I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…. (NIV)
While many of our brothers and sisters in Christ will indeed share in Christ’s sufferings, even to the point of torture and death, the vast majority of Christians in the West do not face physical suffering for the faith. How, then, can we join Paul in pursuing this kind of Christ-likeness?
We turn the channel when there are inappropriate images that prompt us to sin. We refuse to allow our children to watch inappropriate shows or play inappropriate games. We do not hesitate to speak the truth in love on social issues of our day. We let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. (See Matthew 5:16.)
Make no mistake. Ours is not a culture that supports this kind of life. Temptation lurks on every channel. Our children will be mocked. Our friends and co-workers will become angry with us, and it is not impossible that we will lose our jobs. Faced with such consequences, are you ready to say with Paul that you want to know Christ by sharing in His sufferings and becoming like Him in death?
Lord, grant me courage to be the Christian You have graciously called me to be. It is not easy where I live, but I know You will grant me the grace and strength to be salt and light. Help me to bear well my sufferings for the name of my Lord Jesus. In His name I pray, amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
October 12 (1 Samuel 16:7)
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (NIV)
We are accustomed to reading this verse and thinking about others. We know that we cannot tell what is really going on with a person simply by looking at his or her outward appearance. Try applying it to yourself, however, and this verse might have a different feel.
God does not pay one bit of attention to the size of the Bible we carry. He does not care about the mere fact of our attendance at church activities. For that matter, He is not all that impressed with any of the great things we do. After all, He gave us the abilities to do everything that we do, from picking up a pencil to launching a rocket. God, as He sees through all our outward appearances and activities, looks directly into our hearts and sees our motives. He knows our thoughts and intentions.
Well. Ahem. Okay then. Suddenly this verse becomes a bit uncomfortable. A Sunday School teacher of mine used to say that you cannot con God. He knows exactly what is going on in our hearts. So take a look. Ruthlessly apply His holy and perfect standard to all that you think and do. When, not if, but when you fail to measure up, know that God already knows. Do not try to hide it, but confess your less than pure motives. He is faithful not only to forgive, but to guide you back on the path of becoming more like Christ.
Lord, I do not always want to look into my heart, for I fear what I will find. Grant me the courage to see what You see and to bring everything before You. Transform me into the likeness of Your Son, my Lord Jesus. In His name I pray, amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
We are accustomed to reading this verse and thinking about others. We know that we cannot tell what is really going on with a person simply by looking at his or her outward appearance. Try applying it to yourself, however, and this verse might have a different feel.
God does not pay one bit of attention to the size of the Bible we carry. He does not care about the mere fact of our attendance at church activities. For that matter, He is not all that impressed with any of the great things we do. After all, He gave us the abilities to do everything that we do, from picking up a pencil to launching a rocket. God, as He sees through all our outward appearances and activities, looks directly into our hearts and sees our motives. He knows our thoughts and intentions.
Well. Ahem. Okay then. Suddenly this verse becomes a bit uncomfortable. A Sunday School teacher of mine used to say that you cannot con God. He knows exactly what is going on in our hearts. So take a look. Ruthlessly apply His holy and perfect standard to all that you think and do. When, not if, but when you fail to measure up, know that God already knows. Do not try to hide it, but confess your less than pure motives. He is faithful not only to forgive, but to guide you back on the path of becoming more like Christ.
Lord, I do not always want to look into my heart, for I fear what I will find. Grant me the courage to see what You see and to bring everything before You. Transform me into the likeness of Your Son, my Lord Jesus. In His name I pray, amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October 5 (Philippians 3:20)
But our citizenship is in heaven. (NIV)
I recently had the opportunity to talk with a teenage boy about some rather serious matters. He is in the ROTC at his school and comes from a military family that has seen his older brother killed two years ago in Iraq. He wanted to talk with me about issues of war, and he began the conversation by saying he thought he knew where I stood politically. I replied that the more important thing for me than my political views is the fact that I am a Christian and that this, more than anything, shapes my views.
