***********

12.21.24

1. “My experiences are not worth anything unless they take me to Jesus.”

Our life is a series of experiences upon which we construct our sense of reality. That reality can be very different for different people based on our very different life experiences.

Oswald calls us to base our life on something beyond our experiences, namely, “the Reality of Redemption.”

That is, we must not permit our experiences to trump the Truth of God. Experiences can be deceptive and lead us to believe wrongly about God, ourselves and our world. Our life must instead be founded on God's truth revealed in Jesus Christ.

“The Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences.” There's great vastness in the Almighty God’s Truth, and our personal experiences cannot plumb its depths. Only the Holy Spirit within us can set the firm foundation stones upon which we can build our life for time and eternity.

Anything less is “building our house on sand” (Matthew 7:26).

Lord Jesus, we’re so prone to permit our life experiences to direct our attitude, decisions and life trajectory. Thank You for revealing God to us. May “the Reality of Redemption” alone form and gird our hearts and minds.

2. “The Holy Spirit takes you to the historic Christ.”

Without God's gift of faith, Jesus Christ is at best a historic personality, and at worse a fictitious fable.

It's when we act on that faith, believe Jesus is Who He says He is, and trust Him implicitly for our salvation, that God is able to revolutionize our thinking about “the historic Christ.”

Far more than a teacher, example or moral guide, Jesus Christ becomes the Center of all of creation. Just as the Kingdom of God revolves around the Risen Christ, so our lives and worldview begin to revolve around Jesus as well.

“The Holy Spirit takes you to the historic Christ.” And there we stand, at the foot of His cross, beholding His love and beauty, and believing His death and Resurrection cleanse us from all unrighteousness and adopt us to our Heavenly Father as children of God.

Mary our everyday living be founded, grounded and experienced through this reality.

Beloved, is Jesus anything less to us than “the historic Christ?” Is He for us Who He declared Himself to be through the Holy Scriptures? If so, may the Holy Spirit absolutely convince us otherwise.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being a permanent fixture in human history and reality. Thank You for manifesting yourself as God Incarnate, and thank You for paying our sin-debt with Your cross. We wholeheartedly believe and choose to follow You today.

3. “Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him?”

We will forever be assailed by lived experiences that have the potential of undermining what we believe to be true of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We believe God to be Sovereign and loving, yet our life experiences can suggest otherwise—perhaps as see the suffering and sorrow all around us.

We believe God to be all powerful, and able to heal and provide, yet we're surrounded by people who are needful, sick and dying.

We believe God to be Lord over the nations of the world, yet there are nations in uproar, war and destruction.

What does this stuff say about our God?

We must be careful not to permit our experiences characterize God. Instead, we must permit the Truth of God in Christ to inform our experiences. “Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God's revealed Truth is the only faith there is.”

Thank God for the Scriptures and the teachings of the Incarnate God in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus came to help us know Who God is, His heart for humanity, and His undefeatable power. It's only when we take this revelation of God to heart that we can appropriately and accurately view our world.

“I don’t care what I experienced—I'm sure of Him.” May Jesus Christ be the lens through which we evaluate our world and our experiences.

Lord Jesus, please be Lord over our experiences, thoughts, imaginations and perceptions. May we view our world clearly as we view our world through You alone. Thank You.

***********

12.20.24

1. “The world doesn't need ‘a little bit of love,’ but major surgery.”

This notion must be cemented in our heart, mind and soul, because it’s at the core of the Gospel.

A popular notion in our world today is that we can repair humanity by changing our environment, providing education, securing liberty, etc. If that's the case, what’s the reason for the horror of cross of Jesus Christ?

Jesus didn't come to adjust humanity, but to transform us. Not merely by changing the social order and structure, but by changing human hearts—one at a time.

Many are not convinced or content with this approach. It seems insufficient. Surely our scientific and social engineering approaches to life-change is more effective.

But it's not, because nothing we do changes human hearts. Only God is able, and only as we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Without a doubt, love is at the center of God’s approach; everything God does is out of His love for us. And ultimately, Christ came as a demonstration and response to God's amazing love.

But God's love, because it's perfect and complete, brings with it a surgeon’s scalpel. In Christ, God performs major surgery on human beings: He gives us a new heart—His heart—by His Holy Spirit.

Let's do away with lesser thinking. Loving affection, heart-felt sympathy and surface-level efforts can’t do what only God can do. And the way of God's transformation is the cross of Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son; Lord Jesus, thank You for Your cross; Father and Son, thank You for the Gift of Your Holy Spirit. Almighty God, convince us of humanity's need for what only You can do. Please forgive us for thinking anything less.

2. “When you think of people who are spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross.”

We must reach the point at which this is our default. Spiritually lost people are not merely wayward, but eternally separated from the God who created them for union with Himself.

And Jesus is their only hope of being reconciled.

To that end, we must immediately set our intentions on helping lost souls come into authentic faith and relationship with the crucified and Resurrected Jesus Christ.

Nothing less will do.

We can certainly love others, provide their needs, listen to their hearts and pray for them. “But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified, and lift Him up.”

If we're not helping people get to the cross, we’re short-changing them and “we’re a traitor to Jesus Christ.” It’s because “every belief not firmly rooted in the cross leads people astray.”

God forbid that those of us who know the Truth in Christ withhold sharing it with others.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your cross and Resurrection. Please help us become absolutely convinced of people's paramount need for knowing You. May it be our heartbeat as people cross our path today.

3. “You must have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ yourself in order to pour out your life in helping others know Him.”

We can't take others where we ourselves have not been.

It's when we discover and sustain vital relationship with Jesus Christ that we’re compelled that others to know Him, too. How can we not share with other beggars where we’ve found bread?

This is another reason for pursuing Jesus on a daily and minute-by-minute basis. It's our attention to the Scriptures, prayer, worship, serving and more, that catalyzes our convictions of God's Truth, and convinces us beyond everything else, that “People Need Jesus.”

“Our usefulness to God depends on our strong and growing relationship with Jesus.” It's Christ living in us by His Holy Spirit that prompts our concern for others and helps us overcome our hesitations to share Jesus.

Lord Jesus, as we spend time with You today, please increase our sense of urgency for those who don't know you. May Your love and compelling become the principal motivations of our lives.

***********

12.19.24

1. “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Oswald appears harsh this morning. Or perhaps it seems he’s making Jesus appear harsh.

“Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude God is dealing harshly with them.” This is what sympathy will do for us—it can cause us to side with people inappropriately.

Without a doubt, God is good, kind and loving. He may carry a “sword” that pierces our heart, but He does so for good reason. God’s never vindictive, only redemptive.

“If a person can’t go to God, it's because they have something secret which they do not intend to give up.” This puts the onus of relationship with God upon each of us. If our fellowship with God is stilted, we’re responsible, not God.

“It's impossible to deal sympathetically with a person who will not give up their secret sin.” If we sympathize with that which is wrecking a person's life, we’re enabling and justifying, and putting ourself at odds with the Holy Spirit Who “convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment” (Matthew 16:8).

Yikes.

The fact of the matter is, the Gospel isn't a salve for sinners. It's a direct message from Jesus that “reaches deep down to the root of the problem, and causes hostility and resentment towards God.”

But God, in His loving mercy, is willing to offend in order to win our heart. I wonder if we are able to tolerate His approach?

Lord Jesus, thank You for being meek and mild, gentle and approachable, kind and caring. Please help us trust You with Your surgical scalpel. We entrust to You our heart and the hearts of those we love.

Amen.

2. “Sensitive to God's way.”

Our message as God's servants must be “merciless and insistent.” That is, we betray God and those we love if we make allowance for our sin and theirs.

God never does. Instead, He “cuts to the very root.”

Why? Is it because God’s heartless, insensitive and cruel? Hardly. Instead, “otherwise there will be no healing.” God never hurts to punish or vindicate. God moves heaven and earth to win our heart.

Like it or not, God shines His Light into our darkness. He doesn’t permit us to “hide, but applies His Truth” to our heart. Squirm as we might, God’s doing what He must to save.

Beloved, in a world hostile the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must consistently “hold high the standard of Jesus for people's lives.” Otherwise, we're clouding the issue, ignoring the root of the matter, and preventing others from knowing the amazing healing Jesus provides.

Sensitivity to God's way may appear insensitive. But, in reality, we're merely following way of God's infinite love.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for taking the teeth out of the Gospel in an attempt to avoid its implications. Please do what You must in our heart and others’ to win us for Your Kingdom. Please help us humbly submit ourselves to Your way.

3. “If we could truly be happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come?”

This is the question for the ages. It may be more relevant in our day than it ever has been.

Human beings seek happiness. We do whatever it takes in our attempt to attain this elusive desire.

In an affluent and independent culture as our own, we’re loathe to admit our unhappiness. We’re determined to keep up appearances and convince others we're happy, successful and content.

Anything suggesting otherwise is a personal affront.

“Jesus came because worldly happiness and peace is only superficial.” We know this to be true. The very best externals fail to provide these priceless internal qualities—even as we pursue and consume more and more.

The world often looks at religion as a salve for our soul, a feeble attempt to find happiness and peace. But those of us who follow Jesus know better. The truest contentment is “based on a personal relationship with Jesus.”

To that end, “Jesus runs His sword through” any kind of superficial happiness, peace and morality, because they’re counterfeits and convince us we have no need for God.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

The question becomes, will I humble myself and receive from Jesus that which I cannot attain on my own?

Lord Jesus, we’ll be the first to admit, only You satisfy our heart. Please forgive us pursuing and settling for the superficial when we can be the joyful recipients of Your lavish love and grace. Thank You forevermore!

***********

12.18.24

1. “Faithfulness to God”

Oswald’s ringing our bell this morning. Goodness.

“We say ‘God is in control,’ but we don't really believe it.” Oswald is onto something enormous here. The words, “God is in control” often fall from our mouth, but would an onlooker be convinced we believe it?

“We act as if the things that happen are completely controlled by people.” That's why we get aggravated, bent and mean-spirited towards others. We're blaming them for our circumstances.

“It's only a faithful person who truly believes that God's Sovereignty controls our circumstances.” This is the big kahuna. Do we truly hold unswervingly to the Sovereignty of God? That's the true test of our faithfulness.

It's one thing to believe Christian doctrine—for example, we believe God created the world. It's another to believe God's hand is on the lever and nothing happens that God doesn't design or allow.

What will today bring, and how will we respond to it? Will we approach every situation as if God is in control, and will we act as such? Or, will our circumstances reveal our unfaithfulness as we scratch, claw, worry, fret, get angry, become frantic and blame others?

Lord, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Oswald's words this morning. They certainly cause us to reflect. By Your grace, may we receive all we encounter today as if it were coming from Your hand, and may we be found faithful.

2. “Learn to worship God during difficult circumstances.”

What does it mean to worship God? Surely it means to acknowledge God, seek to align ourself with Him, Offer Him the praise and worship He’s due, and trust He’s bringing about His Kingdom and will on “earth as it is in heaven.”

On a bright, blue, beautiful day, when everything’s coming up roses, when we feel great and the people around us are happy, it's easy to give God thanks and praise. Indeed, what a wonderful life.

But what about during “difficult circumstances?” What about when the world’s in upheaval, when we don't feel well, people around us are acting out, relationships are souring, work is hard, money is tight, the weather is cold and rainy, and there’s no and in sight?

These moments are made for worship. Worship is God’s gift, tethering our heart to His as we draw from His endless mercy and grace. We’re offering God our faith and trust, and relying on Him to “change our circumstances for the better if He so chooses.”

And confessing our love, loyalty and confidence even if He doesn't.

Thank God for the capability of worshiping, regardless the situation. How unfortunate when we don't take full advantage of this amazing connection with God—on good days and bad.

Because God is forever worthy.

Heavenly Father, even as the day begins, we step into this marvelous relationship of worship, and offer You our heart and soul. How we bless You for Your all-sufficient grace and mercy in any and all circumstances. We acknowledge You as Sovereign God of the universe and humbly receive from Your hand.

3. “No complaining and no explanations.”

God means business with us for the sake of His Kingdom.

“God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us.” By God’s Divine choreography, He places us among people in our circles and circumstances, that we might be salt and light for His Kingdom.

Are we interested in this role?

“Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world.” These are hard words, but they certainly make sense. If we declare Jesus Christ to be our Lord, our disobedience is greater than the disobedience of those who don't believe. Yikes.

Oswald describes God's arrangement with us: “God expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His.” That almost sounds like a grouchy parent nagging a child to clean their room, take out the trash or walk the dog.

But our service to God is on a completely different order. God is bringing about His Kingdom, and we have very little comprehension of what it looks like and what it requires. Ours is to obey, content to follow Jesus without having to know the intricacies involved. We simply know God is good and wise.

Beloved, may it be the eager honor of our lifetime to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as He works His perfect, loving and glorious will.

Heavenly Father, please help us be faithful today in the manner of Your choosing. May we be willing to obey when we don't understand, when it makes no sense, and when we can’t visualize the outcome You’re bringing about. We declare we trust You and won’t burden You to provide the details. Amen.

***********

12.17.24

1. “The Gospel of God creates the sense of need for the Gospel.”

We must truly take this truth to heart.

The greatest human need is not personal fulfillment or even our physical requirements. The greatest human need is to be united with our God through faith in Jesus Christ.

It matters in this life and the next.

But we’re completely and utterly unaware of this need until God makes us aware. That's the purpose of the Gospel: “Whoever believes on Christ is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (John 3:18).

Some might accuse God of being ruthless by condemning all of humanity. Instead, God is merciful, making us aware of the cancer eating away in our soul and separating us from our Creator. And God is gracious in opening our eyes to the redemption and salvation Jesus Christ provides.

Not only so, but God even grants us faith to believe. Beloved, this is the goodness of our God.

Are we aware of our need? Are we aware of God's provision? If not, May God open our eyes. If God has done so already, may God grant us the grace to trust in, cling to and rely on Jesus Christ today and forevermore.

Father, thank You for Your mercy in revealing our need for our Savior. By the faith You give us may we wholeheartedly receive forgiveness in Christ. And may our hearts forever exult in Your utterly Amazing Grace. Hallelujah!

2. “God cannot give unless a person asks.”

There are certainly gifts from God we never think to ask for. For instance, God causes our heart to beat, our lungs to inhale, the sun to rise, and the earth to produce its fruits. Praise God for His remarkable gifts.

But “God has established the way of redemption.” That is, God has created the ground rules if we are to be forgiven for our sins and brought into union with God.

His “way of redemption” includes our non-negotiable faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who cleanses from all unrighteousness. Yet it requires us asking, trusting and receiving His grace by faith.

This means salvation isn’t automatic or accidental. It is a conscious transaction with God. We may not know all the ins or outs, and we don’t completely understand what God does for us by faith in Christ, but it requires our asking to receive.

“It's not that God wants to withhold something from us, it’s that God has established the way of redemption.” We may criticize or resent God's way, but we'll never change God's way.

Beloved, may we participate in God's way today.

Heavenly Father, we choose to align ourselves with You today. We agree with You about our sin and our need for our Savior. We will humbly submit ourselves to You and ask. “Lord Jesus, please come into our heart and life, forgive us for our sin, and adopt us too our Heavenly Father. We receive You and Your redemption by the faith You give us. Thank You. We remain eternally in Your debt.

3. “God creates something in us that was nonexistent until we asked.”

This is a beautiful understanding of redemption.

“Redemption creates the life of God in us.” It's not simply a ritual to confess faith in Christ. It invites God to create His Life in us. This is no small matter. In redemption, Christ takes up residence in us through the Holy Spirit.

“Redemption creates the things which belong to the life of God in us.” Along with conceiving the Life of God in us, God also catalyzes faith, hope, love, humility, the ability to forgive, etc. These things are not ours through the process of self-development, but are the very character traits of God born in us when we trust Christ.

More so, what God has birthed in us, “He will bring to completion on the day of Jesus Christ returns” (Philippians 1:6). God’s ongoing work is happening right now inside of us. May we fully participate in the flourishing God is creating in us. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your supernatural work happening in us in this moment. Help us not be an impediment to Your ongoing work, but to fully give ourselves to Your glorious efforts. We thank You for such an amazing gift!

***********

12.16.24

1. “You must learn to never wrestle with God.”

This is a tremendous perspective.

We wrestle before God in prayer with regarding people and situations in our life. We wrestle against our sin. We wrestle for others. And we do this wrestling in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we wrestle together with the Holy Spirit, God is working in the heavenlies on behalf of our world and those for whom we pray. We are co-laborers with Christ as we intercede.

But in wrestling with God Himself, we’re pushing back against God, refusing what He may be calling to or against situations God has divinely placed before us.

Is when we wrestle with God Himself that God must “put us out of joint, just as He did Jacob.” That is, God will curtail our wrestling and bring it to naught, and we’ll limp in our God-walk.

Beloved, we must be astute in recognizing with what or whom we’re wrestling. To wrestle in prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit yields God's victories. To wrestle against God Himself will only bring disappointment and discouragement.

Lord, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us when we push back and attempt to negotiate with You. Instead, may we embrace and trust Your Sovereignty, and put our shoulder to the plow and join in league with You as we pray. Thank You for hearing our prayers and working as we pray.

2. “Wrestling before God makes an impact in His Kingdom.”

There's a reason our spirit is often stirred. It's because the Holy Spirit is making us aware of struggles in the spirit realm, and He's calling us to join in His intervention as we pray.

We must never imagine our God-walk to be an escape from the challenges in our world. Instead, we’re joining ranks with the armies of God, opposing the evil and wickedness in the heavenlies.

There are seasons of peace and bliss before our God, but there are also seasons of relentless tension and turmoil. It's because God plunges us into a broken world to be salt, light and intercessors.

Paul said, “I’m filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His Body, the Church” (Colossians 1:24). That is, Paul contending along with God for the sake of God’s people and God’s world.

Will our praying bring burden and heartache? Without a doubt, because we’re sensing God's broken heart for our broken world. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we’re leaning into our high calling of intercession.

Beloved, may we always be aware, “Our wrestling before God will make an impact in His Kingdom.” May we be found faithful.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this insight into some of the heaviness we often sense in our souls. Thank You for the opportunity to be a part of Your Kingdom work in our world. It's our honor to join You in as You redeem Your Creation. Hallelujah.

3. “God's perfect will is unchangeable. God's permissive will is what He allows into our lives.”

I've heard some people push back against the notion of God's “perfect will” and God's “permissive will.” Perhaps it's just a matter of semantics.

“God's perfect will is unchangeable.” It's absolutely true that God will ultimately bring about His purposes in our world. Nothing will thwart God bringing His Kingdom to earth.

However, God's will is consistently opposed by human and demonic will. For instance, “God wills that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). However, there will be those who reject God and perish. God, have mercy.

In the case above, God's “permissive will” permits you and me to choose our own destiny by submitting ourselves to Christ or dismissing Christ. And God, in His Sovereign will, permits us to make our own decision. God, help us.

Today we’ll have the opportunity to participate in the work of God all around us. By God's grace, may we align ourselves with Him rather than with what He allows because we choose not to.

Heavenly Father, “May Your Kingdom come and may Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” We offer ourselves to You today for Your “good, acceptable and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

***********

12.15.24

1. “Study until you can express yourself well on each of your beliefs.”

I know the freedom I experience when I take the time to do this.

Until I Burrow down on my beliefs, study and think them through, and even rehearse them to myself, my belief system is a foggy, Gray mass. I have no way of expressing it to anyone else.

But, when I truly do the leg work study it out, speak it out, My own, I'm not stymied when I have an opportunity to share my faith with others. The opportunity to share only strengthens my understanding.

“Other people miss out on the blessing that comes From knowing the truth.” There are more than enough opportunities to talk about Jesus. I choose not to take advantage of them when I'm not comfortable expressing what I believe.

But when I've been “diligent to present myself approved to God,” when I have faithfully studied out my faith, I can be ready to “preach the Word in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:20), and “not be ashamed.”

This is a continuous process for all of us. We live in a world that wants answers for why we believe. We owe it to God and others to figure it out. Please help us, O Lord.

Heavenly father, please forgive us for not taking advantage of the opportunity to truly make our beliefs our own, to diligently work at being able to express and share them with others, and take the opportunity at hand. Please spur our hearts in this matter. Thank you.

