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December 12

A Throne of Grace

Hebrews 4:1--16
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may ... find grace ..." (v. 16)

    We are seeing that one reason some Christians develop a closer relationship with God is because they know how to avail themselves of His grace. They realize it is there to be had and they open themselves to it most eagerly. People who know God intimately view grace as a treasure above all treasures. It is not that they put no value on the things of earth, but they see grace as the most precious thing of all. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had a friend called Fletcher of Madeley -- a deeply spiritual man -- whom Wesley designated as his successor. He died before Wesley, however, and at his funeral Wesley took as his text Psalm 37:37: "Mark the perfect man (KJV)." He told of how on one occasion Fletcher had made a public utterance concerning the government of the day which had greatly impressed its leaders. Soon after the Lord Chancellor dispatched a representative to Fletcher's home to offer him a promotion. The official was at some pains to hint delicately at his errand and said: "The government would be very happy to ... er ... oblige in any way if ... er ... there was anything Mr. Fletcher wanted ..." "How very kind," was the great man's reply, "but I want nothing ... except more grace." That is the difference between those who know God deeply and those who don't. They look at the values of earth in the light of heaven and see that the only really valuable thing is -- grace. "Let me have that," they say, "and I am content."

Prayer:

    O God, help me look at the values of earth in the light of heaven. Show me the folly of accumulating riches, the absurdity of heaping together the treasures of earth. May I come to recognize what has the highest value of all -- Your matchless grace. Amen.

    For Further Study
    2 Cor. 8:9; 12:9; 2 Tim. 2:1-10
    1. How did Paul describe grace at work?
    2. What was Paul's admonition to Timothy?

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December 13

Effective Service

1 Corinthians 15:1--11
"... I worked harder than all of them -- yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." (v. 10)

    We considered yesterday the story of Fletcher of Madeley who said to a government official: "I want nothing ... except more grace." One wonders what account the official gave when he returned to the Lord Chancellor. "Nothing we can offer seems to attract him. The only thing he wants is more grace!" Dr. W. E. Sangster, in The Pure in Heart, said that all who know God deeply have a high view of grace. They have learned to look at all the values of earth in the light of heaven. They have seen how absurd it is to put their trust in riches, the meaninglessness of angling for applause, credits and titles, and they have come to the conclusion that the only really valuable thing in life is grace. Few will argue with the fact that the apostle Paul was one of the greatest Christians who has ever lived, and so it is interesting to note from today's passage that he labored for God not in his own strength but in the strength God gave him. The grace of God is essential not only to live a holy life but to live a helpful one also. The best way to serve others is to reach out to them in the strength that God gives to us. This is the point the great apostle is making. "I worked harder ... yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." The work of Christ must be done by Christ Himself for no one else can do it. He who lives in us must labor through us.

Prayer:

    O God, how foolish I am to try to labor for You in my own strength. In spurning the grace You provide I do myself and others a disservice. And more -- grieve Your heart. Forgive me dear Father and make me a more reliant person. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    2 Cor. 1:1--12; 6:1; 1 Pet. 4:10
    1. What was Paul's boast?
    2. What did he urge the Corinthians to do?

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December 14

A Christ Not in Us ...

Galatians 2:11--21
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (v. 20)

    We saw yesterday that the apostle Paul claimed his labors were energized by the grace given to him by God. He says something similar in the text before us today: "I no longer live ... Christ lives in me." The apostle had learned that it was not enough to give all of his strength to the work of Christ, though he certainly did that; he had to receive Christ's strength in order to do His work. I have seen Christians suffer a breakdown as a result of trying to live the Christian life in their own strength. On one occasion I was present at a dinner given in honor of a certain bishop. During the after-dinner speeches I heard a layman make a terrible blunder when he declared: "Bishop, we are both doing God's work; you in your way, and I in His." Question yourself at this very moment and ask: Am I doing God's work in my own way or in His? "A Christ not in us, imparting His grace to us," said the great preacher William Law, "is the same as a Christ not ours." I don?t know about you but I find those words terribly challenging. Is this why so many of us fail to go as deeply with God as we ought? We have received Christ but we do not allow Him to diffuse Himself through all our faculties, to animate us with His life and Spirit. Let William Law's words strike deep into your soul: "A Christ not in us, imparting His grace ... is the same as a Christ not ours."

Prayer:

    Gracious and loving Father, your challenges are my salvation. You wound in order to win me. Help me to take my medicine without complaining and open myself up to all that You are saying to me in the words I have read today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Eph. 3:1--9; James 4:4--6; 1 Pet. 5:5
    1. What did grace enable Paul to do?
    2. What did James declare?

