I decided to create a MT4Christ group on Faithlife. I am not sure if there is a lot of social media activity on this platform but I saw that one group had 85 thousand followers and decided that I would just put us out there in hopes that our message of encouragement would reach more people. So if you have a Faithlife account and want to be invited to the group email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com. Or just follow the group at https://faithlife.com/mt4christ/activity
Jesus Revolution – The Community
of Faith – Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 22– Purity 994
Purity 994 03/17/2023 Purity 994 Podcast
Purity 994 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a sunset, or sunrise, sky with the silhouette
of tree tops in the foreground that looks like a painting, or one of those epic
sky scenes from Gone with the Wind, comes to us from an unknown FB friend who
shared this scene on social media on April 4th of 2021. I decided to go back into the archives of my
phone’s photo archives and discovered this shot of the sky because it is
beautiful and I share it as an encouragement to consider the higher things of
God as we come into the weekend and may be looking for something earth bound to
give us pleasure.
Last night, my wife and I went to see the movie,
Jesus Revolution, and I was frankly surprised at how this film accurately
portrayed Greg Laurie’s days of searching for truth by following hippies to a
concert and how he tired to “expand his mind” and find meaning through
drugs. For some reason I didn’t expect
that. I didn’t expect the film to be a “biopic” – a historical record of actual
people and their actual lives – this was a true story. And like many testimonies of people coming to
Christ , it had its dark elements and hard truths that stem from the sins of
our pre-Christ existence, from our not so easy adjustment to our new lives in Christ, and the
clashing and conflicts that can happen when men come together to “serve the
Lord”.
Because it was more biopic than a gospel
presentation, I would say that it was more of a “regular movie” than a
Christian film in terms of how some Christian movies are just, - Let’s admit it -bad, overly sentimental, or
heavy handed in presenting the gospel in either simplistic or an almost shaming
manner.. Although the movie obviously includes Christian themes and messages, I
would say that anyone could see this film to get an idea of what the Jesus Movement
was about without necessarily walking out converted because it showed some things
about Christianity in America that are still alive today that aren’t so appealing
– like harsh unaccepting legalistic Christians, and “Charismatic kooks”. Jesus Revolution’s balanced portrayal of the
complexities that surround our “simple faith” present Laurie’s story in a way
that could cause some to come to Christ or cause some to say “And that is why I
am not a Christian!”
Jesus Revolution is worth the watch but don’t think
that it will necessarily lift the Christian to new levels of faith or take the unbeliever
to the throne of grace. And this points out the fact that God is the One who
brings us home. He is the one who calls us to salvation and repentance. The Jesus Revolution movie could be used by
God to inspire us or to bring people to Christ but that will up to Him and not
based on the talents of the actors or filmmakers. So if you haven’t seen it yet
and want to “do something Christian” this weekend, go with an open heart and an
open mind and buy a ticket to see Jesus Revolution and wait and see what God
does with it in you.
Anyway, I “do something Christian” each morning by praying,
reading the Bible, and by doing this blog and podcast, so let’s keep walking
and talking with God by continuing our current series by walking into Day 22 of
Lent and the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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 22
Bonhoeffer writes:
“The measure with which God gives the gift of visible
community is varied.
Christians who live dispersed from one another are
comforted by a brief visit of another Christian, a prayer together, and another
Christian’s blessing.
Indeed, they are strengthened by letters written by the
hand of other Christians.
Paul’s greetings in his letters written in his own hand
were no doubt tokens of such community.
Others are given the gift on Sundays of the community of
the worship service.
Still others have the privilege of living a Christian life
in the community of their families.”
Biblical Wisdom
Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need
to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love
one another, and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout
Macedonia. 1 Thessalonians 4:9
Questions to Ponder
M.T. Clark: Christian community is so important for the life of
faith because we don’t know everything, we need one another, and we are called
to love others as ourselves by Jesus Himself.