2. “You must struggle, experience and rehearse your words to experience God's truth clearly.”

Just as golfers must continually practice their swing, so christ's followers most continually shape, fashion and rehearse the words they will use in Speaking of God's Kingdom two others.

This process involves opening our mouths and initiating or responding to God conversations with others. This includes our family and friends, Neighbors and coworkers.

As we do so, we'll stumble, get stumped, get backed into a corner, and utterly fail at expressing our faith well. Then it's back to the woodshed, studying, formulating and rehearsing our approach again and again.

It is a struggle. No one wants to be humiliated. And we don't always enjoy having to think hard about things.

But our work is not for ourselves alone. It's for our service to Jesus and for our ongoing work in our mission field. God's counting on us so others might hear: “how will they hear unless someone tells them” (Romans 10:14).

Hey we be willing to pay the price of becoming more and more fluent in Speaking of Jesus.

Heavenly father, please forgive us for buttoning our lip when the opportunities to share faith arise. And please forgive us for not being prepared, and not being willing to struggle, fail, be humiliated, at work at expressing our heart. Please stir us to action in this regard.

3. “We can't just borrow our words from someone else.”

This is huge. When we share our faith, we can’t speak with sufficient authority if we simply parrot someone else's words. We must speak words that come directly from our heart.

This is why New Horizon is using the “Head, Heart, Hands” model as we look through the Scriptures. If we merely talk about insights and knowledge that comes from someone else, we're standing on that person’s work.

Instead, we're seeking to receive our understanding and convictions from the Holy Spirit Himself. Only then can we know, that we know, that we know.

Thank God for teachers, preachers, scholars, etc. We can certainly learn from them. But we must put their words to the test, proving them in the Scriptures, tempering them in conversation with others, and making them our own in fellowship with God.

In short, we must own our perceptions of God, and own the words, descriptions, rationale, metaphors and analogies we use to speak of our faith. Then, in conversation with others, our language has the ring of authenticity.

There's no shortcut to this process. Then there's no greater confidence then “having an answer for the hope within us.” Right I bet you have a higher light in that corner right cheers yeah I think it was

***********

12.14.24

1. “When we experience difficulty, we're tempted to blame God.”

I can relate to this. If God is all-powerful—and we believe He is—then what's with the hardships we face? Couldn't God head those things off and prevent them?

“But we’re the ones who are wrong, not God.” In reality, we know God is never wrong, and never leaves us or forsakes us. We believe He knows and cares about every detail of our lives. Thank God.

A recently deceased friend of mine did lots of prison ministry. As he ministered with inmates, he would often lead them in what he called “The Warfare Prayer,” because they were dealing with chains and cords binding their hearts and minds.

In his praying, he would have them pray this phrase: “God, I forgive You for the things I've blamed You for.” There's something powerful about this prayer. It acknowledges that we blame God for things that aren’t God's fault. “Forgiving God” is merely a way for us to square the circle—God is never the bad guy.

Instead, our misperception of God is the problem, because God is always and forever right.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for blaming You. Thank You for Your benevolent care for us. We thank You we serve a God Who’s blameless in all Your ways. We thank You for being the only thing immovable in our lives. We rest in You as our Firm Foundation.

2. “As long as we try to serve two masters, ourself and God, there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion.”

Just imagine God's dismay when we name Him as our God, Father, Lord and Leader, yet ignore Him, deny Him and disobey Him. It’s certainly counterintuitive.

But this is our way of attempting to keep one foot in the boat and one foot on the shore. It’s like two people with their hands on the steering wheel, or both dance partners trying to lead the dance.

It only ends in messy chaos.

No wonder our lives are cluttered with difficulties, doubt and confusion. Much is caused by our double mindedness—declaring we trust God, but acting as if God is not trustworthy.

“Once we get to the point of complete reliance on God, nothing is easier than living the life of a saint.” We make much ado by claiming following God is hard. It's not. It's only hard when we attempt to meet God halfway.

Thank God for those moments in which we’re able to abandon ourselves and fully submit ourselves to God. That’s when we experience “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

It’s because “God's mark of approval is His peace.” It can be ours when we stop resisting and begin resting.

Heavenly Father, today we offer the throne of our heart to You alone. We relinquish our own control and decision making, and entrust ourselves to You. In turn, gratefully receive Your amazing peace and joy. Thank You.

3. “Any problem that comes between God and myself is the result of disobedience.”

Perhaps our definition of disobedience to God is our involvement in mortal sin. But disobedience can be far less severe.

Perhaps it's refusing to offer forgiveness when we feel wronged, or refusing to ask for forgiveness when we've been foolish. Perhaps it's our self-will in the ways we spend our time and money.

The bottom line is, anytime we ignore the nudges of the Holy Spirit we're acting in disobedience. And we're the ones who pay the price. We've compromised what could be.

We're only as close to God as we choose to be. God never distances Himself or gives us the silent treatment. God is always at the ready, waiting for us to freely give Him our heart—just as He has given His to us in Christ.

Obedience follows our heart. Disobedience to God means our heart is elsewhere. Ugh.

Heavenly Father, our heart’s desire is to remove all impediments between You and us. Please forgive us for willful disobedience. Please continue Your efforts to steal our heart.

***********

12.13.24

1. “Intercessory prayer.”

I must confess, I do not see myself as an intercessory pray-er. I certainly pray for people, but rarely along the lines of Oswald's definition of intercessory prayer.

“True intercession involves bringing the person or circumstance before God until you are changed by His attitude.” This is much different than simply praying for someone. Certainly, praying for someone is not wrong or bad, but it doesn't necessarily fall into the category of intercession.

“That's why there are so few intercessors.” I, like many others, pray for lots and lots of people in my life. But to hunker down with Jesus and pray until I have His heart for them is a different matter.

“Intercession is putting yourself in God's place; it’s having His mind and His perspective.” I can see why intercession is rare. It’s because it takes a lot of time and effort. Instead, I often simply pray generically over my prayer list.

Today’s reading provides me with a significant challenge. I can certainly grow as an intercessor.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this admonition. Please forgive me for lazy praying. I pray You would stir my heart to intercede. I want You to be able to count on me for intercession. Thank You.

2. “You can’t truly intercede through prayer if you don't believe in the reality of redemption.”

This makes a great deal of sense to me.

What would be the motivation for praying if we don’t believe God can redeem a person or a situation? If we can't visualize God's redemption, we're not aiming high enough with our praying.

“Nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Is this the God we pray to? Are we convinced of His love and concern for us? Do we believe He can work supernaturally in our hearts and lives?

Prayer for God's redemption is more than wishful thinking. It's based on a God Who made the worlds. raised His Son from the dead, and will one day redeem all of Creation.

We’re not faith-ing things into existence as we pray. Instead, we're connecting with the God we believe can do and redeem all things.

“May this mind be in you that was also in Christ” (Philippians 2:5). That's how Jesus prayed. He did so with great confidence in God's redeeming power. That includes His prayer in the Garden prior to His crucifixion.

Jesus was convinced that God could raise the dead. And God did. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for praying so lightheartedly, without complete confidence in Your redemptive powers. We believe You’re able in every conceivable. We offer our prayer with absolute trust in Who You are. Thank You for hearing our prayer and acting on our behalf. Amen and amen.

3. “Work to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything.”

This challenges me to pray differently.

Instead of simply dialing into the person or problem at hand and praying in regards to the concerns and details we’re aware of, what if we were to simply hold the matter before God in prayer and permit God to direct our praying?

That is, engage with God using our holy imagination as we permit God to share His heart with us. Then pray along the line of God’s inspiration, insight and love.

This is no less than prophetic prayer—seeking to know and pray the heart of God over a loved one or situation.

“Intercession has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.” Practicing this approach to prayer is no less than practicing the presence of God and nurtures our awareness of God's heart moment by moment.

This would surely be a game changer for our prayer life and our God-walk.

Heavenly Father, is it possible to maintain such a vital connection with You that we may “have your mind about everything?” That may be a far cry from where we are presently. Thank You for this challenge to approach our relationship with You differently.

***********

12.12.24

1. “Personality.”

It's uncanny how Oswald often uses psychological language far ahead of his time. Such is the case with his discussion of “personality.”

“Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else.” We all recognize and value the uniqueness of our own personality. We wouldn't exchange our personality for anyone else’s.

“Our personality is like an island, just the top of a large mountain.” This is a tremendous analogy. There are depths to our personality we know nothing of. In fact, it's as we come to Christ that we begin to comprehend more and more who we truly are.

“Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual person.” This is a tremendous perspective. Our personality is an expression of our mind, soul and spirit. It's the inward stuff visible outward.

Which means, when people experience our personality, they’re experiencing the deep, inner part of our being. The same is true when we experience the personality of others.

We know people's hearts and minds through their personality, and they know ours. It's the engagement and expression of two personalities that creates a vibrant, enjoyable—although oftentimes volatile—relationship.

Our personality is a gift from God. In Christ we discover God has a Personality as well. In fellowship with God, our personalities mingle with one another’s, and we discover the God we never knew, and the us we never knew either.

Such as the joy of the God-walk. Hallelujah.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the genius and wisdom of the human creation. Thank You for the gift of our personality, and thank You for the gift of revealing Your personality to us. Thank You for the relationship we can enjoy with You through faith in Jesus Christ. It's our joy to know You and be known.

2. “The total person.”

In our day, we're convinced that self-expression of our individuality and independence leads to our truest freedom, liberty and life experience.

Instead, it severely limits us. “You only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person.” It's when we drop our guard, individuality and independence, and relate with another soul, that we discover our truest self.

This is the genius of God’s creation, and why we desire meaningful relationships with others.

Jesus never sought or demonstrated individuality or independence. Instead, He showed us what “the total person” looks like: “I and My Father are One.” Jesus helps us understand, it’s in relationship with our Creator, and as our spirit merge with His, that we experience our truest personhood.

Why would this not be the case? We were “created by and for God” (Colossians 1:16). We were made for union with our Creator. We are less than who we might be if we live independently from our God.

“When the Spirit of God comes upon a person, they will no longer insist on maintaining their individuality.” This is the beauty of the God-walk. We can drop our defenses and facades, our efforts to set ourselves apart from others, and simply exist in the joy and freedom God intends.

Anything else is infinitely less, as those of us who follow Jesus can attest.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the becoming we’re experiencing as we offer ourselves to You. Thank You for the depth of human experience we discover in union with our Creator. Thank You for making it all possible through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hallelujah!

3. “Transformed by love.”

Our God never forces the issue. Instead, He motivates us with His perfect love for us.

This is the transformative nature of love. It gets into us and changes our hearts and minds. We respond to God and others most truly, deeply and authentically in a love relationship.

“Perfect love drives out all fear” (1 John 4:18). When we begin to receive and respond to God's love, “our true personal nature begins.” We find ourself along the road of becoming the human being God created us to be.

“Personal devotion to Jesus” is the epitome of a love relationship. It results in “love overflowing in true fellowship” with our God and Maker.

This is the existence God intends for us. It was His idea from the beginning. It can be ours “once our right to ourself are surrendered to God.”

In this respect, it's no sacrifice at all. It’s God’s invitation into His abundance through loving submission to Jesus Christ our Lord. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your ways. They’re amazing. Your love is so captivating and so freeing. How on earth can we ever deny or refuse? Thank You for transforming us by loving us. May we forever and joyfully respond with an ever increasing love for You.

***********

12.11.24

1. “Our individuality must yield to God so our spiritual life can fellowship with God.”

Perhaps we don't realize the extent to which individuality drives our lives.

“Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people.” This is the hallmark of our day. We demand our individuality, which naturally sets us up over and against others.

“We confuse individuality with spirituality.” Many will claim to be “spiritual.” Perhaps we're suggesting we're open to matters beyond our physical world and understanding.

However, by definition, a spirituality yielded to God must counter our individuality. Instead of demanding our self-expression, wants and needs, in Christ, we’re brought into union with God. In turn, God calls and enables us to welcome, engage, love and prefer others before ourself—including people who are very different from us.

“Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love.” Oswald offers this very frank distinction. Our world has confused true, self-giving, godly love, with our sexual preferences and pleasures. God forbid.

Instead, when we come to Christ, we lay aside our individuality, self-centeredness and self-identity. We choose to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives, and His cross and Resurrection becomes our primary identity.

Ours is a personal and individual relationship with Jesus, yielding a oneness with Jesus and other Christ-followers. Individuality, on the other hand, is the culprit to this arrangement.

Beloved, may we determine to temper our individuality as we are transformed by our loving submission and obedience to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You for our individual and unique personality, and thank You for valuing who each of us are. Today we offer You our individuality, that we might become the individual You’ve always imagined.

2. “The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will.”

Perhaps we recognize from personal experience how our individuality plays out in our everyday life.

If individuality is “independence and self-will,” we know how this hinders us. It's our independence and self-will that make relationships challenging. We certainly know the challenges of attempting to relate to someone driven by independence and self-will.

In addition, “We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality.” Individuality is a detriment to our God-walk. Self-will and independence are antithetical, contradictory and antagonistic to willfully submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

It's our individuality that says “no” or “I won't” to God. It's individuality that makes personal faith difficult, not because it's difficult to believe, but it's difficult to submit ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Leader.

“Surrender breaks the hard shell of individuality and allows the spiritual life to emerge.” This is a tremendous depiction of our ongoing God-walk. We come to Christ and walk daily with Him, not with demands and expectations, but humbly acknowledging our great need for reconciliation with God.

And when we do so, we experience being born again, and to our great surprise, “our spiritual life emerges.”

And it's glorious. Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for demanding our individuality with You and others. Please redeem what our independence and self-will have wrought. We break Your heart and harm others when we demand our way. Therefore, here and now, we offer You our faith, submission and loving obedience. Thank You.

3. “Denying our independent right to ourselves.”

This is the hard nut in the center of our soul, and the great impediment to faith in Jesus Christ.

It's one thing to give mental assent to the historic existence, crucifixion and Resurrection of Jjesus Christ. Is another thing to give ourselves over to our risen Lord.

Yet this is precisely what Jesus asks of us: “If anyone would come after Me, let them deny themself, take up their cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

Jesus isn’t being critical or overbearing. Instead, He's addressing the primary impediment to our God-walk. “It's your individuality that refuses to be reconciled.” Our individuality screams at the top of its lungs when it must bend its knee to Jesus Christ.

“Unless you’re willing to give up your right to yourself, you cannot follow Me.” Jesus longs for us to follow Him and know His very best for our lives. Therefore, why would He not address that thing in us that is most contrary to God's will?

Such is the love of Jesus, And by His grace, it beckons to us every day of our life.

Lord Jesus, as our individuality continues to assert itself, we instead choose to enthrone You as our Lord and King. Please take Your rightful place in our heart. We humbly submit ourselves to You today.

***********

12.10.24

1. “The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice.”

Perhaps we have the idea that we somehow ascend to God, becoming more and more godly as we become more and more moral.

But that's not the way of God. God's way is for us to descend to the root of our self-centered nature and sacrifice it to our God. We do so by humbling ourselves before Jesus Christ, denying ourself and receiving His grace.

We become a “living sacrifice” in Christ. We’re putting to death our independent living, and offering our heart and will to our Savior. This is the meaning of, “taking up our cross and following Jesus” (Matthew 16:24).

We don't achieve greater spirituality; we inherit it with by receiving our new nature in Christ. It’s not personal development, but self-sacrifice as we yield to the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in us.

Beloved, shall we die to ourselves that Christ might live through us?

Heavenly Father, into Your hands we commend our spirit, just as Jesus did. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices, that you might “transform our lowly bodies so they might become like Jesus glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). We're eager to become all You imagine for us. Thank You.

2. “Being willing to pay whatever it may cost.”

If Jesus paid the price, what's the cost to us?

There's a great humility in receiving a gift from someone else. It's because receiving brings a sense of indebtedness. Our pride would much rather be on the giving end.

But, in Christ, we’re always on the receiving the end. We receive every heartbeat as a gift from God, every forgiveness from the cross of Christ, and every strength to follow Jesus from the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

That means there’s always a cost, because I must deny myself to receive what God gives. I can’t claim any righteousness of my own, only my sinful state. It costs me to “humble myself under the mighty hand of God that He may lift me up” (1 Peter 5:6).

To walk with Jesus is to walk in utter dependence upon the God Who made us: “Unless you become as a little child you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3). Childlikeness is to regard God as our sole and all-sufficient Source.

We may be tempted to think God will forever ask us to give things up. He's only asking in order that He might give us more and better. Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, what You ask of us is so minute compared to what we freely receive from Your hand. It's our honor and joy to “leave our nets and follow You” (Matthew 4:20).

3. “An undisciplined spiritual nature.”

We recognize the importance of discipline in every aspect of our daily lives. Without self-discipline, we compromise and harm ourselves and others.

The same is true in our spiritual life. We must harness our heart for the sake of going on with Jesus. Failure to do so results in stunted spiritual growth.

“We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally or mentally.” Spiritual discipline is lived out physically—in what we say and do; morally—in our worldview and motivations; and mentally—in our thought life and imaginations.

Without spiritual discipline we continue to be subject to our natural inclinations, which “will produce continual turmoil.”

Spiritual discipline is ongoing, but it most certainly has a beginning. It's when we make the determination that “We are not our own; we are bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 2:4). In Christ, we no longer belong to ourselves, but to the One Who gave Himself for us.

“Discipline yourself now. If you don't, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.” If we haven’t already, let’s make the moral decision today to become His instead of ours.

Lord Jesus, we here and now offer ourselves to You. Have us, have Your way in us, do what You will through us. And please give us grace to continue to enthrone You instead of us. Thank You.

***********

12.9.24

1. “The natural life itself is not sinful.”

This sounds like nonsense. Didn't Jesus die for the sinful things I do with my thoughts, words and deeds?

That's our typical way of thinking. However, our natural life is like that of any other animal species. We’re programmed for survival, so we eat, defend ourselves, reproduce, etc.

But those things don't make us sinners. It's the evil intent and motivation of the heart that make us sinful. This is evident when Jesus says, “If you look at a person with lust you've committed adultery in your heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Sin, therefore, isn’t merely the things we do externally, but our sinful internal drivers. Our sin nature is the corrupted evil streak within, and the things we do out of our fallen nature constitute our sin.

“Sin belongs to hell and to the devil, but we, as children of God, belong to God.” As Christ-followers, we offer our sinful souls to God, and God births His nature in us: “It's not I who live, but Christ Who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20b).

And, just as it’s not what I do that makes me sinful before God, it’s not the good things I do that make me righteous before God. I gain right-standing with God by permitting my wicked heart to be “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20a), and by “putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

This is what Christ has done for us, beloved, and it’s our glorious life-quest.

Lord Jesus, thank You for changing our mainspring—our heart and its evil intents. Thank You for “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). By Your grace, may we walk in our new life more and more.

2. “The things that are right, noble and good from a natural standpoint keep us from being God's best.”

This seems extremely counterintuitive. Why in the world would God object to these things?

Oswald suggests when we justify ourselves by the “right, noble and good” things we do, we’re in danger of denying our need for justification by faith in Jesus Christ:

“The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ.”

This describes our tendency to say, “I'm a pretty good person.” However, our self-assessment opposes God’s assessment: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Virtue in our eyes is very different from virtue in God's eyes. “Very few of us debate over what is wrong; instead, we debate over what is good.” It's because we define “good” based on human standards rather than God's standard—which is Himself.

God is perfect, and we’re anything but. That’s why we need a Perfect Savior Who merited our salvation for us. When we receive Christ by faith, not only is our sin blotted out, but we find ourselves “clothed in God’s righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10) rather than our own.

We have no bragging rights before our God and Savior. Instead, we boast in the cross of Christ alone.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for thinking too highly of ourselves. May we never justify ourselves before You by what we've done, but only by what Christ has done for us. Thank You and Hallelujah!

3. “The cost to following Jesus is not one or two things, but everything.”

What a powerful assessment of the God-walk.

“Jesus said, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let them deny themself.’” This means offering Jesus the very “right to myself.” It's my natural independence that demands my will instead of God's. God can’t cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness until I offer it to Him.

“Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.” This is the rub as we walk with Jesus. God’s  not after my bad habits—He’s after my mainspring. Only then can he alter me and make me more like Jesus.

