"According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5)
I have always felt that when we read and study the Word of God we should have great expectations. We should ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Person, the glory and the eternal ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps our problem is in our approach. Perhaps we have simply read our Bibles as we might read a piece of literature or a textbook.
In today's society, great numbers of people seem unable to deal with God's revelation in Christ. They run and hide, just as Adam and Eve did. Today, however, they do not hide behind trees but behind such things as philosophy and reason and even theology - believe it or not! This attitude is hard to understand.
In Jesus' death for our sins, God is offering far more than escape from a much-deserved hell. God is promising us an amazing future, an eternal future. I often wonder if we are making it plain enough to our generation that there will be no other revelation from God except as he speaks it through our Lord Jesus Christ.
A real Christian is an odd number. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen ... dies so he can have life ... sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge.
~A. W. Tozer~
Saturday, January 4, 2014
An Old Message
"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all have witnesses" (Acts 2:32)
In our world are dozens of different kinds of Christianities. Certainly many of them do not seem to be busy and joyful in proclaiming the unique glories of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. Some brands of Christianity will tell you very quickly that they are just trying to do a little bit of good on behalf of neglected people and neglected causes. Others will affirm that we can do more good by joining in the "contemporary dialogue" than by continuing to proclaim the "old, old story of the Cross."
But we stand with the early Christian apostles. We believe that every Christian proclamation should be to the glory and the praise of the One whom God raised up after He had loosed the pains of death. Peter considered it important to affirm that the risen Christ is now exalted at the right hand of God. He said that fact was the reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know him ... ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:22-24)
~A. W. Tozer~
In our world are dozens of different kinds of Christianities. Certainly many of them do not seem to be busy and joyful in proclaiming the unique glories of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. Some brands of Christianity will tell you very quickly that they are just trying to do a little bit of good on behalf of neglected people and neglected causes. Others will affirm that we can do more good by joining in the "contemporary dialogue" than by continuing to proclaim the "old, old story of the Cross."
But we stand with the early Christian apostles. We believe that every Christian proclamation should be to the glory and the praise of the One whom God raised up after He had loosed the pains of death. Peter considered it important to affirm that the risen Christ is now exalted at the right hand of God. He said that fact was the reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know him ... ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:22-24)
~A. W. Tozer~
Peace with God
One day I posed a question to the waitress at my table: “If you could ask God for anything, what would your request be?” Her answer was immediate. “I want to feel at peace.” She tearfully explained that her grandmother had died and emotional turmoil resulted.
Many in our world are like this young woman, in that they desire inner calmness but have no relationship with the Lord. People often seek contentment by trying to improve their appearance, physical fitness, financial situation, or social status—or by abusing substances. But such things can’t bring tranquility of heart or mind. Only a relationship with Jesus leads to true peace.
Prior to salvation, we were slaves to sin and living in opposition to God (Col.1:21). Our transgressions had formed a barrier of hostility between Him and us, which we were helpless to cross on our own. Without God’s intervention, we could not have found the way of peace. But our heavenly Father provided the perfect solution to our sin problem. He sent His Son to pay for our iniquities and remove the separation that existed between us and Him.
When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were reconciled to the Lord (Rom.5:10) and no longer at odds with Him. In Christ, we have peace with the Father.
Our triune God has provided everything we need for inner tranquility. The Father opened the way for us to be in His family. Jesus continually offers His peace so we can experience serenity of mind and heart (John 14:27). And the Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of peace in our lives (Gal. 5:22).
~Charles Stanley~
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Who Do You Say That I Am?
And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." - Luke 9:18-20
"But who do you say that I am?" As many people began to discuss and debate who Jesus really was, Jesus asked His disciples this question. Did the people closest to Jesus even know or believe in Him? Peter's answer was correct. Jesus was, and is, the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to earth to redeem us from sin and save us from eternal darkness. But even though Peter confesses rather boldly in this statement who he believes Jesus to be, not too long after this, Peter would also deny Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62). In Jesus' greatest time of need, His closest friends deserted Him. So it is not just in words that we need to know and confess who Jesus is, but also our actions testify of our belief in Him. Do your actions line up with your words?
Today, take time and pray for situations that you may encounter with others who have questions about your faith. Pray for strength and courage to speak up and stand up for Jesus. Pray that you can be His witness. Only the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of Jesus Christ to our hearts. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to those you love and to use you as a testimony as to His saving grace and mercy. Pray that your words and actions will line up with His Spirit.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Go To The Book
"My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee" (Psalm 63:5-6)
What are we allowing the Word of God to say to us, and what is our reaction to that Word? Have we consumed and digested the Book? Have we absorbed the Word of God into our lives?