The Bible is a big book and we need others to encourage us to
read it and to help us to understand it and apply it to our lives. So we need
to find a “faith community” that not only believes that the Bible is the
inerrant word of God but regularly reads it and teaches from it. We need others
to help us to understand what it means to be a Christian and encourage us to
follow the Lord.
We also need one another to encourage us to serve the Lord and
do the good works that He created us to do. A community of faith comforts us by
showing us we are not alone in this
thing and helps us to discover and live out our purpose in Christ. And there is perhaps no better environment in
which to learn to love others as ourselves as we are all called by the same Father
and Spirit to be the fellowship of the Saints, regardless of our individual
differences.
M.T. Clark: In a word,
sin weakens community. When we are not coming
together is a fellowship of forgiveness in love, we are missing the mark. When we have hidden or not so hidden sins in the body of Christ,
it undermines the meaning of our gathering. If everything looks good on the
surface but people are struggling and hurting in private and can’t seek the help
they need because of church tradition or culture, that weakens community.
Forming cliques weakens community. Gossip weakens community. Politics weakens
community. Division weakens community. Hidden agendas weaken community.
Authoritarian attitudes and egos weaken community. Unfortunately, there are lots of things that
weaken community and honestly, I don’t know if we will ever see a “perfect”
church here on earth, but the way we get closer to one is by seeking heart focused
discipleship were we are transparent and seeking individual sanctification as
well as corporate harmony. We don’t only have to “be real” with God. We have to
“be real” with each other.
M.T. Clark: Well, authenticity, vulnerability, accountability,
and honesty on an individual level would certainly be a good start. But encouragement,
empathy, and care would seal the deal. If we don’t have to worry about covering
up our imperfections and know that the people we are in fellowship are being as
real as we are, our faith community will be one of mutual support and love. Our
faith community would be strong.
Psalm Fragment
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:2-3
Journal Reflections
M.T. Clark: The church is where I learned how to become a
Christian and where I was given the opportunity to grow into my identity and
purpose in Christ. The love and support I
have received from men and women in the Christian community is staggering. The
people I consider my best friends are all people I have met along the way in my
journey of faith and from the various Christian communities that I have been
blessed to be welcomed into ever since I put my faith in Jesus.
M.T. Clark: Currently, I am in several. I have community with my
local church, a small group from my local church, the men’s group I facilitate
online, the community of volunteers at Freedom in Christ ministries, a bible study, the Deeper Walk School of
Prayer ministry cohort, and the community of people who listen or read my blog
and podcast. I am greatly encouraged in my faith by all these communities. So I recommend seeking community in various
ways because technology gives us opportunities for community that we never had
before.
M.T. Clark: I do. My best friend is my wife and our relationship
has God at the center of it and we have an open dialog to speak about
everything that’s going on in our lives so as not to let anything to come
between us. I also have open forums to
talk about my life in the small groups I am a part of and receive support
through them. These relationships mean
a lot to me and are the reason why I tell Christians that they can’t “go it
alone” -that we need each other. The way
you build relationships like this is by being vulnerable and honest and determining
who is “real” in their commitment to follow Christ. But we don’t have to find some “perfect
people” to have these relationships, we just have to be open and honest and
vulnerable on our side and meet people where they are at and encourage them
with the truths and comforts in God’s word.
Prayer for Today
Lord, enable me to
be a strength of my Christian communities, and faithful in my spiritual
friendships.
M.T. Clark: 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.***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 TEN
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS SOVEREIGNTY
What then ought to be our attitude toward the Supreme
Sovereign? We reply,
2. One of implicit obedience
A sight of God leads to a realization of our
littleness and nothingness and issues in a sense of dependency and of casting
ourselves upon God. Or, again; a view of the Divine Majesty promotes the spirit
of godly fear and this, in turn, begets an obedient walk. Here then is the
Divine antidote for the native evil of our hearts. Naturally, man is filled
with a sense of his own importance, with his greatness and self-sufficiency; in
a word, with pride and rebellion. But, as we remarked, the great corrective is
to behold the Mighty God, for this alone will really humble him. Man will glory
either in himself or in God. Man will live either to serve and please himself,
or he will seek to serve and please the Lord. None can serve two masters.