The idea of “sacrifice” runs the entire length of the Bible, and culminates in sacrificing our will to God—just like Jesus did: “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Lord Jesus, we desire to “come after You.” You have some of our heart. By Your grace, please help us relinquish more and more. Thank You, amen.

***********

12.8.24

1. “We're not forgiven because we're sorry for our sins.”

This misconception is a lie from the devil, and by it, “We trample the blood of Christ under foot.”

If we find ourselves forgiven for our sin and adopted as children of God, it's not because we feel badly about our sin. It's only and always will be because of the cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There’s absolutely and emphatically no other way.

Gloriously, when we recognize this truth, repent and receive Christ, “The limitless joy of God begins in us.” Our sin is no more, and in its place “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Beloved, do we have a sense we’ve been totally and irrevocably forgiven? It's not because we're sorry or have changed our ways. It's because God has lifted our sin from us and placed it on His dying Son.

If there’s any doubt in our hearts we’re forgiven, and “if the joy of God is not present,” we will do well to reexamine our understanding of Christ’s cross. Because, by faith in Jesus, our sin debt has been paid in full.

May this truth become our prevailing reality.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the absolute forgiveness and righteousness we receive by faith in Christ. We embrace Your grace with joy and thanksgiving as we stand in perfect peace before You. Thank You for your utter goodness. We love You.

2. “Knocking at the door Jesus has already opened.”

Are we “begging and pleading for salvation?” Do we feel like we must somehow further debase ourselves in order to be forgiven? If this is our posture before God, we are “deliberately ignoring the cross of Christ.”

If we struggle with believing and receiving God's forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ, then we must explain to God why we don't believe Christ's death and Resurrection is sufficient for our salvation.

We must come to the point in our understanding that we are incapable in and of ourselves to be reconciled to God. “God restores us to right relationship with Himself only by the means of the death of Jesus Christ.”

Christian faith requires humility because it requires receiving from God something we did not earn. And some of us would rather be distanced from God then to receive His free gift.

Beloved, we are loved, and God has provided for our forgiveness. The door is open. Let's walk through, and beg others to do the same.

Heavenly Father, please reveal this truth to us in greater and greater depth and conviction. May it become our heartbeat and the Rock upon which we stand. Thank You for making a way for us in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

3. “Propitiation.”

“Propitiation” is a word we don't hear or use very often. What on earth does it mean?

“Christ is the propitiation for our sin.” In other words, Jesus’ death and Resurrection appeases God's wrath and judgment on our behalf.

God is righteous to judge us as sinful. God would be just to banish us from His presence forever because we willfully violate our Holy God.

But God will not tolerate separation from humankind. We were created by His love and in His image. We’re made for union with God, and God fully intends for us to know that union.

To that end, God sent His Son “to become the propitiation for the sin of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). And, by faith in Christ, we need not be distanced from our God.

Propitiation is God's gift in Jesus Christ, and it's ours for the asking. Hallelujah!

Father, thank You for appeasing Your justice with Christ our Lord. We joyfully receive Your grace and offer You our heart. Thank You for Your determination for us to know You.

***********

12.7.24

1. “Conviction of sin is the beginning of an understanding of God.”

This statement rings true with me, because, when God approaches us, the very first thing we recognize is His absolute holiness and our complete corruption.

Any less notion of God is a false view of God.

When we truly encounter God, we find “the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). These concepts are not our own but have been formed in our heart and mind by God Himself.

Thankfully, along with God's conviction comes God's grace to repent. God doesn’t shame or guilt us into repentance. Rather, God loves us into repentance, and we do so gladly because we recognize the extreme grace God is issuing us in that moment.

If I'm not gripped by the holiness of God, I’m not able to recognize, “Against You and You only have I sinned and done evil in your sight.” Instead, I justify my behaviors, and I'm only sorry if and when I get caught.

Thank God for the gift of conviction. It's one of the truest signs of God's love for us.

Heavenly Father, we wholeheartedly declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!” (Revelation 4:8), and “We repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). We receive Your incredible mercy and grace in Jesus’ Name. Thank You, amen.

2. “I have sinned.”

Oswald says, “The surest sign that God is at work in our life is when we say, ‘I have sinned.’”

As I speak with others about God, I take note of those who ignorantly say, “I'm a pretty good person.” You’ll never hear that from a person who has truly encountered our Holy and Almighty God.

Instead, what I meet Christ-followers who appear to have a very near walk with God, they humbly and eagerly admit they are sinful souls in sure need of a Savior.

There’s no doubt in their mind of the crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ on their behalf.

As such, they’re deeply beholden to Jesus and approach God face-first knowing their sin has been completely blotted out and they’ve been adopted as children of God.

“I have sinned” is not a statement of humiliation for Christ-followers. It's a humble statement of truth and fact. It's the mantra of those who eagerly respond to God's conviction and joyfully cling to Jesus.

We never get beyond this statement. And with the countless saints around God’s throne, we confidently declare and bask in the holiness, mercy and grace of the Almighty.

Heavenly Father, we confess we have sinned and fallen short of Your glory (Romans 3: 23 ). We humbly confess our sin and joyfully receive the forgiveness and righteousness of Christ. Thank You forevermore.

3. “The foundation of Christianity is repentance.”

In the eyes of a Christ-follower, repentance is nothing less than a glorious “gift of God.”

Just as we hope our family doctor will be honest and straightforward about his/her diagnosis, so we are grateful to our God for revealing our paramount need for cleansing and saving through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Beloved, let's never take this gift for granted and respond with eager repentance every time God convicts.

And if our eagerness to repent wanes, may we press into God and ask for the corresponding “gift of tears,” that we might become increasingly sensitive to His convictions and ever-more repentant.

“Examine yourself to see if you’ve forgotten how to repent.” May our heart forever remain brutally honest regarding our sin before our holy God.

Heavenly Father, may it break our hearts when we break Yours. May our love for You outweigh our love for our sin. We want nothing more than to be made right with You. Thank You, in Jesus’ Name.

***********

12.6.24

1. “Why doesn't God save me?”

This statement in and of itself appears to doubt God's salvation. Instead, helps us understand how God’s salvation works. God doesn’t impose salvation upon us. We must enter into God’s salvation with faith and trust.

“God has accomplished and provided for our salvation.” God has done everything necessary for us to be saved, but only we can choose to be saved. He will not choose for us.

Salvation happens when we “enter a relationship with God.” This is at the core of God’s covenant with us—we gain from God as we walk in relationship with God. And relationships can’t be forced; they are mutual agreements.

“All the blessings of God are finished and complete, but they aren’t ours until we enter into relationship with Him.” What do you suppose we'll discover as our covenant relationship with our covenant God deepens more and more?

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your covenant design. Thank You for the genius of receiving from You through our ever-increasing relationship with You. Please continue to draw us to Yourself. Please have more of us today.

2. “Waiting for God to act is unbelief.”

Throughout the Scriptures we're called to wait upon God. That is, we're trusting God is active on our behalf and we understand God has purpose His perfect timing.

Waiting for and trusting God will act is one thing. An unwillingness to believe until God acts is a very different matter. “If I'm waiting for God to act before I trust Him, God won't do it.” Not because God is cruel, but because we have the equation backwards.

Faith is our gift to God. It tells God we trust Him no matter what. It doesn't make demands of God before we believe. We believe as an act of our will and out of our love for God.

Think of how it must please and touch God's heart when we trust God regardless. That kind of faith is evidence of great fidelity. We’re faithful to believe out of our love for God, and we know God will be faithful in His response, whatever it may be.

“Look to me and be saved.” Heavenly Father, we look to You today. We declare we trust You implicitly and explicitly. We’re confident You are willing and active in our life. We offer You our faith and love simply because of Who You are. Amen.

3. “Transacting with God.”

When we enter into a covenant with God by “letting everything else go,” something truly happens inside. We experience “a complete and overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God.”

And there's nothing quite like it.

Transacting with God brings about “life transformation,” and the first evidence is God's “peace and joy” flooding our soul. It’s unique because it doesn't come from the outside, but wells up from the very Life of God born in us.

Transacting with God also convinces us there is “no human ingredient in it at all.” What has happened in us is a God-thing. God has acted; as a result, “there’s no sense of personal achievement.” God has come upon us, Christ has been born in us, and the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us.

And all we did was believe.

Beloved, have we transacted with God in this way? Do we continue transacting with God? It's critical for us to understand that our God-walk is more than a mental assent to doctrinal truths. It’s an effectual exchange with God and accomplishes what we cannot: We have become children of God. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, today we choose to transact with You. Lord Jesus, we open the door of our heart and receive You. Holy Spirit, have your way within us. We choose to let go and let You. Welcome!

 ***********

12.5.24

1. “I’m accountable to God for the way I control my body.”

Today Oswald begins to meddle in our personal affairs—namely, what we do with our body.

We live in a day in which we demand full autonomy over our own body—and rightly so, because it is God's gift to us. However, when we come to Christ, we’re called to bring everything under God's control and authority—including our body.

“Work out your own salvation.” This Scripture isn’t implying we must work FOR our salvation. Our salvation is a done-deal as we trust Jesus Christ. “I am not BEING saved, I AM saved.”

Instead, this Scripture calls us to “Work or use what God has placed within us.” This includes our mortal body. “I must exhibit in my body the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our God-walk includes submitting our physical self to God as well as our spiritual, mental and emotional self.

“I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” What we won't do for our own body’s sake, perhaps we’ll do for Jesus’ sake—including demonstrating with our flesh and blood the mercy, grace, love and power of God.

“Don't you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Thanks for meddling, Oswald. We need to hear this message again and again.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of our physical body. Please help us bring it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. May our physical body display our complete submission to You today. Amen and amen.

2. “We are much more severe in judging others than in judging ourselves.”

Oswald is ringing our bell, here.

“We make excuses for things in ourselves.” True story. We're far more strict with a toddler's diet than we are with our own. We’ll eat and drink things in front of a toddler we’d never feed the toddler.

Ugh.

“We condemn things in the lives of others.” How true. Jesus addresses this forthrightly: “You see the speck in your brother's eye while ignoring the log in your own” (Mattheew 7:3). Jesus says we see sin in others because it's also in us.

And, we're critical of others “simply because we are not naturally inclined to do” some of the things they do. That is, we simply express our prejudices, bad attitudes, lusts, selfishness, etc., differently than others.

Lord have mercy.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for our indulgences as well as our criticism of others. Please forgive us for salving our own conscience by pointing out what seem to be more grievous offenses in others. Please convict us of our duplicity and strengthen our resolve to “Offer our bodies as living sacrifices” (Romans 12: 2 ) every day. Thank You.

3. “I must agree with my Lord and Master that my body is indeed His temple.”

Oswald calls us to make a critical and emphatic declaration: “I’m not my own; I’ve been bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Is this the way we view our God-walk?

We awaken every day, not only as a servant of the Living God, but as His possession. In trusting Christ, we’re placing everything under His leadership and authority—including our earthly body.

Oswald says, once we do so, “All the rules, regulations and requirements of the law concerning our body are summed up in this truth—our body is ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit.’”

That means we’re stewarding a physical body that belongs to our God. We’re tending to Someone else’s priceless possession. Therefore, we do with our body only that which is pleasing to its Owner.

And until we make that determination, we’ll claim our own rights to our own body—and be highly offended when God convicts us of sin in our flesh.

Lord, have mercy. What an incredible responsibility we've been given.

Lord Jesus, we claim to belong to You. Today we confess and reassert that claim. We offer You our body, along with our heart, mind and soul, and ask for Your grace as we take personal responsibility for Your Personal property. Have us, O Lord.

***********

12.4.24

1. “There is a continuing life struggle in the physical and spiritual areas of life.”

Oswald shoots straight. There will forever be ongoing struggle in our natural and spiritual life. The trick is to maintain a balance for a healthy body, mind my soul and spirit.

This is where the rub comes. In the physical, we care for our body to ward off sickness and disease. We maintain an appropriate diet, exercise and sleep regimen to ensure a healthy balance.

The same is true of our spiritual life. Our carnal nature, a wicked world and the enemy of our soul are constantly battling our heart, mind and spirit. We must do everything in our power to defeat these liabilities and maintain spiritual vitality.

“I have to fight.” We know of the physical fight every day—battling sloth, appetite, lust. We also know the spiritual and emotional fight every day—battling imaginations, anger, doubt, fear, etc.

Such as the God-walk, and we watch Jesus walk it out in the pages of Scripture. And by His example, and by His Holy Spirit, His victory can be ours. Hallelujah.

Lord Jesus, we are so thankful for a Savior Who walked in our shoes and experienced the daily battles of life on our planet. Thank You for overcoming for us, and helping us overcome.

2. “Morality doesn't happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.”

This statement is critical in our understanding of Christian faith.

We’re not born moral, then somehow polluted by our environment. We’re born flawed and fallen, with a carnal, self-centered nature. Human society is the product of our debased human nature, not vice versa.

This is the great offense of the Christian faith—we’re all guilty from the beginning: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23 ). That doesn't make us feel good, but it helps us to understand and grapple with the truth of the matter.

And it helps us reckon with and receive God's remedy: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God is aware of our plight and sent His Son to save us.

From that point on we “cultivating morality” through the power of Christ in us. The temperament, ethics, and power to defeat temptation and live into God's will is inherent in us by God's Gift of the Holy Spirit.

It's certainly not automatic. It requires daily due diligence—interfacing with the power of the Holy Spirit, and saying no to sin and yes to our Heavenly Father. This process doesn’t turn us into “good” people. This is how transformed people live out our salvation and sanctification.

And all for the glory of God our Savior. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son and Spirit to save and heal us from our broken and fallen human nature. Today we turn to You and draw from Your Spirit as we cultivate and acquire virtue worthy of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. May it be so, O God.

3. “In this world you will have tribulation.”

We set ourselves up for failure if we expect to one day achieve utopia in this life. Jesus was very clear: “Every day has enough troubles of its own” (Matthew 6: 34).

However, Jesus also said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jesus doesn't promise a rose garden. Instead, He promises the horsepower of His Holy Spirit to overcome the challenges, hardships, grief and travail of everyday life on planet earth.

This is perhaps the greatest demonstration of the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ's followers. Not miracles and supernatural manifestations, but the capability to navigate a broken world in victory.

Thank God for Jesus’ declaration and promise: “The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that you might have life, that have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Beloved brothers and sisters, let's walk masterfully through today's tribulations, with our eyes on Jesus, and our hearts filled with love for God and others. Nothing could be more pleasing to Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for granting us the grace to face and overcome this stuff of life today and every day. Holy Spirit, course through our heart, soul, mind, body and spirit, that we might walk in God's abundance. Hallelujah!

 ***********

12.3.24

1. “Hindering people from getting to Reality.”

I've met many who are hindered from the reality of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Perhaps it's because we’ve overcomplicated the Gospel. Perhaps we make it about rules, rituals, knowledge of doctrines, spiritual practices, etc., instead of trusting only in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Or perhaps we interpret the Gospel through the very prejudicial lens of our own personal convictions, our culture of origin, and our many personal life experiences. That way of viewing God will be very different from someone whose life has followed a tangential path.

There’s s no substitute for “confidence in the power of the Gospel.” All our hope and stay must be based in Christ alone, His substitutionary death on our behalf, and His Resurrection and promise of eternal life.

Perhaps we subconsciously wonder if faith alone is truly enough. Perhaps we feel the need to add to it here and there with our own efforts, morality, belief system, and more.

Beloved, let’s bear in mind, we can only take people where we ourselves have gone. And if we’ve not ourselves “entered within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19), how can we possibly escort others?

Lord Jesus, we don't want to be like the Pharisees, who “have taken away the keys of knowledge, who do not enter in themselves and hinder others who are entering” (Luke 11:52). Please cleanse and purify us of any lesser reality, and take us deeper still into Your Reality. Thank You.

2. “Rely on the certainty of God's redemptive power.”

As products of Western Enlightenment, we tend to lean into logic, intellectualism and debate as we grow in our understanding of our life and world.

Oswald challenges us, “Never rely on the clearness of your presentation” as we talk to others about spiritual matters. There's something more than intellectual activity involved in helping others know Jesus.

Instead, “As you give your explanation make sure you are relying on the Holy Spirit.” As we speak of Jesus with others, we must anticipate, expect and trust the Holy Spirit is moving in hearts and minds.

We can't convince anybody of the truth of the Gospel. We must instead rely solely on the Holy Spirit to do so. He alone opens the eyes of our heart.

“The Holy Spirit will create His Own life in people.” We may plant and water the seed, but “only God can give the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

It takes a great deal of pressure off us when we realize and recognize it's God and not us who holds ours and others’ souls in his hand.

Whew.

Holy Spirit, please use us today as You work in the hearts of men and women. May we be Your coworkers, trusting You to do what we cannot. Help us be faithful in doing only our part.

3. “Nothing can shake us when we’re rooted in reality.”

The devil loves nothing more than to disturb our faith. It delights him when we lose confidence in our God.

We’re much more prone to the wicked one’s shake ups if our “faith is rooted in experiences.” Our faith mustn’t be based merely on our previous experiences of God's work in our life.

It's because experiences come and go—and life is full of the unforeseen. It's unsettling to our faith when today's experiences don't jibe with yesterday’s.

On the other hand, the truths of God and “the reality of redemption can never change.” When we build our faith on Christ alone, life’s difficulties need not shake us because “we’re as eternally secure as God Himself.”

Beloved, may it be our goal to “know Christ and the power of His Resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). Because “Once we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we’ll never be moved again.”

May it be so, Lord Jesus! May we know You so deeply and intimately, and trust Your death and resurrection so implicitly, that nothing in heaven or earth can detour our faith. Because nothing is a threat to You. Hallelujah!

***********

12.2.24

1. “Christian Perfection”

Oswald returns to this important motif.

“Christian perfection” is the doctrine that, by His Holy Spirit, God can “make us perfect in love” (John Wesley) in this life. That is, the Holy Spirit is able to make us just like Jesus in love and purity.

Oswald challenges us not to misconstrue Christian perfection with self-attained purity. As Jesus warns, “You are like whitewashed tombs; You look good on the outside, but inwardly are dead men's bones” (Matthew 23:27).

Even the most outwardly pure among us can be inwardly impure before Jesus.

Christian perfection is not something we attain; it’s something we permit the Holy Spirit to do within us. It's God's work and purpose “to make us one with Himself.” Our role is to deplete ourselves, offer our hearts and lives to Jesus, and permit Him to transform us from the inside out.

What about personal purity? Personal purity is not the means to Christian perfection, but the result. It's the evidence that God is working in the unreachable abyss of the human heart.

“Not that i have already attained or am already perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). Christ has “taken hold of us” that He might make us like Himself.

Thank God for His patient and continuing work in our soul. May it please Jesus and us to do so.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your ongoing work of perfection in us. Please continue to help us yield to You in every aspect of our life, and more and more each day. Please complete Your perfect work (James 1:4). Hallelujah!

2. “Why wouldn't God bruise you?”

Oswald asks a profound question: “Is it ever God's will for me to be sick?” Oswald answers, “If it was God's will to bruise His Own Son, why shouldn't He bruise you?”

This notion has been challenging for Christ-followers, preachers, theologians and philosophers for centuries. Here's a way we might find helpful as we navigate this thorny issue:

“Is it ever God's will for me to be sick?” A companion question might be: Is God Sovereign? Because if God is Sovereign, He has authority over all things, and nothing happens without His consent.

Therefore, if we're sick, God knows and permits. God is allowing us to be casualties of our fallen, broken and distorted world, where illness and disease lurk, and where tragedies occur.

In this way the answer to this question, “Is it ever God's will for me to be sick?,” seems to be, “yes.”

Surely this is very different from God inflicting illness and disease upon us. There are certainly times in the Scriptures when God does so as He carries out judgement, but it doesn’t seem to be God's standard operating procedure:

“God has not dealt with us according to our sins as we deserve, nor rewarded us with punishment according to our wickedness” (Psalm 103:10).

Also, when God does inflict, He also demonstrates His willingness to relent as we repent and return to Him.

Regarding God “bruising His Own Son,” it's evident God didn’t inflict the bruising by His Own hand, but permitted wicked men to crucify Jesus: “Jesus said, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified” (Luke 24:7).

It was certainly God's will that Christ be sacrificed for the sin of the world: “God loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). But in His Sovereignty, God allowed the natural process of fallen humanity to perform His will.

