DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 11.6.15

Clean Your Mind
�But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.� (Colossians 3:8-9)

 

Once the intense drives of the fleshly appetites have been �executed,� we who have been created after God �in righteousness and true holiness� (Ephesians 4:24) must cleanse the passions of the intellect as well.

 

The action required is that we must �place away from� or �throw away� these ideas that are begun in the mind. These notions are sinful and harmful to everyone.

• Anger (orge) is an agitation of the soul that generates an impulse, a desire, that produces a violent emotion.
• Wrath (thumos), as the word suggests, is intellectual heat, a boiling up that produces a fierce indignation.
• Malice (kakia) is the ill will that creates a desire to injure, even elimininating shame at breaking laws.
• Blasphemy (blasphemia), one of the few words directly transliterated from the Greek, means any slander or speech that is injurious to another�s good name.
• Filthy communication (aischrologia) is any kind of foul speaking or low and obscene speech.
• Lying (pseudomai) is any deliberate false information.

We are to put off the old man, that nature and behavior that was bound up in the flesh (Ephesians 4:22), and put on the new man �which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him� (Colossians 3:10).

 

Our salvation brings with it both a new heart and a new mind. With the one we are able to �mortify� the deeds of the flesh. With the other we are to put on �the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof� (Romans 13:14). HMM III

 

When the Bible Blows Your MindJohn Piper

The Bible teaches us to expect mental jolts when we think about God. It teaches us that our familiar ways of seeing things may be replaced. For example, it says, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). Or again, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).

One of the reasons (not the only one) that some people reject the biblical teaching of unconditional election is that it seems and feels to them out of sync with other teachings in the Bible - like the compassion of God for people or the moral accountability of people before God. It seems to many that God can't choose unconditionally to save some and not others and then also feel compassion for those he does not choose and hold them accountable for their sin.

The problem here is that our instinct or intuition for what is right or possible for God does not fit Scripture. And the danger is that we shape Scripture to fit our feelings.

The Scriptures teach that God chooses who will be saved before we are born or have done anything good or evil (Romans 9:10-12). "It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy" (Romans 9:16). The Scriptures also teach that we are responsible for the obedience of faith and will be judged if we are disobedient. "But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury" (Romans 2:8). We are chosen (or not chosen) unconditionally for salvation. And we are accountable for our faith (or unbelief).

As I said in my sermon on 12-8-02, I do not fully understand how God renders certain the belief of the elect and the unbelief of the non-elect. If you want to go deeper into this, I recommend Jonathan Edwards' book The Freedom of the Will. It is slow reading, but you will grow more from the effort than you can imagine.

To help you accustom yourself to living with such felt tensions (unconditional election and human accountability) consider two similar ones from the example of Christ.

First, we see Jesus weeping over Jerusalem because the things of the kingdom were "hidden from [their] eyes." But on the other hand we also hear Jesus say that God has "hidden these things."

Luke 19:41-42. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."
Luke 10:21. In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."

Second, we see Jesus feeling compassion for those who were sick - irrespective, it seems of their faith. On the other hand, we know from illustrations and teachings elsewhere in the Bible that God is finally and decisively in control of sickness. So we have Jesus feeling sorry for people who have sicknesses that God's wisdom has ordained (at least for a time).

Matthew 14:14. When [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Exodus 4:11. Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?"
1 Samuel 2:6. The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Implications: 1) Don't cancel one truth in the Bible because it feels out of sync with another. 2) Don't draw emotional or behavioral implications from God's sovereignty that contradict faith, compassion, accountability, prayer, evangelism, or hard work. On the contrary, consider Colossians 3:12 and let your unspeakably happy condition as "chosen, holy and loved" produce "compassion, kindness, humility and meekness."

When You Feel Desperate & Discouraged
CRYSTAL PAINE

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

I sunk into a heap on the floor in our little basement apartment.

"What am I supposed to do, God?" I cried aloud. "I’m so thankful for this baby, but I’m so sick with this pregnancy. And being so sick means I can’t work. How are we going to survive?"

 

I felt helpless and at the end of my rope. My morning-noon-and-night sickness had hung on for weeks, keeping me from working at the part-time jobs I had before I got pregnant.

While my husband was in school, our combined part-time jobs were keeping us afloat. Combining his part-time income and my part-time jobs, we were already barely making it. With the absence of my income, our finances suffered a huge blow — and so did my faith.

I’d always believed that God would provide, but it’s easy to believe that when things are going well and your income is steady. It’s a whole lot harder to believe that when you have bills piling up, and your income is dwindling.

Many days I felt desperate and in those moments, I began claiming the promises of God and praying them back to Him.

