Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.

John 20:30-31

This is the essential message of the Bible. We have a God who is faithful. He sent his son to give us life. Not just to “pay the price” that would put us in right standing so we could go about our business with impunity. This life is not “code” for the moment of salvation. It is life. Something we experience on an ongoing basis. And in a “hope for the future” basis.

Reading or hearing the stories of Jesus’ life and teaching, we are reminded about the authority of his voice. We are called to think about his healing touch and his love. We are shown a Jesus who is not just lovey-dovey; he is capable of emotionally charged tears, of a spirit that is jealous for what is right. He is more than a soothing voice. He is frequently direct, pointing out sin in those who try to deny it. Sometimes he uses irony and sarcasm to let the hearer dwell on his words until they realize their error. He isn’t always the “mild” character we learned about in Sunday School. And that is a good thing!

Throughout the pages of Scripture, we are shown Jesus. From the law to the prophets, far-flung history and the gospel accounts, even letters to churches with real problems, we see Jesus lifted up as God’s answer to sin and a broken world. He has come to give us life. Not to right us then send us on our way – but to be with us. Not just an inspirational figure, but the source of our strength.

So we return to Scripture again and again. What have you read or learned about the Father, Son or Spirit lately? How has reading and meditating on the message challenged what you know and understand about God’s character and activity?

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

This tool is not given in a vacuum. Our understanding of what Scripture teaches is given in community, and through the presence of the Spirit. God’s word is not a matter for “private” interpretation. There is this urge to treat the words of the Bible as a sort of divining rod – flip to a random page and point, and God will “reveal” his will. But this treatment of revelation is hollow. Often, we find the stories and messages of Scripture difficult. It isn’t all pithy sayings and one-liners. It is the hard-fought for experiences of men and women through the ages, trying to grasp who they were and who God is.

While many Christians can quote 2 Timothy 3:16, maybe even 17, it is easy to overlook the context. We can reduce these verse to a comforting declaration of God’s provision of a clear message. But when we look in context, we find something much richer; something that in no way weakens our confidence, but rather sets it in perspective.

If we look at what leads Paul to make this statement about the worth of Scripture, we see him telling Timothy the following:

• you know what I teach and how I live
• you have seen how those who follow God suffer persecution
• you know evil impostors will flourish, deceiving who they may
• you must remain faithful to what you have been taught, with confidence based on who it is who taught you

Scripture was something that would be learned in community! If all you have at your disposal is your own understanding and mental agility, then you will find the Bible something hard as rock. It requires humility and patience. It demands us learn together, gaining from the insights each is provided through the Spirit, but also from the insights of those who have come before us.

What book of the Bible poses the most difficulty in understanding and applying it to your life? What resources have you sought out in order to better understand God’s message in that book? Whose insight have you sought? How could the experiences of others shape your understanding of this book?

]]> http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2010/09/02/fully-equipped/feed/ 0 http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2010/09/01/hidden-2/ http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2010/09/01/hidden-2/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:58 +0000 lapn http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/?p=1517 We don’t do it very often anymore, but there was a time when my children were younger when they often asked if we could play a game of “Hide and Seek.”  There was just something exciting about finding a place somewhere in the house, or even the yard, to take cover and try to remain hidden from the “seeker.”  Truth be told, I actually always enjoyed playing the game myself, even as an adult.  There is something inherently exciting about finding just the right spot to conceal yourself to evade discovery for as long as possible.   I remember once when my children were very young that one of them was the “seeker” and myself and the other child were the “hiders.”  I had found the perfect spot for my little child to hide to evade his sibling…the dryer! (Don’t call child services, I didn’t close the door or turn on the machine!)  I helped him inside and closed the door just far enough that it was still ajar, but not obviously wide open.  When we heard the “ready or not, here I come,” we knew this would be a hard one!  His brother searched and searched all over the house for him, all the while he was remaining completely silent, cozy inside the dryer.  Finally, the seeking came to an end as his brother said, “Come out wherever you are, I give up!”  When my youngest child emerged from the dryer, my oldest child stood in disbelief!  He had walked by the dryer several times and never thought to look inside.  It was the perfect hiding spot!

