Daily Devotion - Page 17

Boanerges · 04-16-2008, 12:52 PM

April 16

Pressing on to Know the Lord
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phi_3:13-14)
We have noted that humility is one of the relational realities that God wants to develop in our lives so we can live daily by the grace of God. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (Jam_4:6). Here we see evidence of the godly humility that had developed in the Apostle Paul through the years. "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended." When these words were written, Paul had been walking with the Lord for 25 to 30 years. Yet, he admits that he had not "fully arrived." He confesses that he did not know the Lord so completely that his entire life was a demonstration of resurrection living. Consequently, he had one great goal that directed his life and service: "one thing I do." His all-consuming passion was to get to know the Lord more and more: "that I may know Him" (Phi_3:10).
One of the significant issues that keeps believers in Christ from knowing the Lord better is their past. Many Christians focus their attention on their past. Failures of the past plague them with condemnation. Wrongs done to them in the past tempt them to self-pity or bitterness. Past successes give false assurance that things must go well today. Past blessings distract them from seeking the Lord's fresh work in their lives now. Paul gives us all a wonderful example of how to deal with the past: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Things of the past need not dominate our present. God's grace can cover past failures and pains. Today, we need to look forward to the next work of grace that He wants to bring forth as we walk on with Him.
God wants us to move forward, looking upward. "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." The goal is to get to know the Lord better. We are to press toward that goal, exerting all of the spiritual strength and energy that God's grace supplies. This is our reply to God's heavenly call to seek Him, to know Him. Along the way, we will partake of the prize that comes with that goal. The prize is every blessing that results from getting to know Him better. Let's press on to know the Lord!

Lord Jesus, help me to forget things of the past that would distract me from You. I want to press ahead to get to know You better. Please reveal Yourself to me through Your word. I humbly ask You to demonstrate Your grace to me in and through my life, in Your name, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-17-2008, 01:37 PM

April 17

Spiritual Insight for Knowing the Lord
Making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Eph_1:16-17)
This new covenant of grace by which we relate to God is designed to bring us a growing, intimate knowledge of our Lord. However, this growing in knowing God requires that He reveals Himself to us. This is why Paul prayed for other believers to this end: "Making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."
In order to increase in the knowledge of God, one must be given heaven-sent spiritual insight: "that . . . God . . . may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation." God cannot be seen by natural sight. "Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see" (1 Timothy 6:16).
God cannot be known by natural wisdom. "The world through wisdom did not know God" (1Co_1:21). The things of God must be revealed to us by the Lord. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1Co_2:9-10).
Jesus rejoiced in the divine wisdom of this plan. "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight'" (Luk_10:21). Jesus also encouraged those who humbly received God-given insight into spiritual realities. "And Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven'" (Mat_16:16-17).
Jesus taught His followers to rely upon the teaching, revealing ministry of the Holy Spirit to know the things of God. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth . . . He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (Joh_16:13-14).

Dear Lord, I long to know You more and more. I humbly confess that I need You revealing Yourself to me. As I prayerfully read and study Your holy word, I pray that You would give to me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-18-2008, 12:04 PM

April 18

Fully Supplied through Knowing God
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. (2Pe_1:2-3)
Our lives are blessed whenever the Lord adds any of His blessings to our experience. Yet, there are times when we sense a need for God's blessings to be multiplied to us. Well, God desires to intensify His working toward us. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you." Drop after drop of refreshing water may encourage the thirsty soul. However, our hearts' true need may be for fountains of living water. God loves to pour forth in abundance. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). God's grace (His undeserved resource for living) is available in multiplied measures. God's peace (His heaven-sent spiritual tranquility) can be partaken of in magnified portions.
The process for partaking of these multiplied provisions simply involves growing in knowing our Lord. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
Another astounding truth about believers in Jesus Christ is that we have already been given everything needed for abundant Christian living: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." This is not to say that we are aware of what is ours, or that we are experiencing all that is ours. Nonetheless, God has already given us every spiritual provision needed to live as He desires ("all things that pertain to life") and to grow in Christlikeness as He wills ("all things that pertain to . . . godliness").
The process for accessing these comprehensive resources also involves getting to know the Lord better: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him,"
It is by grace that we initially come to know the Lord. As we get to know Him better, grace is then multiplied into our lives. When we first met the Lord, He gave us everything that we needed to live as He intended. As we grow in knowing Him, we access for living all that He has already given to us in Christ.

