Devotion Thoughts - 24/05/2011

2 Samuel 4:1-12, 2Samuel 5:1-25

David ... became powerful, for the LORD God of hosts was with him (v.10) ... and realised that the LORD had established him king over Israel and exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake (v.12). David asked the LORD, "Shall I go up to the Philistines? will You deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said to David, Go up: for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand" (v.19). David did as the LORD had commanded him; and defeated the Philistines (v.25). (My paraphrase).

Here's a clear outline of what spiritual progression should be in the life of a Believer.
v.10: On becoming a born again Believer you are aware that you are in God's powerful hands.
v.12: You realise that your life now has purpose: to bring blessing to others through service for God .
v.19: No reliance on self; only total reliance on God for direction in life. (Remember Peter? He was self-confident until he denied Jesus. We all have to learn this. John 13:37,38).
v.25: Obedience to God's will for your life as revealed in His Word and through wise guidance will bring about victorious living.

2 Samuel 6:1-23

David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of musical instruments made of fir wood, on harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets, and cymbals (v.5)

David danced before the LORD with all his might (v.14)

Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death (v.23).

If we keep in mind that one day all the trials of life will be over and we will be rejoicing in the presence of God forever, we will find it easier to rejoice right now. Praise Him in every way that you can, particularly with music. Follow the advice given in Psalm 150 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore; v.17 Pray without ceasing; v.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

John 13:31-38

A new commandment I give you, Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another (v.34), for if you have love one for another all men shall know that you are my disciples (v.35). {My paraphrase}.

The command is simple enough to understand, but a huge ask when it comes to putting into practice. (Surely it is not only me that has discovered this?) If we get it right, people will take notice and will be born again without a word said! Actions do speak louder than words; let us not just talk the talk, but walk the walk! If you are struggling with this one don't give up wanting to get it right; keep going, while letting the Holy Spirit guide you into complete submission to God's will in every aspect of your life. There is no other way to get this right, and you will probably still be busy with it when Christ returns!

John 14:1-14

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father except by me" (v.6).

Again, the statement is simple enough for a child to understand, but those who want to find 'easier' ways to God have problems with it. Jesus preached very simply and in words easily understood, yet professors have problems with what He has said. Don't violate the clear meaning which is that you will never live in the presence of God if you try to get there by any way other than Jesus. Hoping to reach God via ancestors, good works, religious practices, singing spiritual songs, and even doing miracles, will not work.

Psalm 119:17-32

Open my eyes [understanding] that I may discover wondrous things in Your law (v.18).

We must approach God in an attitude of adoration and worship before we make any requests. In the words of Psa 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer". Once we have God's attention expect Him to hear us!

Proverbs 15:31-32

The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise (v. 31).

He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding (v. 32).

One day there will be the Judgment, and judgment on us will depend upon if we have wanted to enjoy God's favour or not. That, in turn, hinges on the degree to which we take care of our spiritual life. It is true that we need God's guidance in life, but there is one matter that is in our hands and not God's, and that is what we do with our lives. If we want total blessing from God we must be totally yielded to Him, a decision only we can make.

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MINI MESSAGES

PROGRESSIVE REVELATION

Key Verse: 'But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'. 2 Peter 3:18
One advantage in having reached the age of 70 years is the many years of life from which I can learn lessons! There are those who, at the end of their lives, claim that they have no regrets about the way they have lived life. I can't say that; my biggest regret is that I did not allow God to have complete sway in my life from the day of my conversion. Had I done so I would not have been so arrogant and proud, so determined to be master of my Christian walk, and so sure that I understood the Bible better than others. As I think back I sometimes wish I could start again from the day of my conversion but with all my present experiences of life and understanding of the Bible. Ignorance of what an effective Christian walk is about caused me to hurt many. I wish I could undo those hurts; to have had the love of God flowing freely through me at all times; but we only have one crack at living our lives. As time went by I came to see how unkind a Christian I was. It took many years of worshipping Him and studying His Word before I understood that it was necessary for me to surrender my everything - my being; my hopes; my service - to God and allow Him to work through me. God has graciously used me in spite of my shortcomings as a minister; I can only imagine how many more people I would have blessed had I yielded my all to Him right from the start of my Christian walk. But I know He has forgiven me all my sins, so I don't have to live a life of remorse and regret. Nowadays I ask Him to cause me to live every day in total surrender to Him. It gets easier each day.
Two things that stand out as lessons from my life are:
(1) On a daily basis it pays to judge myself, confessing and making restitution for my sins where necessary (1 Corinthians 11:31; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This is not about conducting a personal witch-hunt; I rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal to me those things that need my attention. For the rest, I live according to Paul's advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which reads, 'Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you'.
(2) My walk with God necessitates that I get to know Him and His Word better every day. It is a process called 'progressive revelation'. Just as a first grader will need years of study to acquire the depth of knowledge and understanding to cope with the tenth grade curriculum, so a new Christian needs to get to grips with God's word in order to grow in knowledge and understanding of His will. The speed of any Christian's spiritual growth depends on the determination to grow. The Holy Spirit will teach us whatever we need to know. Unfortunately, too many Christians remain 'infants' (1 Corinthians 3:2), not able to 'get their teeth into' the meat of God's Word. The ultimate Christian challenge is to obey God's command to love Him and our 'neighbours' with as much fervour as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). I have found it easy enough to be nice to people who are nice to me, but still tend to reject those I find disagreeable. Although not anywhere near loving my neighbours, there is progress: I'm far more tolerant and less critical these days!