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timewithgod.blog-city.com — May 2008
John 20 -- As He Was Sent
My commentary really amplified verse 21, which says: "As the Father sent Me, so I send you.""Believers are not meant to enjoy His peace selfishly. They are to share it with others. So He sends them into the world as t
My commentary really amplified verse 21, which says: "As the Father sent Me, so I send you."
"Believers are not meant to enjoy His peace selfishly. They are to share it with others. So He sends them into the world as the Father had sent Him:
Christ came into the world as a poor Person.
He came as a Servant.
He emptied Himself.
He delighted to do the Father's will.
He identified Himself with man.
He went about doing good.
He did everything by the power of the Holy Spirit.
His goal was the cross.
Now He said to the disciples, 'I also send you.' "
Father, help me to share what You have given me, both materially and spiritually, with others. Continue to develop in me and in my sons a servant's heart. Help me to empty myself to Your will. Enable me always to delight in doing Your will. Thank You for reminding me of where You've brought me from, so that I can understand the needs of those You bring to me. Help me to be Your hands on this earth. It is only by Your great power that I can do this, and I thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son that made it possible for me to know You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
John 21 -- Being Restored
I feel like I've had Peter's walk with Jesus many times. Not so much in the sense that I've publicly denied Him and am being gently reminded of it, but more in the sense of what Max Lucado states in the sidebar in my Bible, from his
I feel like I've had Peter's walk with Jesus many times. Not so much in the sense that I've publicly denied Him and am being gently reminded of it, but more in the sense of what Max Lucado states in the sidebar in my Bible, from his book He Still Moves Stones:
"Peter plunges into the water, swims to shore, and stumbles out wet and shivering and stands in front of the friend he betrayed ...
For one of the few times in his life, Peter is silent. What words would suffice? The moment is too holy for words....
What do you say at a moment such as this?
It's just you and God. You and God both know what you did. And neither of you is proud of it. What do you do?
You might consider doing what Peter did. Stand in God's presence. Stand in His sight. Stand still and wait. Sometimes that's all a soul can do.
Too repentant to speak, but too hopeful to leave -- we just stand. Stand amazed.
He has come back.
He invites you to try again. This time, with Him."
Jesus' question to Peter each time seems to be, "Peter, do you really LOVE Me more than all these other guys love Me?" Peter seems to be holding back a little, careful that this time his ego is not driving his mouth as it had when he boldly had bragged, "Lord, I'd die for you!" He doesn't have any desire to have to face up to a stunning failure like that ever again. He cautiously replies, "Lord, You know that we're friends." Quite a difference between the question and the reply.
In effect, Jesus lets Peter know that, yes, he did fail miserably, denying that he even knew Christ, but out of that failure had grown a deep commitment, so that when the next time (and the next) came, it wouldn't happen again. In fact, rather than save his own skin when he was old, Peter would finally carry out his pledge of love, dying for Christ.
That restoral is amazing and very much worth waiting for. Like Peter, we will never be able to forget the times when we've messed up so much that we wished God would never find out about it. But also, like Peter, we can know that we too can stand before Christ, "wet and shivering, too repentant to speak, but too hopeful to leave," and hear Him lovingly say, "Come on... follow Me." We can know that He accepts us and forgives us.
Father, I'm sure that You probably get tired of hearing me apologize again and again for things I've done in the past that disappointed You. I don't do it because I doubt that You've forgiven me. I do it because I can't believe how much You love me -- that You continue to use me despite the sins I've committed and am capable of committing. You are so incredible! Thanks for loving me!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 1 -- Getting Man Out Of The Way
My commentary said that, unlike other letters from Paul to churches, there is no warmth here. He has nothing to be happy about. They were trying to change the gospel and Paul needed to quickly deal with it. I've usually looked upon th
My commentary said that, unlike other letters from Paul to churches, there is no warmth here. He has nothing to be happy about. They were trying to change the gospel and Paul needed to quickly deal with it.