When it comes to Bible intake, the perfect hiding spot for Scripture is in our hearts!  Psalm 119:9-11 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your word.  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!  Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

So powerful is the Word of God that it can actually keep us from sinning, if we employ it!  When believers hide Scripture in their hearts by hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and applying it to their lives, they are insulating themselves against the pressures of temptation and discouragement.  Often, people give into the lure of temptation or fear or doubt because their hearts and minds are not focused on God and His revelation of Himself through His Word.  Believers should know in their hearts what the Bible says so that they can stand up to temptation and not sin against God.

Being tempted is not a sin, but giving in to temptation is.  In Matthew 4, after being in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus was physically weakened and hungry.  At that point, Satan came and suggested that Jesus turn stones into bread.  Under most circumstances, eating bread would be fine, but for Jesus to have followed Satan’s directive by using His power for such a self-serving purpose would have been sinful.  Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations with the Word of God.  While Satan was twisting Scripture in order to justify sin, Jesus was using Scripture correctly in order to resist Satan and sin.  God’s Word, correctly interpreted and hidden in our hearts, is our best weapon against Satan’s craftiest schemes.

Why not take a few moments right now to memorize a little more of God’s Word, to add to your arsenal against Satan?  Psalm 119:9-11 would be a great place to start!

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Most people know verse 4, though they likely know it from Jesus’ use of it in the gospels, and not its place in Israel’s law. They can quote it – heart, soul, mind, strength, etc. But fewer continue on till the end of verse 9, and those who do often get caught stuck in the weeds at verses 8 and 9 which suggest that those who worship God should even bind his instructions to the hands and foreheads!

But we need not fall into this trap. We come to this passage and recognize how important God’s commands are to the life of a believer. God’s words, handed down through time, are so important that we should be repeating them to our children at every opportunity. Whether at home doing the normal routine, or on a trip which breaks the routine, and to open and close the day. They are to be stuck to us like glue, ever present in and on our person and our homes.

The Scriptures have been given to us as a means of experiencing who God is, and knowing who we are. We need to scour them, to meditate on them, to share them with one another. We need to take them as our own. They help us to know what is pure and acceptable in God’s eyes. They remind us of the consequences of sin, and the hope we have from a God of promises. They teach us wisdom and connect us with generations who have stood humbly before God and endured the shame of the cross.

We must drink in God’s word at every stop, whether it comes through oral or written means. We cannot produce fruit without the word planted and growing. And we cannot just pick a few verses, a few books, that we really enjoy and continually focus on them. We must lay all of God’s word before us that we might know him more fully. That means going beyond the “Love chapter” or John 3:16 -  inspiring and powerful as they are – and digging into the overlooked and sometimes even maligned bits, such as the hard sayings of the law, the imprecatory prayers of the psalms, and even the spectacular symbolism of apocalypse. But if we will dig deep, and allow the Spirit to speak through the words, we will know our deliverer like never before; know him, not just about him.

Be prepared  to experience God as he is, and not as you’d like him to be!

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered,”

Matthew 4:1-4

You are probably familiar with this passage to some degree and you might know that Jesus didn’t fall to the temptations that Satan presented. Yes, this passage is the biblical stories of fulfillment of prophesy of the spotless lamb sacrificed. But the application for us in this passage comes in the first few words in Jesus’ response to Satan.

“He answered, ‘It is written,’”

Matthew 4:4

Jesus is the Son of God; he has existed from before time. He, in just a short while from this point, will teach authoritatively on the provision of God (Matthew 6:25-34). Jesus would have no problem responding to Satan’s proposition with just his understanding of who God is and his experience with God providing for him up to this moment in time. Jesus didn’t need to argue with Satan. Both Jesus and Satan know that the scriptures are Truth and Satan was trying to distract Jesus from his fasting that was helping Jesus focus and depend on God. There was no refuting when Jesus responded with scripture. The best Satan had was to try a different temptation.

