Moments With God

1 John 1

"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5b)

Praise God that Jesus Christ is the Son of God! He is God Himself. If Jesus Christ were not God Himself He could not be our Savior. Jesus had to identify with us and become a human being to be our Savior, but He also needed to be divine. In I John 1:1a the apostle John speaks of Jesus Christ as "that which was from the beginning." In the Gospel of John the apostle John speaks of Jesus Christ as being "the Word." John goes on to say that "the Word was God." (John 1:1) Because Jesus was and is the Son of God, He also is the source of eternal life. He, in fact, is Eternal Life personified. John says of Jesus Christ "we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us." (I John 1:2b) Hence, we now have forgiveness from our sins and an eternal relationship and fellowship with "the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." (I John 1:3b) A relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is all we need for both the forgiveness of our sins and to experience life abundantly and to the full. Jesus said in John 10:10b, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Running after the things of this world will not satisfy. Such endeavors are "Meaningless! Meaningless!" according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:2a) Only by relying on the Lord and only in a relationship with Him can we find "joy complete." ( I John 1:4b)

Not only is Jesus Christ our source of eternal life and joy, but He is also our source of light. Sometimes life with its trials can seem very dark, but the Lord is the One that directs our steps giving us just enough light for the step we are on at the moment. A child of God's "steps are directed by the Lord." (Proverbs 20:24a) Proverbs 3:5-6 commands us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." When we trust the Lord He will be the light on our path that removes the obstacles out of our pathway and brings us to God's appointed purpose for our life. He will direct our paths for His glory and our eternal good. This is true when we are facing serious illness. This is true when we are facing financial uncertainty. This is true in the day to day irritations and interruptions of life. This is true no matter what obstacles we are facing in this life. As a child of God the Lord will direct and guide each and every one of our steps until we finally arrive safely to His eternal presence!

To experience the confidence of the Lord's direction and light in our lives, however, we must walk in obedience to Him. We must have a deep desire to forsake the world's and Satan's dark ways and walk in the Lord's ways alone. The apostle John says in I John 1:5b-6, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." We can experience abundant life in Him only if we are seeking to be submissive and obedient to His will and His direction for our lives. Then and only then can we experience fellowship with Him and with our fellow believers. Then and only then can we be assured of His direction and light in our lives.

In order to experience His eternal life, light, and joy in our lives we must also recognize the sins in our lives. If we do not recognize our sins "His word has no place in our lives." (I John 1:10b) If we acknowledge and confess our sins, however, the Lord is "faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9b) We can not truly appreciate and love the Lord for what He has done for us until we see our own sins. Also when we recognize our sins the Lord can begin His work of purifying us and making us more like Himself. Praise God for His eternal life and light in our lives!

Habakkuk 1-3

Are we willing to praise the Lord even when our world seems to be crashing down around us? Are we willing to trust Him and rejoice in Him, when we do not understand the reason for the difficulties we are experiencing in our lives? The Lord God asks us to be willing to walk through the dark places in our lives with a submissive and trusting spirit. The Lord also wants us to walk through these dark places in our lives with a heart full of praise for Him.

Habakkuk, a prophet in the Old Testament, was deeply troubled by the violence and ungodliness that he saw taking place among God's Old Testament people. He was puzzled that God did not seem to be doing anything about the situation, and Habakkuk questioned God in prayer about this. (Habakkuk 1:2-3) God responded by saying, "Watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." (Habakkuk 1:5) Habakkuk's initial response to God's words may have been one of relief, but if so Habakkuk's response was short lived. God then told Habakkuk that He was going to punish His people for their ungodly ways. God was going to send a people and nation called the Babylonians which were even more violent, wicked, and arrogant than His chosen people, Judah. The Babylonians would become the Lord's agent of judgment on His people and would completely conquer them. Upon hearing this Habakkuk was really confused and puzzled by God's plan. Habakkuk said to God, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do You tolerate the treacherous? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?" (Habakkuk 1:13) Habakkuk did not understand Gods sovereign plan in this situation. Why would the eternal and holy God punish His wayward but chosen people through the use of a nation that was much more wicked and violent than His own people?