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December 15

Grace upon Grace

John 1:1--17
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." (v. 16)

    The Amplified Bible translates today's verse thus: "For out of His fullness (abundance) we all received -- all had a share and we were all supplied with -- one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift." I love the phrase "one grace after another." The thought contained in the original text is of grace succeeding grace. Our capacity to receive grace at any level depends on our use of it at the lowest level. Refuse God's grace at one level of your life and you make it difficult to receive it at another level. We must use the present proffered grace to be granted the grace which succeeds it. One preacher said: "I remember when I sat for my first scholarship. I recall going to my professor and saying: 'What will I do when I have used the paper up?' He laughed. 'You needn't worry about that,' he said. 'When you have used all you have, just ask for more.' Much relieved I added: 'Will he give me all I want?' 'No,' replied the professor, 'but he will give you all you can use.'" God is eager to give His grace to every one of us, and there is so much of it. Grace is flowing like a river Millions there have been supplied ... But it mustn't be wasted. You can have all you are able to use, but to have more you must use what you have. How good are you at using God's grace?

Prayer:

    My Father and my God, show me how to use Your grace -- really use it. Help me to throw myself on You, to be less self-reliant and more God-reliant. I need to understand this even more, dear Lord. Please help me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Phil. 4:14--19; Eph. 1:7; 2:7
    1. What was Paul confident of?
    2. How did he describe God's grace?

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December 16

Moving off the Sandbank

Galatians 5:1--15
"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" (v. 7)

    As you read the words of our text today, do you not sense the disappointment the apostle Paul felt over some of the Galatians? "You were running a good race." You were! Ah, there's the problem. They started well but they had been sidetracked. Might the Savior say as much to you and me? We were keen once. We were responding to grace. It came in like the waves of the sea -- grace succeeding grace -- and we allowed ourselves to be carried along by it. Then the time came when God led us to some new task or act of surrender, and we sheered away. When we refused the task we refused also the grace. That's when we ran on to the sandbank. People who started after us have swept past us, not because they are specially favored but because they use all the grace God provides. It's no good putting our lack of keenness down to age or impediments. Before you go to sleep tonight, get alone and be quiet with God. Review your life in God's light. Ask yourself: Where did I fall out of the race? Invite God to show you the place where you drew back. When He does, repent of your unwillingness to use His grace (there will be grace available for you to face up to this) and tell Him you want to be back in the race again, pacing forward spiritually, along with the most ardent souls you know. It will delight God and make the angels sing. "Look," they will say, "he (or she) is moving again. And with speed. Hallelujah!"

Prayer:

    O God, may this day be a turning point in my spiritual progress. Help me take this truth to heart that when I refuse Your challenge I refuse the grace that goes along with it. Today I move off the sandbank. By grace. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Phil. 3:7--16; 1 Tim. 4:15; 1 Cor. 9:24
    1. What was Paul able to say?
    2. What were Paul's words to Timothy?

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December 17

Two Extremes

Psalm 68:11--20
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." (v. 19)

    The next thing we must do if we are to go deeper with God is to spend time with Him. This means taking time to regularly read His Word, talk to Him in prayer, and cultivate the spiritual sensitivity to listen for His voice speaking directly to our souls. One of the great tragedies of our day is that spiritual leaders fail to emphasize the need for all Christians to regularly spend time with God in this way. In my opinion, this de-emphasis is due to two things in particular. First, it is a reaction to the legalism of past days. At one time, most Christians were told that the life of discipleship turned on whether or not you established a daily quiet time and never wavered from it. In my youth I heard one Bible teacher say: "If you don't begin every day by reading a chapter of the Bible and spending at least thirty minutes in prayer then you have no right to go into the day expecting God to bless it." What about those times when circumstances -- such as sleeping late, a family emergency, personal sickness, an unexpected turn of events -- make it impossible to begin the day with the reading of Scripture or a time of prayer? In turning from the legalism of past days many, however, have replaced it with a more casual approach to personal devotions. If they don't feel like it they don't have a quiet time. And that, I suggest, is as harmful as the legalism from which they might have turned away.

Prayer:

    O God, if, as Your Word says, You daily bear my burdens, is not this worth a daily response of prayer and praise? I may not be able to spend much time with You every day, but I can spend some time. Help me never to forget this. In Christ's Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Ps. 119:1--15, 72, 97; Jer. 15:16
    1. What did the psalmist say he would not do?
    2. What did Jeremiah liken God's Word to?

