Our Journey

Read Psalm 23:5-6 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6

I wish that once we learned a spiritual lesson, we would never have to learn it again. If you’re like me, that doesn’t happen much. Usually it takes two or three return painful go-arounds before I claim that lesson as my own. With that in mind, I recently had to rediscover the truth of that powerful phrase in Psalm 23, “My cup overflows” (v.5).

The repeat lesson came on a day when I had too much to do, no energy to do it, and pressure from all sides to get it done. I had gotten dry and pushed into a pattern that I hated—and God hated. He wanted my attention and He was going to get it.

I had been trying to live life out of my capacity. I figured I could get the 10 things done, meet 3 deadlines, and still have time left over to serve Him. I measured my day out of what I thought I could get accomplished. But God says, “I don’t want you to live for Me out of your capacity. Serve Me out of your overflow. Focus on Me again and you won’t have to worry about how to measure out what you give”. What’s my problem?

It’s hard to accept, but often our problem boils down to sin. We call it more polite names, but anything that causes our cup to stop overflowing is sin. Call it “fatigue” or “work pressure” and pull back from serving the Lord with your whole heart—and the world would call that life management but it’s really still sin.

Not many of us think of our lack of abundance as sin, but that’s why our cups do not quickly overflow again. Where sin is admitted and confessed, the blood of Jesus cleanses from all unrighteousness. Where His blood cleanses, His Spirit always witnesses in us and the cup runs over again. His blood, however, doesn’t cleanse excuses.

When you find yourself holding back for fear of an empty tank, do these:
• Ask the Lord to reveal to you what is blocking the abundance in your life and confess it as sin and Increase your time in God’s Word and in prayer.

Do this regularly and you won’t have to worry again about having enough. —James MacDonald

responding How often this week have I felt weary in doing the right thing? What’s going on? How can I resist living the Christian life in my own strength? Do I feel rich in God?
following Live out of your overflow in Jesus.

Get your subscription at Walk in the Word

Read Luke 12:35-40 35 Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes … 39 … if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an not expect. Luke 12:35-37, 39-40

While I believe in the importance of being ready for Christ’s return, I don’t think much of date setters who think they have the timing all figured out. After all, it has been almost 20 years since the book “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988″ was published! The book took Christians by storm, and, as the president of Moody Bible Institute then, I received copies from well-meaning saints who wanted to spread the word through Moody radio that Jesus was coming back. Since Jesus said that none knew the time of His return I dismissed the book as another crackpot publication.

But to this day, I’ll never forget getting up, that morning. Although skeptical, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What if that author is right? Our family talked about it at the breakfast table and as my daughter walked out and left for school she turned around and joked, “Hey, Dad—see ya in heaven.”

How right that sounded! I found myself thinking that I should live as if this were my last day here — the day that He returns to take me home and see Him face to face! I thought about how differently I ‘d treat people, how inter-rested I would be to share the gospel and how I would live purely. As Jesus said in Luke 12, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home . . . Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (Luke 12:35-37).

So here are four habits of hearts that are fixed on heaven .. .
• Be confidently riveted on His sudden return. (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
• Be pure. Throughout the New Testament, the strongest motivation for purity was always connected to the return of Jesus (1 John 3:3).
• Refuse to get stuck here. After all, as people of faith, we are “strangers and exiles” here (Hebrews 11:13).
• Invest your time and resources in eternity (Luke 12:33).

God wants heaven be the fire in your heart. Our lives here should be a sneak preview of the really big show to come! See ya in heaven! —Joe Stowell

responding What would I have done differently yesterday if I knew today would have been your last day on earth? Who do I need to callor hug? Which habit is the hard to do?
following Does heaven have a grip on your heart?

Get your subscription at Walk in the Word

Read Luke 23:46-47 46 Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” Luke 23:46-47

Though as many as 200 armed soldiers were sent to Gethsemane to apprehend and arrest Jesus, the detail assigned to crucify Him contained only four men (John 19:23). In charge of the gruesome proceedings was a nameless centurion.

Like the Nazi’s who ran Hitler’s death camps, these would have been men who had become hardened over the years. The acts of nailing through living flesh and driving the long pilum into the chest to ensure their victims were dead would have long ago become everyday custom to them, especially to someone who had attained the rank of centurion.

The Greek historian Polybius tells us that centurions were an exceptional class of men (v.24). Without exception, when they are portrayed in the New Testament, it’s in a thoroughly positive light. Already in Luke 7 we’ve met a centurion in the city of Capernaum who had donated the funds to build the synagogue. Up till here, in Luke’s narrative, everyone has been amazed at Jesus. Here for the first time, it’s Jesus who’s amazed by the centurion’s faith (v.9). Now, at the end of His ministry, Jesus amazes the hardened soldier by the way He dies. He does not succumb to exhaustion or loss of blood, He shouts triumphantly. The centurion has never seen anything like it before. The way Jesus dies wins praise for God.

