Satisfying the Hunger and
Thirst for Righteousness– Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 25– Purity 997
Purity 997 03/21/2023 Purity 997 Podcast
Purity 997 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s spectacular photo of the first sunset of Spring
over Lake Ontario comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography as Rocco Saya
shared this scene on social media on Monday pointing out that it was “A good
first day of spring!: and that “It brought some beautiful light to end the day”
that revealed that despite the change of season there was still “ice on the
boulders lining Sheldon beach.”
Well, it’s Wednesday, and even though most of us
have arrived at Hump Day, I have arrived at a one day weekend as my employer
shifts our schedules to cover Saturdays and this week is my turn. So I have off
today, work Saturday, and will have another “one day weekend” come Sunday. A
man’s got to do what a man’s got to do and although I am not thrilled with “End
Days” (or is in N-Days – as in NOBODY wants to work on Saturday)- I know they
are a part of the job and as long as I want to receive the pay benefits that
provide for me and my family, I accept them for what they are and try to make
the most of the day off today and Sunday.
As for today, I have another Freedom Appointment
scheduled this morning so shortly after posting this message, I will be doing
the work of ministry as I will encourage another man from the Freedom in Christ
course through the Steps to Freedom in Christ.
So, if its before or between 9am & 12pm, I’d appreciate your prayers
for support as we will be going before the Lord in this guided process of
repentance that seeks to resolve spiritual and personal conflicts to assist our
brother to experience or deepen his freedom in Christ through this encounter in
God’s presence.
Speaking of coming into God’s presence, those of us
who have put their faith in God can draw close to the Lord any time we want
because we are one with Him in Spirit (1 Cor 6:17) and we have direct access to
God through the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18). God is available to us. But the question is: are we making ourselves
available to God?
Well, let’s not worry about it. Let’s make ourselves
available now by drawing close to God on this 25th day of Lent by continuing
in our current series, the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with Day
25.
As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this
journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God
in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this
journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons
change, the Lord will use it to change us too.
You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by
going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) .
Day 25
Bonhoeffer writes:
“Christians are persons who no longer seek their salvation,
their deliverance, their justification in themselves, but in Jesus Christ
alone.
They know that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them
guilty, even when they feel nothing of their own guilt, and that God’s Word in
Jesus Christ pronounces them free and righteous even when they feel nothing of
their own righteousness…
Because they daily hunger and thirst for righteousness,
they long for the redeeming Word again and again.
It can only come from the outside. In themselves they are
destitute and dead. Help must come from the outside; and it has come and comes
daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing us redemption,
righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
But God put this Word into the mouth of human beings so
that it may be passed on to others.
When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it
to other people.
God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living
Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings.
Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak
God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain
and disheartened.”
Biblical Wisdom
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you;
consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7
Questions to Ponder
- Where do disciples go to
satisfy their daily hunger and thirst for righteousness?
M.T. Clark: Disciples are students of God’s word and the place
that we should go to satisfy our daily hunger and thirst for righteousness is
in the Bible. Personal Bible study
should be a part of our day. It is where we are to find our daily bread.
Of course, this bread, the word of God can be found many different
forms – in daily devotionals like the one we are doing now, in Christian
podcasts and sermons, Christian books, Christian music, Bible Studies, Bible
commentaries, and Christian videos. Believe me when I tell you that those who
have access to the internet have virtually unlimited ways to be encouraged in
their faith and to receive the things that will satisfy our hunger and thirst
for righteousness. However, as much as
the various resources mentioned here can help us in our faith, I would still
encourage you to go straight to the source of God’s wisdom personally by
reading the Bible and asking God to reveal what He wants you to know in
prayer.
Because just like processed foods are not as good for us as raw
foods, reading the Bible for ourselves is free from any “additives” that may be
more another man’s opinion than the word that God has for you personally.
- If Christians find their
salvation, deliverance, and justification not in themselves but in Jesus
Christ, how should they use their resulting freedom?
M.T. Clark: Since we find
our salvation, deliverance, and justification in Jesus Christ, we should use
our resulting freedom to give God glory by encouraging others to put their
faith in Jesus so they can be saved, delivered and justified. Of course, we should enjoy our freedom in
Christ, but part of our enjoyment should be realizing our purpose in Christ, to
be an ambassador to God’s kingdom and to allow the Lord to use us in the
ministry of reconciliation. If we know
God’s love, have experienced our freedom in Christ, our hearts should be full
of the desire to share the love and joy that we have found in Christ alone.
