Devotionals @ The Mount Church

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

by Stuart Townend, Copyright:© 1995 Thankyou Music

Lord, we pray that we might understand your love for us.

How can we understand the love of God for us, His children? CAN we? Is it even possible? It almost seems to vast for us to comprehend. If you think about the unconditional love that your own parents had for you, or the selfless love you show to your own children, you may be able to start to try to grasp the idea a little better. The sacrifices: time, money effort… all that you do and give. All that was done and given to you. The joy, and the disappointment; and the continued heart of love throughout it all.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

When someone loves us so deeply and so vastly, as in the song “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” we may have all sorts of different feelings, different emotions, different realizations. I’m a wretch. I am ashamed. I am a scoffer. I am a sinner. I am not worthy. But look what God has done for us - the ultimate sacrifice made for us by His son. Only someone who loves us with a love that knows no limits would do what has been accomplished for us. He sees the worth in us.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

Read Galatians 5:15. Think about how this applies to our church specifically right now. Consider how this passage also reflects Christ’s church as a whole worldwide.

Now read Galatians 5:16-21. Does any of that sound like you, the life you are leading, the heart and soul you project? If so, how can the love of God be reflected through you and from you toward others? What can you do to try to change your heart, to put on more of a Christ-like attitude?

Verses 22- 26 list the “fruits of the spirit.” Test yourself. Humbly reflect and meditate upon each individual “fruit.” Pray that God may strengthen you in each of these areas, particularly your personal areas of weakness.

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:20-23

I have to give my cat a pill. Every day. If you’ve never tried to give a pill to a cat, let me tell you: cats do not wish to take pills. But, I am almost one of those crazy cat ladies and I love my cat. I know it is for his own good and I buck up and do what I have to do to make sure he gets the medication he needs. It’s not like giving a pill to a dog - tricking them by sticking it in a piece of cheese or hot dog or something. The cat isn’t falling for that. He knows. It’s been a few months now that I’ve been having to do this, and over the course of time I’ve figured out some tricks to get it done. Sometimes he senses me approaching and he’ll run and hide under the bed. After he gets his pills, he’s mad at me for a while. But before the evening is over he’s back in my lap, loving on me and has obviously forgiven me.

My cat was diagnosed with blood clots due to a heart condition. I have noticed that since I have been treating the heart problem, his health has improved in other ways. His fur seems to be softer, and he doesn’t seem to shed as much as he used to. He no longer seems to have stomach trouble, and his appetite has increased. Because of the changes made to his heart, his general overall health has changed for the better.

How the heart goes, so goes the rest of the body. when my mother was ill and her heart was failing, other things began to fail as well. She began to have problems with her lungs, her eyes and mouth, her feet and ankles. When your heart isn’t working properly, nothing else functions properly either.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45

Before I became a Christian - before I accepted Christ into my heart, it was as if my life wasn’t functioning properly. I felt lost, without direction and guidance, and I felt a void. My heart wasn’t in the right place, and I was not right with the Lord. Aspects of my world were failing, and i was alone and didn’t know how to deal with it. But then I made a diagnosis: I needed salvation. The daily dose I need to take? Prayer and Bible reading. Every day - so that I can know what is true, and I won’t be fooled into thinking I’m getting a hot dog or cheese - something phony, untrue, theologically unsound and incorrect.

Sometimes when I sense God approaching to work in painful areas of my life, I want to go and run away and hide under the bed. I don’t want to take the medicine that He knows I need, that is for my own good - He’s gotta do what He’s gotta do. And it has happened that after I’ve received a dose, well, I might not be all that happy about it. But I have to trust in the Lord that He loves me and that I should give thanks in and for all things. My cat doesn’t understand the reason behind why I’m so “mean”, grabbing him and forcing this nasty pill down his gullet. And me in my humanness, I don’t often understand God’s reasons why I have to experience pain, hardships, struggles, and difficult situations. but it is all about the process of overall change in my life - and if I believe in Him, I should know that he works all things for the good. And because I know that, I love Him.

to consider

Think of a time when you felt God was giving you and unpleasant dose of medicine - a difficult time period or situation. Looking back, do you feel this experience changed you for the better overall?

Have you been treating your spiritual maladies every day, with quiet times of prayer and reading of God’s word?

prayer

Lord, hear our prayers. We come to you expectantly. By faith we know that when we come to you, you hear us. When we ask, we shall receive. We trust that when we prayerfully, humbly ask you to come into our lives and work for change, we can expect change - more, and different than we could ever imagine. Heal our hearts - strengthen our spirits. Unite us with the common desire for changed lives.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17