Devotionals @ The Mount Church

Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.

1 John 4:18

I remember many times as a child, waking up from a very shallow sleep at the sound of the house going “bump in the night.” I was petrified of the dark, and though I shared a room with one of my siblings, their presence was of little reassurance as I was lying there wondering, “What was that!?” and they were three sheets to the wind. Violent thunderstorms and even blaring smoke alarms were not enough to wake my brother from his slumber. So I was confident that if a monster jumped out from under the bed, I would be toast and he would not so much as even turn over under his blankets. The older I got, the more my thoughts turned from monsters to intruders, especially considering that our house was one of the few on our street that hadn’t been broken into or vandalized during the night. Growing up in a very large metropolitan area has its pros and its cons! And it was the cons walking the streets at night that really had me tossing and turning at every little noise.

It was literally a nightly occurrence for me to go sprinting from my room to my parent’s room when I had lied in my bed, wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, until I had convinced myself that the last sound I just heard was definitely someone breaking in the house! I would dash down the hall, hoping not to be snatched by a shadowy figure, heart racing, desperate for the safety of my father’s arms and his calming voice.

There were many, many nights when I was sent back to my room with a, “There is nothing to be afraid of” or an “It’s all in your imagination” response. Trust me, at 3:17 a.m., when I’ve been lying there since Johnny Carson went off the air in the living room and my parents turned off the lights and went to bed, I wasn’t in any frame of mind to hear, “It’s all in your imagination!” Sometimes, if I was particularly frightened, my mom would walk me back to bed, tuck me in, and whisper, “There is nothing to fear, sweetheart. Perfect love drives out all fear.” Though I didn’t understand the meaning of it at the time, something about the fact that I knew Mom was quoting Scripture calmed me.

Eventually I outgrew my fear of the dark and the Lord allowed me to become a little less of a shallow sleeper. However, I must admit, I haven’t completely outgrown all fear. I still struggle with fear from time to time in my life, and the verse that my mom would whisper to me still echoes in my mind. I’ve spent some time with that verse and have come to understand its meaning more now than I did as a child.

Fear, you see, is really an opportunity. Life is full of uncertainty, and contrary to popular belief, we are NOT in control. Virtually everyday, in small ways and sometimes large ways, we are faced with situations that will cause us to make a choice. Are we going to have fear or faith? Fear represents the absence of faith, or at least the imperfection of our faith. For as the verse says, perfect love (or complete trust and dependence on God in other words) expels fear. The two cannot exist together. Where there is fear, faith is imperfect. Where there is faith, fear is expelled. The way that God would want us as His children to confront our fears is with our faith! His Word underscores and emphasizes that truth over and over again!

We as a church are also called to exercise faith to overcome our corporate fears. Whether it be a fear of change or a fear of the future or a fear of financial stress in the face of an economic recession, God says, “Trust me!” He says, “I am Your Father and I love you and I’m never going to leave you or forsake you!” Just as I always knew (and still know) that my earthly dad would do everything in his power to protect me and help me, we can rely on our Heavenly Father to do the same! Whenever fear starts to creep into our hearts and minds, we need to learn to recognize it as an opportunity to see God work and allow that fear to bring us to our faith. Even when we don’t understand the reasons behind what is happening in our lives, we still must be able to trust and have faith. We still must obey God’s Word, take Him at His Word, and follow Him.

I am now a parent myself, and I’ve had the wonderful experience of having my children run into my room in the middle of the night, scared because of a noise they’d heard or a bad dream they’d had. I have been the one to sometimes let them crawl into bed with my spouse and I and sometimes to take them back to their room and tuck them in and pray with them in the wee hours of the morning. I am still learning what it is to let God’s love be perfected in me so that I no longer fear and I am trying to take that truth and pass it on to my children like my mom did for me. It is important that they not only hear it from my mouth, but that they see it in my life.

