November_30

SHARING BREAD

⁹ I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:9 (NIV)

We learn in our verse for today that our Lord Jesus does things for His believing people which He does not do for the unbelieving – He aids their souls through special intercession.  We will discover later that He prays for both the protection and the sanctification of the believer.  Indeed, Hebrews tells us our great High Priest lives to intercede for us:

²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.    Heb 7:24-25 (NIV)

This special intercession of our Savior is one grand secret of the believer’s safety – we are daily under the watchful eye of the One who never slumbers nor sleeps and never ceases to pray.  The true servant of Jesus should lean on and take comfort in this Truth set before us as it is a treasure for Christ’s followers and ought to be well known among the saints.  The psalmist proclaims:

³ He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  Psalms 121:3-4 (NIV)

The unbelieving world neither needs to be preserved in its rebellion nor sanctified in its unbelieving state.  The doctrine set before us is one that is especially hated by the world as it stirs up a bitter offence.  The idea that God would make any distinction between men is objectionable to them in the highest degree.  Yet the world’s objections to this doctrine are unreasonable and weak.   With but little reflection one can discover the special intercession Christ has for His saints to be found reasonable.  Surely a God that would consider the righteous and the unrighteous, the holy and the unholy, the good and the evil no different would be a strange God indeed!  The special intercession by Jesus for the benefit of believers is both agreeable to reason and common sense.  It is true – on the one hand – we must guard this Scriptural Truth carefully so as not to narrow the love of Christ towards sinners yet, on the other hand, we must neither make it too broad.  It is abundantly true Jesus loves sinners but it is also true that He has a special affection for the faithful whom He both sanctifies and glorifies.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”   John 3:16-21 (NIV)

“I will give place to no one in maintaining that Jesus loves all mankind, came into the world for all, died for all, provided redemption sufficient for all, calls on all, invites all, commands all to repent and believe; and ought to be offered to all  – freely, fully, unreservedly, directly, unconditionally – without money and without price.  If I did not hold this, I dare not get into a pulpit, and I should not understand how to preach the Gospel.  But while I hold this, I maintain firmly that Jesus does special work for those who believe, which He does not do for others.  He quickens them by His Spirit, calls them by His grace, washes them in His blood – justifies them, sanctifies them, keeps them, leads them, and continually intercedes for them – that they may not fall.  If I did not believe all this, I should be a very miserable, unhappy Christian.”    John Charles Ryle

God’s mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension. He will never reject anyone who turns to Him for mercy. Nor will He force Himself on anyone who chooses to live without Him.
Michael Youssef

Lastly, Jesus again states His disciples were given to Him by the Father to teach them and feed them and save them.  He alone would be able to keep them standing even after His departure from the earth.  They would be able to stand because there was (and is) One in heaven actively and effectually interceding for them causing them to stand just as He has continued (and continues) to do for every believer thereafter.  Paul tells us in Romans:

⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?  To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.    Romans 14:4 (NIV)

 

“With God, the honeymoon never ends.”   John Piper

What I glean from this:

 

• Scripture tells me Jesus does special things for His followers that He does not do for the unbelieving world.
• Jesus lives to intercede for me – praise Him!
• God loves the world and desires for all to come to Him through His Son. 

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November_28

SHARING BREAD

⁶ “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

John 17:6-8 (NIV)

We are privileged indeed to read the Words of intercession spoken by One Person of the blessed Trinity to Another.  We must surely be prepared to discover things in this prayer our finite minds cannot fully comprehend or understand – expressions likely no one has ever completely unfolded.   Yet, there are great Truths which do stand out clearly and plainly and for which would behoove us to direct our full attention.  In our verses for today we discover and should embrace the glorious Truth that Jesus, God the Son, came on mission to reveal God the Father to man.  A right knowledge of God the Father was the first thing Jesus sought to teach His disciples.  Every revelation we are given demands of us a choice.  Jesus’ guys were given revelation and Words sent directly from the Father to them and furthermore, Jesus states, they obeyed.    