“(Satan) said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Matthew 4:6

Satan believes fully that the Word of God is Truth. Satan will quote it as he did to Jesus. It was through understanding and study of the scriptures that Jesus knew that Satan was misleading him. The bible isn’t an instruction book; it is more like a map to the heart of God. Jesus knows the heart of God and was not fooled when Satan was using as a tool to cause him to stumble. Jesus is aware that testing God isn’t to his glory, but trusting God is to God’s glory. Jesus didn’t make this argument; again he quoted God’s written scripture. Jesus quoted it because it is Truth and it is final. Again when exposed to the light of God’s written Truth Satan’s lies lose all strength.

It is also worth mentioning what is not in the passage. It does not say that Jesus unrolled the parchment and showed Satan where it was written. Jesus didn’t say “I think it says…” Jesus quoted the scripture. He has it memorized.

Just like Jesus we are tempted, and usually in our weakness. I am usually tempted when I’m not sitting with my bible open in front of me. It is with the Word of God dripping off our tongue that we are able to use it as a sword to fend off temptations. Our swords are useless on our bookshelves at home or in the trunk of our car when we are being tempted to gossip around the water cooler at work or respond in anger to the driver who just cut us off. Resisting Satan’s lies when God’s Truth is in our mouth and in our heart becomes significantly easier and ultimately is glorifying to God.

Thankfully my high school experience allowed me to begin truly experiencing that.  By God’s grace and my parent’s determination to provide our family with that elusive sense of stability, I was able to attend all four years of high school at the same place!  Like rain quenching the sands of an arid dessert, my heart began to soak in all the joy and peace of finding a place to belong, a group of friends with whom I could actually build long-term memories with and simply experience the wonders of doing life together.  I began developing deep friendships with classmates and even got to know my teachers well.  Returning to the same faces and bonds for a second and third year in a row was something I had only dreamed about before.  I remember fearing that it was going to come to an end, because this is what I had always wanted but had never gotten to experience.  It was a comfort unlike I had ever known before, being among people whom I had grown to love and whom I knew truly loved me.

On the day that I tossed my mortar board into the air with all those friends I had come to cherish so dearly, I took a mental snapshot that I still carry in my mind to this day.  It is a picture of a community of people who navigated the highs and lows of life together, laughed with each other, prayed with each other, cried with each other, and served with each other.  It is a photo of a group of people who supported one another and each member of that group was better off and blessed for having been a part of the joint experience.

Last year I attended my 20th reunion.  There were some people there whom I’ve kept in touch with over the years through e-mail and phone calls and facebook.  There were others, however, that I don’t think I’d seen since graduation day.  But, because of the bond we built during those crazy and awesome days in the late 80′s, we were able to pick up right where we had left off.  The sense of community was as strong and real as it ever was, and each of us knew it.

One detail I didn’t mention earlier about this community in which I exist is that it centers around Jesus Christ.  You see, I was blessed to attend a Christian High School, where our bonds were forged not just in the halls and classrooms of a building, or on the courts of the gymnasium, but in the soil of God’s Word and truth.  I wholeheartedly believe that the primary reason this community I’ve told you about thrives is because it is built on a foundation that is unshifting, and that is the love of almighty God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 talks about the Body of Christ.  And that is exactly what this community was, and is.  We exist not only as friends, but as members of the very Body of Christ.  Each of us are individual people, but we co-exist as joint members of a larger whole.  Some of us are pastors, some of us are teachers, some are bankers and missionaries on the other side of the world.  Others are homemakers or plant managers.  But regardless of our various jobs, we all find ourselves on earth to serve the same purpose, and that is to live in community, loving one another and loving God!  And there is no greater joy known to anyone in this life.