The next time you are confronted with an opportunity to doubt God or question why something is happening or to even be tempted to put yourself on the throne of your life and take control of matters rather than submitting to the Lord, see that for what it is: a divine moment for you to demonstrate your love for God through your faith and trust in His ability to work everything out. God understands our propensity to be afraid, and He wants us to turn that fear into faith by relying on Him.

application

Here are some Bible verses to look up to help you overcome your fear and increase your reliance on God:

• John 14:27
• Isaiah 43:1-3
• 2 Corinthians 1:24
• Matthew 28:20
• Isaiah 41:10
• I John 4:4
• Isaiah 40:31
• Matthew 11:28
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

prayer

Daddy,

The flash of lightning through the bedroom window seems like such a trivial fear now in comparison with some of the heavy burdens I am carrying. Oh to have fears again so insignificant as a pimple on my face for picture day or whether or not it is going to rain tomorrow when we go to the amusement park. Looking back, the fears that seemed so big back then seem so small now. Now the fears I face seem truly monstrous! How are the bills all going to get paid? What about my job? What about my health or my loved one’s health? Will I ever find happiness? Is this relationship ever going to work out? Can you ever forgive me for what I’ve done? I’m afraid, God. Please help me to see that You are bigger than any fear I have! Please whisper to my heart right now Father that You have everything under control and that I can lay my head down and rest at ease because no one is ever going to harm me on Your watch, and Your watch is forever! Thanks, Daddy! Amen.

Psalm 127:1

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are you ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8,9

Have you ever looked at something that is happening in the news and wondered where God is in all of it? Have you found yourself questioning why God allows certain things to happen in life? Have you ever said, “If I were God I would not have done it that way.”? I have. I have done all of the above. And somehow in the midst of asking those questions, I have felt right about doing so… but boy was I wrong. What was I thinking? Who am I to question God’s ways of working? My little mind is incapable of holding a fraction of his knowledge and understanding. I have absolutely NO room to question God’s ways, but I still do, sometimes. And you do, too.

We question his ways because all we see is a tiny portion of the big picture. God sees the whole thing, from beginning to end. He knows all the purposes behind every move he makes. He knows the reasons why he allows each circumstance to occur. He has a plan. And we only have an opinion. Our opinions are based on our limited vision. His actions are based on a timeless plan that began before creation that has our good and his glory as the ultimate goal. What we see as a tragedy or a catastrophic occurrence is simply part of his master plan that will bring about his will in any given situation. We can know this in our heads, but we must respond to this truth with a heart of faith.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth…” Our earth is part of the Milky Way galaxy. That galaxy has a diameter of about 100,000 light-years, and is about 16,000 light years thick at the center. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year. At the speed of 186,282 miles per second, a light-year would cover about 6 trillion miles. And that is just a small fraction of our entire universe. This is the comparison between our thoughts and God’s thoughts. It’s not just how high up the clouds are. It’s not as high as the moon, or even the sun. It is this idea of light-years of distance between God’s mind and ours that makes sense. The One who created this vast universe and all that is in it has thoughts that are “universally” higher than ours. So, when he plans something and carries it out in our lives, even though we may not understand it, we can respond in faith and know that it is for our good (Jeremiah 29:11).

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) This is where it all shakes out in our lives. We can doubt and criticize and question God’s ways. The result will be bitterness and resentment that will eat away at our walks with God. Or we can act in faith, and know that God is sovereign and in control and that he has our best ultimately in mind. This faith pleases God, and the result will be a peace and assurance that God does love us, and a more intimate walk with him. It seems clear which way would most benefit our lives. The choice is ours. And so are the consequences or blessing. Choose well.

So, if we understand and apply this truth to our lives, our attitudes and outlooks will be different. We then can help others who would fall in this area. When we encounter those who use their own minds to try to understand God’s plans, and end up frustrated and bitter, we can point them to the truth. We can stand with assurance that he is working for the best of all those involved and sits as a sovereign and loving God. We can move through life with confidence that God is God regardless of the circumstances that surround us. And our lives and words will reflect hope and faith to all those we come in contact with. In this way our lives will be used and the world will be influenced. And God will be glorifed in it all.