²³ Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”   John 14:23-24 (NIV)

  

“Every revelation of God is a demand, and the way to knowledge of God is by obedience.” William Temple

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.   John 1:18 (NIV)

 

Certainly they were not perfect (which gives us all hope) yet their Master lovingly here commends their faith.  How like sweet Jesus to be the loving encourager!  They had received our Lord’s Words and believed with certainty He was sent from the Father – assured His mission was divine.  They had hearing ears as well as attentive hearts diligently seeking – though often failing – to obey His message.  Practical obedience is the first great test of a genuine disciple of the Lord Jesus.

“These are wonderful words when we consider the character of the eleven men to whom they were applied.  How weak was their faith!  How slender their knowledge!  How shallow their spiritual attainments!  How faint their hearts in the hour of danger!  Yet a very little time after Jesus spoke these words they all forsook Him and fled, and one of them denied Him three times with an oath.  No one, in short, can read the four Gospels with attention, and fail to see that never had a great master such weak servants as Jesus had in the eleven apostles.  Yet these very weak servants were the men of whom the gracious Head of the Church speaks here in high and honorable terms.”   John Charles Ryle 

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”    Luke 17:5-6 (NIV)

 

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”    Luke 13:18-19 (NIV)

 

Considering the immensely difficult position of the disciples and the great opposition they faced, it was no light matter that they believed at all.  Our Lord takes their mustard seed of faith and bends down here to fan it into flames.  Jesus never despises weak grace yet honors sincerity of faith and heart be it ever so small.  Surely believers will make a better appearance in heaven than on earth!

 

⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.   2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)

 

“The grace of God does not find men fit for salvation, but makes them so.”   Augustine

What I glean from this:

 

• It is a great privilege for me to read the Words prayed by Jesus to His Father.
• Practical obedience is the first great test of a genuine disciple of Jesus.
• Jesus is the great Encourager!

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November_25

SHARING BREAD

⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

John 17:4-5 (NIV)

In our verses for today, Jesus teaches us by His Word and through His perfect example that our obedience in the completion of the works the Father has called us to do will ultimately bring God much glory.  Christ left no work undone for which He came to earth on mission to fulfill – always glorifying the Father by His perfect unvarying holiness.  Indeed, when Jesus approached John the Baptist to be baptized by him and the Baptist objected He gives this as a reason:

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.   Matt 3:15 (NIV)

He had kept the Law perfectly so that even the adversary could find no blemish in Him.  By so keeping the law, Jesus brought everlasting righteousness for all who would believe in Him.  Our Lord had at last completed His redemptive work which God had sent Him to accomplish – His death and resurrection being so near that for all intents and purposes He considered them as finished.  Christ accomplished what the first Adam and all his offspring thereafter failed miserably to do.  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians:

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.   2 Cor 5:21 (NIV)

God has prepared a path of good works for every follower of Christ which He will perform in and through the believer as they walk by faith in them.  Our obedience in this faith walk to complete His works ultimately brings God glory. God’s work done in God’s way by His saints who are willing and faithful to do His bidding will never lack His powerful supply.  He will not leave us as orphans to muster up our own strength, power and determination to do His will.  Neither has He left us here after our conversions to merely wallow in self indulgence and entertain ourselves to death.  We have a higher and grander purpose and calling and until we discover that, we will always be found wanting. When we willingly seek to bring God glory rather than striving for it ourselves, we will discover a deep satisfaction and peace.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”   John Piper

 Remember, too, it is only through His power that the eternal works He has prepared in advance for us to do are accomplished.  Paul writes in both Ephesians and Philippians:

¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Eph 2:10 (NIV)

 

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  Phil 2:12-13 (NIV)

 

