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2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 39

The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence

Day 39

“nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:39

From the Love of God

Again, Paul intends the list to be exhaustive.  There is nothing that can separate us from God.  God rules over all things.  He has supreme authority over any and all things.  No place on the planet can put a barrier between us and God.  No life experience overpowers God.  The supreme concern of the Apostle carried beyond the omnipresence of God.  Paul wants us to know that the love which God has demonstrated to His children will never be destroyed.  Nothing can conquer God’s love.  Love is God’s supreme power at work in the lives of believers.  Paul can contemplate no greater force in keeping us in the presence of God.  And this love, “the love of God,” is found in the person of Christ Jesus.  While we are “in Christ” we abide in the inseparable love of God.  Jesus says in John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”    From Moo’s commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, this paragraph “ends on the note with which it began: the impossibility that the believer can be separated from divine love.  The fact that this love is identified specifically as ‘the love of Christ’ in verse 35 and ‘the love of God’ here only shows us again how much Paul joined God and Christ in the experience of the believer.  This love of God for us is ‘in Christ Jesus our Lord.’  For it is in giving ‘his own Son’ that God’s love is above all made known to us, and only in our relationship to Christ do we experience the love of God for us.”  God love us and He demonstrated how great his love truly is by giving to us the life, death and resurrection of His Son.  God love us and His love is greater than anything we can experience or imagine for nothing in this life can overcome the divine love of God in the cross of Christ. 

Prayer Focus

God, thank You for this great chapter, Romans 8, which reminds me of Your infinite love for me.  You are so kind to love me despite my sin.  In Your mercy You have withheld the judgment for my sins.  In Your grace You have provided an everlasting reward that I do not deserve.   Thank You for giving the life of Your Son to secure my eternal presence with You.  I praise You, my King, for You are good and kind. 

From DL Moody’s Secret Power

AFTER LOVE, WHAT?

After love comes peace. I have remarked before, a great many people are trying to make peace. But that has already been one. God has not left it for us to do, all that we have to do is to enter into it. It is a condition, and instead of our trying to make peace and to work for peace, we want to cease all that, and sweetly enter into peace. If I discover a man in the cellar complaining because there is no light there, and because it is cold and damp, I say, “My friend, come up out of the cellar. There is a good warm sun up here, a beautiful spring day, and it is warm. It is cheerful and light, come up, and enjoy it.” Would he reply, “O, no, sir, I am trying to see if I can make light down here. I am trying to work myself into a warm feeling.” And there he is working away, and he has been at it for a whole week. I can imagine my reader’s smile. But you may be smiling at your own picture, for this is the condition of many whom I daily meet who are trying to do this very thing. They are trying to work themselves into peace and joyful feelings. Peace is a condition into which we enter. It is a state, and instead of our trying to make peace, let us believe what God’s Word declares. That peace has already been made by the blood of the Cross. Christ has made peace for us. Now what He desires is that we believe it, and enter into it. Now, the only thing that can keep us from peace is sin. God turns the way of the wicked upside down.

“There is no peace for the wicked, says my God. They are like the troubled sea that cannot rest, casting up filth and mire all the while;” Isaiah 57:20-21KJV

But peace with God, by faith in Jesus Christ, peace through knowledge of forgiven sin, is like a rock. The waters go dashing and surging past it, but it abides. When we find peace, we shall not find it on the ground of innate goodness.  In John 16:33a, we read: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.” (KJV)

“In me ye might have peace.” Jesus Christ is the author of peace. He procured peace. His gospel is the gospel of peace.

“Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,”Luke 2:10-11 KJV

Then came that chorus from heaven, “Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth.” Luke 2:14 KJV   

He brought peace.  “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b KJV

How true that in the world we have tribulation. Are you in tribulation? Are you in trouble? Are you in sorrow? Remember this is our lot. Paul had tribulation, and others shared in grief. Nor shall we be exempt from trial. But within, peace may reign undisturbed. If sorrow is our lot, peace is our legacy. Jesus gives peace, and do you know there is a good deal of difference between His peace and our peace? Anyone can disturb our peace, but they can’t disturb His peace. That is the kind of peace He has left us. Nothing can offend those who trust in Christ.

NOT EASILY OFFENDED

In the 119th Psalm, the 165th verse, we find “Great peace have they who love Your law: and nothing shall offend them.” (KJV)

The study of God’s Word will secure peace. You take Christians who are rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and you find they have great peace; but it is these who don’t study their Bible, and don’t know their Bible, who are easily offended when some little trouble comes, or some little persecution, and their peace is all disturbed.  Just a little breath of opposition, and their peace is all gone.

Sometimes, I am amazed to see how little it takes to drive all peace and comfort from some people. Some slandering tongue will readily blast it. But if we have the peace of God, the world cannot take that from us. It cannot give it; it cannot destroy it. It is peace which Christ gives.

“Great peace have they which love Your law, and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165 KJV

Christ says, “blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” Matthew 11:6 KJV

Now, if you will notice, wherever there is a Bible taught Christian, one who has the Bible well marked, and daily feeds upon the Word by prayerful meditation, he will not be easily offended.