Since high school, I’ve gone on to become a part of other communities as well, each of them eternally significant as well.  The bonds I made with numerous Christ-followers in college still thrive to this day.  I still do life together with several of them, whether they live nearby or distant.  And then there is my church family, a bond which nearly defies description.  It is one of those blessings you almost have to personally experience to fully comprehend.  And even in the midst of it, I struggle to fully comprehend it at times.  My church family, my small group, and my closest brothers and sisters in Christ are a community that are virtually as necessary to my life as food and oxygen.  I interact with them everyday, numerous times a day.  We are literally the living, breathing hands and arms and feet and heart of Jesus to one another, which is the way God designed community to work.  And that is something we all long for and need, no matter how old we are.  I didn’t outgrow my need for community once I got my diploma.  In fact, I will never outgrow that need.  Living in community is something I look forward to enjoying for all of eternity, as I eventually move from doing it on earth to doing it in heaven.

Do you find yourself in a community such as I’ve described?  Have you found that sense of belonging among men and women who know, love, and follow Jesus?  Other communities will try to substitute for this greatest of connections, but nothing even comes close.  If you’re in such a community, wonderful!  Keep making it a priority and investing in it.  If you’re not in a community such as this, please know that you are welcome to join ours at The Mount.  We truly invite you with open arms!  There is always room for more in the Body of Christ.  And, if you don’t live in this area, no worries!  The Body of Christ exists all over the globe, and as you pray and seek God’s guidance in finding one, He will lead you “home!”

“Bill, it’s time to take a shower. You don’t want to oversleep again.”

“Um, Jill, I think you’ve had enough coffee…”

“Ted, I think we should talk for half an hour before you jump on that computer.”

“Sarah, don’t you think that guy over there could use a hand? Better get over there quick.”

To be honest, I wonder if it would only make our discomfort at doing God’s will more apparent. Often enough we just question whether we have really heard God, discounting his voice as a sore stomach, a daydream, etc. There would be no hiding behind our last meal if we all heard God speak to us loud and clear.

“Everything that is now hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this the more you will understand – and even more, besides. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.”

Mark 4:22-25

The “habits” that we call spiritual disciplines help us to be receptive to God’s voice, and that makes them powerful. For instance, the practice of prayer reminds us that God is not only willing to speak, but willing to act. It also helps us to stop – to put away the static and distraction that keeps us from hearing God’s voice. The practice of fasting can free us from the normal routine and and make us ready, heart, mind and body, to respond in a new way. Finding just the right place to worship (whether near or far away) might be a powerful agent in allowing the Holy Spirit to speak in a way that alters life as you know it.

We make it a habit to try to divorce the “real” and “natural” from the “spiritual”. This is an unfortunate by-product of the age we live in. But it is not the way God looks at the world. He created it, and considers it important – valuable and useful. We often approach prayer in this way: “I can pray anywhere, since God is always available.” And this is true. But you may find that God provides a certain environment that helps you to focus on Him better. That reminds you of his love or power. That is nothing to sneer at, and we ought to take full advantage of the way we have been made! We may be accurate when we think, “God does not care the posture of my prayer, but the heart behind it.” But it is amazing how the body can respond differently to prayer or scripture reading when it is done sitting, laying down, kneeling, at the computer, eyes closed, eyes open… No, there is no magic formula for godly “reception”. But we must not discount the way we worship and respond and listen for God with our bodies. We are both physical and spiritual beings.

So we see these two together. Spiritual habits help us learn to be receptive. Spiritual disciplines are not just spiritual activities though, they are deeply physical, and require us to place our whole body before our Lord. That is the way we will be receptive and begin to hear his voice more clearly. They are “practice” or “exercise” and require customization for each of us to have the effect God desires. They require commitment over time if we are to see results. And they themselves do not produce the results, but provide the opportunity for the Spirit to work in us.

God is calling us to place our entire being before him, and Lord-willing, that is what we will do.

God’s word is clear on a few things, temptation is not sin (James 1:15), temptation will always be with us (James 1:13), and when we are tempted there will be a way out from sinning (1 Corinthians 10:13). As believers and followers we must accept that we will be tempted and that we must resist the temptation. We must be honest and realistic and know that we will experience failure occasionally in this resistance. God has given us a great many resources to navigate this fallen world the most of which is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but also include His scriptures. Spiritual discipline is the way out of temptation that God has promised.