Irreverence begets
disobedience. Said the haughty monarch of Egypt “Who is the Lord that I should
obey His voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord; neither will I let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2). To Pharaoh, the God
of the Hebrews was merely a god, one
among many, a powerless entity who needed not to be feared or served. How sadly
mistaken he was, and how bitterly he had to pay for his mistake he soon
discovered; but what we are here seeking to emphasize is that Pharaoh’s defiant
spirit was the fruit of irreverence, and this irreverence was the consequence
of his ignorance of the majesty and
authority of the Divine Being.
Now if irreverence
begets disobedience, true reverence will produce and promote obedience. To realize
that the Holy Scriptures are a revelation from the Most High, communicating to
us His mind and defining for us His will, is the first step toward practical
godliness. To recognize that the Bible is God’s Word, and that its precepts are
the precepts of the Almighty, will lead us to see what an awful thing it is to
despise and ignore them. To receive the Bible as addressed to our own souls,
given to us by the Creator Himself, will cause us to cry with the Psalmist, “Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies …
Order my steps in Thy Word” (Psa. 119:36, 133). Once the sovereignty of the
Author of the Word is apprehended it will not longer be a matter of picking and
choosing from the precepts and statutes of that Word, selecting those which met
with our approval; but it will be seen that nothing less than an unqualified
and whole-hearted submission becomes the creature.
What ought to be our
attitude toward the Sovereignty of God?[1]
---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook
Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! –The
Disobedient Cannot Believe – Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 21– Purity 993
Purity 993 03/16/2023 Purity 993 Podcast
Purity 993 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of green grass and autumn denuded trees
on the shores of Lake Ontario comes to us from yours truly as I captured this
green scene at B. Forman Park in Williamson NY back on November 10 of 2022
while I was headed west on my pilgrimage to serve as a volunteer at the “An
Evening with David Jerimiah” event in Buffalo.
Well, It’s Friday – thank God – and it’s St. Patrick’s
Day – So “Erin Go Bragh” which means Ireland Forever- or Top of the Morning to You
– which means the “best of the morning to you” or “Good Morning” although some
sources state that it has nothing to do with the time of the day and is simply
a greeting that one would use to wish them a good day.
So I specifically chose today’s “green photo”
because it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and because I’m half Irish, and because I am
praying to see more green as the temperature rose to 50 degrees yesterday
causing people in upstate NY to do some spring time activities, like jogging in
shorts and standing in line for ice cream cones – one guy in line was wearing
heavy winter bib overalls - I kid you
not, in spite of the piles of melting snow that the storm of only a few days
ago poured upon us that wanted to declare that “it is still winter”. And it is, until Monday, that’s right Jack
Frost your days are numbered and even though you threw us for a loop the other
day, we know that spring is coming.
And likewise, even though Satan would rejoice
because of the evil in the world, we know that His days are numbered too. Jesus
is coming back to rule and reign. And
even though we can’t be certain that the Ireland we know will last forever,
there is going to be a new earth after all, we can be certain that the Irish,
like St. Patrick, who put their faith in
Jesus as Lord and Savior will last forever in God’s kingdom no matter what the
shape of the new creation that is promised in Revelation 21.
While our various national heritages may give us a
sense of pride and identity, the only thing about us that will matter in the
end is whether we are citizens of heaven, whether or not we have become children
of God through faith in Christ the Lord.
So if you are Irish enjoy the day by remembering
your Irish ancestors and by partaking in some corned beef and cabbage, but remember
it is “St. Patrick’s Day” – not Irish day – and we should remember the man who
was faithful to teach the Irish about the trinity with a clover. St. Patrick wouldn’t
want us to celebrate his day with drunken revelry but would undoubtedly prefer
us to celebrate it in humble reverence of the God who is faithful to forgive
and save us when we put our faith in His Son, Jesus.