Examine your own beliefs, as evidenced by how you actually live your life. Among the various identities we have…Republican, Democrat, American, alum of a certain university, man, woman, older, younger, particular ethnicity, Christian…which one really shapes those beliefs and guides your life? It is easy to associate our Christian faith with other ideologies until we are convinced that thinking along those lines is to think as a Christian.
Paul puts it bluntly in his letter to the Philippians. We may pay taxes to the United States government and alumni dues to a particular university, but our true identity lies with Christ Jesus in heaven. This over all must direct everything we do, say, and think, from our most significant to our most momentous decisions.
Gracious Father, I am Yours by the blood of my Lord, Jesus Christ. May my status as Your redeemed servant direct all that I do, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
I recently had the opportunity to talk with a teenage boy about some rather serious matters. He is in the ROTC at his school and comes from a military family that has seen his older brother killed two years ago in Iraq. He wanted to talk with me about issues of war, and he began the conversation by saying he thought he knew where I stood politically. I replied that the more important thing for me than my political views is the fact that I am a Christian and that this, more than anything, shapes my views.
Examine your own beliefs, as evidenced by how you actually live your life. Among the various identities we have…Republican, Democrat, American, alum of a certain university, man, woman, older, younger, particular ethnicity, Christian…which one really shapes those beliefs and guides your life? It is easy to associate our Christian faith with other ideologies until we are convinced that thinking along those lines is to think as a Christian.
Paul puts it bluntly in his letter to the Philippians. We may pay taxes to the United States government and alumni dues to a particular university, but our true identity lies with Christ Jesus in heaven. This over all must direct everything we do, say, and think, from our most significant to our most momentous decisions.
Gracious Father, I am Yours by the blood of my Lord, Jesus Christ. May my status as Your redeemed servant direct all that I do, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, September 26, 2010
September 26 (Acts 19:26, Acts 2:13, Matthew 26:74)
You see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. (NIV)
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” (NIV)
Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don't know the man!” (NIV)
There is much trouble and scandal among Christians today, just as there has always been. Some of it is based on the truth, and we would not change it if we could. Just as Paul was attacked for speaking the truth about the false gods of the ancient world, so many Christians today are persecuted for speaking the truth about Christianity over religions such as Islam. Sometimes the accusations are false, as when Peter corrected the crowd at Pentecost. Accusations against Christians are not true simply because the mainstream media makes them. Finally, there has been and always will be trouble among Christians because Christians have actually fallen. Peter himself denied Christ with an oath and a curse. It truly does not get worse than that for a Christian scandal.
Yet none of this…not the accusations, not the scandals…has one bit of bearing on Christ Jesus. He remains what He has been since before the foundation of the world, God. He is the Savior for all who would accept His grace. This includes those who have misunderstood the Christian faith, those who have falsely accused Christians, and those Christians who have themselves strayed from the straight and narrow path. Despite the vagaries of the world, which will continue as they always have until our Lord returns, God remains faithful.
Lord, help me not to be swayed by all the trouble inside and outside the Church. Help me to speak truth when others are swayed and begin to doubt or slander You. May I always cling fast to the cross of Christ, for in Him I live and move and have my being. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” (NIV)
Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don't know the man!” (NIV)
There is much trouble and scandal among Christians today, just as there has always been. Some of it is based on the truth, and we would not change it if we could. Just as Paul was attacked for speaking the truth about the false gods of the ancient world, so many Christians today are persecuted for speaking the truth about Christianity over religions such as Islam. Sometimes the accusations are false, as when Peter corrected the crowd at Pentecost. Accusations against Christians are not true simply because the mainstream media makes them. Finally, there has been and always will be trouble among Christians because Christians have actually fallen. Peter himself denied Christ with an oath and a curse. It truly does not get worse than that for a Christian scandal.