[nChrist]

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December 18

Our Lord's Two "Customs"

Luke 4:14--30
"... on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (v. 16)

    One reason there is a casual approach to personal devotions in the Christian church today is a reaction to the legalism of past days. Another reason is the rise of the charismatic movement. In the early days of the charismatic renewal, many of its leaders from the historic denominations who had been fed on a diet of legalism began to emphasize (quite rightly) the joy of knowing Christ's presence through the indwelling Spirit every hour of the day. People in charismatic services often said: "Now I don't have to have a daily quiet time in order to feel God's presence. Every waking minute is a quiet time." Dangerous stuff. The danger lies not in emphasizing that we are in Christ's presence every hour of the day but the de-emphasis on closeting oneself alone with Him in personal prayer and study of His Word. Although most leaders of the charismatic renewal did not teach or encourage people to dispense with their personal times of devotion with the Lord, many came to believe they could get through the day simply by speaking in tongues. Nothing must become a substitute for those private and personal moments we spend in prayer and communion with Christ. Our Lord knew and sensed the presence of God with Him and in Him to a degree we will never fully experience here on this earth, but it is said of Him in Scripture that He had two "customs." One custom was to go regularly to the house of God; the other was to pray regularly. And these must be our customs too.

Prayer:

    Lord Jesus, if You needed to spend time closeted with Your Father in personal prayer, then how much more do I need to also. Help me steer a middle course between legalism and casualness. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Matt. 6:5--15; 14:23; Luke 5:16
    1. What did Jesus teach about prayer?
    2. How did He demonstrate it?

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December 19

The Profit of Passion

Psalm 34:1--22
"I sought the Lord, and he answered me ..." (v. 4)

    The more time we spend with our families and friends the better we get to know them. It is the same with God too. Often I am asked to give a plan on how to conduct a quiet time. Here is one I used to give people many years ago. Decide on the amount of time you can spend, preferably in the morning. The morning is best because it tunes your soul for the day. Having fixed the time, stick to it. Take your Bible and a notebook and read a portion slowly. Let it soak in. Make a note of anything that comes to you. Pray then, mentioning any requests or personal petitions you may have. Then relax and listen to see if God has something to say to you. It is far easier to talk than listen, so don?t worry if for some weeks or months nothing comes. Tuning in to God takes time and practice. Nowadays I am reluctant to give people that plan without pointing out the danger of depending on a structure rather than the direction of the Holy Spirit. We would all prefer to go into a quiet time with a plan rather than to abandon ourselves to the Holy Spirit and wait upon Him. Mature Christians should be able to closet themselves alone with God and on occasions simply enjoy His company and presence without even saying a word. The quiet time becomes more effective when we approach it with passion instead of a plan. Good marriages thrive on spontaneity and passion. So does a relationship with the Lord.

Prayer:

    Father, help me come to my quiet time with expectancy -- expectancy that my weakness shall become strength, my doubt become faith, and my passion become stronger. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Ps. 46:1--11; Isa. 30:15; 32:17
    1. When can we know God?
    2. Find some time today to be still in His presence.

[nChrist]

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December 20

A Father and a Friend

Luke 11:1--13
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find ..." (v. 9)

    The great danger of a quiet time is that we will use it as an opportunity to petition God rather than to know Him and be known by Him. I thought back to a statement I remember reading in C. S. Lewis's book, Prayer: Letters to Malcolm, to the effect that the older he got the less involved he became in petitionary prayer. "The strange thing is," said Lewis (and I am paraphrasing now), "the more I pray for things the less my prayers seem to get answered. I think God is leading me on to ask less and less for things and more and more for Himself." Then he expressed this profound thought: "Prayer is taking part in the process of being known." I glanced up as I wrote those words and looked out at the trees in my garden. God knows everything there is to know about those trees, but they are not persons so they cannot join in the process of being known. God knows all there is to know about me, but that objective knowledge is quite different from the process of drawing close to Him in prayer and letting Him know me through my opening up to Him. One is objective knowledge, the other experiential. And what is breathtakingly marvelous about all this is that in every spiritual t?te-?-t?te I hold with God, He seeks to draw my soul into such a relationship with Him that I know Him as a Father and a Friend. Such knowledge is almost too good to be true. But also too good not to be true.

Prayer:

    My Father and my Friend, may my times of communion with You be more than just a petitioner talking to a Supplier. I know You are willing to open Yourself fully to me; help me open myself fully to You. In Christ's Name I ask it. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Job 37:14--24; Pss. 4:4; 131:2
    1. What did Elihu admonish Job?
    2. What was the psalmist able to say?