Another word our Lord states in our passage for today which stands out and hits me between the eyes is “completing”.   The word itself is translated from the Greek word “Teleioo” meaning “complete, mature; to complete by reaching the intended goal, cause to be concluded, bring to a resolution; caused to be realized, finish a work or duty, bring to a state of complete fulfillment.”   Hebrew – Greek Key Word Study Bible – New Testament Lexical Aids.  It would seem we live in a day and age where goals and completion of them are not held in high esteem.  A cursory glance at most of our unfinished plans and projects attests to this not to mention the broken relationships we appear to not value enough to seek to mend.  We desire everything instantaneously – preferably without any sweat of our brow at all.  Yet Jesus sweat drops of blood….hmmm….that must mean we are called to a completion of higher and harder works as well. Yet it would appear when things get the least bit difficult we do not consider this.  We often abort and abandon rather than persevere and produce through His power.  We choose to leave undone a work in progress or to flee an unmended relationship when things get the least bit difficult.  These actions bring God no glory.  Scripture tells us as believers:

 

⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.   1 John 2:6 (NIV)

 

“Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others.”   Kathleen Norris

“Men think that glory lies in being exalted over others –Christ…stooped when He conquered.”   Charles Spurgeon

Lastly, we see from Jesus’ Words that His glory with the Father is from eternity – He came from glory and was returning to glory.  Christ undertook the work of redemption not because He needed glory but because we needed it.  He divested Himself of His glory in the flesh and resumed His glory in His exalted state bringing God much glory in the process. 

 

“Thus we must be taught that those, and only those who glorify God on earth shall be glorified with the Father, when they must be no more in this world.”   Matthew Henry

 

What I glean from this:

 

• My obedience to complete the works the Father has prepared for me to do through His power will bring God much glory.
• Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness – living the perfect life to be the sinless sacrifice for my sins.
• God desires for me to mature in Him – completion is important in all things. 

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November_23

SHARING BREAD

² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:2-3 (NIV)

I am reminded of our Lord’s parting words to His followers recorded in Matthew.  It was there Jesus stated He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth – the official right or power – and therefore instructed His disciples to “Go” based on that authority.  Christ’s right to rule is incontestable.  Over this vast and sinful race, the Lord Jesus has been entrusted with all authority and all judgments.  His disciples were simply to teach others what they had been taught by their Master –through the Holy Spirit’s power – evangelizing and enlisting others – all accomplished in and by His authority.  He commanded and empowered them to make disciples of all nations and thereby saving souls.  He bestowed the gift of eternal life on all who would believe on His Name:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   Matt 28:18-20 (NIV)

 

“The people of God are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will bring to pass.”   Philip Yancey

Interestingly, Daniel had clearly and rightly prophesized regarding the Lord Jesus’ authority as well:

¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”   Dan 7:13-14 (NIV)

We must remember that when we read of the Father giving power to the Son it is not as of the giving of a superior to an inferior rather it signifies the arrangements in the everlasting counsels of the Trinity.  The intentions and purposes of this authority were to lead many men to the saving of their souls that they may have eternal life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit.  Simply, Christ’s dominion over the children of men is intended to bring salvation to the children of God.  The knowledge of God and of His Christ will lead fallen man to life eternal – it is, Scripture states, the way to heaven.  John writes in Revelation:

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:  “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”    Rev 11:15 (NIV)

This knowledge is more than mere head knowledge alone – the demons believe and tremble.  No, this knowledge is one which dwells in the heart and influences the life.  To know something at the heart level will direct our eyes and our tongues and our hands and our goings.  We will act on what we truly know and believe.  A true saint knows God – His holiness, His purity, His hatred of sin – as well as he knows Christ – His redemption, His love of sinners and His mediator role between God and man.  To know God without Christ is to know a consuming fire and fill us with fear. To know Christ without God, we will not truly value what the Savior has done on our behalf and see little meaning in His cross or passion which, I might add is everything. 

