“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful (Colossians 3:12-15 ESV).”
Prior to these verses, the Apostle Paul instructs us to “put to death what is earthly in you (Colossians 3:5).” The term earthly is intentionally used to include aspects of our fallen nature that are in keeping with sin. Paul tells us to take off the old self. Allow the authority of Jesus to rule and reign in your hearts so that the old self, the old sin nature can be put to death. Paul gives this instruction to us as people of faith who are walking in the authority of Jesus. We have the authority in Jesus to be set free from the bondage of the sin nature. We are no longer bound, but free in Jesus to choose to submit to His authority. Under His authority, the old self can be put to rest in exchange for the new. A new self who is conformed to the image of our Creator in recognition of His grace, mercy and love for us.
Following the Apostles Paul’s instruction regarding the authority of Jesus to remove the old self, he gives us a list of attributes to put on. In the putting off of the old self, we must put on then behaviors, attitudes and characteristics which exemplify the authority of Jesus in our lives. In faith, redeemed by Jesus, we are responsible for purposefully demonstrating characteristics of our salvation in the manner in which we conduct ourselves. The old self is gone the new has come.
The Lord tells us to put on then, as His chosen ones, attributes of faith demonstrating His authority to bring transformation in our lives. Why do this? Because we are His. We are His and He has saved us by His grace. We are beloved children of an eternal God. Claim this promise today! We are His, the beloved children of a righteous King. The redeemed people of a sovereign Savior. It is by His mercy that we are saved. It is our response to demonstrate salvation in our submission to His authority. Let us all put on then the new self who is being conformed to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:18-30). Let us do this to bring His glory in the things we think say and do.
Over the course of the next few articles, we are going to examine the attributes we are to put on as instructed by God’s Holy Word. I pray that we all intentionally strive to demonstrate our faith in Jesus through evidence in our very lives. To God be the glory!
This blog was written by our youngest daughter Macie. She has done an excellent job expressing the wonder of our God as He is glorified in His Creation. It is a blessing to read these words written by my daughter. May the Lord continue to fill her with wisdom, knowledge and creativity as she gives glory to her Savior!!! I pray that her words are a blessing to you.
Additionally, the photo was taken when we were on top of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina. Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Elevation 6,684 feet above sea level. To God be the glory for great things He has done!
I am writing about the sounds I heard outside and how nature glorifies God. The first sound I heard was a gentle spring rain. The rain smelled dirty but fresh. The rain was pitter-pattering on the soft, dewy grass. The pitter-patter sounded like a little kittens paws walking. The drizzle of rain was calming and reminded me of this Bible verse, “Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.” (Zechariah 10:1). Also, “Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:4). The rain reminds us that God will take care of us. We can trust in His promises.
Then I heard gentle tweets of birds and also loud and low sounding chirps. It was like the birds were all singing together. The sound of the birds was calming and beautiful. They are also building new nest which signifies new life. The verse, Matthew 6:26 says: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26). God will take care of us if He takes care of the birds.
I heard the quiet howling of wind behind all of the other sounds. When the wind blew the trees would rustle. The wind felt good, it felt crisp and new. Here is a Bible verse about wind, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4). The wind reminds us that God promises us His Spirit.
That is what I heard and observed when I was outside listening to the sounds of nature. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
Most likely we have all had the incredibly unfortunate, indescribably painful experience of stepping on a Lego which is on the floor in our bare feet. Needless to say stepping on a Lego barefooted may rank up there as one of the most painful physical experiences we endure in our adult life! Obviously, I am exaggerating to a degree about how painful stepping on a Lego can be for the sake of emphasis.
While I am being a bit silly in the above statement, I do want to consider the Lego in your life. (Side note about the word Lego. From what I understand, the word Lego is used in both singular and plural applications of the word). We all have Lego residing on the metaphorical floor of our lives. These Lego scattered across the floor of our lives are remnants of past experiences. The Lego represent past hurt, turmoil, struggle and difficulty. The Lego on the floor scattered by past experiences is unavoidable. We all can name any number of difficult events strewn across the history of our lives. They fall upon the floor of our memories awaiting the barefoot of our memory to step on them. When stepped upon, these difficulties can spur us to remember the hardship, turmoil or hurt of the past. In some cases, the hurt may be just as unbearable to cope with in the memory as it was during the actual trial.
