Devotions

Many Christians talk about intimacy with the Lord, about walking with him, knowing him, having fellowship with him. But we cannot have true communion with God unless we receive into our hearts the full revelation of his love, grace and mercy.

Communion with God consists of two things: receiving the love of the Father and loving him in return. Being secure in his love is the first step. You can spend hours each day in prayer telling the Lord how much you love him, but if you have not received his love, you have not had communion with him.

The psalmist encourages us: “Enter into [God’s] gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). He goes on to show us the kind of God we are to come to: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (verse 5).

Too many have the impression of God as a demanding figure with an angry countenance just waiting for us to fail so he can say, “I caught you!” But our heavenly Father has revealed himself as kind, tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, anxious to lift all our cares and burdens.

The prophet Zephaniah writes about God’s incredible love to us: “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).

You can come into his courts with praise and thanksgiving because you are so thankful for who God is. In spite of all your weaknesses and failures, your heavenly Father cares about everything you are going through.

Do not live in fear and despair, with little or no hope. Ask the Lord to help you grasp the truth of his love for you and lay hold of that love by faith. 

Only one thing can keep us going in the coming hard times and that is an understanding of God’s glory. By grasping it, we unlock the door to an overcoming life!

The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord’s nature and being. In the Old Testament, Moses had a literal glimpse of God’s glory. “The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’” (Exodus 34:6-7).

This passage of scripture is essential to our understanding of who our Lord is. Often when we think about the glory of God, we think of his majesty and splendor, his power and dominion, or some manifestation in his people, such as exuberant worship. Such things can be a result of seeing God’s glory but this is not the glory by which he wants us to know him. He wants us to know his glory through the revelation of his great love toward humankind. And that is just what he revealed to Moses.

The revelation of God’s glory powerfully affects those who receive it and pray for an understanding of it. Up to this point, Moses had viewed the Lord as a God of law and wrath and he trembled in the Lord’s presence. But this new sight of God’s glory moved Moses to worship without fear. He saw that God was love and his nature was one of kindness and tender mercy!

Attending how-to seminars, hearing famous speakers, or absorbing self-improvement books and messages is fine but the only lasting change comes from having a first-hand revelation of God’s glory. Seeing his glory changes the way we live! It affects our countenance and behavior and makes us more like him. How wonderful to know that God has already given that revelation of himself in Exodus 34 and it is for us!   

When the Lord came to earth to dwell among us, he had a very specific purpose, one that was formed prior to the foundations of the world. He came with the mission to teach us of the Father, to do mighty works, to rescue us from sin, and to free us from all bondage.

That kind of Savior would naturally draw the attention of this world’s ruling powers but despite all the deadly obstacles thrown at him by man and Satan, Jesus was able to accomplish his purpose.

We live in a world not unlike the one Jesus entered two millennia ago. According to most news sources today, many in America are disturbed by the idea of a Savior like Jesus. In recent years, school administrators, the national media and even government officials have reacted strongly — and negatively — to the public mention of Christ’s name. This should not surprise us, as Jesus foretold that as the day of his return draws near, “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Not long ago a national Christian children’s hospital submitted a commercial to a TV sports network that refused to air the ad unless the word “Jesus” was removed from it. Also, the patriarch of the family featured on the popular TV show Duck Dynasty stated that the Bible does not condone homosexuality and he was called a bigot, a homophobe and a hate-monger. Obviously, these are minor persecutions compared to those suffered by Christians in nations where Christianity is outlawed. In my visits to over sixty nations, I have seen the daily hardships that believers overseas endure. Yet I can assure you that very soon things will become worse for the church in America. Persecution will grow worse because the gospel continues to frustrate those who walk in darkness.

May our hearts be ruled by the love of Jesus Christ so that we can witness to his love and see his purposes accomplished amidst this corrupt generation. 

Stay strong when God seems to be silent, for the victory is still yours. It has not been taken away from you; you are not cut off from the life of God because of a few mistakes along the way, for that is not the way God operates. Simply turn to him as King David did — with all your heart.

After going through a season of silence — with difficulty, darkness and confusion — David wrote these words as part of the dedication of the temple: “Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to You, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication” (Psalm 30:7-8). David was saying, “There was a season in my life where you hid your face from me. It seemed that you were no longer there. In the natural, all I saw was destruction around me, the foolishness of my own mistakes. It troubled me, but I cried to you.”

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever” (30:11-12). In other words, “Even when I am foolish, you remain faithful. You have put a song of praise within me that is independent of my circumstances. You have put faith into my heart that things will be exactly as you said they would be so I am going to sing praise and give you thanks.”

In the same way, God has already put a song within your heart. Even though he is seemingly silent to you, refuse to be silent to him. Rejoice in him, knowing that he will surely fulfill every promise he has even given to you. God has been faithful to you and he always will be!

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. 

King David often expressed his sorrow and struggle: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. . . . I would hasten my escape” (Psalm 55:6 and 8). At times David’s grief drove him to the point of tears and he eloquently expresses his despair.

Because we live in a fallen world, we all face days of grief and struggle. How, exactly are we to find grace to help us in our times of need? Relying on a theological definition of grace does not help us when we are in the midst of crisis. We need God’s very real help when we are hurting.

God dispenses his grace through revelations during our trials that we could never understand in our good times. We find examples of this in the Word. John received the revelation of his Lord that would become the final element of Scripture: the Book of Revelation. In the midst of that dark hour, the light of the Holy Spirit came to him and John saw Jesus as he had never seen him before.

God also dispenses his grace through his people, using his own caring saints to become channels of his grace to others. I call this “people grace” and Paul speaks of it. “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7).

And Peter writes, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

Think about what it means to be a good steward, or dispenser, of God’s grace. Are you such a person or do you spend your time praying only for your own pain, grief and struggles?

Beloved, your present sufferings are producing something precious in your life. As you receive his great grace, may the Lord help you to become a grace giver. Experience his life and rejoice!