So let’s celebrate the faithful saints, like St. Patrick,
that inspire us to be faithful by drawing
close to God as we continue our journey of repentance with the 21st
day of Lent and our current series as we continue on the 40 Day Journey with
Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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 21
Bonhoeffer writes:
“You complain that you cannot believe?
No one should be surprised that they cannot come to
believe so long as, in deliberate disobedience, they flee or reject some aspect
of Jesus’ commandment.
You do not want to subject some sinful passion, an enmity,
a hope, your life plan, or your reason to Jesus’ commandment?
Do not be surprised that you do not receive the Holy
Spirit, that you cannot pray, that your prayer for faith remains empty!
Instead, go and be reconciled with your sister or brother;
let go of the sin which keeps you captive; and you will be able to believe
again!
If you reject God’s commanding word, you will not receive
God’s gracious word. How would you expect to find community while you
intentionally withdraw from it at some point?
The disobedient cannot believe; only the obedient believe.”
Biblical Wisdom
What good
is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith but do not have
works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily
food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,”
and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So
faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. James 2:14-17
Questions to Ponder
M.T.
Clark: If we obey these commandments of Jesus, our faith is nurtured and
nourish as we would love the Lord with all of our hearts, minds, and strength
which would cause us to abide in His word and in His presence which would empower
us to repent and to seek to share God’s love with others. It would cause us to abandon our personal
sins and seek to serve the Lord as witnesses to God’s love and power by sharing
the gospel not only with words but how we live our lives.
M.T.
Clark: Rejecting “God’s commanding word” keeps us from receiving God’s gracious
word, in that if we refuse to obey what God’s word says it shows that we don’t
believe it. If we don’t believe it is God’s “commanding” word that exhorts us
to repent and serve God’s kingdom, we can’t really say that we have faith in
Jesus because we are refusing to do what the He is telling us to do. When come to Christ in faith, we make Him
Lord as well as Savior, and that means we become His slaves. He’s the master,
we are to do what He says. So if we don’t come under His Lordship, we can’t receive
His grace.
M.T.
Clark: Rejecting God’s commanding word also takes us out of community with the
body of Christ because our actions and behaviors will be significantly
different from those who are faithfully trying to align their lives with what
God’s word would have us do. “I don’t
believe that.” “I’m not going to do that.” – will separate us from the ones who
do and most importantly will eventually reveal that we are separated from God
who will declare to the disbelieving and disobedient: “I never knew you.”
Psalm Fragment
Then they
despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
They grumbled in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord. Psalm 106:24-25
Journal Reflections
M.T.
Clark: The best example from my life about the way obedience nourished my faith
would have to be when I decided to trust the Lord with my addictions by going
into a Christian Recovery group. The word
of God convicted me that “drunkenness” was not something that described people
in a state of grace. It described people who didn’t know God, or who didn’t obey
Him. And because I had a real sense of
God’s love and forgiveness, I realized I couldn’t continue in the drunkenness
that was a persistent part of my life for 20 years. So I obeyed, I repented and crucified the
flesh. I agreed with what the word of God said about those who are “in Christ”
and the Lord was faithful to lead me out of the darkness to the point that my drunken
ways were a part of somebody else’s life, and it was. I died with Christ and
was raised to new life with Him but I never would have known it if I didn’t answer
His call to obedience.
M.T.
Clark: I have had so many good
experiences in the body of Christ of fellowship and camaraderie as I have walked
and served with so many faithful Christians through the years. I have grown
because I have seen what the Lord has done in others lives and because faithful
men and women came along beside me to teach and encourage me to follow the
Lord. Mission trips, serving in the local church, taking the gospel to the
streets, and just getting together to read His word has given me joy on so many
occasions.
As for
the bad, I won’t go into specifics, but the bad experiences would all involve
people walking away from God or the church community, or showing that their
faith was more of a façade or that they held alterior motives or manipulative ways
– basically the bad experiences were when people either walked away from the
faith or when they were shown not to be in accord with it.
