Don't Look Back

But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62

I have come across this verse four times in a week so I am getting the feeling that the Lord wants my attention. There are so many things that compete for our attention. The home, the kids, work, our health, keeping the car tuned up, relationships and of course, the things that entertain us. If we continue to just try to stay afloat without thinking or praying, we find ourselves surviving instead of thriving. It is so easy to not get rid of bad habits because we at least know what to expect and what to do. When God starts helping us to focus on something better and healthier, we are at a loss for awhile on how to live with the change. That’s why it is so much easier to look back.

The Israelites really struggled with this when leaving Egypt. They struggled with looking back so much that they never made it forward. All they could think about was the comparison between the luxuries in Egypt with the barrenness of the desert. Even though God completely provided miracles for them and freed them from the cruelty of slavery, they could not stop thinking of the comforts of their bad lifestyle over the freedom of their new lifestyle. And they never learned to work it out with the Lord. They just complained about it. As much as we hate to admit it, we struggle with the same things at times.

If we really think about it, life was not better before we became a Christian. The difference is that we didn’t have anyone to blame our issues on then, but now we can blame them on God. How silly but how true! Life is so much better knowing the Lord. We have the power of prayer, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the promises of hope for an everlasting life. We have fellowship with Him, and we should have a great attitude. But we need to learn how to put the Lord first in everything and have Him lead us, instead of figuring out our own needs and asking the Lord to meet them. By giving our lives to Jesus, we should never look back. There is nothing back there worth living for any way. If you are struggling with bringing the past into the future, ask the Lord to help you become more fit for the kingdom of God. Confess that sin and ask the Lord to help you open your heart to receive all He has for you. Then move forward in His Name!

~Daily Disciples Devotional~

Deity Indwelling Men!

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:17)

Here is the whole final message of the New Testament: Through the atonement in Jesus' blood sinful men may now become one with God. Deity indwelling men! That is Christianity in its fullest effectuation, and even those greater glories of the world to come will be in essence but a greater and more perfect experience of the soul's union with God.

Deity indwelling men! That, I say, is Christianity, and no man has experienced rightly the power of Christian belief until he has known this for himself as a living reality. Everything else is preliminary to this. Incarnation, atonement, justification, regeneration - what are these but acts of God preparatory to the work of invading and the act of indwelling the redeemed human soul? Man, who moved out of the heart of God by sin, now moved out of the heart of man because of sin, now enters again His ancient dwelling to drive out His enemies and once more make the place of His feel glorious.

Thank You, Father, for that divine indwelling and all its implications. Thank You that fellowship, union and power are all mine when the Holy Spirit is within me. Amen

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Grace Comes By Jesus Christ

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17)

Here are two important truths. The first truth is that no one ever was saved, no one is now saved and no one ever will be saved except by grace. Before Moses nobody was ever saved except by grace. During Moses' time nobody was ever saved except by grace. After Moses and before the Cross and after the Cross and since the Cross and during all that dispensation, during any dispensation, anywhere, any time since Abel offered his first lamb before God on the smoking altar - nobody was ever saved in any other way than by grace.

The second truth is that grace always comes by Jesus Christ. The law was given by Moses, but grace came by Jesus Christ. This does not mean that before Jesus was born of Mary there was no grace. God dealt in grace with mankind, looking forward to the Incarnation and death of Jesus before Christ came. Now, since He's come and gone to the Father's right hand, God looks back upon the Cross as we look back upon the Cross. Everybody from Abel on was saved by looking forward to the Cross, Grace came by Jesus Christ. And everybody that's been saved since the Cross is saved by looking back at the Cross.

Lord, I'm completely dependent on grace that is mine through Jesus Christ. I look back at the Cross and thank You that You loved me enough to provide for my salvation. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~

Double Standard

I would like for you to read again the Scripture we read yesterday, Titus 2:9-10,

Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

We make the gospel unattractive when we live contrary to our beliefs.  The gospel becomes unsavory and unattractive to those outside the church when our lives do not match up to what we say we believe.