Discipline usually carries the connotation of punishment, but discipline is the natural precondition for discipleship and discipleship is the call of Christ through salvation. Since sin is valuing something else more than Christ it is vital to resist and conquer temptations to maintain a discipleship relationship with Christ. We must learn and practice spiritual disciplines for resisting temptations.

Scripture urges us to flee from sin as a means of resisting temptation as we know Joseph did when being seduced by Potiphar’s wife. This is not possible when presented with temptations of the mind or motivation. Physically running from the temptation of pride or lust is absurd. God gave us the scripture which He calls “shoes for your feet” Ephesians 6:15. Reading, knowledge, memory of scripture is the discipline that allows us to take these tempting thoughts captive (2 Cor 10:5) and discharge them from our minds. It is the word of God that allows us to resist temptation by outrunning sin.

Prayer against temptation was taught by Jesus Christ himself. It was so important that He taught it in what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer. The easiest and most powerful way to resist temptation is to avoid it. When we apply the discipline of prayer to avoid temptation we are aware that temptation it is not more powerful than the strength given to us by Christ to resist it. We also know that know that God allowed that specific temptation in our life so that He may be glorified through us depending on Him to resist sin.

It is the discipline of worship and praise that allow us to refocus on our heavenly treasure. Temptation is weak compared to the power of worship. When we turn our complete focus on Christ we are unmistakably telling Him that He is more valuable to us than anything this world can offer.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Don’t forget to pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities…

Colossians 3:16-17; 4:2-3

If you’re reading this, the great likelihood is that it is because you are someone who has an online social network. You can interact with friends and acquaintances online. You are daily blasted with status updates, or requests for some sort of interaction.You are fed links to blogs you can read so that you can know the latest thoughts of whoever. With such ready access to “community”, you’d think that we had finally done away with loneliness.

Sadly, no. We just painted a pretty face on it.

Most of this online interaction is trivial. It is surface. Not that you should share your most intimate questions and heart-felt joy and pain with the masses! But it is easy to spend all our time online, not ever really communicating from our heart, and get to the end of the day thinking we can check off the box for contact, for community. The truth is that with all the technology and instant updates and feeds, we are still desperate for meaningful interaction and connections.

A commitment to spiritual disciplines is no guarantee that you will build community and interaction into your life. You can fill your schedule with “spiritual” things and still manage to avoid speaking with God and living in fellowship with God’s people.  But spiritual disciplines are a medium through which we can share our heart with God and with each other, and this makes them priceless. There is no reason for loneliness with our God. Jesus himself often demonstrated them in action.

Prayer is a wonderful discipline in this regard. Or more to the point, prayer is a wonderful habit for bringing us into deeper communion with God. We are repeatedly commanded to pray. Pray for workers. Pray for those who speak to have the right words. Pray for boldness. Pray that love will overflow. Prayer is the natural avenue for sharing what’s in our hearts with God. Not just the pretty and good stuff, but the real mix of life. We have been given access to the throne of Jesus for exactly this purpose.

But there are other habits that also help us share our hearts and minds with God, and sometimes even with each other. Worship is another spiritual discipline that helps us communicate what resides within. All too often we force ourselves to put on a face when God would have us come to him in honesty. We lie to one another to not inconvenience each other. This hurts everyone. And that should make clear that worship is also something that helps us to communicate with one another. It is an avenue for sharing our lives with one another. Giving is also a powerful communicator from our heart. That is, when it is more than just a concession. A heart that willingly sees themselves as stewards will find giving a discipline that speaks volumes in thanks and joy. And by sharing with each other, we build a community that demonstrates and shouts “love”.

Spiritual disciplines are not something commanded for their own sake. Usually, we are hard pressed to even find them “commanded” in Scripture. Certainly not in the scheduled way we usually think of them. Spiritual “habits” don’t make God love or accept us more. They don’t win his approval on our lives and intentions. These habits are instead the way we respond wholeheartedly to the love God has shown. We build opportunities into the fabric of life for us to share with him. And we build into our lives bridges we may use to share with each other.

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. And you won’t spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

1 Peter 4:1-2