The
difference between the two is authenticity. Are you for real? Then let’s follow
the Lord and be as real as we can be as Christians by walking according to His
ways and obeying what He would have us do.
Intercessions
Pray for your family and spiritual
friends (and for all Christians) that they would continuously experience
community grounded in love.
M.T.
Clark: Lord,
We pray
for our family, spiritual friends and for all Christians that thye would
continuously experience community grounded in love by obeying your commandments
to love one another, treat one another as they would want to be treated, and by
forgiving one another. If we do all of those things Lord we will truly know
what a community ground in love is. So help us Father.
In Jesus’s
Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Today
Lord, help me to see where I am
rejecting some aspect of your will for me. Help me to obey and believe, believe
and obey.
M.T. Clark: 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.***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 TEN
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS SOVEREIGNTY
What then ought to be our attitude toward the Supreme
Sovereign? We reply,
1.
One of godly fear
Why is it that, today, the masses are so
utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things, and that they are
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that even on the
battlefields multitudes were so indifferent to their soul’s welfare? Why is it
that defiance of heaven is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring? The
answer is, Because “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).
Again; why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has been lowered so sadly
of late? Why is it that even among those who profess to be the Lord’s people
there is so little real subjection to His Word, and that its precepts are so
lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Ah! what needs to be stressed today
is that God is a God to be feared.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom” (Prov. 1:7). Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s
majesty, that has had a vision of God’s awful greatness, His ineffable
holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign
grace. Does someone say, “But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who need to fear
God”? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those who are in Christ, are admonished to work out
their own salvation with “fear and trembling.” Time was when it was the general
custom to speak of a believer as a “God-fearing man”—that such an appellation
has become nearly extinct only serves to show whither we have drifted.
Nevertheless, it still stands written “Like as a father pitieth his children, so
the Lord pitieth them that fear Him”
(Psa. 103:13)!
When we speak of
godly fear, of course, we do not mean a servile fear, such as prevails among
the heathen in connection with their gods. No; we mean that spirit which
Jehovah is pledged to bless, that spirit to which the prophet referred when he
said “To this man will I (the Lord) look, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word”
(Isa. 66:2). It was this the apostle had in view when he wrote, “Honor all men.
Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the king” (1 Pet. 2:17). And nothing will foster this godly fear like a
recognition of the sovereign Majesty of God.
What ought to be our
attitude toward the Sovereignty of God? We answer again,[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook
Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Only the Obedient Believe – Lent
with Bonhoeffer Day 20– Purity 992
Purity 992 03/16/2023 Purity 992 Podcast
Purity 992 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the sun and blue skies breaking
through the clouds over the snow covered forest at “end of the road” as tractor
emerges with a full load of the white stuff comes to us from yours truly as I
captured this scene while out working at Skyline Drive in Melrose NY on the
Ides of March.
Well, It’s
Thursday and I share this “end of the road” pathway photo as an admission that
the snow’s beauty can be appreciated even if you would rather not see it and as
a reminder to keep walking and talking to God on the path of discipleship even
if it seems like something has come to an end and you may have to turn around
to find your way.
How many dead ends have you run into in your journey
of faith? I know for a time in my travels
I thought I might have the gift of prophecy because the Lord gave me guidance
as I attempted to walk in the Spirit and good and amazing things started to
happen. But after I saw that my
expectations of the future did not turn out the way that “I saw” them happening,
I realized that predictions (even if I made them just to myself) were best left
to weathermen, and we know how successful they can be at times, as the “dreams
and visions” that I had concerning where I thought God was sending me was far
from a hundred percent. And unlike the “modern
prophets” who stand on the scripture that saws we know in part and prophesy in
part (1 Cor 13:9) as license to speak “prophecies” that are some times
fulfilled and sometimes not, I know the word of God enough to remember that
anyone speaking prophecies that were fulfilled less than 100% of the time were not
to be feared and the word indicates that they “shall die” (Deut 18:20-22). After all even a broken clock is right twice
a day but that doesn’t mean we should trust it or seek it’s wisdom. We are to
go to God for wisdom.