I've usually looked upon the first verses of any of Paul's letters as a kind of "flowery" hello, much like the large calligraphy at the top of the Declaration Of Independence. But here in the middle of one, in verse 4, it says, "Jesus gave Himself for our sins to free us from this evil world we live in as God the Father planned." At first glance, it simply sounds like one of Paul's mantras inserted as usual. By my commentary says, "Verse 4 should be a reminder that God is not interested in improving the world, or making men comfortable in it, but in delivering men FROM it."
These people in Galatia were trying to do these very things. The gospel changes they were proposing were meant to make themselves comfortable. After all, it sounded too good to be true as is.
Along that very line, Paul's statement that the glory belongs to God forever (in verse 5) is used by my commentary to show that the opposite of that CAN'T be true. Men cannot take any of the glory. "Man cannot share this glory as a co-savior by keeping the law." Paul spends the rest of the chapter removing their attempts to draw man into the equation.
Father, it's so important for me to understand that, at my absolute best, I can be nothing but dust without You. There is nothing within me to glorify except You. Nothing I do can ever come close to making me right with You except saying "Yes" to Christ and "No" to the world and to myself.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 2 -- Clearing Up The Picture
Woven into Paul's narrative about his trip to Jerusalem and his private meeting with the Jerusalem apostles is a wonderful portrait that helps me so much to see how God sees my life now. Borrowing from how my commentary and sidebar flesh it
Woven into Paul's narrative about his trip to Jerusalem and his private meeting with the Jerusalem apostles is a wonderful portrait that helps me so much to see how God sees my life now. Borrowing from how my commentary and sidebar flesh it out, I saw the following:
1) God has established for all time and for every living person that the penalty for breaking His law is death -- period. No person has special privileges or special circumstances that let them be immune to this law, and as Creator, He has every right to make such a law.
2) Sinners cannot die for other sinners. In dying, they are simply fulfilling their own punishment, and therefore they cannot then take on someone else's.
3) Jesus, having never sinned, is the only One who can take the death penalty for another, and because He is the Son of God, then His death is sufficient to cover every person who has ever lived or will ever live.
4) When He hung on that cross, in God's eyes it was me hanging on that cross. God saw
ME die. He now no longer looks for me to die anymore. It's an accomplished fact for Him, only because I believe in Christ dying for me.
5) Jesus and I therefore "swap" lives. He died, so I should let Him live through me. I kept living, so I need to die to the things that brought on that death penalty for me. "The old, evil 'I' has been crucified; it has no more claims on my daily life. This is true as to my standing before God; it should be true as to my behavior."
6) In this new life, I live by faith. "Faith means reliance or dependence. The Christian lives by continual dependence on Christ ... by allowing Christ to live His life in him..... It is not a matter of striving, but of trusting."
7) Where we finally realize peace with this exchange of lives with Him is when "we can look back and see the cross of Christ between US and our SINS." When we understand that picture, we should never want to dabble in them again.
Father, so often I hear this, but I don't listen long enough to fully take in what Your Son did for me. That keeps me from wanting to let Him live in me. Thanks for giving me a better mental picture about it; after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 3 -- Becoming Thoroughly Convinced ...
Too much good stuff in here today. What stuck out this morning was what my commentary said about verse 22: "The Old Testament showed that all men are sinners, including those under the law. It was necessary that men should be t
Too much good stuff in here today. What stuck out this morning was what my commentary said about verse 22: "The Old Testament showed that all men are sinners, including those under the law. It was necessary that men should be thus thoroughly CONVINCED of sin, in order that the promise of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. The key words in verse 22 are faith, given, and believe. There is no mention of "doing" or "law-keeping".
Becoming thoroughly convinced of sin is probably the biggest hindrance to many of us. We tend to water it down by saying, "I messed up," rather than just admitting to God that we did not obey Him.
Our other mistake can come when we then decide that we must do something to appease God. We have absolutely no idea how ridiculous that must sound to God.
Father, thank You for finally getting me to the point where I was thoroughly convinced about sin. And thank You for having already provided Your Son to save me once I understood.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 4 -- Our Adjustments To Being Adopted
I believe God uses the experiences He's drawn us into and carried us through to attract us to what He wants us to learn, and here it's the adoption of my sons that does it. Verses 6-7 say, "Since you are God's children, God sen
I believe God uses the experiences He's drawn us into and carried us through to attract us to what He wants us to learn, and here it's the adoption of my sons that does it. Verses 6-7 say, "Since you are God's children, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, and the Spirit cries out, 'Abba, Father.' So now you are not a slave, you are God's child; and God will give you the blessing He promised, because you are His child."