Although Habakkuk did not understand God's sovereign plan, he knew he must trust God for what he did not understand. Habakkuk knew he must trust God in the "whys" of life. He knew He must wait patiently and quietly for God to work out His sovereign and perfect will and plan. (Habakkuk 2:1) When we are confused about life's difficult trials God says to us today also, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a) God says to us, "Rest it with Me. Don't fret. Quietly trust Me, and see what I will do." Habakkuk was assured that the Babylonians also would be punished in God's "appointed time." (Habakkuk 2:3) In the meantime God's Old Testament people were commanded to trust God to work out His sovereign plan in His perfect time and place. God's command to His people of all ages is, "The righteous will live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4b) We along with God's people of old must trust God's character and power. We must trust His promises in His Holy Word. We must trust our Lord with what we do not understand or can not see. We must trust that God's plan is perfect.

Not only do we need to rest our unanswered questions about the difficult trials in our lives in the Lord, we must also praise Him with a joyful and thankful heart in the midst of our trials. Habakkuk says in Habakkuk 3:17-19, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights." Can we "rejoice in the Lord" even in times of deep trial in our lives? We can be joyful in our sovereign Lord even in difficult times, if we remember that God does indeed work everything out in our lives for His glory and our ultimate spiritual good!

"I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)

Sometimes when life becomes difficult and we are facing trial after trial we may be tempted to question God's ways and purposes. We may be tempted to wonder why God allows certain things in our lives. The Old Testament saint, Job, is known for his patience and perseverance in great adversity and deep trials. He showed great faith in the loss of his possessions, family, and even in serious illness and pain. (Job chapters 1 and 2) Job also showed remarkable restraint and patience with his unsympathetic friends. Through a good portion of the book of Job his friends falsely accused Job of bringing his many problems on himself because of some unrepented sin in his life. In spite of Job's perseverance in the faith even Job, however, seemed to question why God had allowed all the many trials in his life. Job said in Job 31:35, "Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense-let the Almighty answer me."

In response to Job God said, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" (Job 38:2) God was basically saying that Job's complaining and questioning of the Lord was unjustified. Who was Job to question the Lord's will and wisdom? Who was Job to question God who is infinite in His wisdom and knowledge, while Job as a finite human being was very limited in his understanding. In the next few chapters of Job God went on to show Job His majesty in all of creation. In this way the Lord was reminding Job that Job as a finite creature did not have a right to question the Almighty God of the universe. God said to Job in Job 40:2, "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!" God was basically saying to Job, "Who are you to question and correct me, the great God of the universe?" Job's reply to God was one of repentance. Job said in Job 40:4, "I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth." Later in Job 42:2-6, Job said to God, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.----Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.----Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." We do not have a right to question what God allows in our lives. His will is always best and good even when things are difficult in our lives and even when we do not understand the reasons for our hardships and trials. We must realize that we are limited in our understanding. The Lord is infinitely wiser than us, and His purposes will stand in the world and in our individuals lives.

We do not serve an arbitrary and harsh God, however. He loves His children with an infinite love. He loved us enough to send His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) God works all things in our lives together for His glory and our ultimate good as His children. (Romans 8:28) Everything in our lives in itself may not be good. The Lord, however, uses everything in our lives both what we consider good and what we consider bad for our ultimate good. He uses it all to make us more dependent on Him and to make us more beautiful reflections of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice that Job's life in the end after his deep trial was better than before. Job 42:12 says, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." Job was restored possessions, family, and health for many years. We face many trials in this life and sometimes it seems life goes on from one trial to another. We can be assured, however, that there will be blessings after and during trials if not in this life than in eternity. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (II Corinthians 4:17)

Paul said in Philippians 3:8, "I consider everything a lost compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." In this passage Paul is pointing out that our faith and grace alone is our basis for salvation and our relationship with our Lord. All our so-called accomplishments and works can contribute nothing to our salvation. Also anything this life has to offer is meaningless in comparison to our relationship with the Lord. The Lord is absolutely all we need to get us through this life and to eternity. The Lord is all we need in facing life's trials, and He is all we need to give us joy and peace. He wants us to be totally surrendered to Him so that we trust Him and His perfect will in all things. He wants us to believe and live in a way that shows we are at peace with whatever He allows in our lives.