Dear Lord of abundant blessings, I praise You for Your bountiful grace. So frequently I underestimate Your goodness to me. What a staggering thought that You have already given me in Christ all that I need for a godly life. O Lord, I long to grow in knowing You, that all of these heavenly realities might be manifested in my life, for Your glory and honor, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-20-2008, 01:05 AM

April 19

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psa_34:8)
The scriptures clearly declare that the knowledge of the Lord is for developing a relationship, not merely cataloging correct information about Him. Grace and peace are to be "multiplied to" us (2Pe_1:2), not just memorized by us. "All things that pertain to life and godliness" (2Pe_1:3) are to be drawn upon for godly living, not merely listed to validate our orthodoxy. As we get to know the Lord, His goodness is to be experienced in our lives.
Our present verse is quite forthright concerning this point. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good." The Lord is good. He is merciful, kind, gracious, and patient. The scriptures abound with declarations of God's goodness. "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psa_107:1). This goodness of God is to be experienced by God's people. "My people shall be satisfied with My goodness" (Jer_31:14). We are to "taste and see" God's goodness, not only to hear of it and talk about it.
How does a person experience the goodness of the Lord? "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" God's goodness is available for our personal experience whenever we trust in Him. "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! " (Psa_31:19). When we rely upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth peace in our lives. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). When we depend upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth rejoicing in our lives. "Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name" (Psa_33:20-21).
It should not be surprising to us that faith in the Lord is the pathway to experiencing His goodness. We have noted in a number of these meditations that faith is one of the relational realities that allow a child of God to live by His grace. Faith accesses grace (Rom_5:2). "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him" (Lam_3:25).
We trust in the Lord the more we get acquainted with Him. We trust in the Lord the more we allow Him to demonstrate His faithfulness. "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psa_9:10).
Lord, You are so good! Too often I fail to experience Your goodness, because I do not trust in You. forgive me, Lord. I long to taste of Your goodness. Teach me to live in dependence upon You, in Jesus name, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-20-2008, 01:31 PM

April 20

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works . . . As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (Joh_14:10; Joh_6:57)
We are to live by trusting in the goodness of the Lord. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psa_34:8). Jesus is the ultimate example of living by such trust. When we think of being like Jesus (or we ask, "What would Jesus do?"), the biblical perspective is far more profound than prevailing opinion might provide.
Jesus lived by depending upon the intimate relationship He had with the Father: "I am in the Father, and the Father in Me." When Jesus spoke or took action, it was not on His own initiative or by His own resources. "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." Although Jesus was God coming to earth as a man, He did not live by exercising His deity. "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant" (Phi_2:6-7). Jesus lived as a dependent human servant, trusting in the Father to work in and through Him. The prophets of old predicted this path, as they recorded the confessions Messiah would make about His ministry here on earth. "For I [that is, the Messiah, Jesus] shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and My God shall be My strength . . . The Lord God will help Me [that is, the Messiah, Jesus]; therefore I will not be disgraced" (Isa_49:5; Isa_50:7). Jesus would depend upon the Father.
Jesus eventually applied this kind of dependent relationship to us. The structure of His teaching was "As . . . so." As it was between Jesus and the Father, so it is to be between Jesus and us. Jesus lived His life by depending upon the Father. Without ceasing to be God, He lived as a man, showing us how man is to live. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father." Jesus lived by trusting in the Father to work in and through Him. We are to look to Jesus to do the same through us. "So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." Jesus taught that feeding on Him involved coming to Him in trust. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (Joh_6:35).
Lord Jesus, my hope and my strength, I want to live in true Christlikeness — facing all of life as You did. I want to learn to depend upon You, even as You depended upon the Father. Teach me, Lord, I pray in Your name, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-21-2008, 02:34 PM