Yet none of this…not the accusations, not the scandals…has one bit of bearing on Christ Jesus. He remains what He has been since before the foundation of the world, God. He is the Savior for all who would accept His grace. This includes those who have misunderstood the Christian faith, those who have falsely accused Christians, and those Christians who have themselves strayed from the straight and narrow path. Despite the vagaries of the world, which will continue as they always have until our Lord returns, God remains faithful.
Lord, help me not to be swayed by all the trouble inside and outside the Church. Help me to speak truth when others are swayed and begin to doubt or slander You. May I always cling fast to the cross of Christ, for in Him I live and move and have my being. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, September 19, 2010
September 19 (2 Timothy 3:12)
…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (NIV)
It really does not get much more direct than this. If you follow Jesus, you will know the blessings of peace and comfort, strength to accomplish all that God sets before you, and the promise of eternal life with Him. Yet there will be areas and times of your life that will be worse than if you did not follow Him. To this day, people are arrested and murdered, have their homes and property destroyed, and lose their jobs and family members because they follow Jesus. For these people, none of this would have happened had they rejected Him.
It is easy for us who live in the lap of luxury to forget this or to romanticize it away, and make no mistake, if you are have four walls and a roof and food to eat, you are living in luxury compared with much of the world. When I think of what Paul suffered, which led to his advice to Timothy, I am embarrassed at how shallow some of my prayer concerns are.
The verse today should remind us of two things. We must live our lives passionately enough for Christ that it produces suffering for us. This is not to say we should become false martyrs, but if our faith is only a matter of convenience, then is it really the faith of our crucified Lord? Secondly, we must draw attention to, pray for, and assist however we can those brothers and sisters in Christ who live with the more violent persecutions. As Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)
Father, whether it is the sacrifice of time, money, or friendships, whether it is the loss of respect or even my job, help me to live my life in bold faithfulness to Christ, for indeed there is no other kind. Amen.
http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
It really does not get much more direct than this. If you follow Jesus, you will know the blessings of peace and comfort, strength to accomplish all that God sets before you, and the promise of eternal life with Him. Yet there will be areas and times of your life that will be worse than if you did not follow Him. To this day, people are arrested and murdered, have their homes and property destroyed, and lose their jobs and family members because they follow Jesus. For these people, none of this would have happened had they rejected Him.
It is easy for us who live in the lap of luxury to forget this or to romanticize it away, and make no mistake, if you are have four walls and a roof and food to eat, you are living in luxury compared with much of the world. When I think of what Paul suffered, which led to his advice to Timothy, I am embarrassed at how shallow some of my prayer concerns are.
The verse today should remind us of two things. We must live our lives passionately enough for Christ that it produces suffering for us. This is not to say we should become false martyrs, but if our faith is only a matter of convenience, then is it really the faith of our crucified Lord? Secondly, we must draw attention to, pray for, and assist however we can those brothers and sisters in Christ who live with the more violent persecutions. As Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)
Father, whether it is the sacrifice of time, money, or friendships, whether it is the loss of respect or even my job, help me to live my life in bold faithfulness to Christ, for indeed there is no other kind. Amen.
http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September 12 (2 Chronicles 20:3)
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (NIV)
There is much to learn from this one verse about the life of King Jehoshaphat. A large enemy comprised of many tribes had come to attack, and the first thing we read is that the king was afraid. Of course he was afraid! Pretending that you are not afraid when the bills pile up, when sickness strikes, when one more thing goes wrong with the car is not courage, but self-deception. As Christians, we know that we are not supposed to lie, and this includes to ourselves.
So what did this king do? He turned to God. Talk of turning to God in times of trouble is so common among Christians that we end up ignoring it. Slow down for a moment and consider. This king did not first call his war council. He did not make plans for attack, review his troops, or charge blindly into war. The first thing he did when confronted by more than he could handle was to go to the Lord. We must do more than pay lip service to this. We are not going to the Lord when we throw out a quick prayer in the midst of doing what we had already determined to do, and this is where the fast comes in. By ordering a fast for all of Judah, King Jehoshaphat caused everyone to slow down and wait for the guidance of God.