So while I believe
that the Lord can guide us through listening prayer, through His word, and
through the Holy Spirit calling scripture to come to mind, revealing truth and
showing us things to come, we have to be careful because I know from experience
that because we have our own ideas and agendas about how we would like life to
go and because there are spiritual forces of darkness that would love to
deceive us. Just because we think a thought we get is coming from God, it may not
be the case. We have to discern the spirits and when we don’t we make mistakes
and follow false paths or trains of thoughts that lead to dead end disappointments.
But if you find yourself at the “end of the road” of
a bad presumption or prediction of what you thought would happen, don’t get
discouraged. God is with you and times of disappointment and trials are used by
Him to teach us to depend on Him only.
So in the spirit of trusting God and submitting to
Him only, let’s continue our journey into the season of repentance as we enter
into Day 20 of Lent and our current series as we continue on the 40 Day Journey
with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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 20
Bonhoeffer writes:
“Only the obedient believe.
A concrete commandment has to be obeyed in order to come
to believe.
A first step of obedience has to be taken, so that faith
does not become pious self-deception, cheap grace.
The first step is crucial.
It is qualitatively different from all others that follow.
The first step of obedience has to lead Peter away from
his nets and out of the boat; it has to lead the young man away from his
wealth.
Faith is possible only in this new state of existence
created by obedience.”
Biblical Wisdom
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow
me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets
and followed him. Mark 1:16-18
Questions to Ponder
M.T. Clark: As Christ said in John 14:15: If we love Him, we
will keep His commandments. So my understanding is that true faith is exemplified
by obedience. If we believe God’s word is true, we will obey what it says by
applying it to our lives. Now please
understand me. I know that we are not perfect people and because of our personal
failings and the world, the flesh, and the devil, we may struggle to obey and
fall short of God’s perfect will but I believe that God calls us to repentance and
sanctification knowing that we can make progress, achieve victories, and
experience freedom when we surrender to the Lord and His desire that we be conformed
to image of Christ. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress and as we faithfully
follow the Lord we will eventually be amazed at how He is transforming us and
by the fruit of the Spirit that grows in our lives.
M.T. Clark: The first step of obedience demonstrates that we
actually have faith! The first step of obedience demonstrates to the Lord that
we truly do believe and we trust Him. That first step, and every subsequent step
along the path of Christian Discipleship, opens the door to a deep and profound
relationship with Jesus as the Lord will guide us into sanctification and into our
purpose for His kingdom. So take that first step, and keep going, the Lord will
not lead you astray and He will guide you in the way you should go.
M.T. Clark: As I indicated above, the first step is
qualitatively different from all others that follow because it demonstrates the
authenticity of our faith, experientially.
The classic illustration is “faith in a chair to hold your weight”. We
can say we believe the chair will hold us up. But the true “first step” of our
faith is shown when we actually sit down in it. Throughout scripture the Lord
calls His people to “do something” – to obey what He says. When they obey, they
show they believe and that they are His and He then calls them to do more, to
walk with Him.
Psalm Fragment
O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! Psalm 95:6-7
Journal Reflections
M.T. Clark: There are several “first steps” we take when we
follow the Lord, like:
·
Praying for someone,
in person, out loud, for the first time.
·
Sharing the gospel
·
Preaching in public
·
Going into the
mission field
·
Getting baptized
Some of these steps of faith may have been met with fear and
resistance, but when the call to do them was obeyed and taken, they all came
with the confirmation that I did what the Lord wanted me to do and they all led
to a deeper dimension to my relationship with God. In every instance, they led to the conviction
that I was God’s child, (I really am “A CHRISTIAN”) and that He could be
trusted and He would always be faithful and present with me when I faithfully
followed and obeyed Him.
M.T. Clark: I sure do! It’s called step into “The Next Thing”
that God has for me. What that is, I don’t
completely know but if I abide with Him and follow Him every day, I know that I
will be in the perfect position to “take that first step” of “The Next Thing” when I get there. This is a walk of faith. The steps don’t stop
and God is always doing new things in our lives, so boldly step out when He
calls you to.