April 21

Growing in Knowing the Lord
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. (2Pe_3:18)
The new covenant of grace (at its very core) is a covenant of relationship. God's grace is available to enable us to grow in spiritual intimacy with our Lord. "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Here, grace is linked with growing and with knowing the Lord. As surely as grace was for spiritual birthing, grace is also for growing. The most strategic area of spiritual growth is progress in a deepening relationship with the Lord. Paul prayed in this manner for the saints: " that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him . . . and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col_1:10).
This process of growth necessitates consistent intake of the word of God. "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1Pe_2:2). It is through the scriptures that we learn of the grace of God. The word of God is "the word of His grace" (Acts 20:32). Also, the word of God has the Lord Jesus Christ as the constant, primary subject. "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luk_24:27). Of course, the Holy Spirit is the one who is to guide us into all of these great truths of the Lord Jesus. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth . . . He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (Joh_16:13-14).
God wills for our lives is that we might live in His word. This allows us to grow in His grace that we might know Him better. This is what is to delight our hearts and change our lives. "Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the LORD' " (Jer_9:23-24). So many people (sometimes, even the people of God) chase after human wisdom, earthly power, or material riches. God desires that He becomes the delight of our hearts and the goal of our life: "that he understands and knows Me." So, let's respond with joy to Hosea's call: "Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of [the knowing of] the LORD" (Hosea 6:3).

Dear Lord God, I want to press on to know You. Forgive me for chasing after human wisdom, earthly power, or material riches. Nothing compares to knowing You. By Your grace, through the light of Your word, let me grow in knowing You, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-22-2008, 01:14 PM

April 22

Characteristics of Living by Grace
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. (2Co_3:5-6)
When we live by the new covenant of grace, God impacts our lives. He makes us sufficient by sharing His sufficiency with us. "Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant." This impact is from His grace at work on us, in us, and through us. This process produces spiritual characteristics in our lives. A brief reflection upon the workings of God's grace will provide a helpful context as we begin to consider these characteristics.
The grace of God is brought to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . full of grace and truth" (Joh_1:14). When Jesus came to earth as God's incarnate word to man, He came overflowing with the grace of God. This abundance of grace in Christ is to be our ongoing spiritual provision for living the Christian life. "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for [upon] grace" (Joh_1:16). One work of God's grace built upon another work of His grace is to mark our pilgrimage day by day.
This constantly-available grace of God is able to justify and sanctify lives. "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance" (Act_20:32). God's grace, held forth by His word, offers us new birth by grace. When we believe on the Lord Jesus, we are justified (declared not guilty, righteous in God's sight). Thereby, we obtain the spiritual inheritance of the children of God: "the word of His grace, which is able to . . . give you an inheritance." This same grace of God then becomes our heavenly resource for growing sanctification (that is, growing in godliness): "the word of His grace, which is able to build you up."
Part of growing in godliness involves being set free from the dominating influence of sin in our lives. God's grace provides this liberating reality. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). As we learn to live by God's grace, instead of by our own best performance, the grace of God is working deep within us, bringing spiritual stability to our inner man. "It is good that the heart be established by grace" (Heb_13:9).
This working of God's grace in us marks us with distinctive spiritual characteristics, which will be examined in the passages of scripture that lie ahead.
Lord God of abounding grace, give me spiritual eyes to see and a humble heart to receive all the ways You want to mark my life by Your grace, in Jesus name, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-23-2008, 02:32 PM

April 23

When I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. (2Co_2:12-14)
Triumphant living is one of the characteristics that God wants to develop in us by the work of His grace. Even when we are in difficult situations, the Lord wants us to learn to walk in the victory that is available to us in Christ.
The Apostle Paul encountered a very difficult situation in Troas, as he traveled on one of his missionary journeys: "When I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit." As Paul arrived in Troas, it was apparent that the Lord had granted an open door to preach the gospel. Nevertheless, Paul was distressed within his heart. The reason for the turmoil within was the absence of a key ministry partner. "I did not find Titus my brother." In some situations, ministry cannot be conducted properly, if all of the strategic parts of the body of Christ are not fully engaged. So, Paul left that city, leaving Troas for another time. "Taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia."
Circumstantially, this looked like a defeat. Yet, Paul had a more profound perspective than what the eyes of man could see or what the mind of man could conceive. "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ." Paul gave thanks to the Lord for a truth that was greater than the obviously difficult situation that he had just experienced. Whenever we allow the Lord to be the one leading our lives, He "always leads us in triumph in Christ." Paul was rejoicing in the fact that he was yielded to Christ as His Lord, his leader. Thus, he knew that the Lord was leading Him in triumph, because when Jesus is counted upon to lead us, He "always leads" us triumphantly.
Christ leads us in triumph; we do not win it for ourselves. This triumph is a spiritual victory that belongs to us by being in Christ. "Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ." Jesus won the victory at His death, burial, and resurrection. Now, He wants us to look to Him to lead us in that victory day by day.