In John 19:35-36 a mysterious voice interrupts the text. We are told it is the voice of someone who actually witnessed the piercing of Jesus side and saw both blood and water pouring from the wound. The voice tells us that he’s testifying so that we, his hearers, might have faith. Clearly it is the voice of one of the members of John’s congregation. Perhaps he’s even the bearer of the gospel, carrying it along the postal road where the seven churches lie. I’ve come to believe over time that it is the same voice that called out at the cross, “This was an innocent man!” —Michael Card

responding What is the cumulative effect in the Gospel of Luke of hearing person after person declare the innocence of Jesus?
following The way Jesus lived and died wins praise for God.

Get your subscription at Walk in the Word

John 21:15-19 15 … Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter … said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 … And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Many uninstructed believers become discouraged because of their own failures, and Satan takes advantage of these to inject into their minds doubts as to whether they are not deceiving themselves after all in supposing they are Christians. But a knowledge of the truth as to the believer’s two natures will often help here. It is important to understand that sin in the flesh, inherent in the old nature, is not destroyed when one is born again. On the contrary, that old sin-principle remains in the believer as long as he is in the body. What takes place as new birth is that a new and divine nature is communicated. These two natures are in conflict with each other.

But the Christian who walks in the spirit will not fulfill the desires of the flesh, even though at times those desires may be manifested. In order to so walk, one must take sides with God against this principle of evil which belongs to the old Adamic nature. God reckons it as executed at the cross of Christ; for the Lord Jesus died, not only for what we have done but for what we are by nature. Now faith accepts this as true, and the believer can exclaim, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live I the flesh [that is, in the body], I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

Carefully consider what is taught here: I, the responsible I, the old man, all that I was as a man in the flesh, including my entire sinful nature—”I have been crucified with Christ.” When was that? It was when Jesus died on Calvary’s tree 2,000 years ago. . . . He died the death I deserved to die. Therefore in God’s eyes His death was my death. So I have died with Him.

Now I am called upon to make this real in my personal experience. I am to reckon myself as dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God (Romans 6:11). The old nature has no claim upon me. If it asserts itself and endeavors to bring me into bondage, I am to take sides with God against it. He has condemned sin in the flesh. I must condemn it too. Instead of yielding to it, I am to yield myself unto God as one alive from the dead, for 1 have been crucified in Christ’s crucifixion, but I live anew in His resurrection. —Henry A. Ironside

Read John 21:1-6 1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias,… 2 Simon Peter, Thomas . . . and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said . . “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They . . . got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. John 21:1-6

There’re times in our lives when we desperately need a fresh touch from the Lord. We face unexpected circumstances. There’re painful relationships, ruined finances and our health is not shipshape. We need a fresh touch from God and we know it.

That’s the situation Jesus’ disciples found themselves in John 21. When all their questions and fears fell so heavily on their minds, Peter couldn’t sit still. He announced: “I’m going fishing.” Not knowing what else to do to relieve their anxiety, they said to him, “We’ll go with you.” John 21:3 tells the rest of the story. “But that night they caught nothing.”

Days before, the disciples had watched Jesus die. Even though they had since seen the resurrected Jesus, they were still confused, unaware of their mission, and feeling alone. Abandoned. They were without the Savior, who had been everything to them, and also without the Holy Spirit, who had been promised to take His place. They were in-between.

So there they were, sitting around Galilee, asking themselves, “What are we gonna do now?” So, they went fishing—back to their familiar territory. That whole night they caught nothing and learned nothing—until Jesus met them on the shore the next morning.

Too often the first thing we do when we feel desperate is to look for a quick fix. We say, “I don’t have to take this. I’ll quit my job.” “If God won’t do anything, I’ll do it myself.” “If God won’t heal this relationship, I’ll end it.”

But all the effort we extend to fix our problems or resolve some crisis won’t yield much. The Lord wants so much to hear us say, “Forgive me, Lord. I thought I was right, but now I see I was just looking for an out.

Whether we know it or not, that’s a good place to be. God’s always ready to reveal to a humble heart the futility of effort apart from Him. Jesus in John 21 is asking you, “Are you ready to give me this thing that troubles you? Can we work on this together? Let’s start today.” —James MacDonald

responding Have I sought an easy out for this problem I’m facing in my own strength?
following My efforts to fix a problem are futile apart from Jesus.

Get your subscription at Walk in the Word