Beloved, are we sick, afflicted, hurting or grieving today? Instead of asking God, “Why?”, let's ask God for His healing and grace to endure, and for God to use our afflictions for His glory by making us more like Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I would never presume to be right about all this. Instead, I pray for Your Spirit to guide us as we surmise, and to “lead us in all truth” (John 16:13). We entrust ourselves to Your perfect will.

3. “I’m called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others.”

What a powerful statement and challenge. Lord Jesus, may it be so.

This was surely the way of Jesus. The crowds followed Him because He made them thirsty for God. Whatever Jesus had, they wanted it.

Certainly there were those who simply came for a free lunch: “Jesus said, ‘Some of you follow Me only because you ate of the fish and loaves’” (John 6:26).

But there were others who followed Jesus because there was something undeniable about His Words and His Being:  “To whom else shall we go? Only You have the words of life” (John 6:68).

We miss the mark when we seek personal followers. Instead, may it be the goal of our life to help others follow the One Whom we follow.

Lord Jesus, we have so little to offer on our own, but everything to offer in You. We desire a deepening relationship with You so others might want Whom we’ve come to know. May it be so today, Holy God.

***********

12.1.24

1. “Eternal, enduring and never changing.”

These are the words Oswald uses to describe God's “moral law.” These are the commandments of God, and later from Jesus, that run cover to cover in our Bible. They are central, prominent and glorious.

It’s because the law of God is the heart of God. God, in His great wisdom, has determined and declared how humanity is to live in loving harmony with Himself and one another. And it’s genius.

We live in the age in which we gain our righteousness, not by obeying God's law, but by placing our faith and trust in Christ’s death and Resurrection. We’ve been made right with God because Jesus Himself kept the whole of the law on our behalf.

In turn, Jesus extends His righteousness to all who believe and receive from His nail-scarred hands.

Does faith in Christ do away with God's moral law? God forbid. Christ accentuates God’s moral law. The cross of Christ demonstrates the permanence of God's moral law. It will never, ever change.

It’s a standard we’re incapable of attaining. Which means, we’re without hope of righteousness except through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

God doesn’t bargain regarding His moral law. He doesn’t waive His law on account of our “weaknesses, heredity or infirmities.” The bar of righteousness before God remains as high as it has always been and forevermore will be: “Be absolutely moral.”

Instead, thank God for the wisdom and power of His moral law, and thank God for our Savior, Who fulfill the law in our place, and gave us His Holy Spirit so we might live in the joy and peace that comes from choosing to live by and obey God's moral law.

It's all God's gift, out of God's love, because that's Who our good and gracious God is, and what He does for us Christ. Hallelujah forevermore!

Heavenly Father, Your ways are “past finding out” (Romans 11:33), and “Every good and perfect gift comes from You” (James 1:17). Thank You for the beauty, purity and righteousness of Your wise and gracious commandments. Thank You for our Savior, the Gift of Your Holy Spirit in us, and the tremendous blessing of walking in Your ways. You are very, very good indeed!

***********

11.30.24

1. What’s “The purest expression of humility in God's eyes”?

What a tremendously helpful perspective.

As Christ-followers, we may feel the need to appear humble before others. Perhaps that's why some of us often profess, “Nobody's perfect.”

Do we realize “how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful” such as statement is before our Holy God? Oswald claims this is the “attitude of defiance.” It's telling God He can’t possibly sanctify a sinful person like ourself.

Then why, beloved, did Christ die and send His Spirit? Is it not God’s purpose to “conform us to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29)? Is the Holy Spirit incapable of setting us free from our sin?

Instead, “to say, ‘thank God, I know I’m saved and sanctified,’ is, in God's eyes, the purest expression of humility.” It's our confession that we believe God is faithful to His promise. We believe, through our repentance and giving ourself to the Lordship of Christ, “God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

“You have so completely surrendered yourself to God you know He is true.” In our humility before God, and in our pursuit of God's heart, “God will fulfill His purpose through your life.”

And there's no place for pride in that arrangement.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for undervaluing what You’ve done for us through the cross of Jesus Christ, and for underestimating what You’re doing in our life presently. We trust and believe You will complete what You’ve begun in us, and will use our life for Your glory. Hallelujah!

***********

11.29.24

1. “Jesus Christ is not merely our figurehead or example.”

Oswald’s getting after us today.

Is our walk with Jesus more than piety? Because piety alone does not require the cross of Christ. “There is nothing about piety, prayer and devotion that requires the death of Jesus.”

We must not imagine Jesus is simply our moral example. Indeed, Jesus shows the world what it looks like to walk with God in personal purity and social Goodness.

However, ethical living does not require the “supernatural or miraculous.” There are ethical people all around the world that want nothing to do with God.

Instead, Jesus would have us live in such a way that “causes people to exclaim with awe and wonder, ‘That is the work of God almighty!’”

How is God made apparent in our lives? It’s living with a “personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ.” When we “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6: 33), when we “Deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus” (Matthew 16:24), the very presence of God marks our life.

The Holy Spirit in us effervesces through our affect, words, deeds and more, in a very common, yet very noticeable way. It's not detected with the human eye, but with the heart.

There's something different about a soul who walks with Jesus.

I think it's safe to say, we cannot emit Jesus. Instead, “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) is evident because we yield our lives to Jesus’ Lordship. If we give ourselves to this pursuit, Jesus will make His presence known in our life.

May the Holy Spirit in us touch the hearts of those around us today—not because we’re pious and moral, but because our heart and eyes are on Jesus.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for reducing You to a moral example. Please forgive us for attempting to appear pious and godly. Rather, may we be consumed with our love and devotion to You. May people see You rather than me today.

***********

11.28.24

1. “An intense logging and an equally intense resentment.”

This is a succinct statement of humankind's response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only does it reveal our sin, but it requires us to receive God’s free gift of grace.

Our robust American individualism and can-do attitude is problematic in receiving from Christ. We want to do it for ourselves. We want to earn it. In a meritocracy, we know there's no such thing as a free lunch.

There's a name for this response: This is our pride raising its ugly head, along with our intense loathing of humiliation.

However, the principle of God's Kingdom is, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will lift you up” (1 Peter 5:6). And when we come to Christ, we realize just how marvelous this posture is. We receive adoption as children of God, and God becomes the Father we've always dreamed of.

Beloved, we may resent having to receive from God, but that's how love goes. We don't earn love or deserve it, but freely give and receive it.

And that's precisely the relationship we find ourselves in with Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace to overcome our pride, turn from our sin, and freely receive Your mercy and grace. Thank You for showering the blessing of Your intimate friendship and fellowship upon us. May our growing humility continue to pave the way for more and more of You.

2. “Entering through the door of destitution.”

The greatest personal revelation we can ever receive from God is to recognize we are insufficient of ourselves.

This doesn’t mean we are of no value to God. It means that our value is not determined by what we do. Our value is determined by how God views and values us.

In Christ, “We either receive from Him as a gift or do without.” It's the “door of destitution” through which we access, connect with and draw from God's grace.

We believe in an all-powerful God. However, until we open “the door of destitution.” “Consider the power we wield: “Our Lord is powerless as long as we think we’re sufficient.”

This is the parable of the rich young ruler. He didn't realize his riches weren’t enough. Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, please continue to convince us of our depravity and our utter and endless need for the God of Heaven. Holy Spirit, please oil the hinges of “the door of destitution” for us so we might joyfully enter in.

3. “We must be spiritually hungry enough to receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman; He won’t enter if He’s unwanted.

It's when we discover nothing else in life is true enough for our soul, and nothing else can fully satisfy the longing of our heart, that we're willing to invite the invasion of the Holy Spirit.

And when we do, “The Holy Spirit imparts to us the quickening Life of Jesus.” No matter how fulfilling, satisfying, influential, affluent or pleasurable our life is before Christ, it simply can’t hold a candle to the Life of Christ in us:

“Jesus makes us truly alive.” This is the testimony of Christ-followers throughout history. When Jesus enters us by His Holy Spirit, “we’re lifted into the Kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns.”

For this we are made. For this Christ died. For this the Holy Spirit was poured out.

Shall we?

Holy Spirit, there's a God-given thirsting in our soul for nothing less than all of You. Holy Spirit, we invite You to take up greater and greater residence in us. Please make yourself at home. You’re our treasure Guest. Welcome.

***********

11.27.24

1. “Jesus Christ was not a recluse.”

It's very evident in the Scriptures that Jesus was anything but a “mumbling monk,” separating Himself from society for spiritual contemplation and Personal holiness.

Instead, He separated himself from other interests in order to be about his Father's business (Luke 2:49).

Jesus demonstrated “consecration to God” and anticipates us to do the same. “I must become strongly focused on Jesus' interests.” This is the act of “dying to ourselves”  in order to “live unto God.”

It’s not merely the pursuit of personal holiness. It's the pursuit of Jesus’ heart and concerns.

“Jesus didn't cut Himself off from society, but was inwardly disconnected all the time.” Meaning, His surroundings didn’t determine His mood and manner. It was His internal devotion to His Heavenly Father that directed His path.

“Jesus was not aloof, but lived in another world.” Jesus recognized the greater reality of the Kingdom of God, and alleged Himself to God the Father for God's Kingdom business on planet earth.

Today we’ll go to work, Walmart, walk the dog, etc. We may have our existence in this physical world, but along with Jesus, “we’re not of this world” (John 8:23). By faith in Christ, we’ve been adopted as God's sons and daughters.

Lord Jesus, what are You up to today? We want to be a part of it. Thank You for the privilege of serving Your Kingdom.

2. “Many Christians are experiencing no fullness in their lives, no sense of true freedom.”

This is a heartbreaking statement. There’s such completeness and joy in Jesus.

Is it because our faith in Christ is merely a ticket to heaven? Is our relationship with Jesus little more than an acquaintance? Do we tend to approach Jesus only in times of hardship and loss?

“The kind of religious life around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ.” Jesus had to be an anomaly in His day. His faith was not dogmatic or ritualistic, nor did He live in dread fear of God and His judgment.

Instead, Jesus demonstrated the vitality of being rightly related to the Source of all love, joy and peace. Jesus lived a vibrant life, spreading “the aroma of God” (2 Corinthians 2:15) everywhere He went.

No wonder people followed in droves—they wanted what He had.

“Jesus said ‘Is anyone still thirsty? Let them come to Me and drink.’” (John 7:37). In Christ, what Jesus has can be ours.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for compromising what we could have as we walk with You. We settle for so much less than God's best. Please steal our heart that we might follow Your example of fully consecrating ourself to God and His Kingdom.

3. “Be interested only in what God is interested.”

When I consider my God-walk, I wonder how many of the things I involve myself in are actually of interest to God?

Certainly, God is “interested” in every aspect of my life. That is, He knows and is near every step of the way.

But how much of the busyness of my life is actually necessary in God’s sight? Surely the secret to Jesus’ peace and joy was an uncluttered life, giving Himself only to the things that mattered for time and eternity.

Jesus offers me the same simplicity. Unfortunately, I imagine I would not be content without the other matters that tend crowd in my life.

Oswald suggests this simple filter: “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus is interested?” I wonder what would happen if I passed All of my undertakings today through that grid?

I might be surprised.

Lord Jesus, we confessed, we are so easily distracted. It may not even occur to us to learn what things interest You and what things do not. May we gain a greater interest and the former and become less compelled by the latter. Please, Lord Jesus.

***********

11.26.24

1. “The power of God comes from dwelling on the tragedy of God.”

The Christian faith is ludicrous in many ways: The Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, Christ’s miracles, the Resurrection, the indwelling Holy Spirit and more.

But the truly ludicrous nature of our faith is “the tragedy of God.” That is, out of His love for us, God suffered for the entire human race. God entered our world to pay the debt of our sin with His very Own life.

What kind of God does this?

For many, this notion seems foolish, illogical and unreasonable. For others, it diminishes the Divine, because the Almighty God would never die.

Put for Jesus’ followers, the “foolishness of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18) is the greatest demonstration of the power of the Almighty. His love, grace and capability are fully displayed in “the tragedy of God”—His self-sacrifice on our behalf.

Beloved, consider the God we serve. Why would we not “we worship at His footstool” (Psalm 99:5)?

Dear Heavenly Father. It’s indeed a tragedy that the perfect world You created has rejected its Creator, breaking your heart and requiring Your suffering and death to redeem us. We will forever be overwhelmed by Your great mercy. There are no words. Only, Hallelujah!

2. “Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there.”

We’re tempted to believe we're able to generate enough internal energy to carry us day by day. Yet, just as we're unable to produce a solitary heartbeat on our own, we’re also insufficient in and of ourselves to achieve a life of love, joy and peace.

Whether we believe or not, our God is good and gracious to every human being. It’s when we humbly acknowledge God as the Source of all good things that we discover His all-sufficient power—and receive that power as we trust and walk with Jesus.

The revelation of God in Christ is this: We’re not designed to live independently from the God Who made us. Not only is God the source of all life, He’s also the continuing and sustaining Life-Giver.

Beloved, let’s “pay attention to the Source” in this hour and the next. We need what only He can provide.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your power available to us by Your Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. Please forgive us for imagining we can go it alone. We confess our constant need for You today.

3. “Our focus tends to be on the effects of the cross rather than the cross itself.”

This is a totally legit criticism. We’re far more interested in what the cross can offer us then the Christ on the cross. God, have mercy.

Surely this misplaced emphasis has rendered Christ’s church “feeble” through the ages. We look at Jesus as a means to an end rather than as our Savior and Lord.

“If we focus on the great point of spiritual power—the cross of Jesus Christ—its energy is released in our lives.” What a profound statement. Perhaps we think in terms of drawing power from the cross for our wants and needs. Oswald calls us to fixate on our glorious Savior hanging from the cross. And as we do, we’re swept up in God’s glory and consumed by a flood power of His love and mercy.

Beloved, this must be our posture as we walk with our Lord. This is the indescribable power of the cross. Praise God forevermore!

Lord Jesus, in this moment we visualize Your suffering and death on our behalf. We witness Your self-sacrificing love for us and sense You’re all-sufficient grace flowing through us. Therefore we rejoice in committing ourselves to our faithful God. Thank You for Your cross. Hallelujah!

***********

11.25.24

1. “A strong, steady underlying consistency.”

I love this language. I would love for it to describe me.

What produces such a posture? It comes from being “rooted and grounded in God.” That is, spiritual consistency yields external consistency. The internal must drive the external, not vice versa.

“Consequently, Paul's external life could change without internal distress.” There will never ever be a time when our externals are calm like a placid lake. They will forever be roiling like the sea.

I may not have any control over my externals, but I alone am responsible for my internals. Consistency with Jesus—in fellowship, devotion, prayer, adoration, fellowship and obedience—tethers my soul to the Immovable One. And I will find myself at peace on the inside even as the world around me is in turmoil.

“So it is with the person who builds their house on a rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Lord Jesus, thank You for the many saints who demonstrate utter underlying consistency in the mayhem of life. Thank You for their willingness to pay the price. May we determine to do the same.

2. “The deep-down fundamentals.”

Nearly every vocation has foundational fundamentals. An athlete, educator, artisan and physician learns, rehearses and practices unchanging fundamentals until these become natural responses.

The foundational fundamental of Christian faith is “the agony of God in the redemption of the world, namely, the cross of Christ.”

We never get beyond fundamentals, especially as we walk with Jesus. He will forever be, “The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The atonement of Christ is not merely “the basics” of the Christian faith, to be overshadowed by weightier topics and beliefs. It’s the centerpiece of Heaven and Earth from time immemorial, and will be forevermore.

“Get back to the foundation of the cross of Christ, doing away with any belief not based on it.” The Christian faith is not a self-help schema. It's a declaration of what God himself has done to bring humankind into reconciled relationship with our Creator.

Nothing is truer than the death and Resurrection of Christ, because nothing orients time and eternity like Jesus’ cross. We must “state our beliefs to ourself again and again” until nothing else in our life holds greater sway.

“The cross is of more importance than all the empires of the world.” May the cross, and no competitor, be the principle, essential and guiding fundamental of our soul.

Holy God, “may the agony of God in the redemption of the world” grip our heart and mind every day through every season of our life. May the cross of Christ be our identity, reference point, and hope and stay, today and always. And, in turn, may we forever praise and worship You. Hallelujah!

3. “Preaching the cross.”

As a vocational preacher, may I be obsessed with this reality: “If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the cross of Jesus Christ in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing.”

Along with all who have been called to proclaim the Gospel, may I “be determined to preach nothing but Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Preaching otherwise “may be interesting, but it will have no power.”

“When we preach the cross, the energy of God is released.” The basis of our faith is the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation and redemption of the world. In light of this reality manmade principles, philosophies and big ideas are dwarfed.

Our hearts long for a release of God's power to alter our life and world. And God has done that in the cross of Christ. Hallelujah forevermore!

Holy God, thank You for those through the ages who have declared the overwhelming truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—namely His suffering and death on our behalf. May that power be released into our heart and life as we walk with You today. Praise our Risen Savior!

PS. Dear brothers and sisters. In my weekly preaching, if I don't sufficiently proclaim the cross of Christ, please take me aside and lovingly remind me. I will be forever grateful for your admonition. Thank you.

***********

11.24.24

1. “Spiritual drift.”

It happens when we take our eye off the ball.

What does it look like to “rely entirely on God?” It certainly is more than a blind nod, “Everything will work out.” It's also more then a hollow sentiment, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Indeed, everything does happen for a reason, and the reason we have spiritual drift because we’ve “ceased lifting our eyes to Him.”

We may place the blame on externals, “I'm so busy,” or, “I'm going through a difficult season.” But the reality is, difficult externals often cause us to lift our eyes to God.

“Loss of focus comes from trouble on the inside.” Perhaps it's emotional upheaval. Perhaps it's laziness. Perhaps it’s distractions. But it's never God, and we can't blame others. It's always on us.

Thank God for times of renewal, when God calls us back to Himself, either through difficulties or by wooing our heart. Thank God for His restoration as we finally lift our eyes to Him.

What an incredibly kind and patient God we serve.

Heavenly Father, we know the joy of fellowship with You as we lift our eyes. Please forgive us when we, for whatever reason, lower our gaze. It's so easy to look away, but it's so easy to lift our eyes once again. Thank You for receiving us every time.

***********

11.23.24

1. “Our state of mind is powerful in its effects.”

Oswald is reminding us how critical our thought life is.

“Our state of mind can be the enemy that distracts us from God.” True story. Our mind has unbelievable horsepower. It can determine our attachment and detachment from the Living God.

Oswald suggests our greatest liability is “not our belief in God, but our Christian disposition.” It’s because our disposition can kneecap our faith. A bad mood can rule the day in place of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

“Until we get back into a quiet mood before God, our faith has no value.” Indeed, faith can move mountains, but a bad attitude can overrule our faith.

Lord, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, here and now we quiet our soul before You: “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:1). Have our heart and mind today.

2. “Beware of the cares of this world.”

Jesus isn’t admonishing us to be complacent or unconcerned with the state of our world or the matters at hand. We would be irresponsible as Kingdom citizens not to care.

However, “It’s the simple things that distract our attention away from God.” We can be detoured and derailed in a heartbeat by the smallest matters. Our concentration on God is so easily disturbed.

“Refuse to be swamped by the cares of this world.” We may not make excuses because of our busy heart and mind. Instead, we must “Prepare our minds for action” (1 Peter 1:3), and determine to remain dialed into God’s Kingdom perspective as we live our daily life.

“Beware” is the active word here. We're learning to recognize and overcome our propensity to be ruled by the matters at hand rather than by the God of the universe.

May it be so, O Lord.

Heavenly Father, it’s a noisy world out there. So many things clamor for our attention. Thank You that “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). May we become more and more adept at undressing our cares in unbroken fellowship with You. Hallelujah.

3. “O Lord, deliver me from vindication.” (St. Augustine)

What a powerful notion. “The need for constant vindication destroys our soul's faith in God.” We can run ourselves ragged constantly needing to defend our faith and actions.

“Don't say, ‘I must explain myself,’ or ‘I must get people to understand.”’ This is an absolute losing proposition. We’ll die on the hill if we feel the need to correct everyone's perception of us.

“Our Lord never explained anything; He let the misunderstandings or misconceptions correct themselves.” Wow, what a statement of confidence in God’s Sovereignty.

