Tozer~

Only One Source of Power

"Every man's work shall be made manifest ... and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (1 Corinthians 3:13)

The only power God recognizes in His Church is the power of His Spirit whereas the only power actually recognized today by the majority of evangelicals is the power of man. God does His work by the operation of the Holy Spirit, while Christian leaders and believers, attempt to do theirs by the power of trained and devoted intellect. Bright personality has taken the place of the divine afflatus.

Everything that men to in their own strength and by means of their own abilities is done for time alone; the quality of eternity is not in it. Only what is done through the Eternal Spirit will abide eternally; all else is wood, hay, stubble.

It is a solemn thought that some of us who fancy ourselves to be important evangelical leaders and believers, may find at last we have been but busy harvesters of stubble!

Jesus has left us the same power which He possessed. He has bequeathed to the Church the very Holy Spirit that lived and worked in Him. Let us accept this mighty gift. Let us believe in Him and His all-sufficiency. Let us receive Him and give Him room.

~A. W. Tozer~

Faithful In Prayer

Be faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Faithful followers of Jesus are faithful in prayer. To pray is to love and need Jesus. To not pray is to express a shallow sentiment toward Jesus and not really depend on Him. To pray is to get quiet before God, out of silence the noise of life is managed. To not pray is to be too busy to hear God, so the noise manages an exhausted life. To pray is to wait and ask for the Lord’s blessing. To not pray is to rush ahead and ask Him to bless after the fact. To pray is to keep short sin accounts by confession and repentance. To not pray invites sin to increase its control over a life.

Furthermore, there is a devotion to Christ that calls His disciples to be prayer devotees. When we are devoted to prayer, we are enthusiastic in looking for opportunities to pray for those God daily sends our way. Like a police officer tracks the speed of a car with a radar gun, so a prayer agent has his spiritual antenna up to detect hurting hearts, discouraged dispositions and scared souls. The Holy Spirit opens doors for our faithful prayers to be applied. Yes, we watch and pray!

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

So, how are we to pray? The Scriptures are not overly prescriptive, but there are inspiring and practical examples to follow: Hannah, while anguished of heart, poured out her heart to God in prayer. Jesus rose early to pray at a secluded place. In the morning David praised and meditated on God’s word. When we pray at the beginning of the day we refocus on what’s really important. The Holy Spirit clarifies His agenda for our daily activities as we pause to listen to His heart.

Furthermore, you may pray spontaneously throughout the day for needy souls, or pray practical petitions from Scripture. The Bible has engaging prayers that bless the heart. Prayers for: Salvation-Romans 10:1, John17:20; Spiritual maturity-Ephesians 3:14-19; God’s will-Luke 22:42; Unity-John 17: 11; God’s glory-John 17:1-4; Protection from evil-John17:15; Growth in truth-John 17:16-19; God focus-Matthew 6:5-13; Praise and thanksgiving-1 Chronicles 29:10-13. Remain faithful in prayer and the Spirit will lead you where you need to go. Your prayers matter!

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 1 Samuel 1:10

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to pray in a way that honors you, changes me and blesses others. 

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

If Christ, Then Us

"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good  .... for God was with him" (Acts 10:38)

According to the Scriptures everything God did in creation and redemption He did by His Spirit. The spirit was found brooding over the world at the moment God called it into being. His presence was necessary.

The life-giving work of the Spirit is seen throughout the entire Bible; and it is precisely because He is the Lord and giver of life that the mystery of the Incarnation could occur. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall over-shadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

It is highly significant that our Lord, though He was very God of very God, did not work until He had been anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). The Son did His work of love as a Spirit-anointed Man; His power derived from the Spirit of power.

How little some Christians accomplish for God! Get filled with the Spirit, and you will neither be idle or unfruitful!

~A. W. Tozer~

The Holy Spirit is Indispensable

"Repent, and be baptized every one ... and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

The continued neglect of the Holy Spirit by evangelical Christians is too evident to deny and impossible to justify.

Evangelical Christianity is Trinitarian: "Praise Father, Son and the Holy Ghost" is sung in almost every church every Sunday of the year; and whether the singer realizes it or not he is acknowledging that the Holy Spirit is God indeed with equal claim to be worshiped along with the Father and the Son. Yet after this claim is sung at or near the  beginning of the service little or nothing is heard of the Spirit again until the benediction.

There can be no doubt that there is a huge disparity between the place given to the Spirit in the Holy Scriptures and the place He occupies in popular evangelical Christianity. In the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is necessary.

David Brainerd once compared a man without the power of the Spirit (the anointing - or baptism) trying to do spiritual work to a workman without fingers attempting to do manual labor: the figure is striking but it does not overstate the facts. The Holy Spirit is not a luxury. The Spirit is an imperative necessity. Only the Eternal Spirit can do eternal deeds.

~A. W. Tozer~

A Slow Day

He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29

Have you ever had one of those days where you started out groggy, as if in slow motion? I woke up tired this morning. As I sat in my chair and began to read my online Bible, I was even more tired. Coffee did not help. I felt like I was swimming against the current. My insides were trying but my reflexes were not responding. I was having a hard time comprehending and focusing on what I was reading. Even my prayers were challenging, as my mind kept wandering. The day seemed to flow with the same kind of beat. Traffic seemed extra slow and congested. Red lights were longer than normal. And my computer…the little hour glass icon next to the cursor became a great nuisance as I tried to double click through files and pages. My irritation and frustration grew at top speed while everything else around me crawled at a snail’s pace. As my day is fast coming to a close, I am still tired and still in slow motion. What does the Lord want me to learn from this kind of day?

Several verses in the Bible include the word “slow,” but are often followed by the words “to anger.”  Why? Because we tend to get angry very quickly. Also, when we act on impulse, we usually act foolishly. The more anxious we get at times, the more likely we are to behave rashly. The end result is not good, not to mention who gets hurt in the middle. We must learn the self-control to be “slow to wrath” and slow to anger. We must learn to recognize the triggers in our environment and circumstances that tempt us to lose control and react in the heat of the moment. For me and my day, the Lord reminded me of these lessons.

Since I woke up in slow motion, He meant for me to go with His flow, not mine. Today, God wanted me to slow down, sit longer at lights, and even wait on my computer to respond. Instead of impulsively getting upset, He wanted me to think about Him during those moments, talk to Him and let Him talk back. Instead of talking to the Lord, I was wondering just when that red light was going to turn green.

Today, and any day, when you are sitting in traffic, at a long light or waiting for service somewhere, stop and talk to the Lord. God has set your day in motion for His purposes. It is okay to go slow, especially when circumstances pull at our emotions. If you go with His flow and follow His tempo, you will end your day with peace and joy, instead of regrets and fatigue.

~Daily Disciples Devotional~