Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Give Thanks
The Thanksgiving
Solution
By T. M.
Moore Published Date: November 18, 2012
For although they knew God, they did
not honor him as God or give thanks… Romans 1:21
We conclude this series on “The
Thanksgiving Solution” with the same passage of Scripture with which we began.
You will recall that we saw ingratitude as the hinge by which unbelievers turn
away from God and descend into His wrath, as He gives them up to deeper and
deeper snares of sin and corruption.
Ingratitude leads to rebellion, drifting from God, and the inevitable
consequences of a life of sin. But
to what might the practice of thanksgiving lead? If failing to give thanks marks the pathway to separation
from God, can thanksgiving light the way to a deeper knowledge and love for the
Lord?
I believe this is so, and the
reasons for it should be obvious.
First, since we can only grow in the practice of thanksgiving as we grow
in our relationship with God, the desire to be obedient in giving
thanks in all circumstances will lead us to spend more time with the Lord,
meditating in His Word and seeking Him in prayer. We can’t “gin up” thanksgiving just because we want to; it
must flow from within our minds and hearts, where the knowledge of God and love
for Him are faithfully nurtured through the disciplines of Scripture and
prayer. So the more we long to practice
thanksgiving, the more we will turn to Scripture and prayer as the wellspring
of this discipline.
Further, the more we practice
thanksgiving, the more aware we will become of the blessings of God on every
hand. The whole cosmos depends on
the Word of God, and He is manifesting His glory and power in every part of it
(Ps. 19:1-4). As we reflect on the
everyday blessings of God, our understanding of His wisdom, might, beauty,
goodness, and love will grow. The
more these grow, the better we will know Him, and the more inclined we will be
to give Him thanks and praise, thus reinforcing what is becoming an upward
spiral of growth in the knowledge of God.
The more we learn of the Lord through
thanksgiving, the more we will want to know of Him by every other means. All the disciplines whereby we grow in
the knowledge of God—our daily devotions, public worship, reading and
meditation—will be strengthened and enlarged, so that we might gain greater
access to His glory. God will draw
us to Himself as we walk in obedience to His Word; when we seek Him with all
our hearts, He will be found of us, and no small part of that seeking entails
faithful obedience in giving thanks.
If you wish to know the will of God
for your life, begin by giving thanks.
If you wish to grow in the knowledge of God, which is eternal life (Jn.
17:3), persevere in giving thanks.
Thanksgiving is the solution for spiritual confusion, anxiousness of
soul, and uncertainty of direction in life. Thanksgiving enlarges our souls,
enriches our daily experience, and extends the grace and goodness of God to
fellow members of the believing community. Is it possible that a lack of thanksgiving is keeping you
from a more fulfilling experience of Jesus Christ? A more joyful and peaceful walk with the Lord? Greater faithfulness in seeking
Him? Indeed, it may well be.
Thanksgiving
is the solution to a multitude of spiritual ills, but we must be willing to
take the medicine. Do not wait to
feel thankful before you begin practicing thanksgiving as a way of life. And don’t wait to be invited to give
thanks; let thanksgiving rise from you naturally, sweetly, specifically, and
consistently at every opportunity, in every situation. Your Christian life will be
dramatically transformed if you will take Paul’s simple exhortation to heart:
“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Jesus
Christ.”
For this or other
devotions by T.M. Moore, please visit the ColsonCenter.org or click on the
following link:
This week we’ll
continue reading through Second Corinthians, Chapters 5 – 8.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Bold Witness
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Seeing the Kingdom
By T. M.
Moore Published Date: November 10, 2012
“But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” Acts 1:8
The Kingdom of God suddenly broke
into human history on a Pentecost morning 2,000 years ago, when the Holy
Spirit from God invaded the hearts of all who were gathered, seeking the
Kingdom Jesus had promised. The Kingdom of God comes with power, Paul wrote
(1 Cor. 4:20), and that power is embodied in the Holy Spirit of God. He is a
power from beyond this world and brings into our experience a realm of
righteousness, peace, and joy that makes all things new. He begins to work
within the lives of those who have been transferred into the Kingdom of God’s
dear Son, making them willing and able to do what pleases God, leading them
beyond any of their previous experience or hopes into greater glory and
transformation (Phil. 2:13; Eph. 3:20).
One of the primary means whereby
the power of God’s Kingdom – the power of the Holy Spirit – is expressed in
those who have come to know it is through bold witness on behalf of the
Kingdom and its King. We see this consistently throughout the book of Acts.
