WATCHWORD:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirst is for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 41:1-2
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:31-36
Meditation:
Get Out of My Church!
How often have you stopped and considered what a confusing set of rules and regulations we have as born-again Christians? Seriously, we have looked askance at Judaism and their 613 “laws” which define their commitment to God. And yet, we sometimes crash ourselves on the rocks of discrimination, literalism, or, perhaps you are among those who think about such things as the Virgin Birth, Parting of the Red Sea, Jonah and the Whale, etc., and wonder if your uncertainty of the facts, disqualifies you, somehow, to be a Christian.
I think about a friend of mine, who refused to be re-baptized, then was told to “Get out of my church!” Funny, I thought it was God’s.
Do we sometimes consider God’s gift to us of free will, as a curse? One that seems to breed guilt when we exercise it. However, I don’t believe that God pays any attention to our natural inclinations, our individuality in the maturing of our spiritual life.
Oswald Chambers says that God “runs right through our natural life. We must see to it that we aid and assist God, and not stand against Him by saying, “I can’t do that”. God will not discipline us; we must discipline ourselves.”
Years ago, I heard an exceptional sermon on “Sin”, which I would guess is a difficult subject for anyone to speak on, especially a Pastor. One of the points that stood out for me was the sin of denial, specifically, denying the gifts that God presents to us. Too often we hide our gifts within the haze of shyness, or behind Satan’s whispers that it is not good enough, or in the aftermath of some emotional episode. The sin, then, is the denying of the purpose of God in giving us that gift. There is always a purpose for God gifting us, you know. Overcoming that denial requires a discipline that God will not do for us, we must discipline ourselves.
Chambers tells us not to substitute “Savior” for Son in John 8:36. The Savior has already set us free from sin. The freedom that is referenced here is the freedom that comes to us, personally, when we commit our lives to Jesus the Christ. It is the meaning of that unusual statement Paul made in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ…”. He was saying that his Spirit had been united with his Lord, not just merged, but made one with Him.
If you ever wondered about the energy of this short and skinny Apostle Paul, planting churches, writing letters, etc., know that he was energized by the power that comes from identification with Jesus. And He tells us, “Go and do likewise.” So be it.
Bulletin Board:
From the start of this pandemic, eight months nearly to the day, two of those on this Watchword network (Ron and Maury and their wives) have been quarantined for nearly every day. Moreover, three others, along with their spouses, have joined them. There are others in isolation, all in need of prayers.
The Covid-19 reports continue to be more and more grim. States are finally tightening down in response to medical advice, while at the same time, Covid-fatigue grows. Thanksgiving is upon us, with the call to large groupings of family, following tradition. Yet, it is so critical that we resist that call in the interest of our own health and survival. More than any other time in these past eight months has there been a greater need for prayer. Prayers for the medical workers and all those other related heroes. Prayers for our loved ones and families, and a wide range of other acquaintances. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote: “God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, and thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, a gauntlet with a gift in it.”
Closing Prayer:
Our God is our very life, and it is right that we thirst for Him. Father, we pray today that You would create a thirst in us for You, the living God. May the Holy Spirit lead us to the well of life that You offer each day; especially through these hard times in our lives. The truth is that we all are desperately lost without You, and in great need of a Savior. We praise You for that, Savior Jesus, and ask that we would never stop desiring more of You, Lord God. Thank You, Jesus for being the living water that never runs dry. It is in Your name that we offer these prayers. Amen.