Just like the toy Lego, as they are scattered over the floor causing pain when stepped upon, so too can past difficulties bring back painful memories. But the question I ask you is: What do you do with your Lego? What do you do with the events of your past? Do you allow the Lego to reside on the floor, scattered or do you choose to build with them? Do you allow the difficulties of your past to be a painful reminder of the hurt you suffered or do you choose to use the past as a building block upon which to stand in the present? Do you trust in the Lord to help you cope with past difficulties to equip you in the now?
God’s Word gives us many promises of His love, provision and care for us. The Psalmist tells us:
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26 NIV).
Though we will face trials in this life, though we may feel like we are failing, though the difficulty may seem insurmountable, trust that the Lord is with you. Our God is with us! Cling to His strength. Give Him those Lego in what is broken from your past and allow Him to build within you a masterpiece for His glory.
(Thank you to Elliot and Ian for the inspiration for this writing)
This blog entry was written by Mandie. I consider Mandie and her family as dear friends and fellow servants of the Lord. They are members of Mount Zion Road Church and most importantly, they are faithful followers of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. I am thankful and blessed that she was willing to allow me to post this entry on my website. Mandie encourages all of us to recognize the covenant relationship we can have with our Savior, Jesus. This relationship is one that we must pursue intentionally and with purpose as we grow in faith. I pray that you find her words to be a blessing as you read. To God be the glory!
I was looking at a depiction of Noah and his wife. Two smiling faces staring back at me and it occurred to me that the Bible does not tell us a name for Noah’s wife. If you do an online inquiry you will find that there have been speculations about her name but they are just that- human speculations. The Bible also does not mention anything about Noah’s wife’s character. We do know that she was loyal to board the ark with her husband and family. This brings to mind two other Biblical wives who were not as loyal to their husbands- Lot’s wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt because she turned around, in presumed longing, to steal one last glimpse of her wicked hometown being destroyed by God in judgment (Genesis 19), and Job’s wife, who, when given the chance and privilege to support and encourage her husband in their shared time of grief, chose to instead discourage him (Job 2:9). I find it interesting then, in the case of Job, that after his wife failed to do what she ought to have done, his friends stepped in and were, at the least, present with him in his grief. The Biblical account of Noah does not mention any friends that he had in support of his mission and arduous task from the Lord. He had God and his wife and family who were faithful in remaining by his side.
If we go back to the book of Genesis and the creation account, we see God’s words in chapter 2 verse 18 “Then the Lord God said, “it is not good that man should be alone; “I will make him a helper fit for him.” The words “fit for him” shows God’s design in marriage. Each man, each husband, is very different in the gifts they possess, the needs that they have and yet God has designed a way for those personal expressions to be supported and met. Marriage is a high calling for both the husband and the wife. Each have their own set of responsibilities and while they will look different depending on the household and the couple- the directive from our Lord is clear throughout the Bible. From Proverbs where we read “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (18:22) and “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” (31:10-12) to Ephesians where we read “Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (5:33) It is in Ephesians where we read about the symbolism of marriage being a depiction of Christ and the church. Before reading further, please read Ephesians 5:25-32 in your Bible.
The charge then is this that to remain strong in our earthly marriage covenant, we need to remain strong in our spiritual marriage covenant with God. To have a humble, loyal and Christ-centered marriage we need to stay connected to the Vine from which we are branches (John 15). Furthermore, encouragement from the picture shown in Ephesians 5 is for everyone! This beautiful passage of Scripture shows us how Christ treats our covenant with Him- a covenant we have as believing individuals- He loved us so much that He gave Himself up as an atoning sacrifice for us (v. 25), He desires that we would be holy, and blameless through sanctification (v. 26 & 27), He nourishes and cherishes us because we are members of His own body (v. 29 & 30). Verse 31 quotes Genesis 2:
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Here is the passage out of Ephesians 5:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Just as we are meant to be “one flesh” with a spouse within a marriage covenant, we are meant to be “one flesh” with Christ in our spiritual marriage covenant. For we know, as Galatians 2:20 says: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
and also in the prayer offered by Jesus during His last few hours on earth in John 17:
17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Praise God for His sacrifice and infinite grace and love towards us!!
Without using your phone or a dictionary, define the following words:
(All of the words are actually found in the English Language.)
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Antidisestablishmentarianism
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Euouae
Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Obviously the listed words are incredibly difficult. I would assume that no one was able to define the words without assistance. If you were able to define some of them without assistance from an outside source, you are exceptional!
The purpose of the exercise is to help us recognize that there are times when we must rely on a source to help bring understanding. In order to understand, we must go to the source containing the definitions. A dictionary will give us definitions of challenging words. The definitions will help us understand, but they are just words. In life we need to revert to the source of the definitions. The Bible is the source of the definitions that will equip us in this life.
