Devotional

Traveling life’s roads by God’s way

KirkLeave a comment

My Pondering

First, we are wise to understand there are two basic ways to be taught; the better, easier way or the abrasive hard way. God is going to teach us life’s lessons either way. After all, life can be brutally hard and sharp at times but God is good and patient…though even He has His limits.

Next, we do ourselves a huge benefit when we decide and commit to be a willing, eager student. God cares and wants to assist us. We simply need to humble ourselves and heed Him. We ought to learn the good way from God (the Bible, nature, other people’s successes and mistakes, quality teachers, good books, etc) vs the hard way (pain of hurt, pain of regret, selfishness, errant pride, false teachers, lies, discord, humanism). Yes, His spirit is good and sweet (See the fruit of the Spirit here).

Lastly, we need to go forth and trust God.

As we venture out with the right motivation, purpose and desire God is with us. He Spirit guides us when we pay attention, when we seek His will and pray for providence. Somethings, most difficult things I reckon, are beyond our capacity and comprehension. So that’s when, actually 24/7, we need to use our noggins but lean on God.

Then, He will direct us in numerous ways as He see fit.

I pray because…

KirkLeave a comment

My Pondering

Amen to that quote by Mr. Lewis. And Amen and Hallelujah to Scripture. Prayer is a mysterious thing as it is 100% spiritual while we are at best ‘hybrid’ beings.

Yes, prayer 🙏 is mostly about the prayee changing, God certainly doesn’t need any changing, but sometimes, always if in accord with His will, He graciously changes our circumstances and other people may be blessed because we pray 🙏 earnestly.

Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

James 5:16

I personally have plenty of room to grow in regard to prayer. I presume you too. Let’s be thankful and assured that God knows our predicaments and sent us the Paraclete to assist our poor souls.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

Romans 8:26

One thing I know for sure is that it’s wise to make prayer both a habit and lifestyle. It should be like an ongoing conversation with our Maker.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

Won’t you share?

I’d like to read your take and comments regarding this topic of prayer. Please share in the comments below.

Anchored – Proverbs 3:5

KirkLeave a comment

My Pondering

This verse is one of my very favorites. I took this picture of this anchor art at a client’s house and created this meme.

“Trust in the LORD will all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding”

Proverbs 3:5

The Word tell us to trust in the LORD as we don’t always, if not usually, understand what is really happening. Sometimes what we think is good turns into bad and other times the apparent bad twists into good.

The bottom like is that life is hard and God is good.

God is good.

God is good.

God is good.

He is not safe but He is very good.

When we think we got it all figured out, we are sadly mistaken. God certainly wants us to use our noggin and five senses to live but NOT to LEAN on it, our understanding. We are to trust and lean on Him, His cross, His anchor.

in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:6

I feel like v6 has to be included. We are instructed that when we acknowledge God presence and power, He will see that it will all work out.

When we acknowledge Him…respect, obey, adore, love, abide in, trust, revere, adhere to, rejoice in Him, then he will handle it. Period.

Be joyful in hope… Romans 12:12

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 BSB

My Pondering

What a succinct wise scripture is this!

Though it’s not a pithy as other versions, I like the insightfulness of the Amplified version so here it is:

Constantly rejoicing in hope
[because of our confidence in Christ],
steadfast and patient in distress,
devoted to prayer
[continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength],

Romans 12:12 amp

Let’s be joyful in our future, our hope in the sure promise of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Let’s be patient in our inevitable affliction as we live in a fallen world, encased in flesh.

Lastly, let’s be persistent in prayer passionate prayer.

These are three dynamic spiritual principles!

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RELEVANT SCRIPTURES

You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

Hebrews 10:36

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God

Romans 5:2

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Romans 2:7

SELECT COMMENTARY

ANOTHER TRIPLET OF GRACES

Re: Romans 12:12

These three closely connected clauses occur, as you all know, in the midst of that outline of the Christian life with which the Apostle begins the practical part of this Epistle. Now, what he omits in this sketch of Christian duty seems to me quite as significant as what he inserts. It is very remarkable that in the twenty verses devoted to this subject, this is the only one which refers to the inner secrets of the Christian life. Paul’s notion of ‘deepening the spiritual life’ was ‘Behave yourself better in your relation to other people.’ So all the rest of this chapter is devoted to inculcating our duties to one another. Conduct is all-important. An orthodox creed is valuable if it influences action, but not otherwise. Devout emotion is valuable, if it drives the wheels of life, but not otherwise. Christians should make efforts to attain to clear views and warm feelings, but the outcome and final test of both is a daily life of visible imitation of Jesus. The deepening of spiritual life should be manifested by completer, practical righteousness in the market-place and the street and the house, which non-Christians will acknowledge.

But now, with regard to these three specific exhortations here, I wish to try to bring out their connection as well as the force of each of them.

