Devotionals @ The Mount Church

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, `From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37-39

In these tough economic times, coupled with everyday stresses we sometimes face at work and school, we as Christians can lay claim to an endless source of encouragement exclusive to us. It should not only help us more easily deal with problems difficult times, but it will help us be encouragers to those around us.

Since we live on the other side of the cross, we have the assurance that Christ, indeed, sacrificed himself for us, rose from the dead, and conquered sin and death. We can now know what it is like to have the Holy Spirit living inside us.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

John 14:16-17

As the time drew near to Jesus’ eventual trial and execution on the cross, one can imagine that the disciples and those close to Jesus were fearful of Christ leaving them because of the possible persecution they may face. But Christ said to them, as he says to us: he will not leave us as “orphans,” but will come and abide in us, helping us daily to understand and know Him more through his Spirit.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

John 14:27-28

Thus, we should be encouraged in knowing that, as Christians, we are recipients God’s eternal peace. But not only does the Holy Spirit serve as our helper and comforter, he is what the Bible calls our “seal” or “pledge.” The Spirit is like a badge of honor, our spiritual litmus test, our proof positive that we truly belong to the Father. He is also our guarantee of not only future blessings in this life — because Christ abides in us and seeks us to live fruitful lives for him — but an assurance of our eternal security locked away and secure in him. Some of the blessings bestowed upon us through the Holy Spirit are found in these passages.

application

Read through these passages: Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 3:16, and Romans 15:13.

Today, as you continue your work week or school week, take a minute and be reminded that within you abides the very helper Christ spoke about in the Gospels. Within you resides a Spirit able and willing to fill you up with abundantly flowing joy and peace in the midst of the troubled world around you. Thank Him for what he has already done in your life and what he will do in the future as you continue your walk, trusting in Him daily for your sustenance and for your life.

Read through Ephesians 2:11-22

During the One Prayer series this summer, we at The Mount learned about what it might look like if, not only individual churches were unified to the singular purpose of reaching the world for Christ, but if the Church as a whole were unified for that purpose.

In this passage, we read from Paul that, indeed, Christ has already broken down the dividing line that separates people. Here, Paul is literally referring to the traditional division in biblical times between Gentiles and Jews. But in verse 21, Paul envisions the kind of church oneness referred to in the summer series.

If we allow him, Satan will put in front of us numerous points of possible contention, which may serve only to divide and drum up hostility. Some of them include: race, political affilation and differences in biblical doctrine.

But a church body fully devoted to emulating Christ, both personally and corporately, won’t fall prey to such designs, for our designer has set in motion a bright, multi-faceted world of people enveloped under his governance so that, regardless of international conflict, disease or personal strife, we have the assurance in knowing he is, not just the bringer of peace, but peace itself.

For he himself is our peace who has made the two (Jews and Gentiles) one, and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.

Ephesians 2:14-15

Thus, in the midst of personal trials or difficulties in relationships, we should pray, not that Christ would give us strength and peace, but that he would BE our strength and peace.

One of the most stark images of peace and tranquility in the midst of trials is found in Psalm 42, where David writes:

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

And in verse 5, we read:

Why are you so downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God

for I will yet praise him, my Savior, my God.

Throughout history, we find the God of the universe winnowing the good wheat from the bad, plucking out that which divides and raising up those who serve to unify his church. And when he returns, the entire world will know that the winnowing fork is, and always has been, in his hands. Ultimately, we will some day be fully one church, unified with him in Glory.

For now, take heart in knowing that, if you feel fractured inside, if your relationships are a mess or if you feel incomplete, Jesus seeks to make you whole. He can truly be your strength and your peace if you will let him work in you.

application

Read through the rest of Psalm 42 and praise him for the work he is about to do in your life.

Read through Colossians 3:1-17

Resting place, four-square city

Resting place, heavenly shore

Resting place, land of beauty

Where we’ll rest forever more.

When she was alive, my grandmother loved to hear my dad sing this Southern gospel song called, “Resting Place.” She always said it was her favorite. So, when my grandmother died a few months ago, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and other ailments, he sang the song at her funeral because he knew that’s what she would have wanted.

While the song is about our eternal resting place in heaven, did you know we have a resting place here on earth?

This powerful passage in Colossians speaks of just that sort of peace we find in Christ. As verse 1 says:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (NIV).