Take the verses we read here.  Paul says, in effect, that we make the gospel unsavory when we pilfer (which means stealing items of small value) or talk back to our boss. 

You do not adorn the gospel when you show lack of respect for your boss, rip the company off, use the phones and computers at your job for personal business, take extra long lunch breaks, steal paper, take staplers, steal pens, or whatever you can get your hands on.

You should not dress the gospel in rags and then pass out tracts to all your coworkers or invite your boss to church.

This truth does not just apply to work.  Do not live contrary to your beliefs anywhere.  Do not live a double standard at home.  If you do, it will turn your kids away from wanting to serve Christ.  If you are into sports and you curse a lot, cheat, or have a bad temper, you dress the gospel in rags. 

In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul states that, You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.

The truth is, we are the only Bible some people will ever read.  They are looking at our lives. 

~Bayless Conley~

God Acts Like God

"The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13)

Always, always, always God acts like God. Aren't you glad you aren't going to sneak into heaven through a cellar window?

Aren't you glad that you're not going to get into heaven by God's oversight? God is so busy with His world that you sneak in. You're there a thousand years before God sees you!

Aren't you glad that you're not going to get in just by being a member of a church? God says, "Well, that's a pretty good church. Let's let him in."

All of this cheap talk about Peter giving us an exam to see if we're all right - it's all nonsense! The Great God Almighty, always one with Himself, looks upon a moral situation and He either sees death or life. And all of God is on the side of death or life. If there is an iniquitous, unequal, unatoned, uncleansed, unprotected sinner in his sin, there's only one answer - all of God says, "Death and hell." And all of heaven can't pull that man up.

But if he beats his breast and says, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13), and takes the benefits of the infinite agony of God on a Cross, God looks on that moral situation and says, "Life!" And all of hell can't drag that man down. Oh, the wonder and the mystery and the glory of the being of God!

Thank You, Lord, for Your consistent grace, which does not allow us to slip through the cracks but has mercy on us and saves us. Amen

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No Compromise With Sin

"To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19)

But how can God say to a sinner, "I'll move over halfway"? Can He say, "You're blind, so I'll move over and be half blind, and you'll move over and be half blind ..."? And thus by God coming halfway and compromising Himself, could He and man be reconciled? To do that God would have to void His Godhead and cease to be God.

I'd rather go to hell than go to a heaven presided over by a god who would compromise with sin, and I believe every true man and woman would feet the same. We want God to be the holy God that He is. The prodigal son and his father  did not meet halfway to the far country. The boy came clear back where he belonged. And so the sinner in his repentance comes all the way back to God, and God doesn't move from His holy position of infinite holiness, righteousness and loveliness, world without end.

God never compromises and comes halfway down. God stays the  God that He is. This is the God we adore - our faithful, unchangeable Friend whose love is as great as His power and knows neither limit nor end. We don't want God to compromise. We don't want God to wink at our iniquity. We want God to do something about it.

Thank You, Father, that You never compromise but instead provide a way for me to come to You through Your Son. What a plan! Amen

~A. W. Tozer~

Learning Conentment

I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.

—Philippians 4:11

I read about a man who was very proud of his beautifully groomed lawn. It was absolute perfection—that is until a heavy crop of dandelions came in one year, and he couldn't figure out how to get rid of them. Finally he wrote an e-mail to an agricultural college and told them about all the things he had tried. He also asked if they had any suggestions.

They responded with a very short e-mail that read, "We suggest that you learn to love them."

There are times when we find ourselves asking, "How can I get this problem to go away?" or "How can I get this irritating person out of my life?" or "How can I change my circumstances?"

Sometimes God will take the problem away. And sometimes God will say, "You know what? You just have to learn to love them."