I. So I remark first, that the Christian life ought to be joyful because it is hopeful.

Now, I do not suppose that many of us habitually recognise it as a Christian duty to be joyful. We think that it is a matter of temperament and partly a matter of circumstance. We are glad when things go well with us. If we have a sunny disposition, and are naturally light-hearted, all the better; if we have a melancholy or morose one, all the worse. But do we recognise this, that a Christian who is not joyful is not living up to his duty; and that there is no excuse, either in temperament or in circumstances, for our not being so, and always being so? ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway,’ says Paul; and then, as if he thought, ‘Some of you will be thinking that that is a very rash commandment, to aim at a condition quite impossible to make constant,’ he goes on-’and, to convince you that I do not say it hastily, I will repeat it-“and again I say, rejoice.”‘ Brethren, we shall have to alter our conceptions of what true gladness is before we can come to understand the full depth of the great thought that joy is a Christian duty. The true joy is not the kind of joy that a saying in the Old Testament compares to the ‘crackling of thorns under a pot,’ but something very much calmer, with no crackle in it; and very much deeper, and very much more in alliance with ‘whatsoever things are lovely and of good report,’ than that foolish, short-lived, and empty mirth that burns down so soon into black ashes.

To be glad is a Christian duty. Many of us have as much religion as makes us sombre, and impels us often to look upon the more solemn and awful aspects of Christian truth, but we have not enough to make us glad. I do not need to dwell upon all the sources in Christian faith and belief, of that lofty and imperatively obligatory gladness, but I confine myself to the one in my text, ‘Rejoicing in hope.’

Now, we all know-from the boy that is expecting to go home for his holidays in a week, up to the old man to whose eye the time-veil is wearing thin-that hope, if it is certain, is a source of gladness. How lightly one’s bosom’s lord sits upon its throne, when a great hope comes to animate us! how everybody is pleasant, and all things are easy, and the world looks different! Hope, if it is certain, will gladden, and if our Christianity grasps, as it ought to do, the only hope that is absolutely certain, and as sure as if it were in the past and had been experienced, then our hearts, too, will sing for joy. True joy is not a matter of temperament, so much as a matter of faith. It is not a matter of circumstances. All the surface drainage may be dry, but there is a well in the courtyard deep and cool and full and exhaustless, and a Christian who rightly understands and cherishes the Christian hope is lifted above temperament, and is not dependent upon conditions for his joys.

The Apostle, in an earlier part of this same letter, defines for us what that hope is, which thus is the secret of perpetual gladness, when he speaks about ‘rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.’ Yes, it is that great, supreme, calm, far off, absolutely certain prospect of being gathered into the divine glory, and walking there, like the three in the fiery furnace, unconsumed and at ease; it is that hope that will triumph over temperament, and over all occasions for melancholy, and will breathe into our life a perpetual gladness. Brethren, is it not strange and sad that with such a treasure by our sides we should consent to live such poor lives as we do?

But remember, although I cannot say to myself, ‘Now I will be glad,’ and cannot attain to joy by a movement of the will or direct effort, although it is of no use to say to a man-which is all that the world can ever say to him-’Cheer up and be glad,’ whilst you do not alter the facts that make him sad, there is a way by which we can bring about feelings of gladness or of gloom. It is just this-we can choose what we will look at. If you prefer to occupy your mind with the troubles, losses, disappointments, hard work, blighted hopes of this poor sin-ridden world, of course sadness will come over you often, and a general grey tone will be the usual tone of your lives, as it is of the lives of many of us, broken only by occasional bursts of foolish mirth and empty laughter. But if you choose to turn away from all these, and instead of the dim, dismal, hard present, to sun yourselves in the light of the yet unrisen sun, which you can do, then, having rightly chosen the subjects to think about, the feeling will come as a matter of course. You cannot make yourselves glad by, as it were, laying hold of yourselves and lifting yourselves into gladness, but you can rule the direction of your thoughts, and so can bring around you summer in the midst of winter, by steadily contemplating the facts-and they are present facts, though we talk about them collectively as ‘the future’-the facts on which all Christian gladness ought to be based. We can carry our own atmosphere with us; like the people in Italy, who in frosty weather will be seen sitting in the market-place by their stalls with a dish of embers, which they grasp in their hands, and so make themselves comfortably warm on the bitterest day. You can bring a reasonable degree of warmth into the coldest weather, if you will lay hold of the vessel in which the fire is, and keep it in your hand and close to your heart. Choose what you think about, and feelings will follow thoughts.

But it needs very distinct and continuous effort for a man to keep this great source of Christian joy clear before him. We are like the dwellers in some island of the sea, who, in some conditions of the atmosphere, can catch sight of the gleaming mountain-tops on the mainland across the stormy channel between. But thick days, with a heavy atmosphere and much mist, are very frequent in our latitude, and then all the distant hills are blotted out, and we see nothing but the cold grey sea, breaking on the cold, grey stones. Still, you can scatter the mist if you will. You can make the atmosphere bright; and it is worth an effort to bring clear before us, and to keep high above the mists that cling to the low levels, the great vision which will make us glad. Brethren, I believe that one great source of the weakness of average Christianity amongst us to-day is the dimness into which so many of us have let the hope of the glory of God pass in our hearts. So I beg you to lay to heart this first commandment, and to rejoice in hope.

