Devotions

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were judged as being pious because of their somber dispositions. Some of the Puritans encouraged frowning as an expression of religious seriousness. The truth is that we don’t need encouragement to frown or be unhappy. Life will give us plenty of reasons for that.

In his Confessions, Augustine asked “Is not a happy life the thing that all desire, and is there anyone who altogether desires it not?” He went on to add, “But where did they acquire the knowledge of it, that they so desire it? Where have they seen it, that they so love it?” Augustine’s point was that a desire for happiness is etched into our psyche. We long for it, but we often find ourselves seeking it in the wrong places. Even when we find joy in earthly delights, we discover that they don’t last.

When I think of happiness from a biblical viewpoint, I’m often drawn to Jeremiah. “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13, ESV). There is a sadness in God’s rebuke related to the deceptiveness and destructive nature of sin; it promises what it can’t deliver.

The people of Judah rejected God and chose their own path. Jeremiah equates this to rejecting living, moving water for the stale water of a cistern, and a broken one at that. Sin promises happiness but only delivers hurt. Perhaps you have family or friends who are on this road to disillusionment and dissatisfaction. What do we do? We speak truth when the opportunity is there, but for those closest to us, we need to ask ourselves, “Do I live an attractive life? Do I live a life of rest? Do I seek hope in the living waters of Jesus? Or do I seek hope in that which will always disappoint?”

“As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double” (Zechariah 9:11-12). We are ‘prisoners’ of hope, so are we hoping in the right things? What are you seeking hope in that will never deliver? What cisterns have you built?

May we all return to drink deeply of the living waters of Jesus.

_{Mark Renfroe and his wife, Amy, have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. Mark served as the area director for Assemblies of God World Missions and currently serves as the chief missions officer for World Challenge.}

Believe it or not,
That is the question.
Did Jesus really walk on water?
Heal lepers?
Raise the dead?
Make the blind to see?
Cause the wind and waves to obey?
Cast out devils?
Heal lunatics?
And turn water into wine?
To believe all of that
A man would have to believe in miracles!
Yet a man cannot believe in Christ at all,
Unless he believes in miracles—
His resurrection
And ascension.
He is either dead or alive,
And if alive—
It is a miracle!
And all he ever did was miraculous.
Believe it all.
That is faith!

This faith is often spoken of in scripture. Let the verses below encourage you in your faith walk.

“For whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23, NKJV).

“But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5).

“For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26).

I am learning something wonderful about the Holy Spirit. He has a unique characteristic; he does not like to talk about himself. He does not make himself the primary object of our attention.

I have tried earnestly to study the Holy Spirit, digging into entire volumes about him written by respected authors, books about his nature and personality. Some of these books are very deep and often hard to understand. They are all very interesting but not always enlightening. The fact is that they can’t instruct us or bring us closer to God because we can only understand what the Spirit himself reveals, and he won’t talk about himself!

I have tried digging into the meaning of the Holy Spirit’s names — Comforter, Paraclete, Advocate, Intercessor — looking for some insight as to who he is. I finally realized that we Christians don’t have to understand the person of the Holy Spirit because he doesn’t want to tell us hidden things about himself. All we need to know is that he is one of the Godhead, eternal, the very Spirit of Christ, sent down to this earth to live in us who believe. Even more important, his eyes are always on Christ!

The Holy Spirit doesn’t want us to know about him so much as to know about his mission, and that mission is to bring us to Jesus and to keep us in purity and holiness. He is always at work, making Christ known in our hearts; and he delights in our seeking knowledge about why he has come.

Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. …These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:13-14, 33, NKJV).

During the years in New York City when we worked with addicts, alcoholics and the homeless, I would pray, “Lord, everywhere I look, I see pain, distress, grief and trouble. What message can I possibly give to those in such dire need? What is your word to them? Surely you care for these precious people. Surely you long to bring them a word that can set them free.”

The Lord gave me assurance that he has provided a way to strengthen every child of his to resist the enemy. This strength comes only from eating the bread of life sent down from heaven. Our spiritual health depends on getting this bread into us.

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus: “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:57, NKJV). Jesus was in such close communion with the Father and was so committed to doing only his will that the Father’s words became his very food and drink. Jesus was sustained daily by hearing and seeing what the Father wanted, which was the result of spending much time alone with him.

Christ told his disciples, “I have food to eat of which you do not know. …My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:32, 34). He also instructed them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him” (John 6:27). We dare not miss this secret of strength. Even as Christ lived by the Father, we must also receive our life by feeding on Christ.

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, the manna that sustained them was dispensed daily. Through this example, God is telling us that what we ate of Christ yesterday will not supply our need for today. We must admit we will starve spiritually and become weak and helpless without a daily supply of fresh heavenly bread. We must come to the Lord’s table often.

Most of us know that sin is at the root of all our problems, our fear, guilt, anger, depression. We know that these rob us of spiritual courage and vitality. What we do not know is how to overcome the “sin which so easily ensnares us” (see Hebrews 12:1).

It’s one of the Bible’s great promises that victory over all our enemies comes through Jesus Christ our Lord, but how do we get the power out of his vine into our puny little branch? I love Jesus, always have, and I know that he has all power. I also know he promises me victory, but how does it happen?

I am just beginning to see a little light on this mystery. God is asking me to do the following three things in my own search for total triumph over my sin.

1.   I must learn to hunger for holiness and hate my sin. Sin pollutes me, and God cannot look upon it or condone it. The fear of God is the basis of all freedom. I can’t expect to be excused or given special privileges. My sin must be confessed and forsaken.

2.   I must be convinced that God loves me in spite of my sin! God hates my sin with a perfect hatred, while at the same time he loves me with an infinite compassion. His love will never compromise with sin, but he clings to his sinning child with one purpose in mind: to reclaim him.

3.   I must accept the loving help of my Father in resisting and overcoming. Sin is like an octopus with many tentacles trying to crush my life. Seldom do all the tentacles loosen their hold on me at once. It is one tentacle at a time, one small victory at a time. God dispatches the Holy Spirit to me with clear direction on how to fight, when to run, where to strike next.

The battle against sin, principalities and powers is the Lord’s, not mine. I am just a soldier, fighting in his war. God wants me to totally believe in him and his power over sin and death. My part is to believe that God will bring me out of the battle victoriously!