There was an adjustment period for both of my boys as they discovered that it wasn't a dream, that I wasn't going to take them back -- that they did indeed now have a father, and that they had truly become sons of mine. Once that realization had set in, their outlook and their demeanor changed and their confidence with me grew.
It's the same way when we become Christians. My commentary said, "In order that those who are sons of God might realize the dignity of their position, God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to indwell them. The Spirit creates an AWARENESS of sonship, causing the saint to address God as Father -- Abba Father .... No slave could address the head of a family in this fashion; it was reserved for members of the family, and expresses love and confidence."
Yes, there is dignity in being a son of God. I witnessed something like that at the American Embassies in Warsaw and Kyiv as we went to pick up the boys' visas to come to America. The hundreds of Ukrainians waiting in line to enter the embassy and apply for visas watched as obviously Ukrainian boys strolled with their father to the front of the line (American citizens of course can enter an embassy at any time), and again as we walked out with their all-important papers within a few minutes. They stepped on the plane as Ukrainians, but stepped off of it as Americans. They were immediately Americans upon reaching American soil, not because they had applied for citizenship, but because of their adoption.
That's how instantly we become sons of God when we accept Christ as our Savior, and how instantly we are given the Spirit who enables us to now know the One who has adopted us.
Father, thank You for the deep spiritual truths You enabled me to understand as You carried me through the adoption processes. Thank You for the sons You gave me. Help them to understand how You adopted them when they trusted in Your Son.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 5 -- Why We Still Find Ourselves Struggling With Sin
This chapter had some great answers for us about why, as Christians, we still find ourselves struggling with sin. From my commentary:"The Spirit and the flesh are in constant conflict. God could have removed the fleshly nature from b
This chapter had some great answers for us about why, as Christians, we still find ourselves struggling with sin. From my commentary:
"The Spirit and the flesh are in constant conflict. God could have removed the fleshly nature from believers at the time of their conversion, but He did not choose to do so. Why?
-- He wanted to keep them continually reminded of their own weakness;
-- To keep them continually dependent on Christ, their Priest and Advocate;
-- and to cause them to praise unceasingly the One who save such worms....
"God's Spirit and our flesh are perpetually at war, and will continue to be at war until we are taken home to heaven. The believer's part in the conflict is to yield to the Spirit .... It is the Spirit who is resisting the motions of evil within them, not they themselves .... To walk in the Spirit is to be occupied with Christ, because the Spirit's ministry is to engage the believer with the Lord Jesus .... We cannot be occupied at the same time with Christ AND with sin....
"We determined that we would no longer live to cater to our fallen nature, that it would no longer dominate us. Of course, this decision has to be renewed CONTINUALLY in our lives. We must constantly keep the flesh on the place of death."
Father, how great it would be not to ever have to struggle with sin again! I'm glad that someday I will have that to look forward to, when I see Jesus again. Yet, until that time, help me to be occupied with You so that I won't be occupied with sin.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Galatians 6 -- Being The One
This chapter comes across as one of the more "human" chapters I've read. That's because it frankly admits that Christians will sin, and it tells us that we, as a Christian fellowship, are not to last out at the one who sinned
This chapter comes across as one of the more "human" chapters I've read. That's because it frankly admits that Christians will sin, and it tells us that we, as a Christian fellowship, are not to last out at the one who sinned for "ruining our reputation" but are instead to "gently help make him right again." What follows next is probably why so many wish to avoid the one who messed up.
It's out of fear -- fear that we too might be attracted to the edge of the cliff and fall: "But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too." We each know what we are made of, without Christ. This helping our brothers to work out of their troubles, though, is the essence of the law of Christ, it says.