II. Now, secondly, here is the thought that life, if full of joyful hope, will be patient.

I have been saying that the gladness of which my text speaks is independent of circumstances, and may persist and be continuous even when externals occasion sadness. It is possible-I do not say it is easy, God knows it is hard-I do not say it is frequently attained, but I do say it is possible-to realise that wonderful ideal of the Apostle’s ‘As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.’ The surface of the ocean may be tossed and fretted by the winds, and churned into foam, but the great central depths ‘hear not the loud winds when they call,’ and are still in the midst of tempest. And we, dear brethren, ought to have an inner depth of spirit, down to the disturbance of which no surface-trouble can ever reach. That is the height of attainment of Christian faith, but it is a possible attainment for every one of us.

And if there be that burning of the light under the water, like ‘Greek fire,’ as it was called, which many waters could not quench-if there be that persistence of gladness beneath the surface-sorrow, as you find a running stream coming out below a glacier, then the joy and the hope, which co-exist with the sorrow, will make life patient.

Now, the Apostle means by these great words, ‘patient’ and ‘patience,’ which are often upon his lips, something more than simple endurance. That endurance is as much as many of us can often muster up strength to exercise. It sometimes takes all our faith and all our submission simply to say, ‘I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it; and I will bear what thine hand lays upon me.’ But that is not all that the idea of Christian ‘patience’ includes, for it also takes in the thought of active work, and it is perseverance as much as patience.

Now, if my heart is filled with a calm gladness because my eye is fixed upon a celestial hope, then both the passive and active sides of Christian ‘patience’ will be realised by me. If my hope burns bright, and occupies a large space in my thoughts, then it will not be hard to take the homely consolation of good John Newton’s hymn and say-

‘Though painful at present,

‘Twill cease before long;

And then, oh, how pleasant

The conqueror’s song!’

A man who is sailing to America, and knows that he will be in New York in a week, does not mind, although his cabin is contracted, and he has a great many discomforts, and though he has a bout of sea-sickness. The disagreeables are only going to last for a day or two. So our hope will make us bear trouble, and not make much of it.

And our hope will strengthen us, if it is strong, for all the work that is to be done. Persistence in the path of duty, though my heart be beating like a smith’s hammer on the anvil, is what Christian men should aim at, and possess. If we have within our hearts that fire of a certain hope, it will impel us to diligence in doing the humblest duty, whether circumstances be for or against us; as some great steamer is driven right on its course, through the ocean, whatever storms may blow in the teeth of its progress, because, deep down in it, there are furnaces and boilers which supply the steam that drives the engines. So a life that is joyful because it is hopeful will be full of calm endurance and strenuous work. ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient,’ persevering in tribulation.

III. Lastly, our lives will be joyful, hopeful, and patient, in proportion as they are prayerful.

‘Continuing instant’-which, of course, just means steadfast-’in prayer.’ Paul uttered a paradox when he said, ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway,’ as he said long before this verse, in the very first letter that he ever wrote, or at least the first which has come down to us. There he bracketed it along with two other equally paradoxical sayings. ‘Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.’ If you pray without ceasing you can rejoice without ceasing.

But can I pray without ceasing? Not if by prayer you mean only words of supplication and petition, but if by prayer you mean also a mental attitude of devotion, and a kind of sub-conscious reference to God in all that you do, such unceasing prayer is possible. Do not let us blunt the edge of this commandment, and weaken our own consciousness of having failed to obey it, by getting entangled in the cobwebs of mere curious discussions as to whether the absolute ideal of perfectly unbroken communion with God is possible in this life. At all events it is possible to us to approximate to that ideal a great deal more closely than our consciences tell us that we ever yet have done. If we are trying to keep our hearts in the midst of daily duty in contact with God, and if, ever and anon in the press of our work, we cast a thought towards Him and a prayer, then joy and hope and patience will come to us, in a degree that we do not know much about yet, but might have known all about long, long ago.

There is a verse in the Old Testament which we may well lay to heart: ‘They cried unto God in the battle, and He was entreated of them.’ Well, what sort of a prayer do you think that would be? Suppose that you were standing in the thick of battle with the sword of an enemy at your throat, there would not be much time for many words of prayer, would there? But the cry could go up, and the thought could go up, and as they went up, down would come the strong buckler which God puts between His servants and all evil. That is the sort of prayer that you, in the battle of business, in your shops and counting-houses and warehouses and mills, we students in our studies, and you mothers in your families and your kitchens, can send up to heaven. If thus we ‘pray without ceasing,’ then we shall ‘rejoice evermore,’ and our souls will be kept in patience and filled with the peace of God.

MacLaren’s Expositions

Re: Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

Rejoicing in hope – That is, in the hope of eternal life and glory which the gospel produces;

And rejoice – Religion is often represented as producing joy, Isaiah 12:3; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 52:9; Isaiah 61:3, Isaiah 61:7; Isaiah 65:14, Isaiah 65:18; John 16:22, John 16:24; Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 1:8. The sources or steps of this joy are these:

(1) We are justified, or regarded by God as righteous.

(2) we are admitted into his favor, and abide there.

(3) we have the prospect of still higher and richer blessings in the fulness of his glory when we are admitted to heaven.