When we, as Christians, love our Lord Jesus Christ with heart and soul and mind, the Word of God is on our side! If we could only grasp the fact that God's Word is more than a book! It is the revelation of divine truth from the person of God Himself. It has come as a divine communication in the sacred Scriptures. It has come to us in the guidance and conviction imparted by the divine Spirit of God within our beings. It has been modeled for us in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word and the eternal Son.
God is not silent, and His love for His creation is such that He has never been silent.
Every problem that touches us is answered in the Book - stay by the Word! God is in this Book, the Holy Spirit is in this Book, and if you want to find Him, go into this Book - the entire Book!
~A. W. Tozer~
What are we allowing the Word of God to say to us, and what is our reaction to that Word? Have we consumed and digested the Book? Have we absorbed the Word of God into our lives?
When we, as Christians, love our Lord Jesus Christ with heart and soul and mind, the Word of God is on our side! If we could only grasp the fact that God's Word is more than a book! It is the revelation of divine truth from the person of God Himself. It has come as a divine communication in the sacred Scriptures. It has come to us in the guidance and conviction imparted by the divine Spirit of God within our beings. It has been modeled for us in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word and the eternal Son.
God is not silent, and His love for His creation is such that He has never been silent.
Every problem that touches us is answered in the Book - stay by the Word! God is in this Book, the Holy Spirit is in this Book, and if you want to find Him, go into this Book - the entire Book!
~A. W. Tozer~
The Ability to Wait
"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12)
When Jesus was on earth 2,000 years ago, He told His hearers that the "day of the Lord" was coming. He said no one except the Father in heaven knew the day or the hour.
It is our understanding that God's patience and His time of grace will endure until the world's cup of iniquity overflows. According to the Scriptures, patience - the ability to wait - is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The human, natural part of us does not like to wait for anything. But the great God Almighty, who has all of eternity to accomplish His purposes, can afford to wait. In our creature impatience we are prone to cry out, "O God, how long? How long?"
And God replies, in effect, "Why are you in such a hurry? We have an eternity stretching before us."
It is not enough merely to know that Christ is coming, and to desire it. It is a great crisis in the life of a soul when it becomes truly centered there. The attraction of the soul is removed from earth to the heavens and learns to live under the power of the world to come.
~A. W. Tozer~
When Jesus was on earth 2,000 years ago, He told His hearers that the "day of the Lord" was coming. He said no one except the Father in heaven knew the day or the hour.
It is our understanding that God's patience and His time of grace will endure until the world's cup of iniquity overflows. According to the Scriptures, patience - the ability to wait - is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The human, natural part of us does not like to wait for anything. But the great God Almighty, who has all of eternity to accomplish His purposes, can afford to wait. In our creature impatience we are prone to cry out, "O God, how long? How long?"
And God replies, in effect, "Why are you in such a hurry? We have an eternity stretching before us."
It is not enough merely to know that Christ is coming, and to desire it. It is a great crisis in the life of a soul when it becomes truly centered there. The attraction of the soul is removed from earth to the heavens and learns to live under the power of the world to come.
~A. W. Tozer~
The Gap
All of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like Him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 ISV)
I believe that if we are living in the radiance of Divine Life, there will be something of it betrayed by our faces. At any rate, the world will know something if we are really living in touch with the Lord, and there will be a language which only the spiritual can enjoy and understand. There will be those spiritual counterparts of the seed of Abraham, a people different from all the rest. Now the tragedy of what is called "the Church" has so often been, and perhaps is more today than ever, that that distinctiveness is being lost. It seems today as if a set is being made in some way to remove all the offence and all the difference, and to get us near to people without anything that clashes, in the hope of winning them. Yes, that is what is going on in the religious world around; it is a conforming to this age. But what came in at Pentecost is fundamentally this, that this people of the Spirit are so utterly different in the very center of their be ing, different altogether from all other peoples, and their power and influence lie in that fact. You cannot fit them in with other things, and it is not because they are awkward and difficult and deliberately irritate people, but there is that which by reason of their spiritual constitution marks them off; and if they did but know it, this is the secret of their influence in the world.
The progress and increase of spiritual Life means this, that the gap widens all the time between the children of God and those in the world who are not such. That is not to be taken literally in this sense, that we begin a mistaken system of hiving off, shutting ourselves up, getting out of touch. That is a wrong application of the principle. The Lord Jesus is preeminently our example in that He could move in any circle, and He did so deliberately, publicans and sinners, all classes, He moved amongst them, but His power over them was in His basic difference from them. Let us be careful how we are caught in this great movement of conforming to this age. To conform is to lose spiritual power.
By T. Austin-Sparks
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