Knowing that our lives are “hidden with Christ” is a fascinating picture of our eternal security. We no longer have to worry about either our eternal destiny or our fate while in this life. We are hidden with Christ so that Satan can’t get to us. This should give us comfort. Because we belong to God, evil no longer has sway over our lives. The keys of sin and death are now firmly in our savior’s hands. Thus, evil has been stripped of its power over us. As poet John Milton portrays him in “Paradise Lost,” Satan is a defeated foe. He is hobbled and impotent, shining no longer as he once did.

With that knowledge, we also are to strip off our earthly passions and desires, replacing them with that which is godly, detailed in verse 12-14 of this passage.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

As children of God, we are not only called to display the characteristics of God, but to conduct our lives in an attitude of peace toward those with whom we come in contact. As Christ supplies us with an eternal peace, secure both now and forever in him, so should we exude this sense of unfathomable security that has been extended to us with the rest of the world.

application

Read over Psalm 29 and thank God, both for his mighty power over this earth, and for the calming peace he brings to his people’s hearts and lives.

We did not follow cleverly invent stories where we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my won, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came down from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

2 Peter 16-18 (NIV)

Much has been said and spoken about the literally thousands of references in the Old Testament to the coming of Jesus. Those Old Testament prophets had a word from God about what was to come, and their accuracy in prophetically portraying the events of the Gospels is both remarkable and awe-inspiring. So much so that their inspiration could have only come from God himself.

Thus, as Simon Peter writes here in 2 Peter, false teachers and prophets were attempting to infiltrate the church. Throughout this short book, Peter is encouraging us to remain strong in our faith and knowledge of Jesus as the risen Lord.

In the Gospels, we find exactly the omniscient knowledge through Jesus as was given to the Old Testament prophets, further testifying to the fact that Christ is, indeed, God in the flesh. Most notably, we find Christ in the book of John accurately and without hesitation, pointing out that, not only would Judas betray him, but Peter, who would go on to author the God-inspired account later in the New Testament.

Jesus was not just a prophet of short-term events. As revealed in John 14:6, Jesus is the gatekeeper of truth itself, and in him, there is life. Again in Revelation, as Jesus reveals himself to John the Revelator, Jesus is the embodiment of everything that was, is, and is to come.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God. “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8 (NIV)

Through John, we find a savior who is the source of the Old Testament prophecies, the source of life, the conqueror of sin and death, the source of the New Earth to come, and truth itself. Like the root system of a 200-year-old oak tree, he is the origination of all things, and through him, our lives and eternally are secure.

application

Be encouraged today as you start the week, that even before the long and often-sundry events of the Bible began to unfold, you were on his mind. Be encouraged and know that his truth is everlasting and without blemish or flaw. Be still right where you are and know that you are secure in him.

But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.

Psalm 103:17-18 (NAS)

Did you know that as a child of God, your inheritance in His kingdom is secure? As this verse says, “the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.”

For those who have entrusted their lives with Jesus and sharpened their focus on living for Him, questions of eternity have already been answered. While the world flounders in spiritual uncertainty, the Bible says you no longer have to. Living for Jesus means one no longer has to wonder, “Am I going to heaven,” or “Will I ever attain peace, hope, and love?” Right now, wherever you are, at work, at home or at school,  those elements, through the Holy Spirit living through you, are at your grasp. In fact, the entire gamut of Christ-centered traits found in Galatians 5:22 are freely available and should be displayed through you as you walk with Christ.

As Galatians 5:24 says:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV)

Thus, not only is your eternal destiny secure, but as a believer, you have been infused with a set of Christ-like qualities that provide a benchmark to knowing that you truly belong. For, not only does the fruit of the Spirit displayed in you show the world that you are a child of God, but those nine traits provide more fulfillment and happiness than anything the world claims will bring peace and contentment.

We know, however, that despite the presence of the qualities, this life is far from being a cakewalk. Trials, temptations, sickness and heartache are natural parts of our human existence. For non-believers, that’s where it stops. But for Christians, the hope we find in Christ transcends our own carnality.

Early Christians, as well as anyone, understood this truth and gave us remarkable examples of how to steadfastly keep our eyes on Jesus in the midst of, and in spite of, persecution, trials, and personal tragedy. Peter, speaking on this kind of hope in Christ, tells us this in 1 Peter 1:3-5.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NAS)

“In the Bible, hope is not wishful thinking,” according to a scriptural note in the NIV Study Bible, “but a firm conviction, much like faith, that is directed toward the future.”

application

Whereever you are today, there are your office desk or reading at home, take a minute of silence with God and be encouraged that your eternal security is firmly in his hands. Thank Him today for his gift of grace and salvation and for the hope in Christ to endure in the face of trials, throwing off our earthly passions and desires, deeply fixated on his peace, hope, and love.