prayer

Father, we so often try to understand with our own minds. And we so often fail to see you and your purpose in the hard areas of our lives. Help us to exercise our faith and trust you in the hard times. Help us to see your sovereign hand in everything and recognize your plans. Then help us to turn to others and point them to you. May our faith please you and may we be rewarded by your hand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It seems like life is made up of three areas; there are the joyous times like after the birth of a new baby or recovery from a serious illness. There are the trying times like the death of a spouse or failure at a job. And then there are all those other times, times when life seems to be simply moving along, and we are following behind taking care of family, going to work, and goofing off on the weekends. In the midst of times of happiness, it’s easy to feel blessed by God, to go to Him with thanksgiving for the gifts he bestows. Likewise, in the difficult moments of our lives, it’s easy to cry out in pain to God, asking, often begging, for his refuge and guidance.

Therefore, both extremely positive moments and extremely negative ones are the times when we can more clearly see the intention of God in our circumstances. Cheerful experiences are often seen as rewards for obedience, while sorrowful ones offer a time of growth and patience. When we are not experiencing these extremes, in the more “mundane” days of life, we often ignore any connection between our circumstances and God’s work in our lives. However, it is often in that “calm, still voice” and during those everyday moments that God desires to demonstrate both his compassion and power. We must learn, though, to listen more deliberately to the Holy Spirit in order to always recognize that God lays out each day with purpose.

One prime reminder of God creating important circumstances for us is found in the eighth chapter of Acts. Philip, a follower of Christ, had spent much time preaching to crowds and performing numerous miracles through the Holy Spirit. However, one of the most significant impacts he made occurred on a desert road as he walked without a specific goal in mind.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Acts 8:26-40 (NLT)

Philip is a man from whom we can learn many things:

1. Be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s urgings.

As Christians, we often forget the purpose of the Holy Spirit as a guide in our lives. We ignore what seems like “gut” feelings, and, instead, rationalize the decisions we make, often without seeking counsel from God. However, if we live anticipating the urgings of the Spirit, we will be much more likely to recognize the opportunities God gives us to serve him effectively. Philip never seemed to question that push in this scripture. Instead, he was obedient without hesitation.

2. Be mindful of the needs of others

It’s obvious to us as we read Acts that God had a purpose for sending Philip down that desert road, yet it in the moment, it would have been easy to overlook this circumstance as nothing more than a fellow traveler. Philip’s sensitivity to the voice of God, however, and his willingness to get involved in someone else’s life opened the door to a moment of revelation and salvation for the eunuch, a gift even more precious that a miraculous physical healing.

3. Be knowledgeable of the scriptures

It wasn’t Philip’s kindness, only, that caused the eunuch to surrender to Christ; it was also Philip’s knowledge. The eunuch was obviously intelligent enough to read the scriptures; however, his insight into their meaning was lacking. Philip was able to make the connections between the Old Testament prophecy and the life of Jesus for the eunuch in a way that convinced him to accept the grace of Christ. Without Philip’s commitment to the word of God, he would have been useless in this circumstance.

Peering into this one event in Philip’s journey reminds me to stop allowing daily circumstances and busyness to prevent me from serving God and to start realizing He put me in those circumstances (no matter how ordinary they seem) to do exactly that.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-17.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

1 Corinthians 10:14-17 (NAS)

Ask yourself: what are you most passionate about? Passion is a very strong impulse and when misdirected, can, at best, be distracting to the Christian’s walk, and at worst, replace that which truly matters in a Christian’s life.

As football season rolls around, we will find people so passionate about many things that are inconsequential in light of eternity. Have you ever paid attention to crowds at Clemson football games or rabid soccer fans in Europe. Have you ever thought: “What if we had that kind of enthusiasm and zeal for the things of Christ? What would the church and the world look like then?”

The truth is: Christ’s passion for us exceeds even the most fanatical football or soccer fan. Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus began to more fully carry the burden of our sins on his shoulders, and the Bible even records that Jesus sweat blood. He asked God to, if possible, “let this cup pass from me.” But faced with the knowledge that he would suffer a grim episode of torture and execution, Jesus remained steadfast, praying to the Father: “Your will be done.” He then went to the cross, and even though he could have called down a legion of angels to rescue him, he remained there, carrying our humiliation and our guilt, and even asking the Father to forgive the very ones who mocked him. This type of sacrifice is unmatched by any other faith in the world. One can study all the major religions to their fullest and never find a loving, sacrificial and personal god like that of the Bible.