In hope – In the earnest desire and expectation of obtaining that glory. Hope is a complex emotion made up of a desire for an object; and an expectation of obtaining it. Where either of these is lacking, there is not hope. Where they are mingled in improper proportions, there is not peace. But where the desire of obtaining an object is attended with an expectation of obtaining it, in proportion to that desire, there exists that peaceful, happy state of mind which we denominate hope And the apostle here implies that the Christian has an earnest desire for that glory; and that he has a confident expectation of obtaining it. The result of that he immediately states to be, that we are by it sustained in our afflictions.

And not only so – We not only rejoice in times of prosperity, and of health. Paul proceeds to show that this plan is not less adapted to produce support in trials.

But we glory – The word used here is the same that is in Romans 5:2, translated, “we rejoice” καυχώμεθα kauchōmetha. It should have been so rendered here. The meaning is, that we rejoice not only in hope; not only in the direct results of justification, in the immediate effect which religion itself produces; but we carry our joy and triumph even into the midst of trials. In accordance with this, our Saviour directed his followers to rejoice in persecutions, Matthew 5:11-12. Compare James 1:2, James 1:12.

In tribulations – In afflictions. The word used here refers to all kinds of trials which people are called to endure; though it is possible that Paul referred particularly to the various persecutions and trials which they were called to endure as Christians.

Patient in tribulation – In affliction patiently enduring all that maybe appointed. Christians may be enabled to do this by the sustaining influence of their hope of future glory; of being admitted to that world where there shall be no more death, and where all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes, Revelation 21:4; Revelation 7:17; compare James 1:4. See the influence of hope in sustaining us in affliction more fully considered in the notes at Romans 8:18-28.

Continuing instant in prayer – That is, be persevering in prayer; see Colossians 4:2; see the notes at Luke 18:1. The meaning of this direction is, that in order to discharge aright the duties of the Christian life, and especially to maintain a joyful hope, and to be sustained in the midst of afflictions, it is necessary to cherish a spirit of prayer, and to live near to God. How often a Christian should pray, the Scriptures do not inform us. Of David we are told that he prayed seven times a day Psalm 119:164; of Daniel, that he was accustomed to pray three times a day Daniel 6:10; of our Saviour we have repeated instances of his praying mentioned; and the same of the apostles. The following rules, perhaps, may guide us in this.

(1) every Christian should have some time allotted for this service, and some place where he may be alone with God.

(2) it is not easy, perhaps not possible, to maintain a life of piety without regular habits of secret devotion.

(3) the morning, when we have experienced God’s protecting care, when the mind is fresh, and the thoughts are as yet clear and unoccupied with the world, when we go forth to the duties, trials, and temptations of the day; and the evening, when we have again experienced his goodness, and are about to commit ourselves to his protecting care, and when we need his pardoning mercy for the errors and follies of the day, seem to be times which commend themselves to all as appropriate seasons for private devotion.

(4) every person will also find other times when private prayer will be needful, and when he will be inclined to it. In affliction, in perplexity, in moments of despondency, in danger, and want, and disappointment, and in the loss of friends, we shall feel the propriety of drawing near to God, and of pouring out the heart before him.

(5) besides this, every Christian is probably conscious of times when he feels especially inclined to pray; he feels just like praying; he has a spirit of supplication; and nothing but prayer will meet the instinctive desires of his bosom. We are often conscious of an earnest desire to see and converse with an absent friend, to have communion with those we love; and we value such fellowship as among the happiest moments of life. So with the Christian. He may have an earnest desire to have communion with God; his heart pants for it; and he cannot resist the propensity to seek him, and pour out his desires before him. Compare the feelings expressed by David in Psalm 42:1-2, “As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God;” compare Psalm 63:1. Such seasons should be improved; they are the “spring times” of our piety; and we should expand every sail, that we may be “filled with all the fullness of God.” They are happy, blessed moments of our life; and then devotion is sweetest and most pure; and then the soul knows what it is to have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 1:3.

(6) in addition to all this, Christians may be in the habit of praying to God without the formality of retirement, God locks upon the heart; and the heart may pour forth its secret desires to Him even when in business, when conversing with a friend, when walking, when alone, and when in society. Thus, the Christian may live a life of prayer; and it shall be one of the characteristics of his life that he prays! By this he shall be known; and in this he shall learn the way to possess peace in religion:

Barnes’ Notes

God is light, power and glory…will you shine?

Kirk1 Comment

God’s glory is our ultimate purpose

Electricity has been possible since the beginning of creation but humans didn’t ‘discover’ and ‘harness’ it’s power for some 6,000 years.

That’s kind of how non-believers are until they see the light, get saved, and are born again.

If you haven’t yet, take a close look and study this meme I created above and read the verse selected from Hebrews 6:1.

As believers with saved souls, we each have a certain capacity to illuminate God’s glory. Like how different light bulbs have different wattage ratings.

Going with this analogy:

As we grow closer to God, as we are obedient, trust and act upon His will and His word, we grow in capacity and power. This is the process of sanctification. As we abide, we are energized. The better we connect, the bigger we glorify God.

Jesus is everything to us

Pondering God’s ways

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My Pondering

Oh yeah? While this statement is partially true, its neglected the first part…the part regarding ‘man plans his ways’’.