“To know God without Christ is not to know Him savingly.”    Newton

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

 

Oftentimes our knowledge of God and His Christ are merely fabrications of our own deluded thinking.  We presume upon the great “I AM” our likes or dislikes, our wants or want not’s, our definitions of what is acceptable in our own minds for God to do or not to do or to be or not to be.  We can make an idol out of our misconception of Jehovah that has nothing to do with the God of Scripture and quite frankly, we get rather ill when He does not fall into our neat little way of thinking or our plans.  Shame on us!  I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans:

 

¹⁹ One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” ⁰ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” ²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? ²² What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction? ²³ What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory– ²⁴ even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” Romans 9:19-25 (NIV)

“Scripture permits us to broaden the definition of idolatry so that includes anything on which we set our affections and indulge as an excessive and sinful attachment.  Therefore, the idols that we can see are certainly not the whole problem.  Idolatry includes anything we worship:  the lust for pleasure, respect, love, power, control, or freedom from pain.  Futhermore, the problem is not outside of us….the problem is in us….the heart’s instinctive plotting in this idol construction is amazing.  We know we are called to imitate God.  This means we are to live for His glory, not our own.  We are to make Him famous, not ourselves….the purpose of all idolatry is to manipulate the idol for our own benefit…..but (we) need the power of God, the message of Christ crucified and risen.  Other therapies can offer sobriety, but only this good news is powerful enough to liberate the soul.”  Ed Welch, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus has been given all authority and He tells me to “Go” make disciples based on His authority.
• Eternal life is to know the God of the Bible and His Christ.
• I can make an idol out of my own feeble ideas of God rather than the Truth regarding Him in Scripture.  

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November_21

SHARING BREAD

¹ After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

John 17:1 (NIV)

None of our Lord’s prayers are recorded as fully and as richly as His great High Priestly prayer found in John chapter seventeen – it stands alone, there is none to compare with it.  It sets forth the wonderful pattern of intercession which Jesus as our High Priest is ever carrying on for us in heaven.  We have a prayer offered up by the Lord on an especially interesting occasion – just after the Lords Supper and His striking discourse and prior to His betrayal, crucifixion and the forsaking of His disciples – those He held most dear.  Interestingly, the Master prayed this after a sermon in which He had spoken from God to His disciples and now He turns His face heavenward – sanctifying this gesture – and speaks to God for His disciples – in their behalf.  Bodily gestures in prayer and worship of God given to us in Scripture are not to be overlooked as unmeaning and trite.  

In our verse for today, Jesus presents us a wonderful example of praying for those for whom we are privileged to minister to.  We must continually remember that while we may sow or water or even reap, it is always God that causes the growth therefore, to that end, our prayers must prevail.  It is God Who produces results:

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.   1 Cor 3:5-7 (NIV)

 

“My best security is within the munitions of an immutable Jehovah, where His unalterable promises stand like giant walls of rock.”   C. H. Spurgeon

 

Jesus here also fleshes out what He had taught His guys in Mathew regarding prayer – He begins with “Father”.  A term of endearment; a term of closeness; a term that relates to liberty of access as well as of great expectations.  It behooves us to call God as we hope to find Him – Righteous, Holy, Father.  Our Lord teaches us in Matthew:

 

⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”    Matt 6:6-9 (NIV)

 

Jesus also tells us here that His appointed time had arrived – the fullness of time had come.  The time for His sacrificial death was upon Him – the final accomplishment of His atonement for all mankind.  The time promised by God and expected by saints since Adam’s fall had at long length arrived.  The seed of the woman was about to bruise the serpent’s head by dying as man’s substitute and redeemer.  The hour had arrived and the Sacrifice was ready.  Interestingly, just as the time was appointed for our Lord to be born and for our Lord to die, there is a time appointed for His return as well – clearly, man purposes and God disposes – Hallelujah and glory to Him!  Luke writes in Acts:

 

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”   Acts 1:7-11 (NIV)

 

John giving further insight in Revelation:

 

⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.   Rev 1:7 (NIV)

 Lastly, we see the redeeming work of Christ – His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven – brought both the Father and the Son much glory. Jesus would again be taken up to His rightful place in glory and the Father, through our Lord’s actions, would be glorified as His justice, holiness, mercy and faithfulness would be magnified.