The following is an extremely brief list of definitions set forth by God through His Word. We can trust His Word to give us the definitions we need to navigate life.
How does God define Himself:
Genesis 1:1– “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Isaiah 46:8-10– “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning,And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”
How does Jesus define Himself:
John 1:1-3– “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
John 1:14– “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 3:16– “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 14:6– “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Colossians 1:16– “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
How is the Holy Spirit defined:
John 14:26– “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Romans 8:26– “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
How does the Bible define Us:
Genesis 1:27– “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Corinthians 6:19– “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Peter 2:9– “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Ephesians 1:3-14– “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making knownto us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
How are we to live by God’s definitions:
Proverbs 4:20-27- “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all theirflesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponderthe path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
James 4:7- “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
God gives us the definitions we need in this life. We do not need to guess.
A lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica or quartz dust.
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (thirty letters)
A mild form of inherited pseudohypoparathyroidism that simulates the symptoms of the disorder but isn’t associated with abnormal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.
The estimation of something as valueless. Ironically, floccinaucinihilipilification is a pretty valueless word itself; it’s almost never used except as an example of a long word.
Originally described opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England, but now it may refer to any opposition to withdrawing government support of a particular church or religion.
Mary Poppins described it as the word to use “when you have nothing to say.” It appears in some (but not all) dictionaries.
Euouae
Euouae is six letters long, but all of the letters are vowels. It holds two Guinness World Records. It’s the longest English word composed exclusively of vowels, and it has the most consecutive vowels of any word. If you are wondering about its meaning, it’s a musical term from medieval times.
Honorificabilitudinitatibus
That position is held by honorificabilitudinitatibus, a twenty-seven-letter way of saying “with honorableness.”
This is another writing done by my wife Kelly. I thank the Lord for bringing us together. She is an empathetic, caring partner in this life. She is my best friend. I praise the Lord for her love and care in both ministry and our family life.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything. The Word of God is filled with so much. It’s bottomless. One evening I was talking to a dear friend. We discussed just how much we desire to study God’s Word and be filled, but there just isn’t enough hours to do as much studying as we’d like. Many of us can relate to feeling overwhelmed with an endless to-do list. At the end of the day, it seems like it just wasn’t long enough. A nursing mother. A working husband. A student with a stack of schoolbooks. A looming deadline. We are pulled in so many different directions. Frustration may begin to rise within. Sometimes it feels as if we’ve wasted our day with mindless, meaningless tasks. At the end of the day we are unable to dig into the Word as much as we wanted. But take heart! Our Father sees. He knows the desire of our hearts. If we truly hunger and thirst for His Word, He knows. We are so bound to time and schedules, but remember the Lord is not as concerned with quantity as He looks at quality.
Some days, some seasons, we don’t have as much to give. That is no excuse not to give at all. If we give Him what we have, with all of our heart, He will bring the increase. There are many Biblical examples of this concept. Take for example the young boy who came before Jesus with his little lunch. He didn’t have much, but he came whole heartedly and gave it to Jesus. (John 6)
The widow who was financially poor. How could it be that Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)
Isn’t it encouraging to see that the Lord’s economy is different than ours? It’s only natural to think that the more time we give, the harder we study, the more we push ourselves, the more we strive, then the smarter we will be, the more holy we will be… But if we give Him what we have, with all of our heart, no matter how big it is, no matter how long it is, no matter how intelligent we perceive it to be, it is He who will bring the increase. If we humble ourselves and take the time to seek Him with our whole heart, He will draw near to us. (James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:12-14, James 4:10). He will do a great work with our little gift. All that we have to do is give Him our everything.
This blog was written by my wife, Kelly. I am humbly and inexpressibly thankful to our Lord for giving me such a caring, empathetic and loving wife. It is both a privilege and honor to be able to serve the Lord alongside of her. She truly is a ministry partner. She is a woman who is filled with wisdom and compassion. To God be the glory! I pray that her insight is a blessing to you as you read her words.
James 4:4 says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Does this scripture seem a little harsh? Does being friendly to the world always mean we are hostile toward God? Aren’t we supposed to be friendly toward those around us even if they aren’t believers? Why would scripture refer to us as adulterers if we are only trying to love the world around us? To answer these questions, we will have to dig into this verse a bit deeper.