The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

A friend of mine was almost lost his life 2 wks ago in a terrible car wreck…he ended up losing a leg and still not out of the woods yet after spending 11 day in ICU…please pray for Brody

My niece, Charlene, lost her life due to a Fentanyl OD about one year ago and left a young girl motherless, her father is in prison….please pray for Lilly and Charlene’s mother.

My father, Kenneth, died in his sleep at 64 about twenty years ago from a massive heart attack after being ravaged by diabetes, losing a leg, almost totally blind, dialysis for years, kidney transplant. I has witnessed to him but there was no clear acceptance of the Gospel, he used to be a practicing catholic prior to his college days….I would ask to pray for his soul but I don’t believe purgatory is legitimate.

My mother in law, Sandy, passed away last year. She was an active believer and traveled to Africa as a missionary and nurse her whole life. She got ovarian cancer and dementia. It was sad to see her literal waste away  and lose her mind.. .please pray for our family.

My point is that I do NOT believe a loving God intentionally caused the pain and suffering of any of Brody, Charlene, Ken, Sandy and along with most all the other accidents and calamities in the world. Rather, due to the awesome upside of free will which includes being created in the image of God with all its wonderful qualities (imagination, curiosity, creativity, emotions and ability to relate to and somewhat comprehend God), God permits these terrible things to happen. He doesn’t always, or usually, stop them. They happen, it’s reality in definite time, space and matter.

Being that God is omni-everything, He certainly could but He doesn’t always. With that written, His ways are indeed higher than ours. I, know any living human, can fully understand God but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. 

With that said, God is loving and powerful enough to turn frowns upside down. He often works through pain, through our travails for our good and thus His glory.

The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:3

What I have tried to share is different from saying our God directs and causes terrible accidents, overdoses, disease, dementia and cancer.

Some may see the difference as minor but to me, it’s major.

As God has the means and power to intervene, He also has it not to. 

What’s critical is that we respond and love God with all we got, that we seek His purpose and seek to glorify God everywhere and everytime. When we do that, we tap into the powerful force behind Romans 8:28. That even ills, mistakes, accidents, diseases, calamities, tragedies and the like ALL work for good. 

So whatever happens, know that God cares and loves you and I. He obviously doesn’t always spare us from the storms of life but He always goes with His children through them.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Logos (Macro General) / Rhema (Micro Specific) = the Word of God

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My Pondering

In Christianity, “logos” refers to the Word of God as found in the Bible, and also to the divine reason or wisdom that created the universe. “Rhema” on the other hand, refers to a specific word or message that is revealed by the Holy Spirit to an individual for a particular situation or circumstance. Logos is the MACRO general and overall message of the Bible, while rhema is a MICRO specific message for a particular moment.

Logos helps us with our designed general purpose; the overarching will of God. An good example is God’s top two commands which are to love God and love people, as Jesus said.

Rhema therefore would then a specific guidance of who, what and how to love a specific person or do something unique or special for God.

LOGOS


logos:
Original Word: λόγος, ου, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: logos
Phonetic Spelling: (log’-os)
Definition: a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech
Usage: a word, speech, divine utterance, analogy.

From lego;
something said (including the thought);
by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ) — account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

Strong’s Concordance

HELPS Word-studies re LOGOS

Lógos (from légō, “speaking to a conclusion”) – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying.

lógos (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

lógos is a common term (used 330 times in the NT) with regards to a person sharing a message (discourse, “communication-speech”). Logos is a broad term meaning “reasoning expressed by words.”]

Hebrews 4:12: For the word (logos) of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

RHEMA


rhéma:
Original Word: ῥῆμα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: rhéma
Phonetic Spelling: (hray’-mah)
Definition: a word, by implication a matter
Usage: a thing spoken, (a) a word or saying of any kind, as command, report, promise, (b) a thing, matter, business.

saying, word.
From rheo; an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever — + evil, + nothing, saying, word.

Strong’s Concordance

HELPS Word-studies re Rhema

rhḗma (from 4483 /rhéō, “to speak”) – a spoken word, made “by the living voice” (J. Thayer).

Rhema is the (“spoken-word”) is commonly used in the NT for the Lord speaking His dynamic, living word in a believer to inbirth faith (“His inwrought persuasion”).

Romans 10:17: “So faith proceeds from (spiritual) hearing; moreover this hearing (is consummated) through a rhēma-word from Christ” – Greek text

[See also Gal 3:2,5 which refers to “the hearing of faith” (Gk text) – i.e. a spiritual hearing that goes with the divine inbirthing of faith.]

Summary

Logos and Rhema are similar yet different, they are a wonderful dichotomy of the Word of God, which is the will of God. The Word of God is the essence of God. One of Jesus’s glorious and many names is the Word of God as He is the expression of the Father, the exact representation of God. Understanding logos and rhema help us understand God but as always, let us not get overwhelmed by human words and be underwhelmed by the wonder and magnitude of God’s awesome splendor no two words nor no two trillion words could fully describe our Creator.

2nd Corinthians 9:6-8

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My Pondering

6 Remember this; whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Verse 6 of 2nd Cor 9

Since the beginning, this fundamental principle has been around. You know; ‘what goes around, comes around.’ It’s connected to the Golden Rule. No, it’s not ‘he who has the gold, rules’ though it’s a close second 😉

Givers gain. Winners are givers. What goes around, comes around, sooner or later, one way or another’.