Not only the apostles, but even the humblest believers could not contain the
proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom of God. They spoke to neighbors,
they testified to authorities, they bore witness to strangers, and everywhere
they went, talking about Jesus and the Kingdom seems to have been an integral
part of their daily lives.
We can know that we are in a place
where the Kingdom of God has come and is advancing when we see people from
every walk of life talking about Jesus, encouraging others to consider Him,
and leading friends, neighbors, and strangers to a saving knowledge of the
Christ. The power of the Spirit, Who brings the presence of the Kingdom,
flows like a river of living water through the lives and words of those who
have truly entered the Kingdom of God (Jn. 7:37-39). So rich, full, and real
is their experience, that they cannot help but talk about it with others.
Why don’t we see more of this
particular evidence of the Kingdom in our day? Why are Christians today so
reluctant to talk freely, boldly, and consistently about their faith in the
Lord? There are at least two reasons.
First, our culture has informed us
that it’s not interested in our message. At least, that’s what we’ve come to
believe. Why bother talking to unsaved people about the Lord if we have
already concluded they don’t want to have anything to do with Him? For most
of us, I suspect, this notion is based on an assumption and provides a
convenient excuse for not talking to others about our faith in the Lord. The
fact is that people today are just as willing to talk about the Lord as
they’ve ever been. An outspoken and intimidating few may give a different
impression, but most people will be more than willing to consider what we
have to say. If only we could muster the courage to speak with them.
The second reason we don’t bear
bold witness for Christ is because our churches have told us, implicitly or
explicitly, that they’ll take care of witness-bearing for us. Just let them
make a few adjustments here and there, so that their unsaved neighbors feel
more at home, and soon enough any real “seekers” out there will find their
way here, and then we’ll win them. You don’t have to go tell them; just help
us encourage them to come here and see for themselves.
But if
you’ve really tasted of the power of the Holy Spirit, and if you truly
delight in the glory of God and the all-things-new way of life which is the
Kingdom of God, no threats from the culture – real or perceived – and no
discouragement from church leaders will be able to keep you from bearing bold
witness to Jesus and His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
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Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Working Out Our Salvation...
Seeking the Kingdom
of God (7)
By T. M.
Moore Published Date: November 04, 2012
But that is not the way you
learned Christ – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in
him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self…and to be renewed in
the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the
likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -Ephesians 4:20-24
Christians are called to seek the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness as their highest priority in life. The
Kingdom of God itself is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, as
we have seen (Rom. 14:17, 18). It makes sense, therefore, to believe that
wherever we are laying aside the ways of the world and putting on the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, there the Kingdom of God is being found and is
advancing.
This process is called,
“sanctification,” and it is a work of grace in us by God, Who, using His Word
and Spirit, works within and through us to make us increasingly fit for His
Kingdom. Sanctification and growth in the Kingdom is all of grace; it is a
wondrous work of our loving Father. But while this is a work of God, it’s one
that we must engage as well, “working out our salvation”, as Paul put it
(Phil. 2:12) in fear and trembling before the Lord.
The harder we work at this, in
every area of our lives, the more we find that our outlook, thought life,
attitudes, priorities, and practices begin to reflect the very character of
Jesus. Through sanctification we are actually “putting on Jesus” and, as we
become more like Him – as He increases in us and our old self decreases (Jn.
3:30) – we reflect more the reality of the Kingdom of God to the watching
world. What, then, does the process of sanctification involve on our parts?
Put another way, what must we make careful to attend to each day, so that
God, Who is at work within us, can shape and transform us into children fit
for His Kingdom?
Sanctification begins in the Word
of God, where, through reading, meditation, and study, we submit our minds to
be formed by the worldview of Scripture, open our hearts to the searching
scrutiny of the Spirit, and dedicate our consciences to following the Lord’s
agenda rather than our own. If we will not make reading and study of God’s
Word the bulwark and launch pad of each day, then how shall we expect the
power of that Word to do its work in or through us?
Sanctification also involves being
silent before the Lord, praying earnestly, but also listening for Him to
prompt us to action, disclose any previously hidden sin, or guide us in
specific paths of repentance and renewal. This waiting on the Lord in prayer,
staying silent before Him, is very hard to do. But we will have a hard time
hearing the “marching orders” of our King if, in our time together, we’re
always jabbering on about what matters to us.