One particular promise I clung to was today’s key verse, Philippians 4:19: "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

As I cried out to God for help, the wheels began turning in my head and an idea was birthed in my heart. I realized maybe God’s supply was not coming in the way I thought it would. Instead, His supply arrived by giving me creative ideas He wanted me to be brave enough to step out and try.

While lying in bed feeling sick from my pregnancy, I began taking little steps to act on the ideas I couldn’t get out of my brain. I researched ways to make money online, I emailed other entrepreneurs, and my ideas started to become more concrete, even viable business plans.

It was really slow going at first, and there were days when I felt like I’d never be able to figure out how to successfully earn money from home. But I didn’t give up!

I clung to the Scripture’s promise that God would provide for us and supply our every need — even when I wasn’t sure how we were going to pay the rent or stretch our grocery budget far enough. And He was always faithful!

During those first few months of my pregnancy, I couldn’t have envisioned where those initial baby steps of faith and trusting God to supply creativity and wisdom would lead. Those first feeble attempts at making money from home have, with much time, effort and prayer, turned into a flourishing business that not only supports our family and multiple other families, but has also given us the opportunity to give generously to causes we believe in both locally and around the world.

I’m so thankful for that hard season of life. I learned so much about God’s faithfulness and provision. I saw God show up in very tangible, practical ways, and I was motivated to stretch the little we had futher than I thought possible.

Things don’t often end up like you imagine, but we can trust there will be rewards when we keep putting one foot in front of the other, cling to God’s promises and believe He will faithfully supply our every need.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You never leave me or forsake me. Thank You that I can trust You to be faithful to supply my every need, even on those hard days. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Obeying God

Acts 5:27-32
The high priest ordered Peter and the apostles to stop teaching about Jesus, but they ignored the order. When questioned about their actions, Peter replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (v. 29). What motivated them to follow the Lord with such conviction?
God’s Sovereignty. Peter and the other disciples recognized that God had carried out His divine plan of redemption in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Convinced that salvation was found in Christ alone, they had the courage to speak boldly about their faith. They didn’t alter their words, even in front of a powerful authority. Instead, they gave allegiance to God and obeyed Him.
Thankfulness. Their obedience was also motivated by gratitude. After betraying the Lord, Peter had wept over his failure (Mark 14:72). Think of the disciple’s joy to realize that Christ had forgiven him for his mistakes and restored him to a right relationship with God (Mark 16:7; John 21:15-17). With his past behind him, Peter became a leader of the Jerusalem church, with a passion to obey fueled by a thankful heart.
God is in charge of our lives. He has rescued us from the bondage of sin, forgiven us, and brought us into His family. Grateful obedience should be our response too.

Each day we have a choice. We can acknowledge God’s sovereignty and trust Him, or we can turn away and follow our own plan. Cultivating a thankful spirit will motivate us to stay the course and obey the Lord. Like Peter, let’s commit to following our heavenly Father wherever He leads.
The Promises of God

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

 

The Christian life rests on a foundation of God's promises for today and for the future. We can trust everything that our heavenly Father has said because His Word shows Him to be...

 

Truthful. The Lord knows what is true and speaks honestly in all matters. We can be assured of this because He is holy; there is no sin in Him. He is also omniscient and understands everything (Heb. 4:12-13). His promises are based on His infinite knowledge and truthfulness.

 

Faithful. Scripture compares the Lord to a shepherd who "gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart" (Isa. 40:11 niv). What He has planned for us, He will bring to fruition (Rom. 8:28). Our heavenly Father does not waver in His intentions or will.

 

Loving. God's love for us was demonstrated at the cross. He sent His Son Jesus to die by crucifixion and thereby take the punishment for our sins. The Savior experienced God's wrath against iniquity so we might know only His love. This is the ultimate proof of His devotion to us.

 

All-powerful. Divine power created the world and raised the Savior back to life, so we know God has the ability to carry out all His plans. Our omnipotent Father can keep every one of His promises.

 

A promise is valuable only if the one making it has trustworthy character and the ability to carry through. Our heavenly Father is truthful, faithful, loving, and all-powerful. We can base our entire life on His promises, secure in the knowledge that He will do just as He has said.

 

The Nature of Conviction

John 16:7-11

 

Jesus assured His disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away so that the Helper could come (John 16:7)--God sends Him to convict people of their sin. Since the Holy Spirit is unlimited by time or space, He can reach out to every individual on the planet. However, His work differs with regard to believers and unbelievers.

 

With regard to unbelievers, God's Spirit penetrates the heart and brings awareness of wrongdoing. He reveals that according to God's holy standard, they have sinned and stand condemned by their transgression. Unbelief is the greatest sin against God, so every prick of the heart is meant to point out their need for the Savior.