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December 21

Knowing God
Philippians 3:1--11
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection ..." (v. 10)

    It is not my purpose at this moment to explore the philosophy of prayer, but I do feel it will be helpful to some if I point out that God delights also to be known. The Father is known by the other members of the Trinity (and of course they by Him), and that undoubtedly brings Him great pleasure. But He longs to be known by His children also. There is something in the heart of the Deity that enjoys being known. A lovely, though apocryphal, story told by a Jewish rabbi describes a conversation between Abraham and God. It goes something like this. "God said to Abraham: 'Do you realize, Abraham, that without Me you would be nothing?' 'Ah yes, Lord,' said Abraham, 'I do realize that without You I would be nothing.' Then he thought for a moment, and bowing his head low to the ground said: 'Forgive me if I am being presumptuous, O Lord, but it occurs to me that without me You would not be known.'" This is only a story, of course, and is not intended to convey that God is dependent on His creatures. It simply illustrates the truth that in some mystical way we enrich the heart of God by knowing Him. I am not saying that by knowing God we add to Him or complete Him. That would be foolish. But we can by our deeper knowledge of Him bring Him pleasure. And if there is no greater reason than that for knowing God, then it ought to suffice.

Prayer:

    O Father, I am grateful for the way in which I have come to know You, but I long to know You still more. You open Yourself fully to me; may I open myself fully to You. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.

    For Further Study
    John 17:1--5; Jer. 9:23--24; Job 19:25
    1. What is the essence of eternal life?
    2. What should our boast be?

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December 22

Stated Times
Matthew 6:1--15
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." (v. 6)

    In order to go deeper with God we must sit quietly in His presence, talk with Him, and let Him talk with us. Those who say they can develop their relationship with God without stated times of prayer and the reading of His Word are fooling themselves. Jesus (as we saw) is our best example. He knew God's presence better than anyone, yet He made time to get alone with Him and talk to Him in private prayer. To say that we can develop a rich relationship with God by recognizing we are always in His presence but without taking time to have a spiritual focus is as senseless as saying that we can live in a state of physical nourishment without having regular meals. As I travel I often ask Christians I meet if they have a daily or regular quiet time, and sometimes the answers I receive astonish me. One man told me: "Yes, I get up early, sit quietly in my garden and watch the birds feeding or the goldfish swimming in the pond ... and I feel rejuvenated in my spirit and ready to start the day." The modern idea of a quiet time! The whole purpose of the quiet time is to take in the spiritual resources of God. Nature is wonderful and restorative, but for the intake of spiritual resources we need the blessing that comes from the Word of God and prayer. The quiet time is where the soul grows receptive, where prayer becomes powerful. In turn we gain the quiet heart, that becomes quiet confidence, and that becomes quiet power.

Prayer:

    O Father, deepen the conviction within me that I cannot develop my relationship with You without taking the time to commune with You. Help me make my meeting times with You one of life's great priorities. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Acts 10:1--9; 10:30; James 5:17
    1. What was the pattern of Peter and Cornelius?
    2. How focused was Elijah?

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December 23

Ah, What Then?
Psalm 46:1--11
"Be still, and know that I am God ..." (v. 10)

    In the quiet time the soul is stilled so that it concentrates on God, and it is through this concentration that the spiritual life is deepened. The great French Christian Blaise Pascal once declared that "nearly all the ills of life spring from this simple source, that we are unable to sit still for long in a quiet room." In this modern age people seem to find it difficult to sit quietly for long. They must have a radio blaring or something else to drown the silence. Sitting still can be therapeutic, but what if in the stillness we meet with God? We then receive spiritual therapy. God waits to offer us infinite resources -- for the asking and the taking. The quiet time is where the soul grows receptive, where prayer becomes, as a poet put it, "the organ of spiritual touch," where the touch becomes, as effective and as healing as the touch of the woman on the hem of Jesus' garment, where peace flows into our turbulence, where love absorbs our resentments, where joy heals our griefs, and where we enter into the process of being known. The quiet time shuts us in with God, the door closes upon us, and then infinite resources flood into our soul. The door opens and we move out, with an increased awareness of God, ready to face a world that knows so little about Him. There is, as we have said, great benefit in stillness, but when we meet with God in the stillness -- ah, what then?

Prayer:

    My Father and my God, I see that I need to think more seriously about the whole nature of my quiet times. In avoiding legalism, help me not to go in the other direction either -- the direction of casualness. In Your Son's precious Name I pray. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Pss. 33:17--22; 62:1--2; 130:5--6; 40:1
    1. What did the psalmist do?
    2. What was the result?

