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I read about the love story of Daniel Webster and Grace Fletcher. At the time, he was a poor lawyer who fell in love with Grace and began dating her. Grace's father was a clergyman and he allowed Daniel to visit only when he was present. So, they started dating in Grace's home, where she worked. Her job was to untangle knots in silk yarn, which was a time-consuming process. Daniel would sit with her for hours, holding one end of the yarn, while they both fell in love with each other. One day, when Grace's father left the room, Daniel proposed to her. He pulled out a red ribbon that he had tied into an intricate knot and said, "Grace, you and I have been untangling knots for a long time. What if we could tie a knot together that would last our entire lifetime?" Grace also tied up several intricate knots, tying them together. This knotted ribbon became very special to both of them, symbolizing their love for each other. They were married for about 21 years until Grace passed away. After Grace's death, Daniel got married to someone else, but he kept the mementos from his time with Grace in a box entitled “Precious Documents”. The box contained personal items, including letters from him and Grace. The letters were smudged because he had read them so many times. Daniel had pulled those letters out throughout his life to read back over Grace’s love letters to him during their courtship and even after they were married. A red knotted piece of yarn was also found in the box, which symbolized the knot they tied together. Even though Grace had passed away, Daniel never forgot his first love. So often, what happens is that we start our dating or married lives with a honeymoon phase. However, over time, our priorities may change. It's not that we stop loving each other, but we may start to cool off. When football season begins, some are more excited than others. I heard about a woman who was talking to her husband and he asked if there was anything she needed to tell him before the football season started. She thought about it and said, “I think you love football more than you love me.” He replied, “Yeah, but I love you more than I love basketball.” Just as married relationships can cool off, our relationship with God can, too. Before we know it, what began as a passionate walk with God, can cool off. Our quiet times, if they exist at all, can become dull and more like going through a routine. Revelation 2 describes the church at Ephesus as just going through the motions. Revelation 2:1a, 2-5 (NKJV) 1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, … 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” The church in Ephesus was founded by the apostle Paul himself. This church has an incredible heritage and pedigree. Paul wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus, which is now known as the Book of Ephesians. Paul wrote two letters to his protégé in ministry, Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Church history tells us that the Apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, the Gospel of John, and three letters that bear his name (First, Second and Third John), was the pastor of the church in Ephesus. This church had an incredible pedigree, but Jesus' words to them were, "I have something against you. You have left your first love." If it can happen to such a great church, it is a temptation for us, too. He shares three different steps to return to that flame that you once had. First, He says, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen." In Greek, that's a word that means to keep on remembering - it's a present imperative that describes continually remembering. You are constantly remembering. Have you forgotten about what happened when you gave your life to Jesus? Have you forgotten about being lost? Have you forgotten about that time when you did not know Jesus, and you were living for yourself? You were destined for hell, separated from God, and yet God, in His love and mercy, reached out to you and loved you into the kingdom. Every single day when I'm praying in my prayer journal, I say, "Thank you, God, for allowing me to be Your child. Thank You, God, for bringing me into the kingdom. Thank You for loving me through the cross." Never get over the fact that Jesus reached out, opened your spiritual eyes, and helped you see your lost condition and the beauty of the Gospel that could save you and make you right with Him. He says, "Keep on remembering from where you have fallen." Second: "Repent." This is not a popular word today, but Jesus uses that word to rebuke five out of the seven churches, from Revelation 2-3. He says, "Repent or else." Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. It's something internal. You are saying, "I choose to no longer live for myself, but I'm living for Jesus. I choose to no longer live in this direction, but instead be Jesus-centered.” Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. Third: “Return” or "Do the first works." He says, "Do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place.” What do you do with a bulb that's out? You throw it away. It no longer has its usefulness. Do you remember when you first gave your life to Jesus? I can't forget this comment that my dad, who gave his life to Christ at 33, told me. Since I was born when he was 40, this was many years after I was born, but I remember him telling me, even as a teenager, he would say, "Josh, I remember when I first gave my life to Christ. I just had so much love in my heart. I could not help it. All I wanted to do was go and hug a tree. I had so much love." Where does that come from? From God. He is love, and He's filling our life. We love Him, and we love others, and we love the lost, and we love His church. All that love just bubbles out. Don't allow that to cool off in your relationship. Do the first works. Was there ever a time when you loved Jesus more than you do right now? What were you doing during that time? You might reflect on that time and say, "I came to church every time the doors were open. Every morning I'd wake up an hour early just to spend time with Jesus. Every time I would go on my lunch break, I would stick my Bible on my dashboard, I would pull it out, and I would read for a chapter. I would eat my lunch, but then I would read. I would tell people about Jesus. I would carry little pocket cards in my pocket that would have a scripture verse that I would memorize." I'm telling you all of these things that we probably did when we were on fire for Jesus. The question is, why did we ever stop? That's what Jesus' question to Ephesus was, "Why'd you stop?" Go back and return to what you did before. Go back and be around the family of God. Be involved in that Bible study group. Jesus says, "Go back. Do the first works." The sad truth is Ephesus did not do that. Today, there's no church there. The church continued to go in the direction that it was going in and it did not heed the words of Jesus. If that can happen to a church that was founded by the apostle Paul, that was pastored by John, Timothy, and Paul, it can happen to any church. If it can happen to a church that's sound doctrinally, that's steadfast, that's successful, that's sacrificial, then it can happen to any church. A woman was riding in a truck with her husband. He was driving the truck and they were sitting on the front bench. She said to him, "Honey, do you remember those times when we were dating and there was no space between us? I was sitting in the middle of that bench, right beside you, and you were driving. There was just no space between us. Don't you remember those good old days? And why don't we do that?" He looked at her and replied, "I never moved." Sometimes we feel distant from God and wonder why we don't feel the same fire and passion for Him as we once did. But just like the husband in the truck who never moved, God never moves away from us. We can always slide closer to Him and rekindle our love for Him. Remember, repent, return to those first works, and you will soon find the fire rekindled with your relationship with the Lord. Dear God, my heart has grown cold. I’m not prioritizing my walk with You. Please forgive me. Remind me of the activities that I used to do, and I commit to returning to them. I never want to leave You, my First Love. In Jesus’ name, amen. Psalm 91 is truly one of the most remarkable chapters in the entire Bible. For many, it's a favorite Psalm, and it provides believers with a profound sense of God's comforting care, security, and refuge. William MacDonald shared a story associated with this psalm in his one-volume commentary on the Bible, known as the Believer's Bible Commentary:
"In 1922, in the Western Hebrides, a five-year-old lad was dying of diphtheria. A mucous membrane was forming across his throat, and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. His Christian mother turned her back so she would not see him take his last breath. At that very moment there was a knock at the door. It was her brother-in-law from an adjoining village. He said, “I’ve just come to tell you that you don’t have to worry about the child. He is going to recover, and one day God is going to save his soul.” She was distracted and incredulous: “Whatever makes you say that?” Then he explained he had been sitting at his fire reading Psalm 91 when God distinctly spoke to him through the last three verses: "Because on me he set his love, I’ll save and set him free; Because my great name he hath known, I will set him on high. He’ll call on me, I’ll answer him; I will be with him still, In trouble to deliver him, And honour him I will. With length of days unto his mind I will him satisfy; I also my salvation Will cause his eyes to see. —from The Scottish Psalms In Metre. "I was that boy. God delivered me from death that night; He saved my soul thirteen years later, and He has satisfied me with long life. So you will understand why I refer to Psalm 91 as my Psalm. I usually add, with tongue in cheek, that I am willing to share it with others—but it is definitely my Psalm!"