Month: March 2016

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Raised from the Ashes: Lent – Day 21

 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”

Psalm 42:5

Read Psalm 42

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

Silence Is Golden

Silence isn’t always a bad thing, though in a world that is constantly moving and seemingly never sleeps, it’s sometimes a rare thing. If you’re a busy mother with little kids running around the house all day, you may even long for silence. However, when silence comes to us in our relationship with God, it is often misunderstood. When spiritual silence falls upon us we are quick to assume God isn’t listening. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

In Psalm 42, the Psalmist is experiencing the silence of God. He isn’t feeling God’s presence and as a result his soul is feeling despair. His opening words speak of how much he longs for God’s presence, as much as a thirsty deer longs for a cool drink. It’s in that moment of despair, he asks himself the right question – why? “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?”

Don’t Stay In Despair

Despair is a natural human emotion, however, it’s not one we are meant to dwell in. In his despair and believing God to be silent, the psalmist actually hears from God; it is God who reminds his spirit that he will have hope again. He remembers the faithfulness of God. He knows God will not leave him alone forever.

God never leaves us alone. His promise from of old is that He will never leave or forsake us. When we feel alone, and despair that God is not with us, it is because of one of two reasons. First, God has not moved, we have. We have allowed ourselves to be drawn away form God by the world. Second, God’s silence can mean that He has a greater purpose for us, but we aren’t ready to hear it. Either way, God’s faithfulness is reminding us to hope in Him, even when that hope seems delayed.

God is always speaking to us, if we will stop and listen. Lent is a great time for listening to God, a time to slow down the busyness of our lives and meditate on Him and His Word. God’s Word is filled with what His Spirit wants to say to us, but like the children of Israel were not ready, so to0 we are not always ready to hear it.

Listen Through the Silence

“The Sound of Silence”, was a hit song in 1964 by the pop artists Simon and Garfunkel. The song had a kind of prophetic warning to it about the real nature of silence. The last verse says:

“The words of the prophets

 Are written on the subway walls

 And tenement halls

 And whispered in the sounds of silence

Silence isn’t always bad. In fact, sometimes it’s golden. Silence can be God’s chosen way of communicating with us. Sometimes we need silence to remind us to wait on God. Let’s face it, we can tend to get in a hurry and do things our own way.

I hope you’re finding times of intentional silence this Lent so that you can concentrate on God. But, if you’re silence is not intentional, if you’re feeling despair, and that God is silent with you…remember His promises. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will always – raise you from the ashes.

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6

 

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Raised from the Ashes: Lent Day – 20

 

“2 If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if one loves God, one is known by him.”

 

 

1 Cor. 8:2-3

Read Cor. 8:1-13

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

 

The Real Goal of Lent

Here, in St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians, we have the essence of our life in Christ. We are never as good and holy as we should be, and if we think we are, we have a long way to go. Holiness is best understood as an understanding of ourselves in proper relationship to God. The closer we get to Him, the less holy we feel. Or, as St. Paul says here, the more knowledge we think we have, the less we actually know.

Today we mark the mid-way point through Lent. By now, your choices for fasting and self-denial have probably become somewhat of a challenge to keep. I know yesterday I wanted something that I gave up so badly, my mind began to rationalize how it would be okay if I gave in just this once. At that point, I realized I was not growing closer to Jesus, but away from Him. I want to here His voice tell me, “I can do this”, not my voice saying, “I can’t do this.”

You see, we don’t grow closer to Jesus by giving up foods. Paul tells us in verse 8 that, “food will not commend us to God”; neither the eating nor abstaining is in itself holy. The heart is always what matters. God isn’t interested in our starving ourselves. However, He is interested in our learning to lay aside our own desires, for what He desires for us.

It’s All About Control

If, with the help of the Spirit, I cannot overcome my desire for a food I’ve vowed to God to deny myself for a time, how can I possibly avoid the greater temptations to sin? Food isn’t the issue; it’s all about what or who controls us. The church calls us to seasons of fasting, as during Lent, that through such disciplines we learn to hear the voice of God’s Spirit shaping our desires, rather than our own

During Lent we learn to know ourselves better. Our goal and our hope is that we discover our weaknesses, and in the process allow the Holy Spirit to mold us more and more in Christ’s likeness. In the process of such testing and learning, we can take comfort in the knowledge that the one who knows us best, loves us. And, His love isn’t conditioned on our response, or our passing the test of Lent perfectly. Rather, God’s love is with us no matter what. Whether we feel this Lent we are soaring with eagles, or if we feel we’ve already crashed and burned…He is always faithful to raise us from the ashes.

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6

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Raised from the Ashes: Lent – Day 19

 

“5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief…”

 

Mark 6:5-6

Read Mark 1-13

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

 

 

Shazam Faith?

 

Marvel, what an intriguing word. It seems we seldom use it anymore except when talking about super heroes, comic books and movies. When I was a kid, one of my favorite super heroes was Captain Marvel, aka “Shazam”. He was the altar ego of a boy named Billy Batson. All Billy had to do was say the magic word “Shazam”, and he would turn in to Captain Marvel, a man of super human strength, speed and ability. Sometimes, we live out our faith with a “Shazam” Prayer life. We think we can just say a magic word and, “Shazam”, Jesus will do what we need.

 

Many of us are guilty, (me included) of having a “Shazam” faith at some point in our lives. Sometimes, we think because we know God loves us and wants to do what’s best for us, we can just ask and receive. In fact, sadly there are churches that teach such a name it, claim it, “word of faith ability”. But, that is not a faith at which Jesus ‘marvels’. In fact, that’s a very shallow faith.

 

There are two times in the New Testament that it says Jesus “marveled” at someone’s faith. One was the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8. He was a foreigner and a pagan, but he saw the divine in Jesus, and placed his faith in Him for the healing of his servant. Jesus marveled at his faith, a stronger faith than He’d seen in all Israel. The second, is in today’s gospel. But, instead of at faith, Jesus marvels at the disbelief of those who’d known Him all His life.

 

Faith Is Always a Partnership

 

Faith is always a partnership with God. He doesn’t do for us, what we can do for ourselves. In his book, Beginning To Pray, Anthony Bloom, of blessed memory (Click  Here to order the book-a must for every believer!), makes a statement every Christian needs to understand if they are to mature to a faith at which Jesus can marvel. He said, “It is absolutely pointless to ask God for something which we ourselves are not prepared to do” (p. 64). Jesus is much more interested in making a miracle out of our lives, than in doing the miracle for us. He would rather give us the power to overcome our temptations, than to just take them away.

 

Many years, as Lent begins, it seems I begin the process of learning to become a miracle all over again. Over the rest of the year I fall down in many ways. I sometimes slip back into old habits in my prayers, just wanting God to do something for me…something I know He wants to do. But, I need to remember He wants to do it in and through me, not just for me.

What about you? Do you have a “Shazam” faith, or a faith at which Jesus marvels? When we allow God to make us the miracle, not just ask for the miracle, He marvels at our faith. Then…we are raised from the ashes.

 

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

 

Pastor Brad

 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6