“As a Lamb led to slaughter, He didn’t open His mouth” (Isaian 53:7). Jesus never defended Himself. He trusted God to work it all out in the end.

And God will. One day God’s Light will shine and expose all injustices. Until then, we’re to keep our eyes on Jesus instead of on the wrongs and accusations hurled in our direction.

It's certainly easier said than done. Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, we can't do this without You. Thank You for your demonstration of “turning the other cheek” (Luke 6:29) and “going the extra mile” (Matthew 5:41). We will have opportunity to overlook offenses today. By Your grace and mercy, may we do so just as Jesus did.

***********

11.22.24

1. “Even the shallow aspects of life are ordained by God.”

This is such a helpful perspective. Nothing in our life is too small for God’s use: “God became a Baby.”

I’m thankful for Oswald’s caution here: “We wish to impress people with the fact we are not shallow.” There’s something in us that’s eager to prove to others we are deeply spiritual.

But, when we do, we’re demonstrating “spiritual pride,” and there’s nothing more “nauseating.”

All of us know those who tend to strut their spiritual stuff. It certainly leaves a foul stench in our nostrils. I wonder how often others smell of spiritual pride on me? God, have mercy.

When we are prideful of our spirituality, “contempt for others is produced in our lives.” That means we begin to look down upon others who don’t live up to our spiritual standards.

Just think of where we would be if Jesus did that to us? Thank God for a humble and meek Savior, Who graciously meets us where we are, and walks beside us as He urges us onward in our God-walk.

“Beware of posing as a profound person.” God knows better.

Heavenly Father, please forgive me when I’m given to spiritual one-upmanship. Please forgive me for seeking kudos from others regarding my spirituality. You and I both know the truth about my spiritual poverty. How I need You, Holy and humble Savior.

2. “Even the ocean has a shore.”

Oswald makes this statement to help us realize and appreciate that the shallow and ordinary things of life—“eating and drinking, walking and talking—are “not an indication there is no spiritual depth to our lives.”

Nor are the ordinary things of life “a sign of being sinful.” Oswald points out that Jesus Himself participated in the mundane and unexceptional aspects of human life.

Jesus was still Lord and Savior in these moments, and lived and “did these things as the Son of God.” That is, Jesus’ life consisted of the menial just as ours did, and He lived them for the glory of God.

In our daily routine, we’re to remember, “a disciple is not above His teacher.”

Am I willing to join Jesus in stooping to live out the everyday doldrums while consistently demonstrating the Fruit of the Spirit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23)?

The shallow and ordinary matters are the mortar between the exceptional spiritual boulders in our God-walk.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your example of godliness, even in the smallest and least impressive details of Your human life. Our days are full of such things. May we live each moment knowing God is in the little things as well as the big things. And, even in the humdrum, may we convince others we follow You.

3. “We have to live our surface, common sense life in a commonsense way.”

As Christ-followers, we’re called to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). That means we’re keen on the Holy Spirit’s direction and leadership in all circumstances.

At the same time, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your heart” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). That means there’s also a place for common sense in our everyday lives.

For instance, we need not ask God if we’re to be patient and kind with others today. Nor do we need God’s affirmation to be faithful in our marriage vows. These are non-negotiables because we follow Jesus.

And it’s when we demonstrate faithfulness in our surface, commonsense life, that “God gives us the deeper things.” And when He does, they’re profound and precious, and impossible to describe or share with others.

“Never show the depth of your life to anyone but God.” These are matters between us and God alone. They lie beneath the surface and common sense. They involve the sweetness of God's “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:13) in the intimate and deep places in our heart:

“You have been faithful in the small things; I will give you bigger things” (Matthew 25:23).

How lovely and glorious.

Heavenly Father, please help us “live godly in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:12) in every act aspect of our life today, big and small. As we do, may we also be privileged to enjoy sweet communion with You in the depths of our soul.

***********

11.21.24

1. “Christ's death was the very reason He came.”

Oswald is direct and emphatic regarding the cross of Jesus Christ. “The death of Christ is the fulfillment of the mind and intention of God.”

The cross of Christ was no surprise for God. It was all on purpose.

The ways of God are indeed mysterious. In order for God to bring about the human race as He envisioned, it would require Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Christ, souls who would believe and be born again, and the second coming of Christ to redeem all of Creation.

This is no afterthought; it’s precisely as God purposed. It was only through this means God could demonstrate His utter holiness, justice and love, and offer us the opportunity, of our own volition, to choose, trust, serve and love our Creator.

As such, we can know a depth of reciprocated devotion we would experience in no other way. It cost God more than we can possibly imagine, but produces a depth of relationship that would be impossible otherwise.

“Christ death was not something that happened to Him; it's the very reason He came.” As we realize this Truth and embrace Christ as Lord, we begin the journey of becoming The human beings God intended from the very beginning.

Indeed, our God is stunningly beyond words.

Heavenly Father, Your creative foresight is unfathomable. Thank You for displaying Your love and glory on the cross of Jesus Christ. Thank You for opening our eyes to Your remarkable ways. We believe and receive, and will forever give You the praise and honor Your due. Hallelujah!

2. “Making the cross unnecessary”

We infinitely minimize Christ’s cross if we believe it’s merely an unfortunate circumstance in the life of Jesus.

What kind of Savior would Jesus be if He couldn’t have prevented His own death? How are we to take our cares and burdens to Him if He couldn’t deliver Himself from crucifixion? How are we to trust Him with our salvation if He could not save Himself?

Instead, we recognize the cross as Jesus’ means of demonstrating His love, power and authority over sin, death, hell and the grave. We serve a Resurrected Savior Who’s “able to do immeasurably more than we can ask, think or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

Furthermore, we diminish the cross if we believe we must add anything to Christ's work in order to be saved. Is there any sin He can’t forgive? Is there any work we can do to rectify our sinfulness?

The cross alone is God's full and complete provision for our forgiveness and salvation. We cannot add one iota to His work of Atonement. We’re redeemed by faith in Christ alone. If we believe otherwise, we’re undermining the grace and mercy of God.

“God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son.” This is the Self-giving wisdom and glory of our God. And it's all ours as we humbly receive.

“‘It is finished’ is the final word and the redemption of humankind.” Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Holy God, we bless You for the gift of Your Holy Son and His Holy Cross. Thank You for the supernatural work You’ve wrought through His death and Resurrection. We believe and receive the fullness of Your mercy and grace, and offer ourselves today to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Amen and Amen!

3. “Never lessen or obliterates the holiness of God.”

Case in point: A false view of God's love.

God's love must be in keeping with His character. God is holy and just, which means He cannot overlook our sin. Rather, out of His love for us, He chooses to atone for us with the blood of Jesus Christ His Son.

Nor is God's love merely pity or sympathy. It's an active, majestic and robust love beyond measure. “God demonstrated His love for us this way—while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Nor does Jesus Christ “stand with us against God out of compassion.” He gave His life in obedience to His Father’s “divine decree.” He didn't die for us because He felt sorry for us. Rather, He fulfilled God’s will in taking upon Himself the “curse” of God’s judgement and wrath.

Nor is God kindly and understanding of our sin. Rather, “Jesus Christ hates the sin in people, and Calvary is the measure of his hatred.” Instead, out of God’s loving kindness He gives us “conviction of sin—a gift of shame and repentance.” His love draws us to forsake our sin and receive His grace.

God's love doesn’t turn a blind eye to our sin, but confronts it and dealt with it by sending His Son “to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Beloved, may we never misconstrue God's love, but fully embrace His love by trusting Christ and making Him the rightful Lord of our life.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for reducing Your love to an emotional response based on our feeble understanding and definitions. Thank You for revealing Your love to us in Christ's death and Resurrection. We joyfully receive Your love and reciprocate with ours.

***********

11.20.24

1. “Beware of believing God forgives us because He’s so kind and loving.”

Isn't this a striking statement? It's striking because we often begin the Gospel with, “God loves you.”

With that statement, we might be led to believe that, out of His loving kindness, God finds it in His heart to forgive us. “But that thinking is found nowhere in the New Testament.”

Indeed, God's forgiveness is motivated by His love, but it is generated and made possible only by the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the cross of Christ.”

This is a game-changer for our God-walk. It forever alters our perspective and evokes our gratitude. “Once you realize all it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vice, constrained by the love of God.”

Beloved, May God bring us to the place where we fully grasp the magnitude of God's complete and forever forgiveness, and may we always measure His love by the cross.

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving us. Lord Jesus, thank You for making it possible through Your suffering, death and Resurrection. Holy Spirit, please convict us of this truth, and convince us of the love the Father has for us—so much so that He sent His Son to save. We humble ourselves in the presence of such an amazing God. Hallelujah!

2. “Without the Atonement of Christ, God cannot forgive.”

Without a doubt, we have an impoverished view of forgiveness. We're sure, with a wave of His hand, God can forgive and forget.

In reality, it's because we have an impoverished view of the nature of God: “God would contradict His nature to forgive us without atoning for our sin.” God's nature is, He is holy and just. By these measures, we recognize our inherent sinfulness and God’s obligation to judge our sin.

Sin is a blot on our soul. In atoning for our sin by the death and Resurrection of Christ, God does far more than overlook our sin. He removes it. Jesus justly paid our sin-debt with His cross.

“God's forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.” That is, God acted supernaturally through the Atonement of Christ to provide the miracle of forgiveness.

We’ve been made right with God, and God moved heaven and earth to make it happen. Wow.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our diminished view of Who You are and how You provide our forgiveness. Please open our eyes to the truth of the Atonement of Christ, and the completeness of our forgiveness through faith. May this revelation spur our gratitude, devotion and obedience forevermore. Hallelujah!

3. “Compared with the miracle of forgiveness of sin, sanctification is small.”

This is a bold and beautiful statement.

We're apt to think salvation, which happens the moment we receive Christ, is merely a step inside the doorway, whereas sanctification—the lifelong process of being transformed into Christ's image—is the real work.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life.” Sanctification is the lifelong expression of what God makes possible when we’re born again by faith in Christ.

God’s work of salvation, the forgiveness of our sin, happens by our faith in Christ’s Atonement. But salvation also alters our nature. In salvation, we’re transformed and become new creations. We become sons and daughters of God and inherit the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven.

On the other hand, sanctification is the maturing of our new nature. It doesn’t save us because we’ve already been saved. Instead, it’s the Spirit-enabled, tangible and real-life expression of Christ dwelling in us.

Praise God for the miracle forgiveness! In praise and adoration, may we fully participate in His ongoing work of making us more like Jesus.

Father, thank You for the miracle of forgiveness. Thank You for saving us completely and to the uttermost. And thank You for Your continuing work of sanctification. We joyfully give ourselves to You for both.

***********

11.19.24

1. “Conviction of sin is knowing fully Whom we have wronged.”

I want to shout this message from the housetops—not for others, but for me.

My sin is not a violation of some impersonal law or standard. When I sin, I sin against God alone. “Against You only have I sinned.”

This infinitely intensifies the nature and consequences of my sin. Sin is far from a “mistake.” It’s my willful treason against God Most High.

It also infinitely intensifies the power and efficacy of the cross. Jesus’ death and Resurrection are no small matters, but the only means by which the righteous and just wrath of God toward my sin can be satisfied.

Only when I recognize these profound truths am I able to own, grieve, turn from my sin, “repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6), and receive God’s ultra-amazing grace.

And, only then can I recognize and worship God for His goodness towards humankind.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this powerful admonishing regarding our casual attitude towards sin. Thank You for helping us understand, “It cost You the breaking of Your heart in the death of Christ.” We’re truly sorry, and we truly confess our sin and receive Your priceless forgiveness. We thank and praise You. Amen and amen.

***********

11.18.24

1. “The spiritual part of our being never says, ‘I can't.’”

Here's where this line of reasoning takes me. My flesh and my carnal nature resist challenges and hardships. They are quick to say, “I can't.” We’ll often throw in the towel when we face difficulties and look for an easier route.

However, as we mature in Christ, we never say, “I can't.” instead, we “simply soak up everything around us.” That is, by the grace of God, and in the strength of the Holy Spirit, we stand, absorbing the blows, pushing through the difficulties, carrying the weight of our personal hardships, and bearing the burden of interceding for our broken world.

“As a Lamb led to slaughter, He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). This speaks of Jesus, Who didn't complain, Who never said “I can't,” and never accused others as being unfair.

Instead, He bore His cross and gave His life.

Jesus could have called foul and exited our planet prior to the cross (see Matthew 26:53), but He chose not to. Rather, He completed His mission, come-what-may.

And He calls us to do the same.

Lord Jesus, it's so easy to say, “I can't.” Please forgive us when we quit instead of enduring. Today we will face hard, unfair and unjust circumstances. By Your grace, please help us press through as You work Your victory in our lives. Thank You.

2. Deliverance from individuality.

Oswald offers a heavy today: “God delivers us from sin, but we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality.”

Sin is one thing. Christ in us is the power of God to resist temptation and overcome the wicked one. Praise God forevermore.

However, our individuality remains. That is, our will and desire to do as we please. It's nearly always contrary to the will of God.

When we “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), we're “offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him.” He won't do it for us; We must do it ourselves.

Daily spiritual disciplines are one means of defeating our individuality. “God will not discipline us; We must discipline ourselves.” This is our ongoing practice of conditioning our hearts in the Word, prayer, worship, serving and more, so our spirit-person and not our individuality determines our daily choices.

Our individuality is easily distracted from the things of God. Oswald says, “Don't suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individuality.”

We live in a culture that eagerly gives itself to individuality, and defends individuality at every turn. This is not the way of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We are seeking to be delivered from our individuality and become one with Jesus.

Lord Jesus, no one knows better than You how our individuality can get in the way of our devotion and obedience to You. Today, as an act of our will, we die to our individuality that You might live through us. May we be victorious, by Your grace.

3. “You shall be free indeed.”

Freedom in the Christian life is not the freedom to do whatever we choose. It's freedom from our sinful nature, and freedom to live into the wide open spaces of God's goodness.

“I have been crucified with Christ” doesn't that sound like freedom to the natural man. But to the Christ-follower, to die to ourselves and become one with Jesus is the ultimate freedom.

“You shall be free indeed” is our expression of emancipation. We’re no longer bound by sin, nor are we bound by our old nature. We are “free from the inside to the outside.”

It's nearly impossible to describe this freedom, but once we experience it, nothing less will do. Although our old nature will raises its ugly head, we’re determined to choose union with God instead.

May this be our decision today.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making us the freest people on planet earth. Thank You for the overwhelming freedom we experience when we give our heart and soul completely to You. Thank You for delivering us from the weight and the power of our old nature. Thank You for the joy of being wholly Yours. Hallelujah!

***********

11.17.24

1. “God speaks to His Own nature in me.”

This is a very helpful way of comprehending the voice of God.

I've never heard God's voice audibly, and many I know say the same. Instead, we detect God's voice elsewhere, with another sense or mechanism.

As Oswald says, that sense or mechanism is the new nature born in us when we were born again: “Put on the new nature, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

I have become a spiritual being in Christ, and God speaks to my spirit by His Spirit. Hearing God not only requires developing a sensitivity to our new nature, it also requires a willingness to respond:

“When Jesus says ‘come,’ I come; when He says ‘let go,’ I let go; when He says ‘trust God,’ I trust.”

For me, it's fare more difficult to obey than to hear: “There's no possibility of questioning God when He speaks to His Own nature in me.” It's because hearing God is a given because Christ dwells in me. Obedience, on the other hand, is an act of my will—and my old nature often objects.

Lord, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God Who speaks. Thank You for placing Your nature in me in Christ, and speaking to it. By Your grace, please help me respond with love, eagerness and anticipation, every time You speak. Thank You for the joy of this aspect of our relationship.

***********

11.16.24

1. “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”

Oswald's point today is, in the Christian faith, all that is grand and spiritual finds is ultimate expression in everyday human life and relationships.

We might think it's our disciplined, daily devotions that demonstrate our deep spirituality. We might equate breathtaking spiritual experiences as evidence of God's hand upon our life.

Instead, “The great miracle of the Incarnation slips into the ordinary life of the child.” In Christ, God moved heaven and earth on our behalf. He did so in order that His glory might be revealed even in the small, ordinary cracks and crevices of our everyday lives.

Not only so, but even “when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us.” Our nearness to Jesus is to be evident 24/7/365, in public, in private, in ups, in downs, in victories and in defeats.

Because our Savior is for real people, living real lives, with a devotion to Jesus that knows no limits.

Heavenly Father, may it be said of us that our lives demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit in any and all circumstances, whether we're alone, with a friend, or in a crowd at the grocery store. May it be that everything we say and do brings You the honor and glory You’re due. So be it, amen.

2. “The ‘Lofty Height’ of the God-walk.”

What are the earmarks of a saint’s life? Is it our wisdom, knowledge, ethics, morality, etc?

Certainly our life is to evidence these attricutes. But the all-surpassing evidence is, “the power of God coming through you all the time.”

Let’s consider the life of Jesus—how kind and receptive He was to all, how gracious He was to broken people, to those who opposed Him, and to those who denied Him, and how determined He was to advance His Father’s Kingdom in any and all contexts.

Jesus’ life was a continuous and consistent demonstration of God’s power: “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). He not only demonstrated a knowledge of God and moral actions, but His mission, motivations and life-purpose was all revealed the God Who was living in and through Him.

Our lives are to demonstrate the same: “It’s no longer I who live, but Christ Who in me” (Galatians 2:20).

I wonder if others recognize us as those through whom Christ lives?

Lord Jesus, may this by the “lofty goal” of our life, that “You might increase, and we might decrease” (John 3:30). We die to ourselves that You might live through us today. Hallelujah!

3. “To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His.”

It surely takes the power and influence of the Holy Spirit for us to become so humble that we couldn’t care less if we’re noticed, recognized or appreciated.

Perhaps we’re consumed with wanting the attention and validation of others. This pursuit can lead to ridiculous undertakings and a miserable existence.

On the other hand, concerning ourselves only with God’s approval requires more than we can muster.

Dying to our ego and aspirations demands the grace and strength of our humble God.

Consider the modesty of God, always demonstrating His holiness, glory and power, but never requiring our praise and adoration. Our response of faith and devotion are given of our own volition.

This is precisely the posture of our Lord Jesus.

Beloved, have we become so free in Christ that we’re unconcerned about anyone’s attention other than our God and Savior? Such a disposition requires the transforming power of God’s Spirit as we humbly offer Him our whole heart.

Lord Jesus, here we are. Please liberate us from our need for others’ approval. May we seek and find all our affirmation, confidence and security in You alone. Thank You we’re never “unnoticed” in Your sight.

***********

11.15.24

1. “The danger of being an ‘amateur providence.’”

Once again, Oswald admonishes us with one of his infamous phrases.

What's “an adventure providence”? It's one who “gets in the way of God by interfering in other people's lives.” Even if our intentions are good, we can get between God and what God’s doing in another soul.

The following statement always sobers me: “You say, ‘this person will not suffer, and I will make sure they don't.’” What seems charitable and reasonable can actually be working against God's “permissive will” someone else’s suffering.

This is why our words and deeds towards others need to be directed by the Holy Spirit and not simply by our sympathies. If not, we may find ourselves “proposing things we had no right to propose, or advising when we have no right to advise.”

This reminds me of the contemporary phrase, “Sometimes helping hurts.” We inflict damage when we attempt to help a baby chick out of its shell or a butterfly out of its cocoon. These arduous experiences for the chick and butterfly are by God's design and promote important growth.

In the same way, God often allows our pain to get our attention or knock off our sharp corners. And when we interfere in God’s process with others, we’re hampering rather than helping.

When then do we help? “God will advise you with the direct understanding of His Spirit.” Our job is to be prayerful for others while “maintaining right relationship with God.” That posture permits God to direct our steps so we can be blessings to others along the line of God’s work in their lives.

Lord Jesus, this is a tough one. How are we to watch someone suffer when we feel like we could be helpful? At the same time, we’re very aware of the times You used our hardships to forge our faith. As we prayerfully look to You, please show us how we might join You in Your work in another’s life. Thank You.

2. “Is there stagnation in your spiritual life?”

There are times when God is silent. There are dark nights of the soul when God is working deep within. These experiences are not due to our sin or negligence, but are the providence of God for our continuing spiritual formation.