Intercessions
Pray that you, your
family, and your spiritual friends would have the courage to be obedient to
whatever God is calling you to.
M.T. Clark:
Lord,
I pray for myself, my family, and all my spiritual friends, near
and far, that we would be bold and courageous and obedient to the call that You
put on our lives. We have come to know that You are faithful and trustworthy
and we pray for you to guide us into your purposes.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, grant
me the wisdom to see what you need me to do and the courage to do it.
M.T. Clark: 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.***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 TEN
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS SOVEREIGNTY
“Even so, Father: for so it seemed
good in Thy sight” (Matt. 11:26).
In the present chapter we shall consider,
somewhat briefly, the practical application to ourselves of the great truth
which we have pondered in its various ramifications in earlier pages. In
chapter twelve we shall deal more in detail with the value of this doctrine but here we would confine ourselves to a
definition of what ought to be our attitude
toward the sovereignty of God.
Every truth that is
revealed to us in God’s Word is there not only for our information but also for
our inspiration. The Bible has been given to us not to gratify an idle
curiosity but to edify the souls of its readers. The sovereignty of God is
something more than an abstract principle which explains the rationale of the Divine government: it
is designed as a motive for godly fear, it is made known to us for the
promotion of righteous living, it is revealed in order to bring into subjection
our rebellious hearts. A true recognition
of God’s sovereignty humbles as nothing else does or can humble, and brings the
heart into lowly submission before God, causing us to relinquish our own
self-will and making us delight in the perception and performance of the Divine
will.
When we speak of the
sovereignty of God we mean very much more than the exercise of God’s governmental power, though, of course, that is
included in the expression. As we have remarked in an earlier chapter, the
sovereignty of God means the Godhood of God. In its fullest and deepest meaning
the title of this book signifies the Character
and Being of the One whose pleasure
is performed and whose will is executed. To truly recognize the sovereignty of God is, therefore, to gaze upon the
Sovereign Himself. It is to come into the presence of the august “Majesty on
high.” It is to have a sight of the thrice holy God in His excellent glory. The
effects of such a sight may be
learned from those scriptures which describe the experience of different ones
who obtained a view of the Lord God.
Mark the experience
of Job—the one of whom the Lord Himself said “There is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil”
(Job 1:8). At the close of the book which bears his name we are shown Job in
the Divine presence, and how does he carry himself when brought face to face
with Jehovah? Hear what he says: “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the
ear; but now mine eye seeeth Thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6). Thus, a sight of God, God revealed in awesome
majesty, caused Job to abhor himself, and not only so, but to abase himself before the Almighty.
Take note of Isaiah.
In the sixth chapter of his prophecy a scene is brought before us which has few
equals even in Scripture. The prophet beholds the Lord upon the Throne, a
Throne “high and lifted up.” Above this Throne stood the seraphims with veiled
faces, crying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.” What is the effect of this sight upon the prophet?
We read “Then said I, Woe is me! for
I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 6:5). A sight of the Divine King humbled Isaiah into the dust, bringing him, as it did, to a
realization of his own nothingness.
One more. Look at the
prophet Daniel. Toward the close of his life this man of God beheld the Lord in
theophanic manifestation. He appeared to His servant in human form “clothed in
linen” and with loins “girded with fine gold,” symbolic of holiness and Divine
glory. We read that “His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the
appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His
feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice
of a multitude.” Daniel then tells the effect this vision had upon him and
those who were with him: “And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that
were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that
they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great
vision, and there remained no strength in
me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no
strength. Yet heard I the voice of His words: and when I heard the voice of His
words, then was I in a deep sleep on my
face, and my face toward the ground” (Dan. 10:6–9). Once more, then, we are
shown that to obtain a sight of the Sovereign God is for creature strength to
wither up, and results in man being humbled into the dust before his Maker.
What then ought to be our attitude
toward the Supreme Sovereign? We reply,[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