The apostle Paul said, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11). Paul wasn't saying that he was necessarily satisfied with his present spiritual condition. And though we need to be content with what we have, we should never be content with where we are spiritually. There should always be a bit of restlessness in our lives to want to learn more, to want to grow more, and to want to be transformed more, recognizing there is still a great distance to run in the race of life for each of us.

But notice that Paul used the word learned. He had learned in whatever state he was to be content. Contentment does not come naturally. We need to learn how to be content because we are naturally discontented people.

Despite what adverse circumstances we may be facing, we can learn to be content in the midst of a troubled world.

~Greg Laurie~

God's Plan, God's Power

"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23)

If you get nothing else from this chapter, it is essential that you understand and retain this truth: the world's redemption is not in mankind's hands. I cannot tell you how glad I am that there is at least one thing that we humans cannot bungle. The plan of salvation is God's plan. The power of redemption is God's power. Only the Lamb of God could die in our place. This is God's way of doing things, not ours.

Our redemption was not by muscle, but by love. It was not wrought by vengeance, but by forgiveness. It was not by sword, but by sacrifice.

We are Christians because Jesus destroyed His enemies by dying for them. He conquered death by letting death conquer Him, and then He turned death inside out as He burst forth from the tomb as victor! This whole work of redemption had to be accomplished in the way things are done in heaven.

Lord, thank You that before the foundation of the world You knew me, loved me and planned for my redemption. Thank You that it is Your perfect wisdom and power, and not mine, that brings about redemption. Amen

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No Problem to God

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 1:14)

Our theology is too much colored by our secret self-admiration. We picture God as draining ... draining the last ounce of His strength to save us. This gives us a highly enjoyable feeling that we are capable of mighty world-shaking deeds so terrible that even God respects our power to do evil. The lurid overcoloring of pulpit rhetoric has worked to destroy the truth of God's sovereignty and to greatly overstate man's prowess as a sinning rebel.

A man may sin to the limit of his ability and still be no great problem to the Deity. "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20).

God is infinite and man is finite, which is to say that every man's sin, however terrific it may seem to him, must have a limit, while God's grace can have none. Always God must be out ahead, or He would not be God.

Let us put our pride under our feet and admit frankly that our sins are not big nor mighty nor noble. There is nothing romantic about sin. It is a sordid and shameful things practiced by moral cads so weak that they take advantage of God's kindness to defy Him and so cowardly that they run whining to Him for help when trouble comes.

Lord, keep before me always the exceeding ugliness of my sin that I may not take pride in it. Thank You that Your grace is so much bigger than my sin. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~

I Want to Know Christ

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I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. (Philippians 3:10 NIV)

Do recognize that the Cross is the end of the risen life, and not only the beginning. If you forget everything else, remember that. The Cross is the end of the risen life, as well as the beginning: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed unto His death." People have been to me with Philippians 3 and have asked: "Why did Paul put death at the end? Surely it ought to be right the other way round – 'That I may be conformed to His death, and know Him in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.'" No, there is no mistake. The order is of the Holy Spirit. The power of His resurrection presupposes that there has been a death, but the very resurrection-life leads to the Cross. The Holy Spirit in the power of the risen life is always leading you back to the Cross, to conformity to His death. It is the very property of Life to rule out all that belongs to death. It is the very power of resurrection to bring us back to the place where death is constantly overcome.

That place is none other than the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ where the natural life is put aside. So Paul says: "...becoming conformed unto His death," which means: to have the ground of death continuously and progressively removed; and that, again, as we have said, is the fruit of living union with Him. It would be a poor look-out for you and for me were we to be conformed to His death in entirety apart from the power of resurrection in us, apart from our already knowing the Life of the Lord. Where would be our hope? What is it that is the power of our survival when the Cross is made more real in our experience? There would be no survival were it not that His risen Life is in us. So Paul prays: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection..." and that means conformity to His death without utter destruction. The end of the risen life is the Cross. The Holy Spirit is always working in relation to the Cross, in order that the power of His resurrection may be increasingly manifested in us.

~T. Austin-Sparks~