Category: Christian Worldview

Justified From All Things

~ A Prayer Life ~ Leave a comment

“I was a sinner, less perfect than God. By conviction of the Holy Spirit I learned that my condition would incur the eternal condemnation of God if I did not submit to His grace. I acknowledged myself a sinner and threw myself on His mercy and grace, recognizing that He had brought salvation to earth through His Son Jesus Christ. After God the Father put God the Son to death on the cross, He could proclaim grace and pardon to all who would submit to Him. I came to the cross, believed His promise about His Son, and God declared me righteous even while I was ungodly and gave me authority to become His child. I ceased to be a child of wrath and became a child of God, justified from all things.”

~ Donald Grey Barnhouse

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, You sent Your blessed Son down from heaven to be our Savior, Redeemer and Friend. May You open the eyes of faith to those who need the Gospel that they might come to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Walking In His Ways

~ A Prayer Life ~ Leave a comment

“Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”

~ Hosea 14:9

The Christian is called to be wise in the ways of the Lord. We are to exercise understanding – that is – we are to possess a working knowledge of God’s ways as presented in the Scriptures. Likewise, Believers ought to exhibit prudence in life and character. What is prudence? It’s living in the present with an eye toward showing consideration and thought for the future. The sinful lack this care and concern. Sadly, many wander aimlessly with little to no true purpose or plan. The transgressor stumbles in the ways of the Lord. To them, God’s ways are a hinderance not a help. But the righteous, those to desire to be in and follow God’s will, shall walk in the wisdom and prudence of the Lord.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, show me the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Help me to live in Your wisdom, looking ahead in my life with full assurance of Your presence and control. In Jesus’ name, amen.

For Your Good

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…”

~ Genesis 50:20

The story of Joseph’s rise to prominence in Egypt is filled with unlikely twists and turns. It begins when Joseph receives the covenant blessing of Jacob indicating his rise as the leader of God’s people, Israel. But because of the jealously and hatred of his brothers again him, Joseph’s life would take an unexpected turn towards violence, suffering, slavery and attempted murder.

Though his brother’s sought Joseph’s demise, he remained faithful to the Lord, and as a result, God favored and blessed him, even in a foreign land. Joseph rose to great power in Egypt. So that after the death of their father, and during a terrible famine, Joseph’s brothers went up to Egypt to plead for Joseph’s help. And oddly enough, Joseph was in the perfect place to assist.

What Joseph’s brother meant for evil against their brother, God meant for good. Their jealousy drove them to want to kill Joseph, to drive him away, and to prevent him from taking his rightful place as their leader. Yet God preserved Joseph and used him mightily despite them. Joseph remained faithful to God through it all and the Lord blessed him for it.

Sometimes everything can seem to be working against you. It can feel like God has let you go and the world is winning. Still remember, even in our darkest hour, God can bring good out of it. He can bring good out of pain, sorrow, and affliction. Maybe today you are in the pit of life, and like Joseph, with little reason to hope. Yet, be faithful; trust in the Lord. For what others mean for evil against you, your good and faithful God can mean ultimately for your good.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, when I feel the evils of this world pressing in on me and I can’t seem to grasp the meaning of it all, help me to know with a blessed assurance I’m still in Your hand and my goodness is You goal. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Faithfulness

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

~ Galatians 5:22-23

The idea of the word faithfulness, as used here, seems to be that of fidelity. It denotes the believer who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit will be earnest and dependable in their words and promises. Our yea will be our yea, and our nea will be our nea. A Christian can be trusted and confided in. A closer relationship with God in Christ stirs up greater and greater faith. The Christian will grow in faith and show that faithfulness as a husband, wife, neighbor, and friend. Faithfulness in the life of Christ’s people shows our love and devotion to Him and our desire to be faithful as He is faithful to us.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, help me to be a faithful Christian; one others can confide in and depend on so that Jesus is glorified in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Goodness

~ A Prayer Life ~ Leave a comment

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

~ Galatians 5:22-23

The spiritual fruit of goodness could be said to be a continuation of the fruit of kindness. While kindness is a disposition of heart and character, goodness is the tangible results of kindness. Goodness is kindness in action. It is where the believer acts on behalf of the benefit and well-being of others. Jesus would tell His followers, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you” (Mt. 5:44). Show goodness in all circumstances, even difficult ones. The Apostle Paul would put it this way, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21)

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, help me to see and seek out opportunities to do good to others. May the fruit of goodness be evident in my life each and every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Holy Spirit Difference

~ A Prayer Life ~ 3 Comments

“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”

~ A.W. Tozer

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, please pour out Your Holy Spirit new and afresh upon me and Your people. May we live and serve in Your presence and power that others see the difference You make! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Longsuffering

~ A Prayer Life ~ 5 Comments

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

~ Galatians 5:22-23

Longsuffering. There one of those words we don’t use anymore. Yet, even though it may have fallen out of common use, the word is plain enough to understand, isn’t it? Websters defines longsuffering as “patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship“. And I think that definition is perfectly consistent with what the longsuffering fruit of the Spirit looks likes in the life of the Believer. Christians should not be quick to anger. We should not be prone to react when offended against. As Paul encouraged Timothy, we should all “be watchful in all things, [and] endure afflictions“. As God, in Christ, has been longsuffering with you, so may you bear the fruit of longsuffering towards others.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Holy Father, cultivate in my heart a longsuffering spirit towards offenses and hardships that I might faithfully show the world what the longsuffering of Christ looks like. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Joy

~ A Prayer Life ~ 4 Comments

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

~ Galatians 5:22-23

Second in Paul’s list of Spiritual fruit is joy. But what is joy, Biblically speaking? Simply defined, we might say Spiritual joy is the solace and contentment that comes from knowing, loving and serving God. This kind of joy is not derived from temporal things, events or circumstances. Therefore, Spiritual joy is not easily removed from the heart of the true believer because our earthly conditions change. Joy that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit undergirds and consoles God’s people in the midst of their adversities, trials and tribulations. Joy, even in these situations, is evidence you belong to Him.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Oh Lord, please grant me a profound and intense joy that can only come from Your precious Holy Spirit that I might not be to quickly moved to grief or sorrow because of things in this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love

~ A Prayer Life ~ 3 Comments

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

~ Galatians 5:22-23

The Apostle Paul sets love as the first among the fruits of the Spirit because elsewhere he had explicitly stated without love we are but empty clanging noise. Love is the basis of our redemption in Christ, our fellowship with other believers and it should be our disposition towards a lost and dying world as well. Faithful, obedient living unto Jesus is clear evidence of our love for Him (Jn 14:15). Love is more than a mere sentiment or emotion – it is an abiding sense and deep appreciation of what God in Christ has done for you and, in turn, creates an unquenchable desire to live, love and serve in His name. It is this which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in the heart of the Believer.

~ apl

Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, daily create in me a renewed and refreshed love for You and others that I might faithfully show forth the fruits of Your Spirit in my thoughts, words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, amen.

All The Fullness of God

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

~ Ephesians 3:14-21

Prayer Life Pause: Dear Lord, I bend the knee of my heart before You in honor of Your glory, grace and mercy. May I continue to walk in the abundance of Your love and the strength of Your power each and every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.