First of all, let’s consider the meaning of the word adulteress. This term refers to someone who commits adultery. It is one who casts away a commitment to another in order to give full attention to something or someone else. In this verse, the adulteress is forsaking the One True God and progressing toward friendship with the world.
The word “friendship” that is used in James 4:4 is the Greek word philia, meaning fondness. The warning in this verse is that those who turn away from God to love the world are considered hostile enemies of God. As believers, we can understand this statement, but there is an even sadder truth when considering this snippet of scripture. Only our Heavenly Father can offer us an unquenchable, unending, unconditional love. The Bible is clear that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39). Who would disregard a love like this? Who would trade an unfathomable love for a feeling of fondness? No wonder the Lord considers friendship with the world to be hostility toward Him. God, out of His love and mercy, has freely given Himself to humanity, and we choose to exchange it for a love that fades away, a love that takes advantage. How our Father’s heart must break.
We see this sad reality play out throughout scripture. I can’t help but think of Esau who exchanged his birthright for a bit of stew. He traded his purpose and future to meet a temporal craving of the flesh. (Genesis 25:29-34) Israel had been led by the very Hand of God, cared for, provided for and brought up into the Promised Land. Still His people cried out for an earthy king to lead them (1 Samuel 8). They traded the King of kings for a mere man.
This, beloved, is the downfall of humanity: taking the most perfect, precious gift of God Himself and trading for the mundane, the common. We must make the choice each day. Either we will walk with Him or we will walk away from Him.
The Bible clearly gives us this admonition, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25) Life is full of compromise and trade-offs. Let us walk in diligence and allegiance to the True King of Kings.
“God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (Exodus 6:2-7 NASB95).”
God appeared. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He appeared to them as God Almighty. In the Hebrew אֵל שַׁדַּי (H410 and H7706: El Shaddai). God appeared as the All-Sufficient, Almighty One who has come to establish an everlasting covenant with those who revere His appearing. God in this advent demonstrated His authority to uphold His Word by His own authority. He appeared to be the God of His people.
The text goes on to say that God Almighty appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, but He did not reveal himself to them as LORD. El Shaddai appeared but He did not make Himself known as yet by the Name LORD. This distinction or Name of God, LORD, was revealed to Moses. As God appeared to Moses, He revealed Himself by His Name, LORD. In the Hebrew this Name is יְהֹוָה (H3068: Unpronounceable proper Name of the Supreme God; The Existing One). Theologically this term is referred to as the tetragrammaton, or the unpronounced Name of God. This term is unpronounced both historically and contemporaneously by our Jewish brothers and sisters because it is seen as profane to utter the Name aloud. Rather than pronouncing the Name, it is referred to as HaShem (the Name). This Name of God can be defined as He who is. In English the Name is sometimes written as Jehovah or Yahweh. Both of these terms serve as transliterations of the original unpronounced Hebrew Name.
As indicated in the Scripture selection from Exodus, it was an act of the Lord to reveal Himself to Moses as יְהֹוָה (He who is). Earlier in the book God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. God instructed Moses to go back to Egypt. Moses was to return to declare to the people that the Lord was going to deliver them from slavery. Moses asks God by what Name will the people be delivered. What Name should be given so that the deliverer can be known. The Name given to Moses was “I AM” (Ex. 3:14). I AM will be the deliverer. I AM will be the One who sets the captives free. I AM will set free.
Think back to the verses cited at the opening of this thought. God declares that He has appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai. The All-Powerful iteration of God Almighty appeared by this Name in demonstration of His authority to keep His own Word according to His own power. God then appeared to Moses as the I AM. God, the deliverer, the One who was, who is and is yet to come, the beginning and the end. The God who upholds His covenant by His own might but also the God who has come to deliver from slavery. The God who has come to set the captives free. The Lord appeared.
The prophet Isaiah tells us of yet another appearing of the Lord. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 NASB95). Immanuel- עִמָּנוּאֵל (H6005- God with us), with us is God. With us is the Savior. With us is Jesus. Immanuel appeared. God appeared to bring redemption to the lost, broken and hurting. Our Messiah appeared and He has revealed Himself to those who claim hope in His Name. Jesus (Yeshua), the name of Salvation has come to us. The great I AM has come to deliver and redeem. The first and the last, the One who was, is and is yet to return has appeared. It is by this Name that we can claim truth, hope and life. This Name is the Light of this world. Only Jesus is the way. He is the way to be reconciled before God Almighty. He is the way to be covered under His authority as our Great High Priest. And it is to His glory that we can call Him LORD. With us is God. And to God be the glory forever and ever, Amen!