 

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Phil 2:5-11 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• I am to pray for those in my sphere that I have the privilege of ministering to.
• God produces the results.
• I can call God “Abba Father” – “Daddy”.

 

 

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November_18

SHARING BREAD

³¹ “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. ³² “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:31-33 (NIV)

Certainly our Lord’s Words to His disciples must have stung bitterly.  They could not have imagined forsaking their Master.  Over-confidence in our actions and abilities can be our downfall can it not?  Preoccupied, distracted, lacking a fixed focus or a made up mindset, selfish indulgences, vain conceits and fears all have a way of catching us off guard as well.  Before we know it we, like the disciples, find ourselves doing something we could never have possibly imagined doing.  They were super sure of their stick-to-itiveness – seemingly clueless that they could forsake or flee from the One they so dearly loved. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians:

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.   1 Cor 10:11-13 (NIV)

Even the best followers of our Lord know little of their own hearts – loudly professing loyalty yet scattering for cover and running like roaches when the lights come on as soon as fear strikes.  They simply did not know themselves – they remained unaware of the shallowness of their convictions, the weakness of their flesh and depth of depravity buried within their hearts.  Scripture tells us:

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?   Jer 17:9 (NIV)

“They had not rightly estimated the weakness of the flesh, the power of the devil, the feebleness of their own resolutions, the shallowness of their own faith.  All this they had yet to learn by painful experience.  Like young recruits, they had yet to learn that it is one thing to know the soldiers drill and wear the uniform, and quite another thing to be steadfast in the day of battle.”  John Charles Ryle

We would do well to mark this in our memories – humility and self-distrust are paramount in our spiritual strength.  We are all capable of a fall.  Remember also, we can do nothing of eternal value apart from Christ.  It is only when we are weak in our estimation of self and abilities that we are strong in His perfect all-achieving power.  Paul tells us:

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   2 Cor 12:9-10 (NIV)

 

“In the Kingdom, there are no great men of God, just humble men whom God has chosen to use greatly.  How do we know when we are humble?  When God speaks, we tremble.  God is looking for a man who trembles at His word.  Such a man will find the Spirit of God resting upon him; he will become a dwelling place for the Almighty.  God asks for nothing but ourselves.”   Francis Frangipane  

 

Lastly, our Lord warns us not to expect to be carried to heaven on a bed of down.  Life is hard – does that surprise anyone?  We can expect trouble and hardship – it is a given.  In fact the word itself which Jesus uses for “trouble” is translated from the Greek word “Thlipsis” meaning “to crush, press, compress, squeeze; tribulation, trouble, affliction; conveys the picture of something being crushed or squeezed as from a great weight; used to denote grievous physical affliction or mental and spiritual distress.”  Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible – New Testament Lexical Aids.  Yet, He unwaveringly tells us in our verses for today that in Him we can have His perfect peace amid the turmoil, trials and testing’s of this life.  He is our only sure and continuous fountain of true and lasting comfort.  Paul tells us in Ephesians:

 

¹⁴ “For he himself is our peace”    Eph 2:14 (NIV)

 

Jesus also tells us earlier in John:

 

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.   John 14:27 (NIV)

 

As the believer lives in close communion with the Lord – with a steadfast mind and focus on the Prince of Peace and His achieving power we are able, like the eagle, to soar above the storm clouds – looking down upon that which could “ruffle our feathers” if we chose to remain and wallow in it. This does not mean that we will not feel the pain or the loss or the hurt rather that our pain is seen in a much larger and greater picture and has purpose.  Whatever He allows can ultimately be used for our good and His glory.