Me

Some would call it ‘Karma’ but that’s a bit esoteric for me.

As Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, was found of saying:

I give with with a little shovel, God gives with a bulldozer.

You can’t out give God.

Mary Kay Ash

7. Each should give what he has decided in his heart ♥️ To give not of regret or compulsion, for God loves ♥️ a cheerful giver.

Verse 7 of 2nd Cor 9

It’s hard to understand this as we are all too innately selfish creatures. But when we understand ALL that God has given us, it makes it joyful to share with others. He has flat out promised that giver will indeed gain rewards and basically said, ‘Test Me on this’.

Naturally, it makes little sense to give for joy’s sake because it’s really a supernatural thing. That must by why God loves it.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

We are instructed in Scripture to give freely as so that one hand doesn’t know what the other has given. But if we aren’t going to give cheerfully its almost better that we don’t. And when we do, it best to do so secretly as to retain our reward for later. It’s a deferred gratification thing that God taught us. It’s good to give not for a selfish sake but for God’s glorified faith sake; to double down upon Heaven.

And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, so that in all things, at all times, you have all you need, you will abound in every good work.

Verse 8 of 2nd Cor 9

Wow! This is such a powerful verse. It’s a kin to Romans 8:28 (look it up if you don’t have it deep down in memory).

NOTE TO SELF: It does NOT say we will have all that we want but rather need. And not for my personal gain but rather for good works as God defines them. That doesn’t negate our desires and wants but specifically call out needs. We know God loves to give but also understands our capabilities and capacities.

When we ask and work accordingly to His good and pleasing will, He clearly has promised the two great hounds of Heaven will hunt for us: Grace and Mercy.

The Spiritual movement @ Asbury

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The movement that started at Asbury is just part of what God is doing. We can all play a part and that is what this note is all about. –

What Causes God to Pour Out His Presence?
Lord, we pray that the revival fire You ignited at Asbury would not go out. Show us how to keep the fire going, God, and how to participate in what You are doing across America.
As we have watched the events unfolding at Asbury, the questions I have been asking (and hearing others ask) is: What causes revival? And how do we “host” His presence?


In our yearning for a mighty move of God, aren’t these the questions we should all be asking?


Revivals, awakenings, outpourings, renewals — these have occurred repeatedly throughout history, and they have been defined in many different ways. But I believe they all have one thing in common: an increased awareness of and desire for the presence of God. These moments in time have had different themes: the salvation of souls; the planting of churches; the release of spiritual gifts; the desire for personal holiness; and the sending out of missionaries, among other things. Sometimes those in the midst of an awakening are aware of the theme of what God is doing, and sometimes they are not.
What can we conclude? How can we participate in this current awakening? Is it possible to even encourage the continuation of spiritual outpouring?


Let’s look at four principles that are critical to fanning the flames of revival:

  1. Humility is key. – The Scriptures describe Moses’ relationship with God this way: The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend … (Exodus 33:11 NIV). No other person in all of Scripture is described this way. What could qualify him for such a special relationship? I believe the answer is in the uniqueness of Moses as described here: Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the earth (Numbers 12:3 NIV).
    The Hebrew word translated “humble” — anav — has the meaning of “bowing one’s mind.” The realization that was always at the forefront of Moses’ conscious mind was that he did not have in himself all that he needed, nor did he possess in himself what God possesses, but he did have access to the power of God’s wisdom and grace for any situation. Humility is what positions us to host God’s presence.
    The quickest way to cause the presence of God to evaporate is for individuals to begin taking credit for the start of a revival, or for them to be seeing themselves as somehow special enough to have sparked it. Those who attempt to capitalize, for personal gain or to build their own ministry, on what God is doing will quickly see His presence vaporize into thin air. So, this has been my most prevalent prayer: that the leaders who are a part of this revival would walk in humility.
  2. Expectation is always present. – There is always the faith that God can and will break through at any moment. This is the hard part of outpourings: We spend more time hoping for and expecting them than we do actually being in the midst of any. We need to relish those moments when we are in a revival, as we are right now. Thousands have participated in corporate encounters with the Lord directly, and hundreds of thousands more have done so indirectly, online.
    What a great faith-builder it is that we can watch the videos from Wilmore and witness the sincerity and innocence in the eyes of those attending. We need to relish the moments when heaven breaks through, and we must realize that the pursuit of these outpourings will be where we spend most of our lives.
  3. A community in prayerful pursuit of His presence is critical. – The first outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts came as a result of a group of the early disciples who were meeting together and praying: They all joined together constantly in prayer … (Acts 1:14 NIV). They had to be together so that they might recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. The context of their community was constant prayer. The corporate activity of looking upward, that deep desire to host His presence — this is an atmosphere God responds to.
    Certainly, leaders can encourage this, but what we really need is to pray that God would ignite a personal passion in people for fervent prayer. Such a yearning then flows naturally and becomes unstoppable.
    At a Tuesday evening prayer meeting in 1727, 14 people gathered inside a small chapel in Herrnhut, Germany, to pray all night. They had a glorious evening of prayer and were greatly impacted, so much so that the following Sunday, their pastor threw himself on the ground — which in turn resulted in a prayer meeting at the Wednesday night service that launched sessions of “hourly intercession” for the next 100 years. Yes, you heard right: a prayer meeting that lasted 100 years! God’s presence is attracted to unified intercession.
  4. Holiness is a result. – An encounter with the living God will always change you. Think of Isaiah, who, despite his calling as a prophet, had a visceral, emotional reaction to encountering God: “… I am a man of unclean lips.” The stark contrast between us and a holy God brings out in living color just how distinct He is. We don’t bump into Him to some little effect; no, our interactions with Him are a clash to the senses — in which we must grapple with our own limitations and brokenness. Being in the manifest presence of God causes us to become undone, with a deep sense of the futility of our own attempts to find satisfaction in life outside of Him. Any unholy attempts at personal fulfillment come into stark clarity as being unhealthy and sure to bring only negative results.
    Part of the lifestyle change is also the realization or release of destinies and callings. The 1806 Haystack Prayer Meeting revival moved out from just five college students — who were literally meeting under a haystack in Williamstown, Massachusetts — to the birthing of the modern-day Protestant missionary movement in America. More missionaries have been sent out to the world from America than from any other nation. All of this because a small group of 19th-century college students came to understand that God had an assignment for them.