The question is whether we truly believe that the Lord Jesus is enough. Do we truly reckon the Lord Jesus as sufficient and all we need in facing life's deepest trials? May it be our heart's deepest desire to say with Paul in Philippians 4:11b, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." May it also be our soul's passion to follow Jesus Christ's example in prayer the night before he went on the cross. Jesus said, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it may Your will be done."' (Matthew 26:42b) In effect, Jesus Christ was saying, "Heavenly Father, if the only way Your people can be saved from their sins is by My dying on the cross, then may Your will be done." Even when we do not receive the answers to our prayers in the way or in the time frame we desire, may we also be willing to surrender to the Lord's will. May we never think of prayer as a magic wand to get whatever we desire, but rather as a means to express our trust in the Lord's wisdom, power, and love. No matter what God allows in our lives may we be totally surrendered to Him. May we be willing to say with our Lord Jesus, "may Your will be done."

The Old Testament saint, Job, showed this surrendered heart in some of his utterances in the book of Job. In one day Job lost all his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and most of his servants. That same day Job lost all his sons and daughters in a mighty windstorm in which they were all killed. In spite of all these tragedies Job said, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21b) The book of Job goes on to say this of Job, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22) On yet another day God allowed Satan to afflict Job "with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head." (Job 2:7b) As a result, Job's wife said to Job, "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9b) Job's replied to his wife, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10a)

Would we be we willing to surrender to the Lord and cling to the Lord like Job if we lost all our possessions and even all our family members? Would we like Job be willing to surrender to the Lord's will in the face of serious illness and pain? Do we consider Jesus Christ sufficient in the face of very deep trials? The truth is that Jesus is sufficient for all of life and for eternity, if we allow Him full reign in our lives. He has already given us all we need for time and eternity through His death on the cross and His precious promises in His Word. Jesus Christ is indeed sufficient! Our response must be trust, obedience, and perseverance in the faith through His strength! May this be our passion!

II Peter 1

How often do we stop to think about the blessings we have as believers in Christ Jesus? One of the awesome blessings we possess as believers is a precious faith that is ours only "through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:1b) Only in Christ's righteousness and through His sacrifice on the cross do we have a relationship with God. We also are given the blessing of God's "grace and peace----in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." (II Peter 1:2) Through our faith and our personal relationship with our Savior we experience His abundant grace or unmerited favor and love. We also experience His abundant peace and joy. We can not grow in our faith and in our personal relationship with the Lord, however, unless we grow in our experiential "knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." This comes by immersing ourselves in His Holy Word and by trusting God and His promises.

Not only as believers do we experience the blessings of a precious faith and the Lord's grace and peace; but we are also given "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." (II Peter 1:3) The Lord supplies all of our needs physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He gives us all we need to live a godly life for Him through His divine power and through the excellence and perfection of all He is in His character and being. He is the One who helps us persevere in this life. Finally, our Lord has "given us His very great and precious promises" in His Holy Word." (II Peter 1:4a) Through these promises we can grow in our faith and in our love for the Lord. We can grow in our ability to live godly lives for Him. By reading and obeying God's Word it will be to us as "a light shining in a dark place" until Jesus comes back some day. (II Peter 1:19b) God's Word and its awesome promises will be a light in our hearts in this dark world in which we live. It will be the light on the paths of our lives until we reach eternity. II Peter 1:4 also tells us that the promises of God's Word helps us "participate in the divine nature." This Scripture passage is not suggesting that believers somehow become divine. II Peter 1:4 is assuring us, however, that believers in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit Himself! We can count on the truth of the promises of God's Word also, because God's Word "never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (II Peter 1:21) God used many men over thousands of years to perfectly write down His words through the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Scriptures are God Himself speaking to us!

The Lord God has showered us with many spiritual blessings. Hence, we must attempt to prove the genuineness of our faith by a Spirit filled Christian life. II Peter 1:5-7 tells us "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." Not only will these godly virtues prove the genuineness of our faith, but if we "possess these qualities in increasing measure" these qualities or virtues will keep us "from being ineffective and unproductive" in our "knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:8) These godly virtues will show that we don't just have a head knowledge about our Lord God; but these virtues will show that we know Him personally as our Savior, Lord, and friend. These godly virtues in our lives will show that we are growing in our love for our Lord and in our obedience to Him. May it be our passion to live godly lives for our Lord!