My commentary highlighted another reason why we might try to excuse ourselves from helping. Verse one said, "You who are spiritual..." Anyone who thinks of himself as spiritual "might betray a lack of modesty," we often feel, and a truly spiritual person is most conscious of his shortcomings. But it gives this answer to the dilemma: "He will have the tender heart of a shepherd, making him want to restore the transgressor. He will not act in a spirit of pride or superiority, but in a spirit of gentleness, remembering that he also might be tempted."
Jesus would never hesitate to help someone who has fallen, and neither should we.
Father, let me never get so short-sighted that I would want to distance myself from someone who's fallen in order to preserve my "reputation". Quicken my heart to those in need of restoration. Allow me to understand deeply how capable of sin I am, but for Your grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life -- for without either, the shoe might be on the other foot.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 1-3 -- "Get Ready... I've Got An Assignment For You"
We all hate to hear someone say, "Well, I've got good news and bad news....." That's what I thought of as I read these chapters. First, the good news -- Ezekiel had already been in captivity in Babylon, yet suddenly God
We all hate to hear someone say, "Well, I've got good news and bad news....." That's what I thought of as I read these chapters.
First, the good news -- Ezekiel had already been in captivity in Babylon, yet suddenly God shows up. Ezekiel is given a glimpse of His glory.
Then, the bad news -- His new job description could have been selling heaters in Iraq during the summer and it would have sounded better than what he heard. He'd be marketing an unwanted product to a people who didn't care to hear about it.
God's words to him echo in our own hearts: "Don't be afraid ... don't be afraid, don't be afraid. But speak My words to them. They may listen, or they may not .... the people will not be willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to ME...Tell them this whether they listen or not."
By this time, I imagine that his dread had already set in. Then God added the blood-guilt he'd face if he failed to deliver the message! Nothing like a little motivation, now, is there!
Finally, he gets his most intriguing orders after hearing all of this: "Go, shut yourself up in your house. They'll tie you up. And I'll make your tongue silent. You won't be able to argue with them." I can feel how my own frustration would be building by that time as I hear what Ezekiel was about to endure. The "BUT GOD's" are readying themselves.
But Ezekiel had an advantage. He'd seen God's glory and that was enough to keep him going. That was enough to say "yes" to anything.
Father, when we encounter You, we can't help but be changed. You are sovereign, and Your commands are fulfilled, regardless of how little we understand the reasons for them. Help me not to doubt what I hear You saying. Help me to now when I've heard from You and help me to do what You ask of me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 4-7 When God Hurts
The people here had allowed themselves to be so changed by their prosperity that they neglected God who had blessed them with it. It makes one's heart ache to listen to how God feels as a result:"You have made my Temple unclean with th
The people here had allowed themselves to be so changed by their prosperity that they neglected God who had blessed them with it. It makes one's heart ache to listen to how God feels as a result:
"You have made my Temple unclean with the hateful things you do. Because of this, as surely as I live, I will cut you off. I will have no pity, and I will show no mercy.... After I have carried out my anger against them, they will know how strongly I felt.... They will remember how I was HURT because they were unfaithful to Me and turned away from Me and desired to worship their idols. They will HATE themselves because of the evil things they did that I hate. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I did not bring this terrible thing on them for no reason... Those who are left alive .... will be moaning about their own sin... Their faces will show their shame."
Over and over again, God says, "I will pay them back for the way that they lived."
When we turn away from God, letting our lifestyles dictate how and what we "worship" instead of God, God will finally get enough, and He will remove us from whatever is keeping us away from Him. He is hurt by our ingratitude and disloyalty. But because of Christ, He loves us enough to want us BACK. That's the big difference between us and those in these chapters, if we have Christ in our hearts. Otherwise, we'll be hearing Him say, "I will have no pity, and I will show you no mercy."
We must never begin to worship what He has blessed us with. When we come to the point where we take time away from Him and make time instead for what He's given us, we are on dangerous ground. Ezekiel 6:9-10 I think is the key to start finding our way back: "They will hate themselves because of the evil things they did that I hate. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I did not bring this terrible thing on them for no reason." As Christians, we find that His love for us
motivates him to bring us back.
Father, I was once so very like this, and I know that You brought me to hate myself for what I'd done to hurt You. I still hate myself for that. Don't ever let me lose that, Father. It's a strong reminder of what I'm like when I'm away from You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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