God Our Refuge - Closet Reflections

Monday, September 4, 2017

For His Purpose, By His Grace

Verse of the day: 2 Timothy 1:9 Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

If we stop and truly think about how amazing God’s grace is toward us, it is absolutely mind-boggling. Today, we are reminded of how good God is, in that He has saved us (for those of us who have called upon Him by faith to receive eternal life) by no merit of our own. There was nothing that we did, or anything that we could do, that entitled us to salvation. Although He had a plan in place to save us, even before time began (Eph 1:4; 1 Pt 1:20), as He looked ahead, not one of us had anything to offer in exchange for such a magnificent gift. We had no special talent or ability that God looked forward to, that would grant us some special status with Him in being saved. All that we have, our talents, abilities, and gifts, are all bestowed upon us, by Him, and by His grace; and not only does He give us the talents, abilities, and gifts, but He also provides the power to use them (1 Pt 4:10-11). He has done this because He has separated us, or set us apart, for His holy purpose. Our salvation comes to us by the grace of God, according to God’s plan and purpose, and therefore we must not be ashamed to both serve Him, and suffer for the cause of Christ and the Gospel. Titus 3:5 tells us that our salvation came, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”. Knowing this, we must do all that we can to seek out God’s plan and purpose for our lives; the first being that we glorify Him in all that we do. We must go forward, boldly proclaiming the Gospel message, knowing that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (v. 7); the power to face whatever He allows us to face (knowing that He is always with us; Heb 13:5-6), love that can only come from God because only in Christ can we truly love God and others, and a mind that is well-balanced in how we carry out our faith in everyday life (by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word). The bottom line is that we need to serve God wholeheartedly, because we have been given a wonderful gift that a lost and dying world needs to know about, and God has chosen us, by His grace, to carry that message to every creature (Mk 16:15); because His ultimate desire is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and accept eternal life, by faith, as provided by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pt 3:9).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Do Good and Be Not Discouraged

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Do Good, and Be Not Discouraged

Verse of the day: Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

One of the obstacles we, as born again believers, can encounter in our walk with, and service to, the Lord, is the danger of becoming discouraged, and giving up, in doing good. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” It is no secret that we encounter people who can be very ungrateful. Some of us have even had moments when we were convicted because we failed to show gratitude toward God or others. However, as Christians, we must keep this one thing at the forefront of our minds, that whatever good we do for others, we are doing it for the Lord, and therefore should not expect anything in return; and realize that people will sometimes fail to be thankful for the good we do to them, and for them. Luke 6:32-36 reminds us, “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Jesus was very clear that we are to be like Him in being merciful toward those that we have the opportunity to do good for. Regardless of who they are, or even if they are our enemy. The reminder in today’s verse is that whatever we do, whether or not we receive gratitude for it, God sees it, and will reward us in due time. Let us not forget that we will all stand before the Lord to give account, and receive reward, for our service to Him (2 Cor 5:10). The most encouraging part of this is that if we do not give up, we will reap all the rewards God has in store for us, in accordance to our faithfulness in serving Him, and those He calls us to serve. In all that we do, we must do it because we serve God, and not because we seek the gratitude or praises of men. Colossians 3:23-24 commands us, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” The devils will do all they can to discourage us when we do good, especially when all we seem to get in return is criticism by those who will think we are foolish for doing good to someone, or for someone, they deem unworthy. The very people we do good for may even betray us or mistreat us; but we are to be steadfast, and know that God also sees that and will take vengeance on our behalf (Rm 12:17-19). We must always remember that God gave us eternal life, was merciful, and showed us grace, even though we did not, and do not deserve it. All that we do for God and others is all for God’s glory, and He knows every little thing we do, and the intention of our hearts when we do it. So let us serve God cheerfully, and not grow weary in well-doing, knowing that God sees it, and will reward us in due time.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Daily Devotional Audio Track: No Other Team Like Ours