- If God has put God’s word
into the “mouth of human beings,” who is responsible to speak the word?
Only pastors or church workers? Why?
M.T. Clark: If God has given us His word personally, which He
has if we are saved, it is our honor and duty to speak it to ourselves, to
remind us of what we have received and to live our our life in Christ, and to
speak it to others, to share the love of God and in the hope that the words we
share will be used by God to bring others to peace with God through faith in
Jesus Christ. It is not only pastors or
church workers responsibility to share the word. Everyone who has received God’s
word is commanded to share it by Christ Himself, who told us all to go and make
disciples and to teach them everything He has taught us.
Psalm Fragment
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. Psalm 145:5-7
Journal Reflections
- Write about specific
Christians who have spoken a word from God to you when you needed it.
M.T. Clark: I have countless examples. Pastor Bob Costello
mentored me and led through recovery. He spoke the words of truth to me that
gave me hope that I could actually overcome my addictions and gave me the training
I needed to be bold and courageous in encouraging others to walk by faith in
the power of the Holy Spirit. I have
also received a timely word from the Lord through pastors, teachers and “plain old Christians”
– in person and through various forms of media – when I needed it. So we should seek out community with other Christians
and continually seek to know the Lord more through personal study because we
never know who or what will be used by the Lord to speak to us.
- Write about people to whom
you have spoken God’s word.
M.T. Clark: Well, this
should give glory to God. I have answered the call to speak the word of God and
following is a list of some of the people or situations in which I have spoken
God’s word:
· Messages, prayers, and encouraging words at my local
churches
· Praying for people at work and in public
· Gospel Message at the 7th Street Park in Hudson
NY
· Street evangelism with Pastor Bob on the streets of Hudson
NY
· Street evangelism on the streets of a village in Zambia with
a mission team in 2016
· Delivering a personal testimony of God’s faithfulness and
power at 3 churches and 2 schools in Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2016
· Jail Ministry at the Columbia County Jail
· Celebrate Freedom – recovery ministry from 2015 to 2020
· Community Freedom – CFM – 2021 – where I met and proposed
to my wife
· This is blog and this podcast – has had listeners and web
page views from all over the world – what people are receiving or how much, I
will never know but if this message of encouragement reaches EVEN 1 person, I
will continue to “bring it” as much as I can.
So, there are ways to share the word of God. You don’t have to
be a pastor to be used by God. You just have to say “Yes” when God responds to
your prayer to “send me”.
Intercessions
Think of someone
you would like to be a spiritual friend with and ask God to help you build a
mutually supportive spiritual relationship with him or her.
M.T. Clark:
Lord God,
There is no one that I
would like to be spiritual friends with more than my children and my step
children. They have all been exposed to gospel and I would like to believe that
they all have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life but Lord only know
their hearts and only you can give them the revelation of the truth and the
richness of a relationship with you. So,
I pray that you will use me, my wife, or someone else to speak a word that will
cause them to confirm their faith, to
zealously follow you, and seek to be a spiritual friend with me. So I pray for Haley, Brennan, AnneMarie,
Rachel, Jakob, Elisabeth, Benjamin, and Jeanette.
In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Today
O Holy Spirit, send
the people I need to bring me the word of God, and send the people I need to
speak the word of God to.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007
Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)
***As we are being
provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we
will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on
resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.***
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By
ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS
“Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is
not My way equal? are not your ways unequal?” (Ezek. 18:25).
A convenient point has been reached when we
may now examine, more definitely, some of the difficulties encountered and the
objections which might be advanced against what we have written in previous
pages. The author deemed it better to reserve these for a separate
consideration rather than deal with them as he went along, requiring as that
would have done the breaking of the course of thought and destroying the strict
unity of each chapter, or else cumbering our pages with numerous and lengthy
footnotes.
That there are difficulties involved in an attempt
to set forth the truth of God’s sovereignty is readily acknowledged. The
hardest thing of all, perhaps, is to maintain the balance of truth. It is largely a matter of perspective. That God is sovereign is explicitly declared in
Scripture: that man is a responsible creature is also expressly affirmed in
Holy Writ. To define the relationship of these two truths, to fix the dividing
line betwixt them, to show exactly where they meet, to exhibit the perfect consistency
of the one with the other, is the weightiest task of all. Many have openly
declared that it is impossible for
the finite mind to harmonize them. Others tell us it is not necessary or even
wise to attempt it. But, as we have remarked in an earlier chapter, it seems to
us more honoring to God to seek in His Word the solution to every problem. What
is impossible to man is possible with God, and while we grant that the finite
mind is limited in its reach, yet, we remember that the Scriptures are given to
us that the man of God may be “thoroughly
furnished,” and if we approach their study in the spirit of humility and of
expectancy, then, according unto our faith
will it be unto us.