Further reading and study from
Christian writers of the past and present can also help us to learn what the
righteousness of Jesus requires in our families and marriages, the
stewardship of our treasure, our lives at work, in a community, and as
citizens of this nation. Reading and study take time, time we’ll have to
plunder from some other activity in our lives – such as watching too much
television. TV, while not entirely without value, won’t contribute much
toward fitting us for service in the Kingdom of God. And if we are going to
take up the task of seeking that Kingdom, then some of these familiar
hindrances will have to go.
Seeking
the Kingdom of God is serious business. But it’s also extremely rewarding,
immensely satisfying, and wholly exhilarating to know that God Himself – even
our King, Jesus Christ – is at work within us, willing and doing of His good
pleasure (Phil. 2:13) and advancing His Kingdom of earth, as it is in heaven.
For the daily devotional from T.M. Moore, visit: www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/viewpoint
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Saturday, November 3, 2012
Here's a great article concerning what we've been reading...
Seeking the Kingdom of
God (6)
By T. M.
Moore Published Date: November 03, 2012
No temptation has overtaken you
that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be
tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the
way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Martin Luther is reported to have
said concerning temptation, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your
head; but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” All Christians
can expect to be confronted with temptations of various sorts. Temptation is
not sin. When temptation comes, the goal is to grow through it into
a stronger experience of Kingdom righteousness, rather than to fall through
it into some spiritual or moral setback. We need to be on the lookout for
temptation, so that we recognize it when it comes. But we also need to find
the way of escape Paul mentioned as the key to growing through temptation.
In Psalm 73 Asaph reports on a
powerful temptation that almost snared him in sin. Here he was, a dedicated
servant of the Lord, daily submitting to all manner of spiritual disciplines
and rigors, and, so it seems, largely unappreciated for his work. Certainly
he wasn’t getting wealthy being a largely negative prophet in an age of great
wealth and spiritual complacency. When he looked around at the comforts rich
people enjoyed, and at their cavalier attitude toward God and His Law, he was
tempted to covet their ease and despise his calling.
But at just the right moment, he
recognized this temptation for what it was, and, in the process of
maintaining his righteousness, Asaph shows us six places to look in finding
the way of escape from temptation, so that the Kingdom of God can continue to
advance in and through us.
First, Asaph remembered that we
never sin alone: He reflected that sin on his part would be a betrayal of the
community of faith (v. 15). When we are confronted with temptation, we need
to remember that others are looking at us, taking their cues from us. If we
take sin into our souls it will affect not only us, but them, and the demands
of neighbor-love should help us to resist temptation and, thus, advance the
righteousness of God’s Kingdom in our lives.
Second, though, Asaph took his
temptation to the Lord (vv. 16, 17). By coming into His presence, undoubtedly
through prayer, He put his own temporal circumstances into an eternal and
heavenly perspective. It would be hard for sin to control him as long as his
heart and mind were fixed on and communing with the Lord.
Third, Asaph contemplated the
effects of sin (vv. 18-20). Sin, he reflected, is a slippery slope. One sin
leads to another, which leads to another, and so forth, until we’re so altogether
miserable and burdened with sin that we’re no good for any Kingdom
enterprise.
Fourth, Asaph expressed disgust with himself, that he would even contemplate descending into sinful behavior (vv. 21, 22). He became embittered in his soul to reflect that he was contemplating something more characteristic of brutes and fools than of a servant of the Lord. Fifth, Asaph sought the counsel of the Lord (v. 24). He turned to God’s Law so that he could see the ugliness of his covetous inclinations and nip them in the bud before they had a chance to bloom. Finally, he lingered in the presence of the Lord, until once again he began to know the fullness of joy and pleasures forever more which are to be had there (vv. 25-28; cf. Ps. 16:11). Perhaps he sang some hymns or took in some of the glory of God in the creation around.
The Kingdom of God advances as we overcome temptation. All
these ways of escaping temptation can make us stronger in the Lord through
the experience, and keep us growing through adversity in our pursuit of the
Kingdom of God.
Here’s an exercise for you to do
between you and the Lord only: Read Psalm 73. Do you have a besetting sin?
Using your tongue in a harsh or critical way? Stretching the truth? Lust?
Covetousness? Expect that you’re going to be tempted in this area, because
the devil knows your weaknesses, and he knows that this sin can keep you from
making progress in the Kingdom. Lay out a strategy for dealing with this
temptation. How will you recognize its presence? How will you make your
escape through it? What will you say to God on the other side of temptation,
so that you can continue to grow in the righteousness of His Kingdom?
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
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