04.13.09
“BY DEATH WE LIVE”
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This devotion is from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
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By Death We Live
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“As dying and behold we live” (2 Cor. 6:9).
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I had a bed of asters last summer, that reached clear across my garden in the country. Oh, how gaily they bloomed. They were planted late. On the sides were yet fresh blossoming flowers, while the tops had gone to seed. Early frosts came, and I found one day that that long line of radiant beauty was seared, and I said, “Ah! the season is too much for them; they have perished”; and I bade them farewell.
I disliked to go and look at the bed, it looked so like a graveyard of flowers. But, four or five weeks ago one of my men called my attention to the fact that along the whole line of that bed there were asters coming up in the greatest abundance; and I looked, and behold, for every plant that I thought the winter had destroyed there were fifty plants that it had planted. What did those frosts and surly winds do?
They caught my flowers, they slew them, they cast them to the ground, they trod with snowy feet upon them, and they said, leaving their work, “This is the end of you.” And the next spring there were for every root, fifty witnesses to rise up and say, “By death we live.”
And as it is in the floral tribe, so it is in God’s kingdom. By death came everlasting life. By crucifixion and the sepulchre came the throne and the palace of the Eternal God. By overthrow came victory.
Do not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to be overthrown.
It is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is by being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to shreds, that men become men of might, and that one a host; whereas men that yield to the appearance of things, and go with the world, have their quick blossoming, their momentary prosperity and then their end, which is an end forever.–Beecher
“Measure thy life by loss and not by gain,
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth.
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice,
And he who suffers most has most to give.”
03.19.09
“PREVAILING CONTRAST”
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PREVAILING CONTRAST
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2 Cor 4:7-12 NIV
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
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Distrustful of banks, people who grew up during the Great Depression find all kinds of places to store their cash. From mattresses to behind electrical outlet covers, the more unexpected the better. The practice of hiding valuables in unassuming places goes back even to biblical times, where treasures were hid in common jars of clay; so as not attract attention.
Paul uses this common practice to highlight the fact that when it comes to persons in Christ, one shouldn’t be surprised to see the contrast between the quality of the vessel, and that of its contents. For in fact, despite the frailty and inadequacy of the human vessel; the overcoming Spirit that has been placed within not only confers unimaginable worth, and even power!
Despite struggle, confusion, persecution, and injury; it is the treasure within which denies defeat. Echoing the very experience of Jesus’ death in their body, Paul and his co-ministers reveal Jesus’ resurrection to all they encounter.
It is our acknowledgement of the very contrasts that act as a crucial component the current of God’s activity in the life of those who are in Christ. Just as differences in temperature and saline content of ocean water (i.e. thermohaline circulation) act as an engine for the North Atlantic current, it is the conflux of our weakness and God’s strength which reveal the resurrection life of Christ. When we hold onto the illusion of our strength, our value, our life apart from God; His is not revealed. But when we lean into even the suffering and persecution that comes in the package deal of discipleship, the resurrection engine is activated. Inhabiting the very contrast strangely enables us to prevail.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you delight in and adore the God in Christ who would choose to put His treasure in jars of clay; inhabit weakness and death, just to reveal His resurrection power in us, in you? Will you make your praise this morning an act of faith?
- Given that struggle, confusion, persecution and even injury can be part of the package deal of discipleship, how are you feeling the activity of “death” in your body today? How is sickness, aging, grief, despair, etc. accosting you today? Will you compensate not with reaffirmations of your beauty and worth, but with that of Christ in and with you?
- Will you call on God to prevail through His resurrection power in your body; as well as in the body of Christ today?
This devotion was written by Pastor Martin
12.19.08
“THROUGH FLOOD & FLAME”
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Isa 43:1-2
But now, this is what the LORD says–
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
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John 16:33 NIV
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
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Dan 3:24-27 NIV
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
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Sometimes, things get worse before they get better. This is especially true when dramatic changes are already in the works; where moving toward a grand future precipitates extensive restructuring.