[nChrist]

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December 24

Can God Be Trusted?
Psalm 20:1--9
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (v. 7)

    We consider now another matter that is essential if we are to go deeper with God -- confidence in His character. Is God good and can He be trusted? The manner in which we answer this question is crucial to our ongoing relationship with Him. If we have doubts about His character -- His justice for example -- it will most certainly affect the way we view Him and approach Him. You may have heard the story of the farmer whose one and only tractor failed. So he decided to walk across the fields to a neighboring farmer whom he knew had three. As he strode to the neighbor's farmhouse, he reflected on what he knew about his fellow farmer. He remembered that he never appeared at any of the village's social events, and he had heard somewhere that he had a reputation as a skinflint. More negative thoughts about the farmer entered his head, but by this time he found himself at the door of the farmhouse. The farmer, who had seen him coming across the fields, appeared at the doorway and asked: "What's the problem?" "I've come to tell you," said the man, "that you can keep your jolly old tractor!" Many do not realize how profoundly the way we think about God and His, character influences the way we worship Him, the way we work for Him, and the way we witness to Him. Any doubts about the goodness of God will result in our souls keeping their distance from Him. If we do not have complete confidence in Him, we will not desire a close relationship with Him.

Prayer:

    Father, I see how crucial is this issue. Help me deal with any doubts that may be circulating in my mind. I don?t want any distance between You and me; I want closeness. I am listening, dear Father. Continue leading me on. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Neh. 9:19--25; Ps. 23:6
    1. What did the children of Israel revel in?
    2. What was the psalmist's conviction about his life?

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December 25

Doubt and Disobedience
Genesis 3:1--19
"[The serpent] said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" (v. 1)

    We continue discussing the point that unless we have a strong conviction that God is entirely trustworthy, we will not desire a deep and ongoing relationship with Him. Yesterday we spoke of the distance from God our souls experience when we entertain doubts about His goodness. Do you realize that the reason for the distance between God and the first human couple in the Garden of Eden was doubt about God's goodness? Doubt about God soon leads to dislike of God, and dislike of God soon leads to disobedience. When Eve responded to the Tempter's insinuation that God did not have her best interests at heart (by withholding something from her), the doubt she entertained soon led to dislike of God, and then it was relatively easy to take the next step and disobey Him. The moment her doubt about God's goodness expressed itself in taking the forbidden fruit, the foundation on which her relationship with God was established -- trust -- crumbled beneath her feet. Adam rapidly followed her in committing the same kind of sin (doubt about God's goodness) and then, inevitably, distance replaced closeness. Since the Fall, every child born into this world has within its nature a basic distrust of God. Paul puts it like this: "The sinful mind is hostile to God" (Rom. 8:7). The word hostility can be translated "enmity." No one trusts someone they regard as an enemy. Distance between humankind and God arose when the first human couple doubted His goodness. Closeness between human beings and God comes when we have confidence in His goodness. As we said yesterday, no confidence -- no relationship.

Prayer:

    O God my Father, help me have an unshakable confidence in Your character so that no doubts prompted by the devil will ever penetrate my soul. I want no distance between us, but an ever growing closeness. Grant it, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Pss. 145:1--13; 31:19; 16:2
    1. What do the people of God celebrate?
    2. What did the psalmist say to the Lord?

[nChrist]

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December 27

Where Is God?
Psalm 74:1--23
"Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long." (v. 22)

    How do we develop trust in the goodness of God when so much that is happening in the world seems to contradict it? If God is good, how can He allow disasters? Dr. M. Scott Peck opens his book The Road Less Travelled with these words: "Life is difficult. This is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it." I have great difficulty with some of Dr. Scott Peck's statements, but I fully endorse these remarks. Once we accept the fact that life is difficult -- that the mystery of why calamities and suffering occur will never be fully solved while we are here on earth -- then we will stop demanding that a satisfactory answer be found and begin to get on with life. Christians go down different routes regarding this matter of calamities and suffering. One is to close their eyes and pretend the tremendous problems are not there. But integrity requires that we face whatever is true. Reality is grim -- innocent children are abused, starved, massacred -- and countless other forms of atrocity are carried out around the world daily. We must not blind our eyes to these facts and pretend they are untrue because they appear to contradict the concept of God?s goodness. Pretense must never be our refuge. We must be willing to look at these things, unpleasant and horrible though they be, and allow ourselves to be jarred by them. When we face life honestly and allow ourselves to be jolted by what we see, then, and only then, are we ready for God to speak.

Prayer:

    Gracious and loving heavenly Father, give me the courage not to bury my head in the sand and pretend there are no problems. Help me stand even when I cannot understand. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.

    For Further Study
    Pss. 73:1--17; 25:8; 34:8
    1. What was the psalmist's conclusion about God?
    2. What did he struggle with?