Prior to putting together this writing, I was reminded of the Hymn written in 1907 by Henry Van Dyke titled: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. The opening verse of the hymn rang out in my heart serving to cause me to ponder the concept of adoration. The first verse is as follows:
Joyful, Joyful we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
What does it mean to adore? What does it mean to adore the Lord? And should we as His people exhibit adoration in our heart as we reflect on our Savior? To begin I will start with a definition of the word adore. According to Websters dictionary the word adore means to worship; to honor; to regard with loving admiration and devotion. To adore is to worship. It is worship that is done in honor of the One that we hold dearly in our heart with love and devotion. In a sense, adoration is a fruit that is produced because of love.
Back to my question, what does it mean to adore? Adoration requires honor, devotion and worship toward the focus of the adoration. Adoration is an expression of reverence out of love. What then does it mean to adore the Lord? As the people of God it is not a responsibility or obligation to adore the Lord, it is a reciprocation of His love. Adoration toward the Lord is an expression of awe in reflection of His endless love for those who declare the hope in the Name of Salvation, Jesus our Messiah. Joyfully, joyfully therefore, we should adore the Lord.
Joyfully let us claim hope in the God of glory. Joyfully we call upon Jesus to open our heart as if a flower before the sun above. We open our hearts to receive His goodness and mercy. We cry out that He may melt away the clouds of sin and sadness. Convict our hearts Lord, of those things that we cling to that are not in keeping with Your will. Melt them away from us by Your power. Help us to claim joy. Take away the sadness, anxiety and the hopelessness that this world desires to pile upon us. Drive away the dark despair of doubt. Help us to see You as the giver of immortal gladness. It is only the Name of Jesus that can equip us with gladness. Jesus fill us with the Light of day! Joyfully, joyfully we adore.
My prayer for those reading these words is that you can find hope in the Lord. If you are suffering under the clouds of doubt, despair, sin or sadness may you turn your face toward the Light. Jesus is our Light (John 8:12).
My daughter just finished a book report about my book For Valor: Defending the Faith for those of Worth. As a proud papa, I am joyfully sharing the report with you. It is readily apparent that my daughter clearly understands the concepts brought forth in the book. May we all diligently strive to equip our children with discernment and dedication to walk out their faith with valor. May the Lord watch over them, pouring out His protection, provision and presence keeping them under His watchful care. To Jesus be the glory!
For Valor
Defending the Faith for Those of Worth
Chaos is complex, unwanted visitor. No matter what we do, or how much we try to get rid of it, chaos always returns. It is guaranteed. In For Valor, Corby Shuey writes about how Christians should defend their faith from chaos. The book opens by explaining how people with a different, secular worldview dwell on and constantly think of negative things. The devil spreads these negative thoughts and lies quickly and quietly, often with bits of truth intertwined. We have to be very careful to keep our focus on God’s true Word or else we can get pulled away from the Truth. We have to listen to the whisper of God’s Word to defeat these lies. God’s Word is Truth but other worldviews say that there is no truth or false truth. Postmodernism says everyone’s self proclaimed truth is in fact the truth and that nobody else can argue with that. It also says that there is no constant in life. Postmodernism and other false worldviews are responsible for the deconstruction of knowledge and identity. Because of this postmodern thought that have become seemingly more popular in today’s modern society, everyone thinks their truth is theirs and that nobody has the right to change that. They think everyone is free to do whatever they want. Christians, as the author says, are sinbathing, just going along with the flow, and just ignoring the unfortunate situation of those without faith.
Identity has become a god, made in the image of fallen man. The one true God, our God, purposely made us how He wanted us to be. We don’t need to try to change ourselves just to fit in somewhere. Transhumanism is trying to defy the biological limitations of humans. The devil wants us to forget about our identity in Christ. He tries to separate us from our Father. Humans try to mess with God’s creation, mixing different species and clone things to make different creatures. Our pride often gets in the way of a simple understanding of life. God offers order rather than chaos.