In the Isaianic passage above, God is readying to bring His people out of exile. Personal and political restructuring is in view, where they were to be prisoners to idolatry and foreign powers no more.
In seeking to prophetically comfort God’s people, he starts with avowals of God’s personal love and commitment to Israel. He declares that the one who created, called, and redeemed Israel is so far on their side, that fear is to be denied.
But rather than following up with promises of future ease , Isaiah guarantees that flood and fire yet lie before them. Given the preposition “when” (and not if), they are repeatedly assured of coming tribulation. Jesus pulls this same “trick”: addressing his shuddering disciples with intentions of transferring peace, followed up with promises of upcoming trouble. If this was all we have, we might be forced to conclude this as a cruel joke; something along the lines of….I love you so much, so I promise you that you are going to suffer.
Yet if we would but wait for the punchline, we would we hear that the one who is greater than death knows how to deliver through. The weight of the promises lie in the active presence of the overcoming God that will not let us drown in the current, or burn in the blaze. Like Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace lies before us. But the Son of God will miraculously appear at our side. And when we come out, only our bondages will be burned away.
God’s love and advocacy did not promise a deliverance from trial and threat; rather through to dramatic resurrection.
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REFLECTION /RESPONSE
- This morning, will you present yourself before the Victorious Overcomer, who has overcome suffering and death…through cross, grave, to resurrection. Will you bow before, and adore the Son of God who has already overcome the world!
- Will you imagine yourself as one of Daniel’s close friends, bound and facing the consuming furnace. You have a choice, renounce your God for safety, or face the flames. What do you have to combat the shuddering fear? Now fast forward: having come out, take inventory of your hair…smell your clothes. Look where the cords of death had formerly wrapped your arms. Whom do you have to thank?
- Now will you face the flood and fire of circumstances in your life today? Will you actively call upon the Spirit of God’s Son to expunge fear with peace? Will you surrender yourself to the God who promises walk with you through to the other side? Will you pray for others who also need to hear the punchline?
12.04.08
“SPIRIT OF WISDOM”
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Isaiah 11:1-5
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD–
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
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Eph 1:17-23
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
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Deductive reasoning is a powerful means to understand our surroundings. However, in regards to the Kingdom and the coming King, it takes the Spirit of wisdom to reveal to us the big picture. What we can see of the circumstances on the ground do not tell the whole story; we need revelation.
In referencing the Davidic King to come, Isaiah brings up imagery of a felled tree. To the naked eye, there are no signs of life outwardly noticeable. But beneath the surface, the roots are ready to unleash resurrection. This coming King is said to have among the seven fold elaboration of the Spirit resting on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Rather than judging by what he sees with his eyes and hears with his ears (vs. 3), by the Spirit he is able to “see” the big picture plan of God into fruition.
We too need the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to fully engage with the Christ King who has come and is coming. Paul prays that for the church in Ephesus, that their hearts would be enlightened by that same Spirit to know our hope and His power. For already God’s resurrection power released has established our King on the cosmic throne. Without the Spirit of wisdom, they would think they were still under the thumb of the demonic powers and principalities; bereft of hope. The circumstances on the ground would tell them that justice and righteousness are but pipe dreams. But those with the Spirit of wisdom operate at higher level than that of deductive reasoning; and just know better.
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REFLECTION & RESPONSE
- This morning, will you start by declaring that God reigns! Transcendent above the turmoil on the ground, his resurrection power is bringing the Kingdom to bear. Will you claim this by faith; for your soul, your family, your work, your city, and world?
- Is there anywhere in your heart where despair has taken root? Things have not gone your way, and you cannot deduce a way out? Will you picture a dead tree stump, grayed and worn. Now imagine a tender green shoot slowly emerging from the side. Will you position yourself ready for God’s surprising resurrection power at work in your life?
- Will you ask for a double dose of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, downloaded to your mind and soul? So that you would know Jesus better; the King that He is, and the Kingdom that is coming? Ask for enlightened hope, and access to His resurrection power in your circumstances.