What are you facing this week? However frightful or nerve-wracking you claim it is, is it frightful or nerve-wracking enough for you to be quiet…really quiet…and wait for the guidance and blessing of God?
Father, You know what awaits me more clearly than I do. Still my heart, my mind, and my hands. Lead me into humble quietness that I may hear Your plans for me. Grant me then the quickness to fulfill Your will. In the name of Lord Jesus, Who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
There is much to learn from this one verse about the life of King Jehoshaphat. A large enemy comprised of many tribes had come to attack, and the first thing we read is that the king was afraid. Of course he was afraid! Pretending that you are not afraid when the bills pile up, when sickness strikes, when one more thing goes wrong with the car is not courage, but self-deception. As Christians, we know that we are not supposed to lie, and this includes to ourselves.
So what did this king do? He turned to God. Talk of turning to God in times of trouble is so common among Christians that we end up ignoring it. Slow down for a moment and consider. This king did not first call his war council. He did not make plans for attack, review his troops, or charge blindly into war. The first thing he did when confronted by more than he could handle was to go to the Lord. We must do more than pay lip service to this. We are not going to the Lord when we throw out a quick prayer in the midst of doing what we had already determined to do, and this is where the fast comes in. By ordering a fast for all of Judah, King Jehoshaphat caused everyone to slow down and wait for the guidance of God.
What are you facing this week? However frightful or nerve-wracking you claim it is, is it frightful or nerve-wracking enough for you to be quiet…really quiet…and wait for the guidance and blessing of God?
Father, You know what awaits me more clearly than I do. Still my heart, my mind, and my hands. Lead me into humble quietness that I may hear Your plans for me. Grant me then the quickness to fulfill Your will. In the name of Lord Jesus, Who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Sunday, September 5, 2010
September 5 (Exodus 33:19-20)
And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. … But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (NIV)
Thanks to the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can call God “Father.” We have the gift of eternal life with Him and are counted as brothers and sisters of Jesus Himself, Who calls us His friends. What extraordinarily intimate gifts! Yet we must never for one moment forget that God remains awesome and terrible.
On Mt. Sinai, Moses asked to see the glory of the Lord. God responded by saying that Moses could see His goodness and hear the divine name, but He warned him as well that there were parts of His nature that must remained hidden. How do we relate to a God Who calls us His friends and children and yet remains One before Whom we must live in reverent fear? (See 1 Peter 1:17)
We must be intimate with our Father, while never forgetting He is our Lord. We must go to Him in the moment of our needs, yet never address Him casually or with disrespect. We must approach our God with confidence in His faithfulness, yet humbly in acknowledgment of our weakness and His surpassing glory.
Almighty and glorious heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of being able to approach You any time, day or night, in any circumstance, through the intercession of Jesus Christ. Thank You, too, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, Who intercedes when we lack even the words to speak. May my life be one of ongoing worship of Your majesty and grace. Truly, You are my Lord and my God. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
Thanks to the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can call God “Father.” We have the gift of eternal life with Him and are counted as brothers and sisters of Jesus Himself, Who calls us His friends. What extraordinarily intimate gifts! Yet we must never for one moment forget that God remains awesome and terrible.
On Mt. Sinai, Moses asked to see the glory of the Lord. God responded by saying that Moses could see His goodness and hear the divine name, but He warned him as well that there were parts of His nature that must remained hidden. How do we relate to a God Who calls us His friends and children and yet remains One before Whom we must live in reverent fear? (See 1 Peter 1:17)
We must be intimate with our Father, while never forgetting He is our Lord. We must go to Him in the moment of our needs, yet never address Him casually or with disrespect. We must approach our God with confidence in His faithfulness, yet humbly in acknowledgment of our weakness and His surpassing glory.
Almighty and glorious heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of being able to approach You any time, day or night, in any circumstance, through the intercession of Jesus Christ. Thank You, too, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, Who intercedes when we lack even the words to speak. May my life be one of ongoing worship of Your majesty and grace. Truly, You are my Lord and my God. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins
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