Falling Short at the End
The Hebrew word for perfect, shalem, is used throughout the Old Testament to describe the hearts of the people, most often the kings of Israel. A perfect, shalem, heart is undivided in devotion to God and His ways. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed, “Let your heart therefore be perfect [shalem] with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments” (1 Kings 8:61). That was, incidentally, the last line of Solomon’s prayer, and it was a request for obedience that was not consistently honored by the people. Such was the case with Amaziah, whose commitment to God fell short at the end.
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Meditation on Romans 16:10a
The first fifteen verses of Romans 15 comprise Paul’s greetings and commendations to members of the Roman church. Apelles’s name is in the middle and easily overlooked. Aside from distant speculation that he could be Apollos, there is virtually nothing known about this remarkable Christian. You might be wondering, What is remarkable about obscurity? Much for the serious believer. You see, the meaning behind his name is the calling for all of us. Apelles means “called”; approved is to be tried and found genuine.
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The Philistines in Our Life (A Renovated or Renewed Mind)
Three truths must be kept at the forefront of the born-again believer’s mind. We are to cultivate a renewed mind. We must believe that God is sovereign. We must trust that God is faithful to His children…
There are three uses of renewed in the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Ephesians 4:23, and Colossians 3:10. In all three uses, to renew or to be renewed means to be renovated, as in renovating our mindset, our thinking, our perspective, so our life can be transformed from carnal to Christ-like. This is akin to renovating a room with orange carpet, dark wood paneling, and a popcorn ceiling into a modern room painted in a light shade with sheers for curtains, and a smooth ceiling that reflects the light-colored wooden or ceramic tile floor. In both instances, the old, stale, dingy environment which once satisfied in former years is revitalized, reflecting present day light and life. The transformation has begun.
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Meditation on Romans 8:18
Many are the sufferings of this world. How should it not be so when this world is mired in Adam’s sin. Why do we consider that fairness, goodness, and purity should characterize this world? These heavenly attributes cannot contend with sin and remain unblemished. Yes, we can find glimpses of them here, but this is not their permanent residence. And neither is it ours. We are not earth dwellers but pilgrims, who while treading the narrow course will certainly encounter hardship and pain and illness. Is it only hardship and pain and illness? No, the word sufferings also means evil suffered. And didn’t our Lord suffer evil; did not God deliver him over to wicked men?
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Two Who Excelleth Them All
After studying the book of Ezra, I began wondering about names. Why is that today there are so few Ezras? I wondered the same after studying Ruth. While Rebeccas and Rachels abound, why not many Ruths? Naomis? I don’t believe I’ve ever known a Christian Naomi. This, of course, is not written to detract from Rebekah’s and Rachel’s esteem. Their wealth, beauty, and role in the lives of the Jewish patriarchs are well known.
Also significant are the lives of Ruth and Naomi. As two poor and widowed women, they could offer the Jewish society of their day nothing but character. Their lives were marked by suffering. Their choices reflected meekness, wisdom, steadiness, and trustworthiness. These are virtues praised in Proverbs 31:30, Titus 2:3-5, and 1 Peter 3:1-6. In the midst of suffering, these two women placed God before self. Each serves as an exemplary model of sacrificing her best interests and submitting to what God gives, pleasant or unpleasant.
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Meditation on Romans 8:15
If we cry to God, “Abba, Father,” we will obtain and walk with a spiritual mindset. Our thinking and our attitude will be renovated to please God instead of ourselves. Thus, we will no longer be in bondage to the fears (phobos in the Greek) of our old life. The alarms, frights, and terrors will fade, and our faith will be strengthened as we cry out to God for deliverance. We will persevere in confidence that God is for us.
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Meditation on Romans 8:13
The life of the new man requires that we mortify the deeds of the body so that our spiritual life may be one of constant growth, in which we bear the grapes, figs, and pomegranates of the Promised Land, one where we are that sweet sacrifice of the Old Testament.
What are the deeds of the body? Everything that the eye or mind desires that exalts itself against God, that separates the believer from God, dimming the light of the Spirit in us.
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Exceeding, Abundantly: The Life of Faith, the True Work of God
Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about the Laodicean church. It’s renowned for three traits: being lukewarm, wealthy, and blind. A fourth, and I would argue inherent to its waywardness, is that the church has shut out Jesus: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock” (Revelation 3:20a). How ironic that this verse is frequently depicted on Christian goods to encourage the lost to have saving faith. I wonder how much money has been made on a statement that characterizes a church in apostasy?! Indeed, we are living in a time when Christianity is “rich, and increased with goods” (Revelation 3:17), yet knows not of its wretched state.
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A Record of God's Faithfulness
This morning I finished my prayer journal. I began it just over two years ago when I resigned myself to a time and place to which I had grown weary. Tired of scribbling prayer requests on church bulletins and loose paper, I online shopped for prayer journals and methods. Since I’m fairly methodical and stubborn, I knew that spending money on someone else’s loving and carefully crafted plan would not last for me. So one afternoon, while at Barnes and Noble with my husband, I found the perfect journal. The purple irises and ornamental flowering tree reminded me of our former backyard where Louisiana irises thrived under one of our several crepe myrtles…
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A New Vision
Early in August 2021, I was struck by the image presented in Psalm 27:4-6. I pushed the stop button on my elliptical and slowly stepped off. I had to read more carefully this glorious vision of David. This was exactly what I had been longing for since living in a dry and thirsty land.
I’m not really certain where my focus derailed as a Christian. Nefarious did not describe my life.
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