However, stagnation is another matter. Spiritual stagnation occurs when our spiritual life grinds to a halt because we've not maintained. We've not sufficiently nurtured the Life of Christ within us, and it results in spiritual rot and the accumulation of deadwood.

God’s not to blame. He hasn’t left us nor forsaken us. Instead, we've not given ourselves to the personal pursuit of our Holy God. We’ve not worked our end of the relationship, connecting with God in worship, Word, prayer, serving, etc.

We've permitted God's Living Water to become a stagnant pool. Lord, have mercy.

It takes a great deal of time, diligence and energy to sustain any relationship, let alone our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Today and every day, may we give ourselves to this all important and life-giving quest.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us when we grow inattentive to You; when we've taken You for granted; when we consume Your blessings without seeking Your face. Please purge us of stagnation and deadwood so Your Life might flourish in us. Thank You.

3. “A saint is never consciously a saint; a saint is consciously dependent upon God.”

This is a beautiful sentiment. As we immerse ourselves in Jesus, as we give ourselves to devotion and obedience, God will work through us in the lives of others although we’re unaware.

Surely we recognize this in the people who’ve been instrumental in our life. Those people have no idea the impact they've had upon us. They likely were not making a conscientious effort. Instead, it was their unconscious influence.

It may be difficult for us to get our heads and hearts around this truth, but we are most useful to God as we simply give ourselves to God. When we run after Jesus, He’s conditioning and positioning us for His purposes.

No one is a hero consciously. Heroes happen when they least expect it. It comes from deep character acting in the moment for the sake of others.

Beloved, when we humbly realize how little we have to offer and how fully dependent we are upon our God, it’s then God is able to leak and speak through us to others.

Lord Jesus, today we set our sights on You. May we pursue You with great intensity and faithfulness, that You might transparently and unconsciously impact others through us. And all for Your honor and glory. Hallelujah.

***********

11.14.24

1. “We should be so one with God that we don't need to ask continually for guidance.”

How can this possibly be?

It's because the Holy Spirit dwells in us and is continually “conforming us to the image of Christ" (Romans 8:29). The Holy Spirit is developing God's sensitivities in us. Our heart is moved by what moves God's heart.

As Paul said, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). That is, our natural sensibilities are becoming Christ’s sensibilities. We're beginning to think and reason along God’s lines.

We have a new north star, a new compass, and our new nature is drawn and directed to and by God's will and way. We need not ask because, by God’s Spirit in us, we already know.

No one needs to tell us when our will is competing with God's will, because “An inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God.” In these moments we must “stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind,” and choose God’s way instead of our own.

Beloved, we know God's will, and by the Holy Spirit we’re able to do God's will—if we want to.

Heavenly Father, thank You for changing our heart and our will. We desire to follow You, to be one with You in Christ, and joyfully and willingly do Your will. May it be so more and more.

2. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.”

It's a beautiful thing to recognize God's hand and acknowledge His grace along the way.

“It requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God's hand in every detail.” We become more and more convinced that He's intimately involved in the details of our lives. We're quicker to perceive His activity and more willing to credit Him for His actions.

“Be ready to discover God's divine designs anywhere and everywhere.” There's a beautiful transformation in us that permits us to see the glory of God in the people, nature and circumstances all around us.

Thie Holy Spirit is opening our eyes to see and believe the Almighty God is nearer and more involved than we ever imagined.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your ongoing work in us and in the world around us. Please forgive us when we fail to recognize Your hand and doings. May we see and be thrilled by Your glory in the details today. Hallelujah!

3. “If you’re a saint and say, ‘I will never do this or that,’ in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you.”

It's a telltale sign in us when we think or say, “I will never do this or that” in regards to God’s leadership. It's evidence of the limitations we've placed upon God.

In fact, we're highlighting for ourselves an area of our lives we’ve deemed off-limits to God. As such, we can anticipate God to begin His work of softening our heart in that regard.

God doesn’t force His will upon us. Instead, He graciously deals with obstacles keeping us from knowing the joy and blessing of being completely given to our God.

Beloved, “God gives us the desires of our hearts” (Psalm 37:4). God doesn’t limit us, but is tearing down our self-imposed limitations so we may discover the greater heights and depths God has for us.

Instead, may our refrain constantly be, “Not my will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Heavenly Father, as risky as it sounds, we offer ourselves to You for whatever You have in mind. Please demolish any barriers we've erected that prevent You from bringing about your perfect will in our lives. We trust You; please forgive us for our distrust of You.

***********

11.13.24

1. “We should battle through our moods, feelings and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus.”

We all know the power of “moods, feelings and emotions.” They can be overwhelming, and certainly affect our attitudes, words and actions.

Oswald says the key to our freedom from these controlling sentiments is “absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus.” This means, out of love for Jesus, we “battle through” the blues, anger, fear, lust, etc., for His sake.

We often do for others what won’t do for ourselves. Love for Jesus enables us to override “moods, feelings and emotions” as we pursue and obey Him.

This is precisely what Jesus did. Out of loving obedience to His Heavenly Father, Jesus “sweat drops of blood” while pressing through His “moods, feelings and emotions” and giving Himself on the cross.

“Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42) is the heart-song of loving our God—and our victory.

Lord Jesus, thank You for demonstrating passionate love and obedience to the Father—even to the point of laying down Your life for us. Please increase our love for You so we might do the same.

2. “How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God!”

Is our God-walk sacrificial?

It's certainly requires sacrificing our will for God's will. It can be in big and small ways, but we're relinquishing our right to ourselves as we give ourselves wholly to Jesus.

But consider the other side of our sacrifice—we receive the treasure of knowing our God and His pleasure. In time, we learn there is no greater experience.

“For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What was this “joy?” Was it heaven, paradise or bliss? I'm guessing it was not. Instead, it was the joy of hearing these words: “This is My Son with Whom I am pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

What a joy to be in a self-giving and sacrificial relationship with Someone who does the same. Surely it's the most gratifying experience we can ever have.

Lord Jesus, thank You for our precious relationship. Thank You for initiating with Your obedience to the Father. It's a joy to offer ourselves to You.

3. “All our fears are sinful.”

This is one bold statement. Is it true? Surely our emotion of fear isn’t sinful.

I can't imagine Oswald is speaking of our sudden reaction to danger. Instead, surely he's speaking of walking in fear and trepidation regarding people, circumstances, the devil, the future, world events, etc.

Perhaps another way to think about it is this: Fear itself is not sinful, but fear suggests we’re not trusting God. And, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

Fear is telling God we don't believe he knows, cares, is able, etc. Therefore, we're taking matters into our own hands—including those things that are out of our control and above our pay grade.

Fear is the opposite of faith, and faith is the antidote for fear: “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

We don't fight fear with positivity. We fight fear with fire—our conscious and disciplined faith that Jesus is precisely who he says he is.

And from that posture, “our lives can be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.”

May it be so in us today, beloved.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for fear resulting from a lack of confidence in You and Your promises. How glorious is Your peace when we believe! May we grow more and more in trusting You more and more.

***********

11.12.24

1. “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.”

I love Oswald's depiction of “the new creation.”

“The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed.” This is at the heart of the Christian testimony: I’m not who I used to be. I know my old ways, attitudes, prejudices thought patterns, desires, etc. I’m simply not that person anymore.

I think it's a very difficult to convince people who knew us before we came to Christ. Because, anytime they look at us, they see what they’ve known for years—the same person, body, voice—and vividly remember the countless experiences they've had of us.

Even when we claim to be different, even when we seem to speak and act differently, even if we seem more patient and kind, they're waiting for the other foot to drop. We may never convince them we’re not who we were.

And all it takes is one stumble from us to assure them we haven't changed one iota.

But we know. Something inside is different. It's as if the skies have parted and we’ve been filled with the hopefulness of a blue sky. A fog is dissipating and we see the world around us more clearly than ever.

We now experiencing a buoyancy we've never known before. Something within is carrying us and providing an energy we've not known before. We have a new lease on life, and we view God, ourselves and others from a perspective we’ve never known before.

The only conclusion we can draw is, we’ve been “born again.” We are “new creations in Christ.” Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, thank You for this undeniable thing in us, which we believe to be our new nature, born in us as we placed our trust in You and welcomed the Holy Spirit into our heart and life. We cannot doubt that which has become our new normal. “The old has gone and the new has come.” Thank You, our Savior, for our new reality—“Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). All glory to God!

2. “Has God changed the things that really matter to you?”

This is the amazing experience of salvation through faith in Christ.

“We no longer look at things the same way.” We’re able to see God’s hand in Creation, and in the minute details of our life. We're beginning to recognize the preciousness of every soul we encounter. We’re visualizing our life as part of the bigger picture of God's Kingdom.

“Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you.” Indeed, once we've had a vision of the risen Christ and His glorious Kingdom, “The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Nothing holds a candle to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“You are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you.” We have a front row seat to view and experience God's ongoing work in us. It's beyond amazing, and we see new evidence day-by-day as we watch God continue to change us in real time.

“There is no possibility of imagining you did it.” This is the real tell for me. I can take no credit for the transformation I continue to experience. I'm not gritting my teeth and changing my own heart. It's evident to me there's Someone in me doing it for me.

Thank God for “the evidence you are saved.” It's undeniable. And it's beyond obvious we've had nothing to do with it.

Lord Jesus, thank You for our beautiful world and the incredible experiences and opportunities you afford us. But they simply don’t have the holding power in our life they used to. That place is reserved for You alone. You have a grip on our heart, and we happily give ourselves to You. Thank You, thank You, thank You.

3. “What difference has my salvation and sanctification made?”

Great question. Can I point to objective differences in my heart, mind and life? Oswald offers two tremendous tells:

a. “True salvation frees me completely.” By God’s grace, I sense tremendous freedom to walk and live in the presence of our Holy God through faith in Jesus Christ. I am as free before God as a child is before their parents. I know I’m completely loved, valued, cared for and protected. And I have every confidence I’m saved to the uttermost for eternal life with our God.

b. “Can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13, or do I squirm and evade the issue.” This is the “love chapter” in the Bible. It speaks of God's love for us, and of God's desire for us to love one another as He loves us. It's a glorious picture of putting our hurts and grievances behind us, thinking the best of others, and giving ourselves to others in love and compassion. Rather than causing us to squirm, it causes us to long for 1 Corinthians 13 to become our greater reality.

“God is working His light into us on both the conscious and unconscious level.” God is transforming our heart and mind on the inside, and it's resulting in transforming our words and deeds on the outside. And “What God has begun, He will complete” (Philippians 1:6). Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, please continue to make Your salvation in us evident on the inside and outside. Thank You for saving us to the uttermost. Please sanctify us to the uttermost as well. We want to become Christ-like in all our ways. And all for Your glory.

 ***********

11.8.24

1. “The Holy Spirit energizes us for prayer.”

Perhaps this is a fresh insight for us.

God gifts us with the pipeline of prayer. Who are we to imagine we can simply think or speak and the God of the Universe hears us? Yet God enables us for this great privilege as His children in Christ.

Furthermore, because the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, we’re able to “pray in the Spirit.” That is, as we give ourselves to prayer, the Holy Spirit will inspire us by bringing to mind people and situations to pray about.

As we “pray in the Spirit,” we’re not merely improvising. By offering our hearts and minds to God in prayer, we learn to pray along the lines of all the Holy Spirit brings to mind. This is how we’re able to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)—the Holy Spirit will inspire us for as long as we choose to pray.

This is also how we learn to pray aloud with confidence. We’re not reciting a speech to God and others. We’re humbly voicing humble prayers as God brings matters to mind. And as we practice, we find we can pray for anyone or anything at the drop of a hat.

Thank God for His Holy Spirit, and thank the Holy Spirit for “energizing our praying.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for the amazing gift of prayer. It’s incredible to know we have Your ear as we pray. And thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit Who directs us as we pray. May we become more and more adept at Holy Spirit-energized prayer.

2. “Unutterable praying.”

Are we aware, even now the Holy Spirit is praying in us and interceding through us with “unutterable groans” to the Father? The Holy Spirit in us is expressing to the Father on our behalf, and we’re clueless about their conversations.

This is a great and uncanny mystery. “The Holy Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” The Gift of the Holy Spirit not only enables us to pray conscious prayers, but the Holy Spirit is praying for us, night and day, as God brings His will to pass in our life.

It’s because prayer is the language of Heaven. As the Holy Spirit nurtures our spirit, He does so by communicating with the Father through prayer on our behalf. God is working in and through us along the lines of the Holy Spirit praying on our benefit.

What tremendous care we receive from our God. Just as countless metabolic systems are presently at work and continuously benefiting our physical body, so the indwelling Holy Spirit is actively seeking and receiving God’s very best for our lives.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit’s “unutterable praying” in us—right now!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your intimate and ongoing care. We are so grateful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He intercedes within us. Once again, Your loving provision for us is utterly amazing. Hallelujah!

3. “Our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.”

As Christ’s followers, we’re to believe, receive and welcome the indwelling Holy Spirit. He’s God’s Gift to us, and empowers us to live for Jesus.

What a blessing and honor to host such an amazing Guest!

“Have we recognized our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit?” From this perspective, we honor our Guest by providing the best accommodations—our body.

Just as we welcome others into our home, we clean and prepare our house. So, too, we take steps to bless the Holy Spirit with a welcome abode. By God’s grace and with our diligent participation, we prepare a place for the Holy Spirit by taking out the garbage, sweeping and cleaning, land “keeping undefiled for Him”.

I find Oswald’s statement reassuring: “We look after the conscious part of our life, for which we are responsible; the Holy Spirit looks after the unconscious part, which we know nothing about.”

What a tremendous Roommate.

Welcome, Holy Spirit. May You find Your accommodations pleasant and to Your liking. We’re eager for You to enjoy Your stay. It’s our honor to be Your temple.

***********

11.7.24

1. “There’s no such thing as chance.”

This is a big statement. What am I to make of it?

For instance, if I choose to become intoxicated, then drive my car into a telephone pole, can I then declare, “Everything happens for a reason.” Or if an intoxicated driver sideswipes my car, am I to conclude, “This must be God’s will.”

For me, in these cases, the statement, “There’s no such thing as chance” means these two scenarios are not random or “chance” occurrences. It’s true, “Everything happens for a reason,” and the “reason” for these two car crashes was poor human choices.

Surely Oswald’s assertion, “All your circumstances are in the hand of God,” doesn’t mean God plans and determines all circumstances. Instead, it means we can entrust ourselves to God in every circumstance, whatever the cause.

God’s Sovereignty isn’t meant to suggest God designs and brings to pass each and every happening in our world. Instead, in God’s Sovereignty, He permits some circumstances while choosing to intervene in others.

This is why Oswald can say, “God, by His providence, brings you into circumstances you can’t understand.” We may never know the “why” behind our circumstances. However, “The one thing we know is the Spirit of God understands.”

Beloved, fate doesn’t rule over our lives; our Sovereign God does. He knows and He cares, and His grace is all-sufficient as we look to Him in our circumstances today.

Heavenly Father, we trust You today. You are Sovereign. You are all-powerful. You hold our life in Your hand. Help us walk in this unflinching faith and confidence today. Thank You.

2. “God is bringing you into certain places and among certain people for a reason.”

As the day unfolds, we’ll find ourselves among a variety of people in various circumstances. Oswald suggests God has Divine purpose in every context we find ourselves.

In particular, Holy Spirit intercession: “Take the circumstances you’re in and the people you’re among and bring them before God’s throne.” In doing so, we’re participating with the Holy Spirit as He intercedes through us for those matters.

Oswald envisions the Holy Spirit making intercession with the Father as Christ’s followers mingle with the people and situations we find ourselves in. It’s God’s way of caring for His World:

“This is how God is going to sweep the whole world with His saints.”

Pretty awesome!

Heavenly Father, thank You for using us as You care for Your world. Holy Spirit, please help us lift our eyes to Jesus in every circumstance today so you might intercede for the people around us. Thank You for bringing Your Kingdom through us. Amen!

3. “Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult?”

Oswald asserts the Holy Spirit is interceding for others through us as we make our way in this world. However, we can be a determent to the Holy Spirit’s work.

There are things I’m responsible for and things the Holy Spirit is responsible for. The Holy Spirit empowers me for my part, but He won’t do it for me. This includes my obedience and personal purity.

On the other hand, there are things only the Holy Spirit can do and I cannot. I mustn’t presume or insist the Holy Spirit bless what I chose. I must get onboard what the Holy Spirit is blessing.

This perspective is helpful. I certainly don’t want to deter or diminish what the Holy Spirit intends to do through me today. Instead, I will do well to continually partner with the Holy Spirit, do my part, and permit God to do His.

What an honor to be a part of what God is doing in my circles today. All glory to God!

Holy Spirit, please nudge me when I need to do what only I can do, and when I’m preventing You from doing what only You can do. I want to be a part of Your work, not a hindrance. Thank You.

***********

11.6.24

1. “Jesus continued to draw Martha until her belief became an intimate possession.”

I like the way Oswald breaks down the stairsteps of “belief” in Jesus Christ.

a. “Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ.” She saw the evidence of the power of God on tap in Jesus.

b. “She also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God.” She watched Jesus interact with God and witnessed a relationship with God she'd never experienced before.

c. “Then her belief emerged as a personal inheritance.” This is the point at which Mary confessed she believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God.

More than just a conduit of God's grace or a prophet or mystic, Mary was able to believe the power and grace of God was inherent in Jesus Christ, because she began to believe Jesus was Divine, God in the Flesh, our Messiah.

Is this our relationship with Jesus? Do we see Jesus as more than an avenue to God, but God Himself? As we relate to Jesus, do we have the sense that we’re personally relating with the true God?

“Do you believe this?” Because, when we do, we’re convinced “nothing’s impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Lord Jesus, “I believe; please help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). I believe certain things about You. Please help me believe IN You completely and totally. Please help me “know that You are God” (Psalm 46:10).

2. “The crossroads of overwhelming circumstances.”

It's often when we're overwhelmed that Jesus becomes more real.

Without the crushing weight of circumstances, our faith in Jesus is liable to be merely a theology or philosophy. But God uses the press of everyday life to transform our theology into “a very personal belief.”

Thank God for the troubles that “bring the awareness of our personal need.” Without them we fail to “lift our eyes to the hill where our help comes from” (Psalm 121:1).

No one likes difficulties, but our track record is, it's the difficulties in our life that forge our faith.

Oswald asks the question, “Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances?” It may well be the lovingkindness of God that has orchestrated our present challenges.

Beloved, may this be our refrain as God increases our faith: “I’m certain that God, Who began the good work within me, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).

May it be so, Heavenly Father. Please bring us again and again to the crossroads that You might further develop our absolute confidence in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.

3. “To believe is to commit.”

People commit themselves to all sorts of things—marriage, children, career, political ideology, ball teams, hobbies, etc. In committing ourselves to these things, we're limiting ourselves regarding competing interests.

The same is true when we commit ourselves to moral convictions. We attempt to live our lives in such a way that we don't violate our standards.

Faith in Jesus Christ is along these lines, but supersedes all other commitments: “I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.”

As we endeavor to make Jesus Christ our Lord, our “intimate personal belief” in Jesus not only dominates all other allegiances, but becomes the filter through which we view every other aspect of our life.

It’s certainly a high ideal, but, in time, “we find faith as natural as breathing.” That is, our relationship with Jesus Christ becomes second nature, because it becomes “Christ living in me” (Galatians 2:20).

Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves to You afresh today. We are Yours. You are the “dominating” interest, value and pursuit in our life. May You be the measure for everything we do today and always. Hallelujah!

***********

11.5.24

1. “God will take us through experiences designed to make us useful in His hands.”

Oswald suggests that walking with Jesus is a lifetime of conditioning us for God's purposes. God’s shaping and forming us, battering us into usefulness. To avoid this process is to hamper God's work.

When we adopt this perspective of the happenings that occurrences in our lives, “we will never be surprised by what comes our way.” We chalk it up to the Providence of God as He continues His work to make us useful.

In particular, God's work involves people, and He’s fashioning us for that purpose. Dealing with people isn’t child's-play. It requires God breaking us, softening us, making us flexible, increasing our compassion and more.

God can't simply drop usefulness into us. It's the lifelong process of life’s experiences that form in us God’s heart for others.