 

As for believers, the Holy Spirit deals with them on the basis of their relationship with Jesus Christ and convicts us of disobedience to Him. In other words, He makes us aware of specific sins and the Lord's attitude about them. But He also prompts us to be accountable before Christ for our wrongdoing by confessing it and repenting.

 

Convicting believers of sin is an important part of the Holy Spirit's job, but He is equally delighted to make them aware of the Lord's approval. God commends righteous living, obedient actions, and loving acts done in His name.

 

While conviction is often uncomfortable for unbelievers and believers alike, it's a beautiful demonstration of God's love. He desires to bring us into the center of His will and keep us there for our good and His glory. The Holy Spirit's work makes that possible, if we choose to follow His promptings.

 

No Condemnation

 

Romans 8:1-4

 

Some believers are plagued by feelings of condemnation. Either they think they'll never live up to God's expectations for them or they're nearly drowning in guilt over past sins. These men and women cannot seem to shake the sense that God is displeased with their puny efforts at being Christlike.

 

The book of Romans confronts this lie head-on: "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). When the Savior went to the cross on our behalf, He lifted the blame from our shoulders and made us righteous before God. Those feelings of condemnation do not belong to us; they are from Satan. He amplifies our guilt and feelings of inadequacy and then suggests that's how the Lord feels about His "wayward child." Nothing could be further from the truth. Our sins are wiped clean, and we are chosen and loved by God.

 

Condemnation is reserved for those who reject the Lord (John 3:36). Sin is a death sentence (Rom. 6:23). Anyone who chooses to cling to sin instead of seeking divine forgiveness must pay the penalty, which is an eternity separated from God. Two synonyms of condemn are 'denounce' and 'revile.' Those words certainly describe Jesus' statement to unbelievers in Matthew 25:41: "Depart from me, accursed ones."

 

There is no condemnation for those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. The believer's penalty for sin is paid, and he can stand blameless before God. Trust in the Lord's love and let go of Satan's lie. God's beloved children are covered by His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

 

Preaching the Word
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)

 

Every believer has been called to preach God’s Word, not just pastors of churches. When Christ gave the Great Commission to “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), it was clear that this could be accomplished only if every Christian would actually preach the gospel!

 

This was practiced first by the members of the church at Jerusalem. Then, when the believers were “all scattered abroad . . . except the apostles” (Acts 8:1), these “laymen” went everywhere preaching the Word. One of the “deacons” selected to relieve the apostles of the “business” affairs of the church was Philip, and he “went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5), speaking to great crowds and winning many to Christ. Then shortly afterward, the Lord called him down to Gaza where he met an Ethiopian eunuch, and he “preached unto him Jesus” (Acts 8:35). This teaches plainly that one can preach to a large congregation, but he or she can also preach to one person. It is not the size of the congregation but the theme of the message that makes one a preacher of the Word!

 

Furthermore, it is not only by word of mouth that Christ is preached; Paul says that “the gospel . . . was preached to every creature [literally, ‘in every creation’] which is under heaven” (Colossians 1:23). “And how shall they hear without a preacher? . . . But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:14, 18). One can preach verbally to a congregation or to an unseen audience through radio or in writing to a reader, and even a godly lifestyle can “preach” effectively (although not specifically) of the saving work of Christ. Even the heavens declare His glory, and every believer must preach the Word! HMM

 

Shadowy Things
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

 

The closing verses of Colossians 2 contain a litany of holidays and regulations that were plaguing the newly formed New Testament church. Essentially, any other regulatory system is not a God-ordained means to evaluate spiritual purity.

 

Dietary and man-made holidays can be carried out by a total unbeliever and can be easily faked. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17).

 

Paul told the Galatians these things were “weak and beggarly elements” that enslaved them to the observations of “days, and months, and times, and years” (Galatians 4:9-10). Even the Old Testament Law was merely a “shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things” (Hebrews 10:1).

 

Even more dangerous, however, was the worship of natural, “unseen” things that would plunder the Christian of eternal reward (Colossians 2:18). Worshiping angels (messengers) is simply wrong. Worshiping fleshly intellectualism (the rudiments of the world) leads to error. Worshiping asceticism (voluntary humility) is foolish.

 

These phrases in Colossians are unique to Scripture. The emphasis seems to be on a natural mysticism—using physical or naturalistic imagery to find spiritual meaning. All of the form and imagery of the flesh and the man-made rules and regulations made “after the commandments and doctrines of men” (Colossians 2:22) do not honor God—they merely satisfy the flesh.