We must use the sword of the spirit and fight for our King, not for our own glory but for His. Not for our own sake but for the next generation for we bear His name. The Bible teaches us what is right and wrong and the difference between the two. In chapter four, we go through several passages of scripture and dive deep into it. First, Luke 23. This passage of scripture tells about how the people wanted to crucify Jesus and to let the murderer go. But Jesus willingly died for us. Those who put faith in Him will be saved. Jesus tells us to weep for those who don’t know Him since they will perish. The Lord says to keep those who know Him safe because during the last day, everything will be destroyed except those who fear God. We are supposed to recognize God’s work in our lives, embrace it, and walk it out. Our first responsibility is to love the Lord with all our being. Our lives need to reflect that. The Bible speaks of fishermen many times and explains how the disciples were fishers of men. However, these fishermen are very few in today’s modern world since the culture is becoming more and more troubling as the days pass. So we have to rise up, take courage, and become fishermen. We have to embrace the Word of God because God says He will release hunters to capture those who purposely deceive His people. Zechariah tells us that Shepards during that time failed to protect their sheep. He warns us that we guard ourselves and don’t fall into that pattern because we don’t want to be destroyed when Jesus returns. The Lord’s anger burns against those who lead the sheep astray. If we keep close to the Word, we are more than conquerors and our job is to help show sheep the right path so that wolves don’t devour them. Jehovah Roi, the Lord is the Shepard that guides us. We must follow Him.
At this point in the book, we are at a standstill. We are left to choose either withering in chaos or thriving in the peace of Jesus. Compared as a “glass divide” where on one side of the glass, there is peace, and on the other there is chaos. We have to choose which side of the glass we will stand. If we are on the side of peace, we can still see the chaos but ultimately, we don’t need to worry about that since we have Jesus. We have to pick a side; we can’t switch back and forth or try to be somewhere in the middle. We bear the name of Christ in our faith. God calls us by name so we should act as if we are representing Him no matter what the situation because we are. If Christians have contradicting beliefs and actions, we cannot be a part of God’s priesthood.
Chapter eight of For Valor talks about flint. Flint is a type of quartz that is used as a fire starter. Flint breaks steel when you strike the two together and that creates sparks. Charles Spurgeon talks about how Jesus set His face like flint when He went to die for us even though He did nothing wrong. Jesus’ face is as flint and ours is like clay so He can mold us and shape us. For example, when Jesus told Peter to walk on the water, he was doing great until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Then he was reminded of all the chaos that the world has to offer. So, if we keep our faces like flint and keep our eyes on Jesus, we don’t have to be afraid.
In 1 Samuel, there is an account about a giant who’s name was Goliath. Everyone was scared of him and just completely forgot about God. We do similar things when times get particularly tough or scary. However, in this event, there was a boy named David who knew who he was in God and he was confident in that. He chose to defend his faith and trust in God completely, even though the situation may have seemed hopeless. We can also be like David and defend our faith in times of trouble. We don’t have to be afraid for the battle is God’s and it has already been won.
Chapter 10 refers to a great teacher named Edwin Felecie. He once preached a sermon called “No Greater Valor” which starts with Felicie, a veteran who served our country for many years, explaining the soldiers creed. It tells about how soldiers main purpose is to serve the people of America and to never quit. This is how we should act when it comes to our faith. We are to serve others and never quit for the greater glory of God. We should take what we learned about setting our faces like flint in a previous chapter and apply it to our lives. The word valor in Hebrew is חַיִל (khah yil) which really means strength, might, efficiency, ability, and army. Those in the military serve only because they see worth in those whom they are protecting. They serve for valor. We must do the same.
The next chapter gives us a few physical pictures God gave us in the Bible so we could remember His faithfulness. First, the ark of the covenant is a reminder of God’s love and mercy for us. Another reminder of God’s love for us in the Bible are the stones of remembrance, set up by Joshua. The Hebrew word for this is (ot) which means sign, mark, banner, flag, miracle, or example. God is called “The Lord is my Banner” (or in Hebrew, “Jehovah Nissi”). That name was very important to Moses because it reminded him of how God delivered the Hebrews back in Exodus. We don’t need a pile of stones in our backyard to remind us that God is our banner too. Unless of course you want to. That’s ok too.
The final chapter of For Valor explains that we supposed to be a mirror of God. We have to work on restoring the mirror firstly, and get into the Word. Then, we have to share the Word and help others to become mirrors themselves. We need to teach about God’s Word diligently for our children, the next generation. For valor, defend your faith for those of worth. Be an example to others so that they may also be examples for their children and their chidren’s children. Like the disciples in the middle of the storm, we can be very scared at times. But Jesus calms the storm and He silences chaos. We do not have to be afraid. He fights for us and we are His. To God be the glory.
The reason I believe Mr. Shuey wrote this book is in the subtitle. He wants to warn us that we have to defend our faith so that others can believe and be grafted in. So that others may be a part of God’s priesthood. Not for our glory but for His.
Corby Shuey 