 

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.   Romans 8:28 (NIV)

     

What I glean from this:

 

• Over-confidence in my abilities and actions can set me up for a fall and would appear more like pride than confidence.
• I do not know the depth of depravity in my own heart – I must remain on guard for signs of sin in my life and repent (turn and flee) quickly.  I must keep my accounts short with the Lord.
• Jesus is my peace.  He enables me to stand firm and steadfast in the day of battle.

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November_16

SHARING BREAD

²⁹ Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰ Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

John 16:29-30 (NIV)

In our verses for today, the disciples have had their eyes opened a bit more in regard to the pure depth and knowledge of the Savior.  He had spoken to them clearly – without riddles and figures of speech – in words they could comprehend and digest.   He delved into the recesses of their minds – to the itch of their unspoken questions and gave them a soul satisfying scratch.  He not only answered what was asked of Him but also addressed their thoughts as well.  Our Lord not only has infinite knowledge but He also possesses the ability to use it wisely. He reveals His paths so that man may know them yet it is humanly impossible to ever exhaust them.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!   Romans 11:33 (NIV)

 

² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.   Col 2:2-4 (NIV)

 

Our complete understanding results from our complete yielding – there is no full knowledge apart from a moral commitment.  This insight into God’s ways enables believers to know Christ more fully which leads them to love Him more dearly which leads them to follow Him more nearly – day by day. 

 

“Christ knows…the…affections of His disciples for Him; that if He has their love, their desires will be chiefly after Him.  Their delights will be chiefly in Him; their hopes and expectation will be chiefly from Him; their hatred, fear, grief, anger, will be carried forth chiefly as sin as it is offensive unto Him.”    Thomas Vincent

“Every miracle always begins with the first ordinary step of faithfulness.”   Ann Voskamp

Jesus came to reveal God to man.  No one has ever seen God’s essential nature – His inner essence disclosed only in our Lord Jesus – the One and Only.  John tells us earlier in his gospel:

 

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.   John 1:18 (NIV)

 

The writer of Hebrews reveals that Jesus is not only the Creator and Heir of all things but He is also a perfect reflection of the God Who has spoken in Him:

 

² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.   Heb 1:2-3 (NIV)

We would do well to remember that Jesus knows the thoughts of men – nothing remains hidden from His sight.  We possess no question, no confusion, no agenda, no lust, no prideful selfish ambition that He is not privy to.  He is never taken by surprise by any of our thoughts or questions or poor choices or actions.  It does not amaze me so much that He knows the depravity of my heart but that He continues to love me just the same.  I can to come to Him morning after morning and He cleanses me white making me like snow.  He washes me from the dirt of my wrong thinking and my wrong doing.  Praise Him!  It is His love that propels me towards obedience of His perfect ways which, by the way, are always for my very best.  Being fully aware of what is in man He is able to address even the unasked questions.  Scripture tells us:

²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵ He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.   John 2:24-25 (NIV)

 

¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.   Heb 4:13 (NIV)

 

“Do not wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency; but rise to meet the actual conditions which the providence of God has placed around you today.  Your crown of glory lies embedded in the very heart of these things – those hardships and trials that are pressing you this very hour, week, and month of your life.  The hardest things are not those that the world knows of.   Down in your secret soul unseen and unknown by any but Jesus, there is a little trial that you would not dare to mention, that is harder for you to bear than martyrdom.  There, beloved, lies your crown.  God help you to overcome, and sometime wear it.”   Streams in the Desert – selected.

 

What I glean from this:

 

• Jesus knows how to clearly answer my heart and soul questions.
• Jesus is familiar with all my thoughts and ways.
• Even with His full knowledge of me, Jesus loves me.  Amazing love!