 

The “joints and bands” of the body (church) bring about a godly increase. “Holding the Head” ministers and nourishes the twice-born (Colossians 2:19-23). HMM III

 

Risen with Christ
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)

 

The twice-born have been raised with Christ and the “new man” is effectively positioned with Christ in glory. We have been made alive “together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5) and in the eternal reality of our Creator, who “made us sit together in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6).

 

Thus, the command to seek the “above” realities is not merely a theological idea but rather a profound order to embrace the reality of our new empowerment to walk with Christ in a new life (Romans 6:4). Indeed, we have been newly created by the Creator in “righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Therefore, since we are God’s workmanship, it is not possible that God could create His children for any other purpose than “good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

 

Obviously, our Lord knows that we are still in “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). That is precisely why He promised to provide all of our earthly needs if we would but “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)—including our necessary “patient continuance in well doing” (Romans 2:7). Remember, “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

 

The environment of the world constantly opposes the reality of “above.” Even the wisdom of above seems counterintuitive; it is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Yet we are still expected to seek to live like we are above because “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). HMM III

Focus Your Mind
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

 

The command of this verse is contained in the Greek word phroneo. The noun form has an emphasis on the emotive side of our thoughts. Its use in secular Greek literature favors what we might call our gut reactions or our intuition. Obviously, the verb is recorded in the imperative mode, making the term both intensive and authorative. It could well be translated “direct your reactions so that they respond to” heavenly matters.

 

The Lord Jesus rebuked Peter because he did not “savor” the things of God (Matthew 16:23). In many other places, the translators have chosen “mind” as the term’s best rendering (e.g., Philippians 2:2, 5; 3:15-16; 4:2). But in each case, the emphasis appears to be on the way we react to our relationship to God’s Word or to each other.

 

And in each case, as in our text for today, the emphasis is always for us to focus on the matters of eternity, not on our earthly circumstances. Paul’s great teaching throughout Romans 6, 7, and 8 gives a wonderful comparison and contrast between the flesh and the spirit, concluding in chapter 8 that “they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5).

 

Insisting that the believers in the Philippian church follow his own life’s example, Paul agonizes over many among them who walk so “that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philipians 3:18-19).

 

A worldly lifestyle is very dangerous for a believer. Please remember the warning “whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). HMM III

 

Mortify Your Fleshly Members
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)

 

This imperative command is very important for the twice-born. It is nothing less than an active execution of passionate, evil deeds born from the lusts of the flesh. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). The list that follows is unyielding.

• Fornication (porneia) includes all deviant and extramarital sex (Leviticus 18:6-23; Romans 1:26-28).
• Uncleanness (akatharsia) references that which is “dirty; foul, wanton, or lewd” (Ephesians 4:17-19).
• Inordinate affection (pathos) is a word used only of homosexuality (Romans 1:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:5).
• Evil desire (epithumia) describes evil cravings (1 Peter 4:3; Jude 1:17-19).
• Covetousness (pleonexia) is simply greediness that is idolatry (2 Peter 2:12-14; 1 Thessalonians 2:5).

This evil behavior will surely bring the “wrath of God . . . against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). That judgment will be carried out on such people because of an impenitent heart that is “treasuring up” the “righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5-6).

 

The most startling fact of this behavior is that those who willfully participate in it know “the judgment of God” and that “they which commit such things are worthy of death.” Not only does this behavior signify a rebellious heart but also an open desire to “have pleasure in them” (Romans 1:32).

 

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6). HMM III

 

 

Seducing Spirits
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Timothy 4:1)

 

This very cogent warning by the Holy Spirit, spoken “expressly” (or “with special clarity”) for those living in the latter days, predicts an unusual outbreak of seductive demonism—not just in pagan, idol-worshipping, or animistic cultures, but in “Christian” nations, where they can lead many to “depart from the faith” which their forefathers once professed. Christians, therefore, should not be taken by surprise at the vast eruption of witchcraft, New Age mysticism, Eastern occultism, rock-music demonism, drug-induced fantasies, altered states of consciousness, and even overt Satan-worshipping cults that have suddenly proliferated in our supposedly scientific and naturalistic society. Behind it all are the “seducing spirits” and “the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

It should be obvious that Christians must completely avoid all such beliefs and practices. “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20). “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Even “innocent” fun (Halloween parties, ouija boards, dungeons-and-dragons games, etc.) and well-intentioned (but many times superficial) exorcism of apparent demon possession by Christian workers have often led to dangerous demonic influences in the lives of Christian people, as well as in Christians who have sought supernatural experiences or revelations. In anything that even touches on occultism or demonic influence, the advice of Peter is relevant. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). HMM

 

 

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