Today we’ll encounter people of all sorts. We may be tempted to say, “I can't deal with that person.” And God will ask, “Why can't you? I gave you sufficient opportunities to learn.”

May God shape us as He must today—even when it’s uncomfortable. He has use and purpose for us beyond this moment.

Heavenly Father, do what You must to make us useful. Please give us the grace to endure and learn through the challenges and difficulties we face today. Thank You.

2. “God's way is always the way of suffering.”

What a dismal way to think about the Christian faith. How can this possibly be?

If we follow Jesus, we’re following the “Suffering Servant” described in Isaiah 52-53. “He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering…”

First, consider our Savior’s unique ability to walk alongside us in our sufferings: “We have a High Priest Who’s able to empathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). May we find His comfort and strength in our sorrows.

Second, the great paradox of the Christian faith is, God saved the world through His Son’s suffering. “The sufferings of Christ was according to the will of God.” Jesus clearly suffered for God's purposes.

Perhaps God has purpose in our suffering as well. Naturally, “we want to know God's purpose beforehand.” It's almost as if we feel we could endure suffering better if we knew what God was up to.

But suffering is painful, regardless. We endure, not by knowing God's purposes, but by keeping our eyes on our Savior, and receiving mercy and grace from our Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ.

May God “work His perfect work” in us, both in our peace and in our hardships. And by His grace, may we be found resolute and faithful throughout.

Heavenly Father, thank You for a Savior Who knows our pain Personally. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your fellowship in our difficulties. May You bring about our Father’s purposes in and through us.

3. “We never realize at the time what God is putting us through.”

Surely God’s not responsible for every hardship and challenge in our life, and surely God graciously protects us from absolute chaos. But only God knows when and where He draws the line.

What we do know is, we’re the product of all of our life experiences. Some have been good and pleasant, while others have been brutal. But God is working through all of them to shape and form our heart.

Our personal spiritual growth becomes evident over time as God forges us in the fires of daily life. Thank God for the glorious moments of “enlightenment, when we realize, God has strengthened us and we didn't even know it!”

We wouldn't have the knowledge and experience of our God without also having both the glorious and tumultuous life experiences that have convinced us God is truly God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for what You’re working in us in this very moment. Thank You for who You're causing us to become. Please help us be patient with the process and beautifully transformed as a result.

***********

11.4.24

1. “The evangelical message should always lead us to action.”

Oswald is admonishing us: “Faith without action is dead” (James 2:17).

This isn’t works-based salvation; it's obedience. Our faith is more than an adherence to doctrine. It's living the Word of God, obeying God’s commandments, repenting at His convictions, and following the promptings of His Spirit.

If all we do is agree with Biblical truths and principles, but never act accordingly, we’re missing out on the power of God available to us through action. If we don't act, we remain where we’ve always been, and the life-giving work of God is limited in our life.

“But once we act, we’re never the same.” Surely we’ve all experienced times when we've acted in response to the Holy Spirit. It’s in those moments, “we immediately begin to live.”

This is the difference between religion and relationship. Religion is our agreement with doctrines, creeds and rituals. A relationship requires interacting with another person. And when we, as an act of our will, interact with God, we begin to experience the Person God who made us and loves us.

Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, today we choose to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Not simply devotionally, but offering ourselves to You “to will and to act according to Your good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). It's our honor to follow and obey You, Lord Jesus. Thank You.

2. “The weakest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is liberated the second they act.”

This is the amazing reality of walking with Jesus. Our obedience yields the wellspring of God's nearness, fellowship and power. It's as we “transact” with Jesus Christ, the heavens open above us.

Sometimes our “transactions” with God are not about faith, but about our own will. We know what God’s calling us to do. We even recognize the blessing of doing so. But the stubbornness of our heart and our determination for our own will and way lead to disobedience and compromise.

We'll never know what could have been had we acted in accordance with God's will.

On the other hand, amazing “liberation” and freedom accompanies our obedience. When we sense God's leadership, and choose to push our will aside and step into loving obedience, the joy of the Lord bursts through and our faith takes wings.

And we wonder why we’d ever delay.

Is God waiting for us to act today? Why would we hesitate? The liberation of Jesus Christ awaits us.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the real and amazing experience of Your joy and peace as we “transact business” with You. Please show us where we might be compromising today. We’re hungry for Your freedom.

3. “Invaded by the supernatural power of the Life of God.”

Is this my experience? Do I know the supernatural power of God in this way?

In walking with Jesus, we learn the power of God is not merely theoretical. It's real and tangible, and God intends for His power to be active and fruitful in our lives.

God's power is spiritual. It works in dimensions we can’t access with our own heart and mind. God's power does something nothing else can: It “paralyzes the dominating power of the world, the flesh and the devil.”

This is our experience as we are “invaded by the supernatural power of the Life of God.” We recognize God's power and authority over every other power and authority in heaven and on earth.

In those moments, we’re very aware it’s not our strength or doing. Instead, “our act joined us to God and tapped into His redemptive power.” We’re experiencing the supernatural power of God.

May this “invasion” of God be our ongoing experience.

Heavenly Father, we’re in such need of Your strength and power. We're no match for this life, the world, our flesh or the devil. Yet we’re confident You are. We ask for the invasion of Your supernatural presence here and now. Thank You.

***********

11.3.24

1. “No one can do it for me.”

The Holy Spirit can certainly empower me, but I must throw the switch: “Surrendering my life to the supremacy of Christ must be brought about by my own hands.”

God won’t do it for me. I must determine to do so. But will I?

“Absolute loyalty to Jesus” is the goal of the God-walk. I will never know the fullness of “oneness with Jesus” until I’m willing to “liberate myself” by “breaking the hard outer layer of independence from God.”

This is quite the high and noble ideal, but is it truly possible as a genuine human experience?

I suggest considering a person in our life, or a person in human history, who seems/seemed overwhelmed in heart and mind with loving affection for the Person of Jesus Christ. Not simply a kindhearted and faithful churchgoer, but one who demonstrates/demonstrated a consistent and passionate givenness to Jesus.

Perhaps that person is an example of one who has come to the point absolute surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Do I desire to be such a person—not for the sake of notoriety, but “for the sake of Jesus?” Let’s not fool ourselves. We can be, if we only will.

Lord Jesus, we’re confident we can level-up our God-walk. We’re know good and well which areas of our life we’ve not yet yielded to You. We’re aware we chose to reserve degrees of our independence. Please continue to woo us until we become entirely Yours.

2. “Religious fraud.”

These are hard words. Is it possible this is my way?

“Will I surrender to Jesus Christ?” This is more than stating the words. This is a life-posture in which I’m completely given to God’s will and way. It means dispensing with my agenda and giving myself to Christ alone.

How do I get to this place? “It means placing no conditions whatsoever as to how the brokenness will come.” I will need to endure necessary circumstances in my life to bring me to the end of myself. Only in that place will I be able to count the cost and choose Jesus.

I’m bothered and defensive at the sound of the words, “religious fraud.” But what other words are sufficient to describe declaring Jesus to be Lord, yet not fully surrendering to His Lordship?

Feel the pinch?

Lord Jesus, please have mercy. Please reveal to us at which points in our life we’re merely going through the religious moments without full allegiance to You. We loathe hypocrisy. Please make us painfully aware of ways it may exist in us. We want to be yours alone.

3. “Supernatural identification with Jesus.”

This experience fuels “the passion of Christianity.” It happens when we move from believing in Jesus to Jesus revealing His heart and soul to us. We become smitten with Jesus as a Person, and fully given to pleasing His heart and joining His mission.

It doesn’t happen in an emotionally-loaded worship service. It happens in the deep recesses of our heart when we at last “deliberately sign away our rights and become a bondservant of Jesus Christ.”

This is no small matter because it brings about an indescribable transformation in us. It’s through “supernatural identification with Jesus” that we discover the “witness” and horsepower of the Holy Spirit gripping our heart and compelling us to live without hesitation into the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

In their place we’re able to “allow God to help Himself to our lives.” Surely this is precisely what Jesus intends for His followers. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

Am I feeling the tug to lead such a life?

Lord Jesus, how we long for “supernatural identification” with You. May our concern with Your concerns eclipse and overwhelm our own. And all for Your glory.

***********

11.2.24

1. “Jesus never insists on our obedience.”

That is, “Jesus stresses what we ought to do, but he never forces us to do it.” God never uses strongarm tactics. That is not the way of love.

This is the way of love: “If you love me, you’ll obey Me” (John 14:15.)

Consider the ease of our relationship with Jesus—we obey and serve Jesus out of love for Jesus. Yet think of the tenacity of our relationship with Jesus—love compels us to “deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.”

No one can compel our heart. They can only manipulate us with threats and coercion. But love compels our heart, then the heart enables us to do what we simply cannot do with willpower alone.

Jesus doesn’t make demands of us. Instead, He invites us to become His disciples. This is the great “if” of the God-walk. “If you desire to come after Me...” It's our choice to love.

And when we love Jesus, it’s a gamechanger for our life and God-walk.

Lord Jesus, it's so freeing to walk with You out of love for You. Even when You ask us to do hard things, we find the strength and courage because we love You. Thank You for showing us what Your love for us looks like. May our love for You be evident today.

2. “Never try to make sense of God's words by separating them from the One Who spoke them.”

What a powerful statement.

God's words make no sense outside of God's loving character. They don't fit in any other context. They're either nonsensical, because they involve the spiritual dimension, or they're too difficult, because they require the Holy Spirit to obey.

But when we hear the words of God and envision the One Who spoke them, they all makes sense. Words that may seem unreasonable seem like the most reasonable words ever spoken.

When we hear an opponent question the words of God, or speak God's words out of context, it's very evident how God's words appear apart from knowing the God Who spoke them.

But when we meet Jesus, “the Word of God made Flesh” (John 1:14), God's words become a precious gift, spoken from a Loving Heart, to be received by loving hearts.

God's words can’t be separated from God, because God’s words are God Himself. They're given to us as a gift from God to reveal the God Who loves us.

Nor are God's words are for general consumption. They’re given for the joyful and nurturing consumption of His children.

Praise God for His word to us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word, and the genius of gifting us with Your Living Word that we might know Your heart and receive Your grace. May we hear, treasure and obey every word. Hallelujah!

3. “When I obey Jesus Christ, I see the face of God.”

This is the joy of the God-walk—we get to experience God firsthand as we obey Jesus.

If I have no interest or intention of following Jesus, I miss out on experiencing God in my daily life. But when His Spirit nudges and I obey, immediately my heart is flooded with God's life-giving affirmation.

“When I obey in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pin holes through which I see the face of God.” It's difficult to see through one pinhole, but a thousand pinholes make an object perfectly clear.

So it is today as we consciously and unconsciously obey the heart of God; we get to see God throughout. We recognize His nearness and tremendous grace and mercy. It's because we’re participating with God in the regular comings, goings and doings of our living.

And what's more, “When I one day stand face-to-face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed.” God's leadership in our life isn’t random after all, but is along the pathway of His plans and purposes for other people in our life.

The God of the universe is touching others through us. What could be a greater joy and privilege?

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your gentle nudges, that we get to walk in step with You, serving You and Your kingdom with our minute contributions. Thank You we get to participate in time and eternity. May You be glorified through our obedience today.

***********

11.1.24

1. “You are not your own.”

God must work and work this reality into us. “If we refuse, we will be of no value to God and His redemptive work in the world.”

Some Christ-followers don't like the idea of living in a fishbowl. But that's precisely God's intention. It's how He demonstrates to others what He can do in a person's life.

“God divides the private life of His saints and makes it a highway for the world on one hand, and Himself on the other.” God fully intends to put us on display.

Is this grievous? It certainly adds a tremendous level of accountability.

It's also beyond our capability, and requires giving ourselves completely to Jesus: “No human being can stand it unless they are identified with Jesus Christ.”

Beloved, this is what we get-to-do rather than what we must-do. That is, as we live in Gods fishbowl, we have the honor of reflecting King Jesus for others.

“We are Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20). It's an honor worthy of our very best.

Heavenly Father, we confess, we’re not our own, but Yours. Have Your way in and through us today. Please use our lives to show others what it looks like to serve our glorious God. Hallelujah!

2. “We’re not sanctified for ourselves.”

This is a powerful truth. The sooner we receive it, the better.

Jesus saves us for eternity in heaven. Hallelujah. But Jesus spends the rest of our natural life sanctifying His Holy Spirit. That is, He's making us more like Himself.

We're liable to imagine Jesus changing us so we might experience a more joyful and fulfilling life. But that's merely a byproduct. He's changing us to make us useful for His purposes.

The same is true of spiritual gifts. They’re not for our use under the shade tree in the backyard. They’re for the purpose of loving, serving, edifying and winning others for Christ (1 Corinthians 14:12.)

The more and more we walk with Jesus, the more and more we recognize His grander design. We were made for and give ourselves to God for the purposes of His Kingdom.

And in the end, we will find this the most gratifying life experience ever. Hallelujah.

Lord Jesus, thank You for saving and sanctifying us. We give ourselves to You for Your grand design. Please use us in whatever way You may choose, whether we’re aware of it or not. Please be glorified in and through us. Hallelujah.

3. “The first thing God does is ground us in reality and truth.”

When we first come to Jesus and place our trust in Him for salvation, God begins to transform our heart and mind. We discover God's perspectives are very different from the world we live in.

Outside of Christ, “reality and truth” are very different from God's Reality and Truth. “Jesus said, “You are not of this world, just as I am not of this world” (John17:14). Jesus doesn't merely adjust our thinking, but obliterates our old way of thinking and resurrects us to His Reality and Truth.

“The natural person cannot understand the things of God, because they must be spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). We're fooling ourselves if we believe we have a grasp of reality and truth outside of the One Who defines and declares Reality and Truth: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, truth and life’” (John 10:10).

“The first thing God does is ground us in reality and truth.” This is where the God-walk begins. God is restructuring our worldview and self-perception, and we begin to see everything in the light of Who God is.

As that happens, we’ll find ourself in tension with the world around us. It's the same tension that resulted in the death of Jesus Christ and so many of His followers. It's because “God's ways are not our ways” (Isaiah 55:8).

May our hearts be willing to have God's heart formed in us, that we might be about our Father's business.

Heavenly Father, please be born in us through Jesus Christ. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and transform our hearts and minds. Please do what it takes to pry our fingers off of lesser reality and truth, that we might embrace and live in what you deem to be Reality and Truth. We want to be of use to You. Thank You.

***********

10.31.24

1. “God doesn’t reward faith. Faith brings us into right relationship with God.”

The reward of faith is right relationship with God. We stand forgiven before God our Father because of the blood of Jesus Christ. There's no greater Gift.

The additional reward of right relationship with God is, “It gives Him opportunity to work.” As we trust Christ, God begins His glorious work of transforming us and making us more like Jesus.

God's gifts us by making us new creation in Christ. He's cutting the chains and cords that hold us back. He's delivering us from destructive behaviors, attitudes and habits. He's giving us a taste of Who we're becoming in Christ.

There's great reward in following Jesus. As long as we walk this earth, we have the privilege of His constant companionship. Indeed, Heaven awaits us, but it's merely the cherry on top.

The reward will always remain this: We have become God's precious and beloved children In Christ. Hallelujah!

Heavenly Gather, thank You for the gift of faith, the gift of relationship with You, and the gift of Your immediate and ongoing work in our life. Today we turn to You, open wide our arms, and receive the gift of Your embrace. Thank you.

2. “God frequently has to knock the bottom out to get us in direct contact with Himself.”

So many of us came to Christ when we were at the bottom of our barrel. It was there God met us and we so readily received His mercy and grace.

Unfortunately, we can become deterred and distracted by the many activities and involvements in our life. God beckons and beckons, only to be ignored.

It's the kindness of God that lets us come to the end of ourselves again and again as necessary. Thankfully, we’re learning to look to Jesus in those moments and receive His loving embrace.

I would imagine God’s disappointed when other things take priority. But God isn’t punishing us with difficulties. He's simply using the resulting difficulties to remind us we weren't made to go it alone.

I wonder what hardship in our life is helping us become more dependent upon God today?

Heavenly Father, thank You for finding us in our low points, knocking on the door of our heart, and lifting us from the muck and mire. Thank You for the freedom and joy we experience in sweet communion with You. May it become our norm. Amen.

3. “God withdraws His conscious blessings to teach us to walk by faith.”

God isn't being cruel. God’s preparing us for the long haul.

Our God-walk is “a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings.” Blessings are certainly enjoyable, but they come and go along the way. The real blessing of God is a tried and true faith that enables us to withstand the grueling pace of life on planet earth.

Our days are full of “the ordinary disciplines of life, the inevitable result of being alive.” In Christ, what God is forging in us is an all-compelling faith that enables us to receive His daily and all-sufficient grace to navigate whatever life throws at us.

Today's hardships will challenge our confidence in God's good and perfect character. But God uses each hardship to prove Himself and condition us to “remain true to His character” through thick and thin.

Maturing faith is resilient confidence in our good, kind and capable God, and trusting He knows and is near.

Heavenly Father, thank You for training us to endure. Thank You for blessings along the way, but thank You even more for the amazing gift of bulletproof faith. Please work in us a level of faith that can eventually confess, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Thank for equipping us with such a great and precious faith (2 Peter 1:1).

***********

10.30.24

1. “Faith and common sense must be brought into the proper relationship.”

Today's devotion is quite the exposé on the life of faith.

“Common sense and faith are as different from each other as the natural life is from the spiritual.” This is the rub of walking in faith—faith always seems to be in conflict with our common sense.

Our natural impulse is to flavor our common sense with the teachings of Jesus. However, “Nothing Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, but is revelation sense.”

Jesus isn’t simply offering good ideas; He’s escorting us into a life of faith in the Living God.

Jesus is calling us higher, to a life of “walking by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). By God's providence, He’s using every circumstance in our life to “transform perfect faith into reality.”

That is, today, God will provide opportunities where we’ll find common sense to be insufficient. In that moment, the Holy Spirit will spur us in turning to and calling upon our God.

The “proper relationship of faith and common sense” is this: Our “common sense” is being shaped by our absolute confidence and trust in our Heavenly Father in every aspect of our life.

May God be gracious as He “tests and tries our faith until it becomes real in our life” today.

Heavenly Father, we so quickly gravitate to the hand rails of common sense in our daily decision making. Help us release our grip and step out into the incredible world of walking by absolute faith in our active, intimate and Living God. Thank You for leading us into this great adventure.

2. “Faith is a tremendously active principle that always puts Jesus Christ first.”

We must be careful not to conflate Biblical faith with blind faith. We're not gathering up the energy of the universe and calling it faith. Rather, we’re directing our hearts and minds to the Person of Jesus Christ, and implicitly and explicitly trusting Him in all things.

The Resurrected Jesus Christ is the Object of our faith. We believe Him to be alive and well, reigning and ruling over Heaven, Earth and our circumstances. We’re becoming more and more confident in His love and judgments, and more and more able to see His hand all around.

The greatest marker of faith is Christ at the center of our heart and mind, 24/7, and our givenness to His purposes and leadership. This is the “tremendously active principle of putting Jesus first.”

Furthermore, faith isn’t something we conjure in the moment. Faith is cultivating an immediate and intimate tether to our Lord Jesus Christ, and living daily out of that life-sustaining connection.

Our faith is to be constantly “active”—a growing sensibility assuring us Jesus cares, is near and is involved in our moment-by-moment affairs.

May faith in Jesus be our fundamental life principle.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being as real as the nose on our face. Thank You for Your active participation in every iota of our life. Thank You for the Living Hope we experience as we trust and follow You. You’re our greatest joy and treasure.

3. “Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept.”

Biblical faith is more than mental assent. It's personal. It's our personal trust in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Once we meet Jesus, “we immediately have something real, and our faith is limitless.” It's because we recognize it's not about our faith, but about the One in Whom we trust.

This is why “faith as a mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20a) is sufficient to “move mountains” (Matthew 17:20b).

It's not us; it's Him.

Is God a concept for us, like the law of gravity or the Declaration of Independence? Or is He truly our all-powerful, all-knowing, always-present Heavenly Father and Savior?

Our faith is the gage regarding our relationship with God, because faltering faith indicates an insufficient God.

Lord, have mercy.