God has been putting a passion for prayer and intercession upon the hearts of millions at an accelerating pace over the past five years. This has been a remarkable time to mobilize prayer for our nation. No coercion is needed. No slick marketing is necessary. God is moving!
Could it be that all those who have been praying passionately for this nation over these past five years had a part in this recent Asbury revival? Absolutely!


And could it be that with such a large and powerful stirring taking place already, the Asbury revival will keep growing to spread all across this nation? That is our prayer.

Source: YouVersion Devotional

My Daily Sacrifice – George Washington’s personal prayer guide

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Daily Prayers from the Journals of George Washington

Sunday morning prayer
Almighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated ot thine own service and for thine own honor. Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me, and since thou art a God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto thee, who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in thy courts, pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who ay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Sunday Evening Prayer:
O most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins, but so coldly and carelessly, that my prayers are become my sin and stand in need of pardon. I have heard thy holy word, but with such deadness of spirit that I have been an unprofitable and forgetful hearer, so that, O Lord, tho’ I have done thy work, yet it hath been so negligently that I may rather expect a curse than a blessing from thee. But, O God, who art rich in mercy and plenteous in redemption, mark not, I beseech thee, what I have done amiss; remember that I am but dust, and remit my transgressions, negligences & ignorances, and cover them all with the absolute obedience of thy dear Son, that those sacrifices which I have offered may be accepted by thee, in and for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered upon the cross for me; for his sake, ease me of the burden of my sins, and give me grace that by the call of the Gospel I may rise from the slumber of sin into the newness of life. Let me live according to those holy rules which thou hast this day prescribed in thy holy word; make me to know what is acceptable in thy holy word; make me to know what is acceptable in thy sight, and therein to delight, open the eyes of my understanding, and help me thoroughly to examine myself concerning my knowledge, faith and repentance, increase my faith, and direct me to the true object Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life, bless O Lord, all the people of this land, from the highest to the lowest, particularly those whom thou has appointed to rule over us in church & state. continue thy goodness to me this night. These weak petitions I humbly implore thee to hear accept and ans. for the sake of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Monday Morning Prayer:
O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.
Direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life.
Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel. Give me repentance from dead works. Pardon my wanderings, & direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation. Teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments. Make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber. But daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour, who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father.

Monday Evening Prayer:
Most Gracious Lord God, from whom proceedeth every good and perfect gift, I offer to thy divine majesty my unfeigned praise & thanksgiving for all thy mercies towards me. Thou mad’st me at first and hast ever since sustained the work of thy own hand; thou gav’st thy Son to die for me; and hast given me assurance of salvation, upon my repentance and sincerely endeavoring to conform my life to his holy precepts and example. Thou art pleased to lengthen out to me the time of repentance and to move me to it by thy spirit and by the word, by thy mercies, and by thy judgments; out of a deepness of thy mercies, and by my own unworthiness, I do appear before thee at this time; I have sinned and done very wickedly, be merciful to me, O God, and pardon me for Jesus Christ sake; instruct me in the particulars of my duty, and suffer me not to be tempted above what thou givest me strength to bear. Take care, I pray thee of my affairs and more and more direct me in thy truth, defend me from my enemies, especially my spiritual ones. Suffer me not to be drawn from thee, by the blandishments of the world, carnal desires, the cunning of the devil, or deceitfulness of sin. Work in me thy good will and pleasure, and discharge my mind from all things that are displeasing to thee, of all ill will and discontent, wrath and bitterness, pride & vain conceit of myself, and render me charitable, pure, holy, patient and heavenly minded. be with me at the hour of death; dispose me for it, and deliver me from the slavish fear of it, and make me willing and fit to die whenever thou shalt call me hence. Bless our rulers in church and state. Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and thy son Jesus Christ. Pity the sick, the poor, the weak, the needy, the widows and fatherless, and all that morn or are borken in heart, and be merciful to them according to their several necessities. Bless my friends and grant me grace to forgive my enemies as heartily as I desire forgiveness of Thee my heavenly Father. I beseech thee to defend me this night from all evil, and do more for me than I can think or ask, for Jesus Christ sake, in whose most holy name & words, I continue to pray, Our Father.