 

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November_14

SHARING BREAD

²⁸ “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

John 16:28 (NIV)

His divine earthly mission nearing a completion, our Lord now clearly summarizes to His disciples His redemptive work in a mere sentence.  He had come from His Father – His Incarnation; He had entered the world – His Humiliation; and now He was preparing to go back to His Father – His Ascension.  He left His Father’s side lovingly condescending to enter into mankind’s world.  This was where His business lay and this was where He came to attend to it.  He left His glorious abode for this strange country – His expansive palace for this paltry dwelling – His glorified body for a mere jar of clay.  Indeed, the prophet Isaiah gives us deeper insight into our Lord’s earthly appearance:

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.    Isaiah 53:2-3 (NIV)

Earlier in John we are given further clarity regarding our Lord’s mission on earth as well as His focus and firm resolve to the adherence of it.  Our Lord knew fully His Sovereign Authority, His origin as well as His coming destiny therefore He acquiesced to voluntarily take the place of a lowly servant in order to demonstrate to His guys what their behavior should emulate.  If He, being God, took the place of a servant, how much more should His followers do likewise?  As children of the King we have confidence to stoop we have strength to serve.  John states:

³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.   John 13:3-5 (NIV)

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”   John 13:12-17 (NIV)

 

“Christ became what we are that He might make us what He is.”   Athanasius of Alexandria

 

Our Lord was heading back to His Father yet His work would continue on in heaven.  Though physically away from His church, He would remain spiritually present and remain so until the end.  He would be our great High Priest – our Intercessor – sitting at the right hand of God – living to intercede for us.  The writer of Hebrews tells us:

 

²³ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. ²⁶ Such a high priest meets our need–one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.    Heb 7:23-27 (NIV)

 

Not only that, He has not left us as orphans but has given believers the deposit of the precious Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come.  The “deposit” of the Spirit is in essence a little bit of heaven in the believer’s life with a guarantee of much more yet to come.  We are told by Paul in Ephesians:

 

¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.    Eph 1:13-14 (NIV)

 

“The Holy Spirit is not a blessing from God, He is God.”   Colin Urquhart 

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus came from the Father and He returned to the Father and He will come again.  Revelation tells us:  ⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him,
  even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.   Rev 1:7 (NIV)
• Jesus left glory for me.  Jesus suffered and died for me.  Jesus ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for me.
• God the Spirit has been given to me as a deposit of heaven – may I not shrink His presence in my life by my poor choices rather may I see with His eyes, feel what He feels, speak His Words, hear His voice and consistently follow His lead.  In doing so, heaven on earth becomes a reality.  

 

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November_11

SHARING BREAD

²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

John 16:26-27 (NIV)

Jesus here tells His disciples when He returns to the Father – “In that day” – their love and faith relationship with God would be restored.  Access and intimacy with the great “I AM” would then be the privilege of the saint because of their love and belief in the Lord Jesus.  Furthermore, they would have His holy ear.  The Father would willingly hear their petitions in Jesus’ Name – this being not a magical chant rather prayer offered according to His will and His Word.  Christ would no longer have to ask on their behalf – though He continues to intercede for the saints both day and night – grace bestowed upon grace.  The writer of Hebrews tells us:

²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.   Heb 7:25 (NIV)

Jesus had already spoken to His guys earlier in John regarding the restoration of their love relationship with the Father.  This would come to them because of their love for Christ and their belief in Him:

²¹ “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”   John 14:21 (NIV)

 

²³ Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”   John 14:23 (NIV)

No longer would the disciples have to live in fear of the One whom they had once forfeited – they had now found favor restored with the Father.  They were graciously and abundantly loved.  There was no need to doubt that God would certainly do for them what they asked in Jesus’ Name.  Because the disciples loved Christ and believed in His divine mission they stood restored and cleansed and as a child of the King.  They could now approach the unapproachable “I AM” as their Abba Father, their Daddy.  What encouragement this gave them in prayer as perfect love always drives out fear:

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.   1 John 4:15-18 (NIV)

 