Heavenly Father, please become more and more real to us. Please forgive us when we reduce You to merely a concept, principle, philosophy or theology. May we receive greater and greater revelation of Who You are in Jesus Christ, that our faith may truly be limitless. Thank You.

***********

10.29.24

1. “Jesus didn’t die out of sympathy for us, but out of obedience to His Heavenly Father.”

Is this a matter of semantics? Perhaps. But even so, semantics are important.

We often hear, “Jesus loves you and died for your sins.” This is a perfectly reasonable and truthful statement, because, “Jesus and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and “For God so loved the world that He sent His Son” (John 3:16).

Indeed, Jesus loves us, and indeed, Jesus died for us. But the motivation for Jesus’ death was His obedience to God rather than His sympathy for us:

“Father, take this cup from Me, but not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

This distinction is important because Jesus is demonstrating how we are to live as His servants. We are Christ-like in that we operate out of obedience to the Father, not out of our natural sympathies.

We may well be sympathetic, but sympathy will only take us so far. And where sympathy runs out, obedience permits us to stay the course.

For instance, wedding vows recite, “Till death do us part.” But our natural affections ebb and flow. It's our obedience to our Heavenly Father, to Whom we make our wedding vows, that permits us to go the distance.

May we be empowered in obedience today, not because we feel like it, but because we’re determined to be faithful to our God. And all by His Spirit and for His glory.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the example of Jesus Christ laying down His life in obedience to Your calling. When the going gets tough today, may we do the same. Thank You in advance for Your grace to do so.

2. “Jesus reveals the Fatherhood of God to those whom Jesus has been introduced as Savior.”

This is another important distinction.

As Oswald suggests, we're liable to say, “Jesus came to show us what God is like.” This is certainly true, because Jesus said, “The words I speak and the things I do are from the Father” (John 12:49).

However, Jesus’ principle mission was to “give His life as a ransom” (Matthew 20:28). And then, as we receive Christ by faith, Jesus begins revealing the Father to us: “I have shown you the Father” (John 14:19).

God cannot fully reveal Himself to us until His Holy Spirit lives in us, and the Holy Spirit can only live in us as we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Then God is able to open our hearts and minds to Who He is.

As it stands, our first inkling of Jesus revealing the Father to us is recognizing the holiness of God, and, in contrast, our sinful state and our dire need for our Savior. That's as much of a Father as we know at first, and it's enough to lead us to receive Christ by faith.

Then, by consequence of the Holy Spirit in as, the Holy Spirit begins revealing God and His love more and more. This is the thrill of the God-walk—there’s always more of God to discover.

Beloved, let's fully embrace Jesus as our Savior, receive the fullness of His Spirit, and begin to receive a greater and greater revelation of our God.

“For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Lord Jesus, thank You for making it possible for us to know our God. Thank You for Your example, Your death and Resurrection, and the subsequent outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. We believe, we receive, and we want to know our Heavenly Father more and more. By Your grace.

3. “We do not identify with Jesus’ death. Instead, Jesus became sin for us.”

Oswald continues to make important distinctions.

“Christ became sin for us” is the whole of the Gospel. It's not our sympathy with our Savior's death that saves us. It's embracing His death and Resurrection as the sole propitiation for our sin.

To “identify with Jesus” suggests the onus is on us. Nothing could be further from the truth. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

We do not identify with Jesus for our salvation, nor does Jesus identify with our sinful state. Instead, Jesus truly became the sin of humanity and put the power of sin, death, hell and the grave to death on His cross.

We do no more than stand at the foot of the cross, looking up at our dying Savior, and permitting Him to “clothe us in His righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). We don't identify—we simply receive.

And we praise our Lord, King and Savior forevermore. Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, please help us perceive more and more the function and efficacy of Your death and Resurrection. Please continually astound us with what you've done on our behalf. We thank You with all our heart.

***********

10.28.24

1. “I stand justified before God, not because I'm sorry for my sin, or because I've repented, but because of what Jesus has done.”

We’ll never know the fullness of God's freedom and joy until we freely and wholly accept by faith that what Christ has done on the cross is absolutely sufficient and complete for our forgiveness, salvation and redemption.

We experience God’s freedom, because we am free of our sin and free of trying to work our own righteousness. We experience God’s Joy, because we now stand in right relationship with God, face-to-face, heart-to-heart, for evermore.

There's no Jesus-and when it comes to our forgiveness and salvation. It's Jesus-only. We’re acted upon by the Holy Spirit when we turn to God and believe, because in that moment, “the miraculous atonement by the cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God.”

Can if be that simple? We always say, “ it's that easy because it costs God so much.”

We didn't invent God's means of atonement through Christ. It would have never entered our minds. But it was in the heart and mind of our God ever since He created us.

Because He created us for Himself (Colossians 1:16), and Jesus makes at all possible (Ephesians 1:7). Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, we bless Your Name forevermore! Thank You for making it possible for us to become the sons and daughters of God. We freely receive Your Gift, and freely receive the freedom and joy that comes through faith in our Lord Jesus. Thank You, thank You, thank You! Bless You, bless You, bless You! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

2. “The Spirit of God brings justification with a shattering, radiant light, and I know that I am saved, even though I don't know how it was accomplished.”

Oswald is describing the undeniable experience of born again believers: We know, that we know, that we know.

Something has happened to us. The Light has dawned, we’re forgiven and saved, even though we don't fully understand all the intricacies.

The joy of walking with Jesus is coming to greater and greater realizations of how God made our forgiveness, salvation and redemption possible. We see with greater clarity what Christ has done with His cross, and we well up more and more with praise, adoration and gratitude.

As we grow in Christ, we realize we've done nothing for our salvation. God’s responsible for it all—from creating us, to drawing us to Himself, to revealing our sin in relation to His Holiness, to opening our eyes to what Christ has accomplished for us, to us receiving forgiveness and salvation by faith, and walking day-by-day with our Savior and King.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

What begins as a “shattering, radiant light,” continues throughout our God-walk, “like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18.)

We're forever growing in our amazement of the cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And just to think, one day, “We will know even as we are known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). And there we’ll stand, with eyes and mouth gaping wide, as we behold the glory of our Lord and King.

Hallelujah forevermore!

Heavenly Father, thank You for making it so evident to our souls that You’ve forgiven us and saved us through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank You “it is finished,” and we’ve become Your Own. We stand in full assurance today, and thank You for Your glorious and ongoing work in our life.

3. “The unconquerable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself.”

This speaks the completeness and eternal nature of our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

We're not going to fall out of justification and sanctification. We're not going to slip up and find ourselves unsaved. We can fully trust “the unconquerable safety” of God, fully saving us and fully keeping us forevermore.

I'm so thankful we don't have to tiptoe before our God in apprehension. We’re saved to the uttermost in Christ, and will be forever. We’re not clinging to God, but God is firmly gripping us.

Through faith in Christ we’ve become “God's special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). God has become “our hope and stay” (Psalm 71:5). He’s “our keeper and the shade on our right hand” (Psalm 121:5-8). “He has placed his seal of ownership upon us by the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

And, thankfully, our God never loses what He has found. Aren't you glad?

Heavenly Father, we’re thankful You’re completing what You’ve begun in us through Christ our Lord (Philippians 1:6). Thank You for saving us to the uttermost. Thank You “it is finished.” Today we stand in complete confidence in what You've done to save us, and what You’re doing to keep us. You are good, good, good. Hallelujah!

***********

10.27.24

1. “You cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself.”

I can only take others where I've gone myself. Otherwise I'm “the blind leading the blind” (Matthew 15:14).

This may be my hesitation in sharing Christ with others. Perhaps I'm not where I could be or should be with Jesus. If so, I know it deep in my soul and feel hypocritical asking others to follow when I do not.

I need not feel ashamed. Instead, may I feel motivated to seek Jesus in the way I know I ought. Something in my soul knows others need Jesus, but it also knows I need Him even more.

“The salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God.” It begins with me experiencing it first, so I might help others experience it, too.

Lord Jesus, may my experience of knowing You overwhelm me to the degree that I must help others know You. Where it does not, please take me nearer to Your heart. Thank You.

2. “Our one and only purpose is to disciple people to Jesus, not make converts of our point of view.”

Goodness, this gets straight to the point.

First, “My one and only purpose is to disciple people.” That's very direct. I'm still on planet earth today because God still intends for me to help people know and grow in Jesus.

Does that sound like God cramming down on me? Not at all. God knows that, as I help people come to know Jesus, the life of God in me will well up in fullness and abundance.

Jesus wants me to know that joy.

Second, I'm not called to “make converts of my point of view.” Everyone has their take on what’s most essential in a Christian lifestyle and worldview. But the goal of disciple-making is not a mindset, but a living and growing relationship with Jesus.

I'm introducing people to Jesus, and letting Jesus Himself form their hearts and minds.

There is a whole lot of converting people to our opinion these days. But in the Kingdom of God, there's only one opinion that matters—and it’s not mine; it's His.

Lord Jesus, please help me get this right. I want to live into Your purposes for my life. I want to be faithful in helping others know You, not simply my opinions of You. May this be the desire of my heart and my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Hallelujah.

3. “Am I wise enough in God's sight, but foolish enough according to the wisdom of the world, to trust in what Jesus Christ has said?”

This is the ongoing challenge of walking with Jesus—it requires a level of foolishness in the eyes of those around us.

There's a growing disrespect in our culture for people who believe in and follow Jesus. It appears to be foolishness to trust something so far-fetched, and foolish to disregard my own desires in lieu of Jesus’.

But this is the way of our Lord—denying Himself and drinking God's cup. And it was the way of Jesus’ early followers—many of whom went to their death in obedience to Jesus. And it's been the way of Christ-followers throughout history—fools from the world's perspective, but determined to satisfy God’s heart rather than our own.

“I will be a fool for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10). It takes great audacity to determine God's approval is more important to than the approval of men and women.

Lord Jesus, I want to be foolish enough to trust You implicitly and explicitly. I want to fully believe Your promises and faithfully follow the gentle nudges of Your Spirit. Help me care less about the opinion of others than I do about Yours.

***********

10.26.24

1. “The source of our inspiration in the service of our God is behind us, not ahead of us.”

This is a powerful statement.

There are unimaginable needs all around us. But, in the big picture, our labors for Jesus may amount to no more than a drop in the ocean. The needs just keep on coming.

Oswald reminds us, the motivation for our serving is not the needs of others, but the God Who calls us, empowers us and impels us. He stands behind us, directing our path and empowering our service.

“The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus.” The needs of people are incredibly burdensome, and no amount of serving will meet all those needs. It can lead us to fatigue and exhaustion, and becoming put-out with those we serve.

But when we serve out of a sense of God’s calling, we keep our eyes on the One Who called us, not the needs before us. Then, when fatigue and exhaustion set in, the One Whom we’re serving is able to encourage and strengthen us.

The goal in our daily lives as we serve Jesus is to “be true to Him, to carry out His plans.” We can know peace in a world of great need when we have the sense we’re doing or have done what God has called us to do.

It may be contrary to popular belief, but Jesus went to the cross out of obedience to His Father, not merely out of sympathy for us. The goal of our life is to follow Jesus in His example.

Heavenly Father, what have we taken upon ourselves out of our sense of others’ needs, rather than out of a sense of Your calling? Conversely, what might You be calling us to that we’re ignoring? Please help us discern between these motivations. May we, like our Lord Jesus, be solely about Your business.

2. “Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His perspective is the one thing we must not overlook.”

Oswald makes this statement in the context of serving the needs of others. But it seems to be of critical importance for balance and stability in every aspect of our life.

For instance, we're presently slogging through an incredibly tenuous and tumultuous Presidential election cycle. The issues, arguments, tensions and opinions can be all-consuming. It's been brutal on hearts, minds, families and communities.

Our sanity in all of this is “personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His perspective.” We must repeatedly divert our eyes from the drama and heated debate, and align our hearts and minds with Jesus. We must seek to gain His vantage point on these matters, and stand immovable in our confidence of God’s Sovereignty.

This is hardly escapism, nor is it self-medicating. We're posturing ourselves so we can truly be of use to God. As the nation rages, we can stand cool, calm and collect, viewing our world through the prayerful and compassionate eyes of Jesus.

May our peace speak volumes about the God we serve.

Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves to You today. We seek You and Your perspective on every matter of our life. We seek to stand with You and in You as the world twists and turns. Thank You for the Solid Rock beneath our feet. Hallelujah.

3. “When we look back on the lives of God's men and women, we must credit the Divine guidance of God.”

When we consider the lives of the greatest saints we've known or read about, we're liable to chalk up their successes to their own intelligence, wisdom and prudence.

Instead, we must recognize their “childlikeness—foolish enough to trust God's wisdom.” We can certainly commend them for their diligence, but their success for the Kingdom of God was not their own doing:

“The keen and intelligent mind behind them was the mind of God, not human wisdom.”

It encourages me to understand that fruitfulness comes from our connection with Jesus, not our own calculations. Great saints didn’t set out to be great. They simply determined to be faithful to Jesus.

Which means, there are surely countless saints whose faithfulness to Jesus did not result in human accolades. Instead, their accolades came from their Heavenly Father alone: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:23).

May our success today and every day be obedience to Jesus rather than outcomes. May our life bear evidence that we follow Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the saints who’ve have gone before us. Thank You for their diligence to look to You and follow You. Thank You for blessing their lives with fruitfulness. May we be faithful as well as You do with us as You choose.

***********

10.25.24

1. “All of God's people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them.”

I find this statement to be both encouraging and challenging.

Encouraging, because my soul sores with the idea of the extraordinary. I get swept up in the stories of the saints—ordinary people through whom God has done amazing things. I love their biographies and the God behind their greatness.

I also find it challenging, because Oswald speaks of “the purpose God has given us.” I wonder how many of those extraordinary saints were able to name that purpose? I wonder, rather, they were simply doing the thing at hand in faithfulness to Jesus.

Because, I can't name God's purpose for my life. I’m certainly am a son, husband, father neighbor, minister, etc., and I'm doing my best to serve God in all of those ways. But are those my purpose? Or will my purpose not being known to me until “I know as I am known” (1 Corinthian 13:12)?

In fact, I feel like it's rather presumptuous for me to declare what God’s purpose is, as if God has made that abundantly clear to me. All I know is I'm called to follow Jesus in all I am and all I do.

Surely, like everyone else, I would love for my life to one day have been “extraordinary.” But I certainly don't feel that way on a daily basis. I'm just me, very small in the eyes of human history and the Kingdom of God.

But that's OK with me. As long as Jesus is having His way in me.

Heavenly Father, I'm perfectly content being unordinary. I have no ambition to become extraordinary. However, I do want to be and do according to Your good purposes (Romans 8:28). Please help me be faithful today and tomorrow in whatever those might be.

2. “We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact—Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

The crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ stand as the pinion around which heaven and earth, and time and eternity, exist and revolve. There’s no greater event in human history, nor in the history of God's Kingdom.

Right now, all of Heaven is oriented around the Atonement and Redemption of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Heavenly Host worships at God's throne for His goodness and mercy poured out in Christ towards humanity, and every angel in Heaven serves God’s purpose of saving the souls of men and women.

Wow and Hallelujah.

For us to “continually confront ourselves with this one central fact,” is to orient our heart, mind, obedience and labors around our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for our Heavenly Father. Christ made it possible for God to redeem all of His creation: “Creation waits in eager expectation” (Romans 8:19).

There's nothing more central or critical on God's agenda. May the same be said of us.

Heavenly Father, in this moment, we set our eyes on the Crucified One, Whom You raised from the dead. We humbly receive Your daily grace and eagerly place our lives in Your hands. We unite with You today in all You’re doing to redeem us and our world. May You receive all glory, honor and praise, now and forevermore. Amen and amen!

3. “I chose you.”

Nothing is more staggering then this statement, and nothing brings more clarity to our daily existence.

“It’s not you that has gotten God, but that God has gotten you.” This must be central to our understanding of the meaning and purpose of our life. God chose us and bought us with the blood of His Son.

If no one else in this world chooses us, our Heavenly Father has, and that reality grounds and propels us day by day. We’re children of God, called by His Name, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, joining God in His purposes today and forever.

“God will do with you what He never did before.” We’re a unique work of God, fashioned for His enterprises, perfectly fit in Christ to serve at His side.

“He will do with you what He isn’t doing with other people.” If we don’t fully give ourselves to all God is calling us to, we will be impoverished. Because, for this we were made and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Lord Jesus, thank You for calling each one of us as Your servants. Thank You for choosing us. Thank You for putting us to useful purposes for Your Kingdom. It's our highest honor to follow You as Your chosen people. Hallelujah!

***********

10.24.24

1. “The proper perspective.”

Today Oswald is calling us to adopt the very highest perspective of who we are as Christ’s followers. When we do, we approach every detail of our life infinitely differently.

Here’s that perspective: “Thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” This statement speaks of a conquering Ruler returning to His Kingdom leading a band of captives to be His servants.

This is Jesus, conquering sin, death, hell and the grave, and leading His followers in triumphal procession into the Kingdom of our God and Father.

Our perspective and identity is to see ourselves as one who has become Christ's Personal possession.

Perhaps we view this metaphor as imperialism, with very negative connotations of Jesus as a victorious warrior. And perhaps the idea of being Christ’s bondservants is not to our liking.

But that may be because we don’t recognize what Jesus has saved us from—eternal death and separation from God, and what Jesus has saved us for—an eternity of liberty and joy in God’s Kingdom.

It's a glorious and triumphant notion to be delivered from the fallen, sick and broken kingdom of this world, and become a citizen of God's utterly transcendent and glorious Kingdom.

If we’ll “vigorously maintain this perspective every day,” over time we’ll discover “no outside power can touch this perspective.” That is, if we view our lives as Christ's captives in His triumphant procession, nothing in heaven or on earth can hold sway over us.

Indeed, “We are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us.” Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, thank You for defeating the enemy of our soul and taking us captive in Your train. It's the greatest honor of our existence to be Your servants, bought at the price of Your Own blood. Thank You for this perspective. May it rule over our heart and mind today and every day.

2. “We’re here to exhibit one thing: the captivity of our lives to the obedience of Christ.”

What a powerful perspective.

We might think God cleans us up and sends us out into our world to demonstrate the transformational power of Jesus Christ. We’re certainly to reflect Christ with our daily words, deeds and living.

But we're to display far more than moral and ethical goodness. We’re to demonstrate we’re captives and Personal possessions of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

“I am no longer mine, but Yours” (John Wesley's Covenant Prayer.)

By all means, let's exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

But even more so, let’s demonstrate our complete allegiance to Jesus, our utter dependence upon Him, and our submissive obedience to the leadership of His Holy Spirit.

The world has plenty of kind and generous people. What the world needs to see is people who are fully given to the Lordship and leadership of Jesus Christ our King.

May our mission today be our submission to Jesus. May it be evident to all that we belong entirely to Him.

Lord Jesus, may You be our sole identity today. May it be evident to all that You own us and we are Yours. May ours be a joyful expression of being Your blessed bondservants. Hallelujah!

3. “I am in the possession of a conquer.”

With this perspective, “it doesn't matter with the difficulties are, I'm always led in triumph.”

This is not bondage, but liberation. “The Apostle Paul's secret joy was that God took him as a blatant rebel against Jesus Christ, and made him a captive.” Who are we that God would purchase us with the blood of Jesus Christ and make us His Personal possessions?

Yet this is what God has done for us in Christ our Lord!

“It was Paul's joy to be a captive of the Lord, and he had no other interest in heaven or on earth.” Oswald suggests not other interest in our lives can compete with the notion that we’re blood-bought sons and daughters of God.

“And that is who we are in Christ Jesus!” (1 John 3:1).

Given all the above, Oswald claims, “It's a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about ‘getting the victory.’” Why? Because we belong to the ultimate Victor, Jesus Christ our Lord. His victory is our victory, making us “more than conquerors through Him Who loves us.”

Hallelujah!

Do we feel victorious today? If not, a new perspective is the solution. “We are in the possession of a Conqueror.”

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Champion. Thank You for winning the ultimate victory for us by Your cross and Resurrection. We hide ourselves in You; we give ourselves to You; we recognize we’re held in the palm of Your victorious hand (Isaiah 49:16). Thank You, thank You, thank You!

***********

10.23.24

1. “God will never deal with me as He has to deal with others.”

Isn't this the perfect representation of our old nature?