Tuesday Morning Prayer:
O Lord our God, most mighty and merciful father, I thine unworthy creature and servant, do once more approach thy presence. Though not worthy to appear before thee, because of my natural corruptions, and the many sins and transgressions which I have committed against thy divine majesty; yet I beseech thee, for the sake of him in whom thou art well pleased, the Lord Jesus Christ, to admit me to render thee deserved thanks and praises for thy manifold mercies extended toward me, for the quiet rest & repose of the past night, for food, rainment, health, peace, liberty, and the hopes of a better life through the merits of thy dear son’s bitter passion. And O kind father continue thy mercy and favor to me this day, and ever hereafter; purpose all my lawful undertakings; let me have all my directions from thy holy spirit; and success from thy bountiful hand. Let the bright beams of thy light so shine into my heart, and enlighten my mind in understanding thy blessed word, that I may be enabled to perform thy will in all things, and effectually resist all temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. Preserve and defend our rulers in church & state. Bless the people of this land, be a father to the fatherless, a comforter to the comfortless, a deliverer to the captives, and a physician to the sick. Let thy blessings guide this day and forever through Jesus Christ in whose blessed form of prayer I conclude my weak petitions — Our Father.

Tuesday Evening Prayer:
Most gracious God and heavenly father, we cannot cease, but must cry unto thee for mercy, because my sins cry against me for justice. How shall I address myself unto thee, I must with the publican stand and admire at thy great goodness, tender mercy, and long suffering towards me, in that thou hast kept me the past day from being consumed and brought to nought. O Lord, what is man, or the son of man, that thou regardest him; the more days pass over my head, the more sins and iniquities I heap up against thee. If I should cast up the account of my good deeds done this day, how few and small would they be; but if I should reckon my miscarriages, surely they would be many and great. O, blessed father, let thy son’s blood wash me from all impurities, and cleanse me from the stains of sin that are upon me. Give me grace to lay hold upon his merits; that they may be my reconciliation and atonement unto thee, — That I may know my sins are forgiven by his death & passion. Embrace me in the arms of thy mercy; vouchsafe to receive me unto the bosom of thy love, shadow me with thy wings, that I may safely rest under thy suspicion this night; and so into thy hands I commend myself, both soul and body, in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, beseeching Thee, when this life shall end, I may take my everlasating rest with thee in thy heavenly kingdom. Bless all in authority over us, be merciful to all those afflicted with thy cross or calamity, bless all my friends, forgive my enemies and accept my thanksgiving this evening for all the mercies and favors afforded me; hear and graciously answer these my requests, and whatever else thou see’st needful grant us, for the sake of Jesus Christ in whose blessed name and words I continue to pray, Our Father.

Wednesday Evening
Holy and eternal Lord God who art the King of heaven, and the watchman of Israel, that never slumberest or sleepest, what shall we render unto thee for all thy benefits; because thou hast inclined thine ears unto me, therefore will I call on thee as long as I live, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same let thy name be praised. among the infinite riches of thy mercy towards me, I desire to render thanks & praise for thy merciful preservation of me this day, as well as all the days of my life; and for the many other blessings & mercies spiritual & temporal which thou hast bestowed on me, contrary to my deserving. All these thy mercies call on me to be thankful and my infirmities & wants call for a continuance of thy tender mercies; cleanse my soul, O Lord, I beseech thee, from whatever is offensive to thee, and hurtful to me, and give me what is convenient for me. watch over me this night, and give me comfortable and sweet sleep to fit me for the service of the day following. Let my soul watch for the coming of the Lord Jesus; let my bed put me in mind of my grave, and my rising from there of my last resurrection; O heavenly Father, so frame this heart of mine, that I may ever delight to live according to thy will and command, in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of my life. Let me remember, O Lord, the time will come when the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise and stand before the judgment seat, and give an account of whatever they have done in the body, and let me so prepare my soul, that I may do it with joy and not with grief. bless the rulers and people of this and forget not those who are under any affliction or oppression. Let thy favor be extended to all my relations friends and all others who I ought to remember in my prayer and hear me I beseech thee for the sake of my dear redeemer in whose most holy words, I farther pray, Our Father.

Thursday Prayer
Most gracious Lord God, whose dwelling is in the highest heavens, and yet beholdest the lowly and humble upon the earth, I blush and am ashamed to lift up my eyes to thy dwelling place, because I have sinned against thee; look down, I beseech thee upon me thy unworthy servant who prostrate myself at the footstool of thy mercy, confessing my own guiltiness, and begging pardon for my sins; what couldst thou have done Lord more for me, or what could I have done more against thee? Thou didst send me thy Son to take nature upon

Note: The Thursday prayer ended at the bottom of a page and it is unknown whether the next page was lost or never written.

The following are prayers taken from a prayer journal attributed to George Washington, the original president of the Unite States. Their strong theology and their petitions for God’s help and grace can be used today as our own morning or evening prayers.