As remarked above,
the hardest task in this connection is to preserve the balance of truth while
insisting on both the sovereignty of
God and the responsibility of the creature. To some of our readers it may
appear that in pressing the sovereignty of God to the lengths we have man is
reduced to a mere puppet. Hence, to guard against this, they would modify their definitions and statements
relating to God’s sovereignty, and thus seek to blunt the keen edge of what is
so offensive to the carnal mind. Others, while refusing to weigh the evidence
that we have adduced in support of our assertions, may raise objections which
to their minds are sufficient to dispose of the whole subject. We would not
waste time in the effort to refute objections made in a carping and contentious
spirit but we are desirous of meeting
fairly the difficulties experienced
by those who are anxious to obtain a fuller knowledge of the truth. Not that we
deem ourselves able to give a satisfactory and final answer to every question
that might be asked. Like the reader, the writer knows but “in part” and sees
through a glass “darkly.” All that we can do is to examine these difficulties
in the light we now have, in dependence upon the Spirit of God that we may
follow on to know the Lord better.
We propose now to
retrace our steps and pursue the same order of thought as that followed up to
this point. As a part of our “definition”
of God’s sovereignty we affirmed: “To say that God is sovereign is to declare
that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so
that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.… The
sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite.” To
put it now in its strongest form, we insist that God does as He pleases, only as He
pleases, always as He pleases; that
whatever takes place in time is but the outworking of that which He decreed in
eternity. In proof of this assertion we appeal to the following scripture: “But
our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased” (Psa.
115:3). “For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who
shall turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27). “And all the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none
can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35). “For of Him,
and through Him, and to Him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
The above
declarations are so plain and positive that any comments of ours upon them
would simply be darkening counsel by words without knowledge. Such express
statements as those just quoted are so sweeping and so dogmatic that all
controversy concerning the subject of which they treat ought for ever to be at
an end. Yet, rather than receive them at their face value, every device of
carnal ingenuity is resorted to so as to neutralize their force. For example,
it has been asked, If what we see in the world today is but the outworking of
God’s eternal purpose, if God’s counsel is
NOW being accomplished, then why did our Lord teach His disciples to pray,
“Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven”? Is it not a clear implication from these words that God’s will is not now being done on earth? The answer
is very simple. The emphatic word in the above clause is “as.” God’s will is being done on earth today, if it is
not, then our earth is not subject to God’s rule, and if it is not subject to
His rule then He is not, as Scripture proclaims Him to be, “The Lord of all the
earth” (Josh. 3:13). But God’s will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. How is God’s will “done in heaven”?—consciously and joyfully. How
is it “done on earth”? for the most part, unconsciously and sullenly. In heaven
the angels perform the bidding of their Creator intelligently and gladly, but
on earth the unsaved among men accomplish His will blindly and in ignorance. As
we have said in earlier pages, when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus and when
Pilate sentenced Him to be crucified they had no conscious intentions of
fulfilling God’s decrees yet, nevertheless, unknown to themselves they did do so!
But again. It has
been objected: If everything that happens on earth is the fulfilling of the
Almighty’s pleasure, if God has foreordained—before the foundation of the
world—everything which comes to pass in human history, then why do we read in
Gen. 6:6 “It repented the Lord that
He had made man on the earth, and it grieved
Him at His heart”? Does not this language intimate that the antediluvians had
followed a course which their Maker had not marked out for them, and that in
view of the fact they had “corrupted” their way upon the earth the Lord regretted that He had ever brought such
a creature into existence? Ere drawing such a conclusion let us note what is involved in such an inference. If the
words “It repented the Lord that He had made man” are regarded in an absolute sense, then God’s omniscience would be denied, for in such
a case the course followed by man must have been un-foreseen by God in the day that He created him. Therefore it
must be evident to every reverent soul that this language bears some other
meaning. We submit that the words “It repented
the Lord” is an accommodation to our
finite intelligence, and in saying this we are not seeking to escape a
difficulty or cut a knot, but are
advancing an interpretation which we shall seek to show is in perfect accord
with the general trend of Scripture.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
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reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