Ecclesiastes 1

The book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament shows us the foolishness of running after the things of this world. It demonstrates the futility and meaninglessness of life without Christ. It warns us what will happen if we do not remain diligent and passionate in our love relationship with the Lord. Solomon is the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. It was written in the later part of Solomon's life. Solomon had backslid from the Lord, and he had pursued the things of the world. He had pursued the things of the world instead of a relationship with God. Solomon concluded that a life without the Lord is meaningless. Solomon said in verse two of Ecclesiastes chapter one, "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Solomon discovered that the search for meaning in life apart from God is a dead end road. Solomon also discovered that a life without Christ is a weary walk and a restless journey. Life without Christ is totally without meaning or purpose. Purpose and meaning in our lives is found only in service to the Lord. Purpose and meaning in our lives is found only in a passionate love relationship with the Lord. Purpose and meaning in our lives is found only when our lives are based on God's Word and on obedience to the Lord.

Verses three through eleven of Ecclesiastes chapter one talks about the seemingly endless cycle and futility of creation and the human condition, if we do not know the Lord. Without Christ it appears as if everything just repeats itself. This is true in the cycle of creation. It is also true in the fashions and philosophies of the world. People are born and then die, and for the most part they are remembered no more. Also Solomon noted, "The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing." (Ecclesiastes 1:8b) This means that no matter how much we may acquire of material possessions or worldly pleasures they will never satisfy us. There is meaning, however, in our relationship with the Lord! Jesus Christ makes us a new creation in Him! He gives us new perspective and new purpose! As a new creation in Christ we are to bring glory and honor and service to Him. This alone gives meaning, purpose, and joy to life.

Proverbs 4

My dictionary defines wisdom as "knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action." A vast amount of knowledge of facts and information does not necessarily make one wise. True wisdom is found only in the Lord and in His Holy Word. Only in the Lord can we have a true concept of what is true, right, and pure. Only in the Lord can wisdom truly begin to be seen in our actions. What the world considers "wisdom" is totally different from God's wisdom. In fact, the world often laughs at the wisdom of God.

Godly wisdom comes from seeking to keep and obey His commands in the Bible. God doesn't forbid certain things in our life, because He is some kind of killjoy. He forbids certain things, because they are against His holy nature. The Lord also forbids certain things, because He knows they will lead to our destruction. We need to pursue and run after God's wisdom and understanding by daily diligently reading His Holy Word. Proverbs 4:6 tells us "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." Godly wisdom will protect us from many pitfalls and destructive and unwise paths of sin in our lives. Wisdom will thus also protect us from much needless heartbreak and anguish. Godly wisdom is much more important than any material things we may possess. "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) We need to esteem and embrace wisdom, and then we will be blessed with a joyful and productive life for the Lord. Godly wisdom is a beautiful thing in the life of a Christian. Proverbs 9:9 tells us that wisdom is like "a garland of grace" and "a crown of splendor" in our lives, if we embrace it. Godly wisdom will lead us along straight paths. Godly wisdom leads us along God's right paths. If we are walking in God's right paths, we have the assurance that He is leading all the way. We also then have the assurance that the Lord is removing all the obstacles out of our way, as we walk the path of life. "He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake." (Psalm 23:3b) If we are truly walking in Godly wisdom the Lord will be with us every step of the way. Proverbs 4:12 says, "When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble." God has planned our path in this life from beginning to end. We only need to see a step ahead of us at a time. Godly wisdom understands that we simply need to follow the Lord. Godly wisdom understands that we need to trust Him to work out and remove even the difficult obstacles in our lives. Then the path of life will be opened up before us. We simply need to move forward with the Lord step by step. Problems arise when we try to go off on paths of our own making. We then need to repent and get back on the Lord's wise path for our lives.

We need to cling to God's wisdom and "guard it well." (Proverbs 4:13) Godly wisdom and doing things God's way is the secret to life abundant. It is the secret to joy. The path of God's people who walk in Godly wisdom "is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18b) Godly wisdom contributes to our well-being physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Verse twenty-three of Proverbs chapter four tells us that Godly wisdom is "the wellspring of life." We need to keep our eyes focused on the Lord and not on the worthless transitory things of this world. We need to walk in Godly wisdom on God's path for us. We need to not become distracted by anything the world claims to offer us. Walking in Godly wisdom is the true secret to joy and well-being!