Dear Jesus, my victorious Lord, how often I attempt to be the one who directs my life. I confess that when I lead, victory is not the result. Lord, help me to count on You to lead me in Your triumph, even in the difficult situations that I frequently encounter. In Your triumphant name, I pray, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra

Boanerges · 04-24-2008, 02:27 PM

April 24

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Rom_8:35-37)
When considering the triumphant Christian life, we may wrongly think that victory depends upon getting out of impossible situations. Actually, we are already "more than conquerors" even while we are in the midst of the impossibilities.
For us to be ultimately defeated, we would have to be separated from Christ's love for us. We would have to be cut off from the loving care of our victorious Lord. Can any foe or any situation accomplish that? "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? " This question is answered in Rom_8:38-39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
No spiritual foe can enforce such a separation. Neither can any circumstance of impossibility separate us from our loving God. Rom_8:35-36 list some of the impossibilities that make us feel as though we are being defeated. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter' ." When troubles and pressures arise, when we are attacked or are lacking resources, we may be tempted to think that victory is no longer available. When our experience is like a lamb being led to the slaughter, we may think that victory could never be ours. Nevertheless, the truth is that "in all these things we are more than conquerors."
Yes, right in the middle of the impossibilities of life, we are already more than a spiritual victor. Actually, we have already been made participants in a mighty, eternal, abundant victory, the victory that Christ accomplished on the cross and in the resurrection. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Our victorious position in any situation is not circumstantial. It is relational. We are united by faith to the victorious one, the Lord Jesus Christ! "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Co_15:57).

Dear Father, I praise You for the constant provision of victory through Your triumphant Son. Lord, help me to view spiritual victory as a relational matter and not a circumstantial one. I thank You that through Christ I am already more than a conqueror right in the midst of my present impossibilities, Amen.

Boanerges · 04-25-2008, 12:13 PM

April 25

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge . . . For we are to God the fragrance of Christ. (2Co_2:14-15)
In addition to the characteristic of triumphant living, God also wants to mark our lives with the fragrance of Christ. "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge."
Just as there are physical fragrances that can be noticed by our physical senses, there are also spiritual fragrances that can impact us spiritually. If a person partakes of food that is heavily seasoned with garlic, others will notice the fragrance of garlic. If a person consistently presses on to know the Lord, others will be impacted by the "fragrance of His knowledge." This is described as the "fragrance of Christ." This is that spiritual aroma that wafts forth from the lives of those who are getting to know the Lord. It is a validating reality that the Lord Jesus Christ is dwelling in their lives and is being evidenced through their lives.
As we are getting to know the Lord more and more, this spiritual aroma of Christ is even impacting God Himself. "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ." Yes, God is the first one who is impacted by this Christlike fragrance. "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ ."
Our ministry and testimony is always primarily unto the Lord. We who believe in Jesus Christ are called to be "proving what is acceptable to the Lord" (Eph_5:10). We are not here on earth to please ourselves. "Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal_1:10). We are here to please our God. "Brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God" (1Th_4:1).
What ultimately pleases our heavenly Father is His beloved Son. When the Father looked down from heaven at the baptism of His Son, He exclaimed, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mat_3:17). When our Father looks down today upon our lives, He wants to enjoy the fragrance of His Son emanating forth from our lives. "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ."

Heavenly Father, I long to bless You by the fragrance of Christ through my life. I am sorry that the stench of selfish flesh is what often emanates from me. Lord, help me to get to know You more and more, so that the knowledge of You can produce the aroma of Christ in and through me, in Jesus name, Amen.

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