[1] This Psalm holds a special place in my heart as well, mainly because of the last verse, which states, "With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." For many years, my dad would hold onto this verse, quoting it often, as he walked through physically declining years. His faith would be strengthened as he would remind me that he was holding on to this verse. So, I can say with William MacDonald that this is “my psalm” as well. Psalm 91:1–16 (NKJV) 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” We are currently living in a time where fear has a stronghold on many people's hearts. We need to distinguish between three types of fear: 1) a form of respect, which is healthy; 2) reverence for God, which is healthy; and 3) fear that God warns us to avoid. First, there is a healthy fear that God has instilled in us to protect us from danger. This healthy fear should be viewed as a form of respect. For example, we should respect a hot stove, as it can burn us. We respect the danger of a rattlesnake or playing in traffic. These are examples of healthy fears or forms of respect. Second, there is a healthy fear of God. According to Proverbs 1:7, this type of fear is the beginning of wisdom. It is not a fear of punishment but rather a healthy reverence for God. Hebrews 10:31 reads, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Similarly, Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” This kind of fear demonstrates a deep reverence for God. Living fearlessly does not mean living recklessly. Living fearlessly doesn’t mean you no longer fear God, because that is actually positive. Healthy reverence for God actually builds courage as you trust Him and see Him in all His might and power. There is a third kind of fear which this psalm can help you avoid. It is a kind of fear that God does not want you to experience. It paralyzes you as you think so much about the problems and challenges that you are facing. Do you have financial challenges? Are you lonely? Is sickness causing you to fear tomorrow? These kinds of fears focus on your difficulties more than on God, Who has promised to help you meet those challenges. Someone has discovered that the Bible uses the phrase "Fear not" 365 times, once for each day of the year. We may hear this phrase “fear not” and think He is just trying to get us to “stop it.” We may respond, “I would stop it if I could!” There's a hilarious video skit featuring Bob Newhart where he is essentially counseling someone by telling them to "stop it." I was shown this video during my counseling classes in seminary as an example of what not to do in counseling. You can find it on YouTube. In the skit, a woman comes in saying she's afraid of being buried alive in a box. His response is to counsel her by repeatedly telling her to "stop it." When she explains that she can't stop thinking about it and that it's controlling her, he just continues saying, "Stop it." Finally, in exasperation, he says, “Stop it… or I’ll bury you in a box!” Of course, just saying “stop it” doesn’t give anyone the strength to actually stop. Now, this is not the approach God takes when He tells us to "fear not." He doesn’t just want us to stop feeling fear. He wants us to be full of faith. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). If you are feeling fear today, take time to meditate on Psalm 91, which provides an antidote to fear. It will strengthen your faith and help you live fearlessly, no matter what you are going through. Lord, I praise You that You are everything I need to walk through the difficulties I am facing. I thank You for Your promises. I ask You to remind me of Your strength and care when my heart is overwhelmed with anxiety. I look to You. In Jesus’ name, amen. [1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 689–690. Ephesians 6:17 says, “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word [Rhema] of God” This passage tells us that there is a powerful weapon that we are to take up like a sword to help us live in victory as Christians. That weapon is called the spoken “word” of God. This literally reads the “Rhema” of God, or a specific “word” from the general “word”. It could be referred to as the “spoken Word of God.” Romans 10:17 says that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word [Rhema] of God.” Faith is expressed in many ways, but one primary way is through our agreeing with God vocally. We say boldly: I am who the Word of God says I am. I have what the Word of God says I have. I can do what the Word of God says I can do. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” When we listen to the devil and the culture around us, we will not live the victorious Christian life God intended. In this passage, God is helping us see how we will overcome in this life – through the finished work of Christ on the Cross (His Blood) and the word of our testimony (His Word on our lips). About this passage Dr. Adrian Rogers has said, A part of the word of your testimony is to see yourself and to speak of yourself as an overcomer. This is important because the me I see is the me I’ll be. We often hear God’s people speak of themselves with what they imagine to be humility. ‘I know I am not much. I know I am no good. I know I am just a sinner saved by grace.’ Well, technically you may be just a sinner saved by grace, but the Bible doesn’t call you that. The Bible calls you the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:21). We need to see ourselves as God sees us – kings and priests…redeemed, accepted, empowered… You can say to yourself, ‘I am a child of God. I am Christ’s friend. I am chosen and appointed by my Lord. I am a son or daughter of God. I am a member of Jesus’ body. I am an heir of God. I am a saint. I am God’s workmanship. I am chosen by God, holy and dearly beloved. I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation; and I am what I am by the grace of God.’ [1] Our heavenly Father loves to see that His children have the confidence to take Him at His Word. These daily declarations are designed to help you verbally agree with God’s Word. David Jeremiah once wrote, “Nothing is more liberating than agreeing with God about how He sees you and how He feels about you. From God’s Word, first know who He is. Then know who you are in Him, what you have in Him, and what you can do through Him. Believe and receive from Him His truth about you.” [2] Part of your time with God could be spent “rehearsing” these truths out loud. As you declare these mighty promises, let your heart respond like Mary responded to Gabriel, when she said, “be it unto me, O Lord, according to Your Word (Luke 1:38).” Dr. Bill Bennett taught me, as well as countless other men to recite this “Victory Pledge” and “Pledge to the Bible” which are simply declarations about what God has said about us and what He has said about His Word. I have found it to be a great source of encouragement to internalize these pledges, which is why I print them here: The Victory Pledge[3]: I’m too Anointed to be Disappointed I’m too Blessed to be Depressed I’m too Chosen to be Frozen I’m too Elected to be Rejected I’m too Inspired to be Tired I have more to shout about than to pout about, And more to sing about than to complain about! The Pledge to the Bible [4]: This is my Bible. It is God’s inerrant word. It is my most valuable earthly possession. I will, therefore, make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God. The Bible is God talking to me personally. I will, therefore, listen to it carefully and obey it fully. And I will endeavor to internalize it in my life by doing four things: • I will know it in my head by diligent study, • I will stow it in my heart by memorization and meditation, • I will show it in my life by obeying its teachings, and • I will sow it in my world by my witness. Hereafter, I will never be the same. Never, never, never! In the name of Jesus, for His honor and glory, both now and forever more, Amen. [1] Rogers, Adrian, Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority (Nashville: Broadman, 2002), 198-199. [2] Jeremiah, David, Who I Am in Christ (Turning Point, 1999), 5. [3] Bennett, Bill, “The Victory Pledge”, www.mentoringmen.net [4] Ibid., “The Pledge to the Bible”, ww.ringmen.net *This blog post came from Josh's book "Pathway to Power: a 52-Week Devotional Journal." This book includes "Declarations of Faith", which adapts dozens of Bible verses to become personalized statements about who you are in Christ, what you have because of Christ, and what you can do through Christ's strength!
In Jesus Skeptic, award-winning journalist John Dickerson shares how Christianity has benefited society through the arts, through the scientific revolution, through developing hospitals and universities and much more. He writes, “We say that a fish doesn’t know what water is because water is all they have ever known. In a similar way, we who have been born into American or European cultures have a difficult time understanding what society without Christian influence would actually look like.” [1] He noticed a correlation between women’s rights and societies influenced by Christianity. He continues, “To my surprise, the countries with the best women’s rights all have predominately Christian populations. And the countries with the worst women’s rights are where Christianity has been outlawed or is socially punished. … On average, Christians make up 75 percent of the populations in the nations that lead the world with the best women’s rights, including matters such as equal pay, the right to vote, the right not to be sold into marriage, and a striving toward equal rights in all areas.” [2] In each of the ten worst countries for women’s rights, according to the non-Christian World Economic Forum, none of them are Christian dominant societies and eight out of ten have less than five percent Christian populations. Most of these nations have outlawed Christianity. In these nations, women are not allowed to vote, nor go to school. Often they will be denied the ability to drive a car. “In some [countries], girls are still sold into marriage. Even worse, in some of these cultures, a woman gets physically punished if she is found ‘guilty’ of being raped by a man.” [3] I agree with Dickerson’s final analysis when he says, “No matter how much you may respect other global cultures, if you have a daughter, sister, or mother, you do not want her living in one of these societies.” [4] It is so easy to take it for granted when you are living in a Christian-influenced society, which lifts the status of women. God’s Word is clear that men and women are both equally made in the image of God. Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (NKJV) Men and women both have equal dignity before God. Though we should appreciate the differences that exist, it should always be within the context of recognizing the equal standing men and women both have in the eyes of God. Dear God, thank You for the freedoms that I enjoy living in America. Thank You for how Jesus has lifted women in society. I pray we never take it for granted. In Jesus' name, amen. [1] John Dickerson, Jesus Skeptic (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book, 2019), 40. [2] Ibid., 40-42. [3] Ibid., 42. [4] Ibid. |
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