Such are the people who are growing and working all the while. But it is the people who never open their Bibles; these people who never study the Scriptures, who become offended, and are wondering why they are having such a hard time. They are the persons who tell you that Christianity is not what it has been recommended to them. That they have found it was not all that we claim it to be. The real trouble is, they have not done as the Lord has told them to do. They have neglected the Word of God. If they had been studying the Word of God, they would not be in that condition. If they had been studying the Word of God, they would not have wandered these years away from God, living on the husks of the world. But the trouble is, they have neglected to care for the new life. They haven’t fed it, and the poor soul, being starved, sinks into weakness and decay, and is easily stumbled or offended.

This body that we inhabit for a day, and then leave, we take good care of.  We feed it three times a day, and we clothe it, and take care of it, and then by and by, it is going into the grave to be eaten up by the worms. But the inner man, that is live on and one, and on forever, is lean and starved.

SWEET WORDS

In Numbers 6:22-26, we read:

“And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise you shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless you, and keep you: The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.(KJV)

I think these are about as sweet of verses as we find in the Old Testament. I marked them years ago in my Bible, and many times I have turned over and read them. “The Lord life up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” They remind us of the loving words of Jesus to his troubled disciples. “Peace be still.” The Jewish salutation used to be, as a man went into a house, “Peace be upon this house,” and as he left the house the host would say, “Go in Peace.”

Then again, in the 14th chapter of John, the 27th verse, Jesus said:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.(KJV)

This is the precious legacy of Jesus to all His followers. Every man, every woman, every child, who believes in Him, may share in this portion. Christ has willed it to them, and His peace is theirs. This, then, is our Lord’s purpose and promise: the peace He gives to you. Christ gives it, and He is not going to take it away again. He is going to leave it to you.

“Not as the world gives, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 KJV

But you know, when some men make their wills and deed away their property, there are some sharp, shrewd lawyers who will get hold of that will and break it all to pieces. They will go into court and break the will, and the jury will set the will aside, and the money goes into another channel.

Now this will that Christ has made, neither the devil nor man can break it. He has promised to give us peace, and there are thousands of witnesses who can say: “I have my part of that legacy. I have peace, I came to Him for peace, and I got it. I came to Him in darkness. I came to Him in trouble and sorrow.  I was passing under a deep cloud of affliction, and I came to Him and He said, ‘Peace, be still.’ And from that hour peace reigned in my soul.”

Yes, many have proved the invitation true, “Come unto Me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 KJV  They found rest when they came. He is the author of rest, He is the author of peace, and no power can break that will; yea, unbelief may question it, but Jesus Christ rose to execute His own will, and it is in vain for man to contest it.

Skeptics may tell us that it is all a myth, and that there isn’t anything in it, and yet the glorious tidings is ever repeated.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14 KJV.

The poor and needy, the sad and sorrowful, are made partakers of it. So, my reader, you need not wait for peace any longer. All you have to do is to enter into it today. you need not try to make peace. It is a false idea; you cannot make it. Peace is already made by Jesus Christ, and is now declared unto you.

2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 38

The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence

Day 38

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,”  Romans 8:38

Nothing Can Separate Us

Paul intends this list to be exhaustive.  He categorizes every conceivable thing that might bring separation.  Death provides the most daunting example of separation.  For those who have buried a loved one, nothing compares to the deafening silence that ensues.  “I just want to talk with him.”  “I just want to hear her voice.”  “I just want to hold his hands or share a cup of coffee with him.”  The pain of separation fills every moment of the day for those who have recently buried a spouse.  If death cannot separate us from Christ, then nothing can separate us.  Nothing in this life, no angel or demon, nothing from the present time and nothing in our future can separate us from God.  He is a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother.  He abides continually with us.  His powers transcend any of these temporary forces, even death itself.  He has always and will always be sovereign over all these things.  He demonstrated His power over these things when He brought Jesus Christ back from the dead.  Many mighty things were accomplished in the resurrection of Christ.  One such accomplishment is this: the resurrection proves that death is no match for God and it is incapable of separating us from Him.

Prayer Focus

God, You are good.  Your mercies are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness.  You never leave me.  Nothing can separate me from Your love.  Nothing in this life is big enough or strong enough to compete with Your power.  Nothing in this life can undo Your love.  Even though death itself should come against me, I trust in Your promises.  You proved Your power over all things, including death, when You brought Your Son back from the grave.  In the name of Jesus Christ, the resurrected One, I pray, Amen.

From DL Moody’s Secret Power

LOVE’S WONDERFUL EFFECTS/CRITICS BEWARE

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away."1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV

That’s the work of love. It is not easily provoked. Now if a man has no love of God in his heart, how easy it is to become offended. Perhaps with the church because some members of the church don’t treat him just right, or some men of the church don’t bow to him on the street, he takes offense, and that is the last you see of him. Love is long-suffering. If I love the Lord Jesus Christ, these little things are not going to separate me from His people. They are like the dust in the balance. Nor will the cold, formal treatment of hypocrites in the church quench that love I have in my heart for Him. If this love is in the heart, and the fire is burning on the altar, we will not be all the time finding fault with other people and criticizing what they have done.