This brings us to 1 Corinthians and Nehemiah, who at the beginning of the book was faced with the consequences of the nation of Israel’s actions. The walls of Jerusalem had been burned. Again and again leading up to that point, the Israelites had lost their focus and lost their passion, falling into idol worship and straying from their God. As recorded in Nehemiah:

We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. “Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’”

Nehemiah 1:7-9 (NAS)

The people of Israel’s struggles were certainly on the mind of Paul as he was penning the letters to the Corinthians. He told the church in chapter 10 to view Israel’s example and learn from it, reminding the body of the bread (Christ’s body) that was broken and the blood (which was spilled) for our sins. As the walls of Jerusalem were burned by the inequity of God’s people, so was Christ’s body broken by our own inequity. So too, as the walls were rebuilt, Christ was resurrected, building His church on the “rock,” which is the truth that Jesus is the “Christ, the Son of the living God.”

He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Matthew 16:15-18

Christ’s passion, simply, is us and His church. Where does your passion lie? Being passionate about family, friends, interests and careers is fine, as long as those things are secondary to our passion and commitment to the one who gave up his place at the right hand of the Father to become one of us, to suffer a carnal death and display the fullest form of sacrificial love possible, His arms outstretched on the cross, waiting for you to receive his free and spotless gift.

Today, pray that God throughout this week would keep your clearly focused on your call and His passion, for you to become more like Christ and be salt and light to your friends, co-workers, family and neighbors.

It’s often easy to look through the disciples’ miracles in the New Testament and think, “Wow, those men were amazing!” The truth is, however, that they demonstrated no power that contemporary Christians cannot also exhibit because it was not their individual righteousness, their numerous good works, their eloquent preaching, or even their years with Jesus Christ that allowed them that strength; it was the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that dwells among believers still. I am often encouraged when reading about the early church. Acts 1-2 reveal much about how believers are unified and empowered through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.

the holy spirit offers comfort after the ascension

There’s no doubt that the crucifixion and burial of Jesus was heartbreaking for his closest friends and followers; in addition, I would imagine His ascension into Heaven was bittersweet. Their Master would be entering Heaven once more to join the Father, but they would be left with a void here on earth. God recognized the loneliness and weakness believers would experience without the physical presence of the Messiah, so he sent the Holy Spirit to continue His relationship with us. Jesus comforted the disciples’ anxiety about his departure with these words:

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”

Acts 1:7-8 (NLT)

What a comfort it still is to know that we are never abandoned by our Savior. He is not only available through our prayers, but daily we can experience his power through the Spirit.

the holy spirit fulfills prophecy

When the Holy Spirit entered the followers of Christ at Pentecost, people around them were skeptical, to say the least. Their speaking in tongues led critics to blame drunkenness, but Peter, the rock of the Church, stepped up quickly to hush the cynicism with God’s word from the Old Testament:

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
” ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 2:14-21 (NLT)

the holy spirit works through believers to save men

As the disciples followed Christ during his three-year ministry, they saw numerous miracles. Jesus often healed the ill and raised the dead, but the most remarkable power was the ability to save souls from sin. It’s a task only God is big enough to do; however, God’s Holy Spirit works within believers to use us as instruments in leading others to salvation through Jesus. What an amazing responsibility we have to be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice in our lives. The disciples witnessed thousands begin to follow Jesus; we can, too.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Acts 2:38-41 (NLT)

the holy spirit encourages unity

God never intended His people to rely on the government or charitable organizations to meet their needs; He expected believers to be so unified in the Holy Spirit that they work together so that all physical needs were met, and individuals could spend their time glorifying and testifying about God instead of worrying about circumstances. What a world we would have if our church began to live like these early believers, still trusting in the promptings of the Holy Spirit. What brotherhood they must have known!

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2: 42-47.

The life of the disciples and the start of the early church is not a Christian fairy tale. It’s the reality of what God can do when his people accept and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.