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No Other Team Like Ours

Verse of the day: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

It amazes me when I see people who will argue, and fight, tooth and nail, to defend their favorite sports team(s). If they meet someone from an opposing team, a rival team, they will argue player and team stats to prove that their team is better, and sometimes those arguments will rise to the level of almost having physical altercations. Some of the people that I have seen be almost that vehement about their favorite team(s) are Christians. Sadly, I do not often see those same Christians defend the faith, or share the Gospel, with such fervor and excitement. We are the same people who will go to a sporting event and make complete fools of ourselves cheering on our team, yet barely say “amen” in church when the preacher preaches the Word of God. I have been in many fellowship gatherings where the conversation of sports took center stage, yet Jesus’ name was barely mentioned. What amazes me most is that when these favorite teams win, we personally gain nothing from it, yet we pay astronomical prices to go to their games, but make excuses as to why we cannot pay tithes and offerings. We celebrate as if we were the ones who personally scored the winning points; yet we receive not one award or penny from all the money that team and its players made. We gain absolutely nothing. Jesus, on the other hand, made us part of a winning team when we called upon Him, were given eternal life, and adopted into God’s family. The winning team that we are on, with Jesus as our Captain, bestows upon us great rewards, all of which we do not deserve. Yet, we often spend very little time cheering Him on, and talking about Him and our team. The command given to God’s people, in these verses, still apply to us today. James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers. However, in order to be doers, we must know what the Word of God says. In order for the Word to take prominence in our lives, it must be ingrained in our hearts. In order for the Word to be ingrained in our hearts, we must make it a priority to meditate on it. This means that we are to think on it, rehearse it in our minds, until its truth is written on, and hidden in, our hearts. We are to pick it apart and study it until we understand its meaning and application (2 Tim 2:15). Along with that, it must also be constantly on our lips. Our children, those who know us, and those we encounter, should know us as Christians who are not ashamed to speak the Word of God, share the Gospel, and live it (Rm 1:16). We should be known as Christians who are always ready to explain our faith to anyone who will listen, and not shy away from those who attempt to put it down (1 Pt 3:15). Verse 5 of this chapter reads as follows, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This is a command that is repeated for us in the New Testament, it was given to us again, by Jesus, in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27. This can only happen if we have as much fervor as described in these verses. As born again believers, we truly are on the winning team. Unlike the sports teams we cheer on, whose players are paid astronomical amounts of money, and enjoy earthly fame, which quickly fades once their teams are no longer winning teams or once they can no longer perform as they did when they were younger and able; we have rewards that will never fade. We are forgiven all our trespasses and are bound for Heaven. We are gathering riches and have an inheritance that is reserved for us that no one can take from us (1 Pt 1:4). Our rewards are eternal and when we play our part on our team, the consequences and rewards are eternal. So what excuse can we possibly have for not being as excited about the team we are on, than the team(s) that we gain nothing of eternal value from? The bottom line is that the only way we will ever truly love God with all that we are is by having the kind of dedication that drives us to constantly be in God’s Word, committing it to memory, planting it in our hearts, and continually telling others about it, as well as living it before the world.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Daily Devotional Audio Track: The Christian's Heavenly Food

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The Christian’s Heavenly Food

Verse of the day: John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

What does our Christian life look like? Did we call on Jesus, and accept His gift of eternal life, simply to sit around do nothing for the furtherance of the Gospel? Did we become Christians just to live a “good” life here, and disregard the life to come? Life as a Christian is not about just about getting by here on earth, on our way to Heaven. It is about doing what the Lord has left us here for…to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15), leading others to Him, and glorifying Him with our lives. In this chapter, Jesus had been dealing with the Samaritan woman, and others were coming to see Him as a result of her testimony. When the disciples came to Jesus, and saw Him talking with the woman, they wondered why He was talking with her, as Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. After her departure, their only concern was that Jesus has something to eat. The response He gave them teaches us a lot about what our focus should be each and every day. This response is an explanation of what he said to them in verse 32, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.” What does Jesus’ response to them say to us today? Like Christ, our main goal in life should be to fulfill God’s will and purpose for our time here on earth. He saw this as priority, even above and beyond the urge to carry out those things which are natural for us to do as human beings. God will sometimes give us opportunities to serve Him by witnessing, or doing some good for someone, at some of the most inconvenient times. It could interrupt our meal time, or come up during a time when we are weary, tired, and ready to take a nap. We might have plans that would need to be changed in order for us to be a blessing to someone in need. Every opportunity is an opportunity to let Jesus shine before those He leads us to. In John 6:38, Jesus said, “For I came down from Heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” Not only was Jesus focused on carrying out the Father’s will, but He was also focused on completing the mission. The Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Sadly, as born again believers, we often put greater urgency, and importance, on things that have no eternal value. We make our plans more important than what God has for us to accomplish here on earth. We often lose sight of what is most important in the life of a believer. The bottom line is that we must strive, each day, to lay our heads on our pillows at night and be able to say, “I did my best to live out God’s will for my life today.” “I helped someone who needed help.” “I made an effort to share the Gospel with someone, or others, today.” “I put my plans aside today to do what I knew God wanted me to do.” “I allowed Jesus to shine in my life today with my attitude, words, and deeds, in order to seek an opportunity to lead someone to the Lord.” So, I ask again, “What does our Christian life look like today? Is God’s will and purpose for my life meat to eat that is more satisfying than anything else that me, or the world, would say is a priority?” “Will I be willing to skip a meal or two, skip a nap, override my feelings of hunger and fatigue to carry out an assignment I know is coming from God?” Only we, personally, know what that true answer is.