“We came into this world wretched, miserable, and undone creatures, in cruel bondage to sin and Satan, under guilt and under wrath, hostile toward God—the fountain of blessedness—and in a state of condemnation leading to everlasting destruction. But when a man is converted, he is brought out of that state of woe and misery into a sure title to glory, honor, and peace forever. When once a man is converted, all this blessedness that we have heard of is his; he has an absolute right to it. God’s work is accomplished for it; His faithful promise is given.”  Jonathan Edwards

We can rejoice in the fact that what was true for the original disciples of our Lord Jesus is true for the modern day believer and lover of our Lord as well. We are loved, we are forgiven, we have access 24/7 to the throne of God, and we are children of the King.  Certainly we should be permeated by joy – we know Whose we are.  It is no wonder Paul writes in Romans:

³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Romans 8:33-39 (NIV)

“Behold, the Heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, and thou sayest, ‘Come ye all unto me.’”    Thomas a Kempis

¹⁷ “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph 3:17 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• I have access through Jesus to the great “I AM”.
• God is my Father – I am a child of the King.
• I should be permeated with joy because I know to Whom I belong. 

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November_09

SHARING BREAD

²⁵ “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.”

John 16:25 (NIV)

Certainly, the precious and dear knowledge we have of the Almighty is one of the foundations of our Christian faith.  Yet, there remain so few subjects we know as amazingly little about than the glorious attributes and character of God the Father.  It is no wonder we are told by Jesus in Matthew:

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”   Matt 11:27 (NIV)

 

Our Lord also teaches us the following Truth earlier in John – Jesus came to make God known to man:

 

¹⁸ “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”   John 1:18 (NIV)

 

Indeed, in His great High Priestly Prayer Jesus tells us that to know God the Father and God the Son is the very essence of eternal life:

 

³ “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”    John 17:3 (NIV)

 

The world is woefully short of those who possess a greater depth of the Almighty.  Our Lord Jesus has promised a broader illumination of God the Father by means of God the Spirit to all who would earnestly seek Him and we must continue to pray towards that end. The perfect fruition of knowledge is reserved for heaven yet Jesus tells us we can avail ourselves of much of it in the here and now.  We must continue to fervently petition for this wisdom as Scripture gives a strong “Woe” to all whom are merely wise in their own eyes.  Those who unwisely fill in their descriptions of God – defining Him by their own delusions and bias’ – and continually refuse to rely on God’s power to open their eyes of understanding and thereby come to a sound knowledge of the Truth:

 

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.  Isaiah 5:21 (NIV)

 

James tells us where wisdom is to be discovered – assistance is always readily available by our giving God – it is just a believing prayer away.  God always gives generously, not grudgingly.  Unbelief receives nothing yet faith opens all the treasures of God and will never go away empty:

 

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.   James 1:5-8 (NIV)

 

Prayer and God’s Word – illuminated by the precious Holy Spirit are fundamental in our growing deeper still.  Our goal as believers is to be intimately acquainted with God – His character, His attributes and His ways.  The more we receive the more we are enlightened to see how much we are still wanting in this area.  He is measureless yet it is His delight for us to dig and discover more and more of the “depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God”.    The Holy Spirit will illuminate the greatest and deepest Truths in the simplest terms.

 

Our God is about relationship.  He is a “with us” God and a relationship is always two sided.  Remember how He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day?  And after the fall He calls to the man “Where are you” – (as if He did not know).  Man’s sin had separated the relationship – he was hiding from God because of it and God desired for it to be restored.  Initially, God temporarily covered their sin with the skin of an animal then later permanently by covering man’s sin with the blood of His Son to all who would believe in Him.  God has gone to the greatest lengths and deepest depths for restoration and reconciliation of relationship with us.  e H     This is certainly not something inconsequential to Him.  Yet sadly many turn a deaf ear and willingly embrace their own ruin.  We must be ever conscience of the higher glory and the larger life.

 

¹⁸ Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!   Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

 

• It is God’s desire for me to be growing in the knowledge of His character and His attributes and His ways.
• I am the loser if I do not go deeper still in my knowledge of God.
• Amazingly, God desires my relationship with Him.

 

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