Love will rebuke evil, but will not rejoice in it. Love will be impatient of sin, but patient with the sinner. To form the habit of finding fault constantly, is very damaging to spiritual life. It is about the lowest and meanest position that a man can take. I never saw a man who was aiming to do the best work, that there could not have been some improvement. I have never done anything in my life, I have never addressed an audience, that I didn’t think I could have done better. And I have often berated myself that I had not done better. But to sit down and find fault with other people when we are doing nothing ourselves, not lifting our hands to save someone, is all wrong, and is the opposite of holy, patient, divine love.

Love is forbearance. What we want is to get this spirit of criticism and fault finding out of the Church, and out of our hearts. Let each one of us live as if we had to answer for ourselves, and not for the community, on the last day. if we are living according to the 13th chapter of Corinthians, we will not be constantly finding fault with other people.  “Love suffers long and is kind.”

Love forgets itself, and doesn't dwell upon itself. The woman who came to Christ with that alabaster box, I venture to say, never thought of herself. Little did she know what an act she was performing. It was just her love for the Master. She forgot the surroundings, she forgot everything else that was there. She broke that box and poured the ointment upon Him, and filled the house with its odor. That act, as a memorial, has come down these 1800 years. It is right here - the perfume of that box is in the world today. That ointment was worth $40 or $50; no small sum of those days for a poor woman. Judas sold the Son of God for only about $15 or $20. But what this woman gave to Christ was everything that she had, and she became so occupied with Jesus Christ that she didn’t think what people were going to say.

So when we act with a single eye for the glory of our lord, not finding fault  with everything about us, but doing what we can in the power of this love, then will our deeds for God speak. The world will acknowledge that we have been with Jesus, and that this glorious love has been shed abroad in our hearts. If we don’t love the Church of God, I am afraid it won’t do us much good. If we don’t love the blessed Bible, it will not do us much good.  What we want, then, is to have love for Christ, to have love for His Word, and to have love for the Church of God, and when we have love, and are living in that spirit, we will not be in the spirit of finding fault and working mischief.

2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 37

The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence

Day 37

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37

In All These Things We Overwhelmingly Conquer

“In all these things” includes all the ways persecution comes to believers.  In verse 35, Paul provides a list of various ways persecution comes.  None of these items seem to be the characteristics of conquering heroes.  Instead, “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” all seem to be the attributes of victims and not victors.  How can Paul say that in these things we “overwhelmingly conquer?”  Paul can confidently make this claim because none of these things thwart the ultimate plan of God in our lives.  Christians are not exempt from troubles.  In fact, many Christians face greater difficulty because they are Christians.  Our trials do not negate the love of God.  Instead, God loves us through these trials.  In these troubles, even death itself (“sword”), “we overwhelmingly conquer” through God “who loved us.”   Persecutors do not get to write the end of this story.  God writes the end of our story.  God writes the end of our story through Christ, Who loved us.  Through Christ we overwhelmingly conquer because He conquered.  We share in His substitutionary death.  We share in His victorious resurrection.  We share in His defeated of sin, death, shame, alienation, and the grave.  

Prayer Focus

Thank You, Oh God, for Your everlasting, conquering love.  Thank you for conquering all of this life’s troubles, even death itself, through Your love.  I need You, today.  I need You to set my heart in line with Your word.  Regardless of what difficulties I face, protect my heart from doubting Your love.  Set my hope on You as the author of the rest of my story.

From DL Moody’s Secret Power

POWER OF LOVE

Love is the badge that Christ gave His disciples. Some put on one sort of badge, and some another. Some put on a strange kind of clothing, that they may be known as Christians. Some put on a crucifix, or something else, that they may be known as Christians. But love is the only badge by which the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are known.  “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:35 NKJV)

Therefore, though a man stand before an audience and speak with the eloquence of a Demosthenes, or of the greatest living orator, if there is no love back of his words, it is like sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. I would recommend all Christians to read the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians constantly, abiding in it day and night. Not spending a night or a day there, but just go in there and spend all our time - summer and winter, twelve months in the year. Then the power of Christ and Christianity would be felt as it never has been in the history of the world. See what this chapter says:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NKJV

A great many are praying for faith; they want extra ordinary faith; they want remarkable faith. They forget that love exceeds faith. Love is the fruit of the Spirit, the great motive-power of life. What the Church of God needs today is love – more love for God, and more love for our fellow-men. If we love God more, we will love our fellow-men more. There is no doubt about that.  I used to think that I should like to have lived in the days of the prophets; that I should like to have been one of the prophets, to prophesy, and to see the beauties of heaven and describe them to men. But, as I understand the Scriptures now, I would a good deal rather live in the thirteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians, and have this love that Paul is speaking of. The love of God burning in my soul like an unquenchable flame, so that I may reach men and win them for heaven.