Month: January 2012

The Course of This World

“ in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”  Ephesians 2:2

A life that has not been born again is a spiritually dead existence: born of the flesh, dead in trespasses and sins.  The Apostle Paul makes that claim. It is a life without knowing Who God is, separated from Him and His life: a mere existence that is outside of all the richness and fullness of life that a relationship with God has to offer.

The course of this world may be lauded as logical, sensible, and desirable.  Its pathways have birthed ideas and ways of life based on the premise of a universe without God and moral-based laws.  Its roadways are packed with herds of followers.

A man or woman may say that there is perfect freedom apart from God because of  free will to choose to live as one pleases.   Not so, says Paul.  A person without God walks “following the course of this world”, with a perspective on life dictated by the fickle mindset of the world through media, advertising, and whatever is the “in” thing to do, the “way things are done”.  Its biddings are luring and whimsical, but it is exactly the opposite of free will at play: one becomes a slave to it.

It is in being born again, born of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ that we are quickened, made spiritually alive to connect with God and everything that pertains to Him: His wonders, His love, His blessings, His joy, His peace, His freedom, His gift of everlasting life.

” Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3

 

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The Speech and Knowledge of the Skies

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
 the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
 Day after day they pour forth speech;
 night after night they display knowledge.
 There is no speech or language
 where their voice is not heard. 
 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
 their words to the ends of the world.”
Psalm 19:1-4

By day, the skies and the heavens illuminate the wonders of God’s creation.   By night, the proclamation continues, telling of the majesties of God’s handiwork.  They speak constantly; there is no spot on earth where their voice is not heard: incessant praise and adoration for God, His majesty and His glory.

Jesus said that if men kept quiet, if they withhold or repress their praise for God, the rocks will cry out and do it for them.

Tyrrhenian Sea along Tuscan Archipelago, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci
Sunset in Prague, Czech Republic, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci
Isola D'Elba Italy, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci
Sunset in Spain, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci
Sunset at Isola d Elba Italy, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci
Sunset in Germany, photo by Rica Marie Gandionco Conci

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Elements of Joy

“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” I John 1:4

What is joy? It is a difficult concept to define precisely, however I came across a discussion by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on certain elements that constitute joy:

The first element is that of a state of complete satisfaction. It is an all-encompassing feeling of fulfillment — mind, heart, emotions and desires.  Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that this is an essential part of joy.

The second element of joy is “a spirit of exultation”.  Dr. Lloyd-Jones portrays a child happily playing with his toy, and then someone comes along and gives the child a surprise: the child springs to his feet in glee; “there is a brightness, a flush which is exultant”.  Joy is more active: there is a “positive spirit of exultation and rejoicing”.

The third element, Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests, is “a feeling of power and of strength.  There is nothing flabby or superficial about it. Joy is one of the strongest powers in the world. When you are truly joyful, you are wound up by some mighty dynamic power; you feel strong, you are lifted up above yourself, you are ready to meet every enemy from every direction and quarter.”

Dr. Lloyd-Jones admits that the above elements  constitute an inadequate description of joy, but it is difficult to describe it any further.  He concludes his outline of joy by these words:

“Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality.  In other words, it comes to this; there is only one thing that can give true joy and that is a contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire.  He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete”.

“Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge  of the Lord Jesus Christ” – Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 

*** photography by George Thomas

The Path of the Righteous

But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.  Proverbs 4:18 ASV

Our journey through life offers a myriad choices of roads to follow. The Bible says that there is a path, an illuminated highway where each step forward brings heightened clarity to our surroundings as well as our destination.  It is the path of the righteous.

Righteousness simply means being right with God.  To this end, we can never achieve this on our own because we are sinful and morally imperfect, whereas God is perfectly holy; a vast divide between God and man exists.

But God in His infinite Love sent a Bridge across the deep chasm of separation: God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Who came into our sinful world as a man, to be one of us, to dwell among us, feel our hungers, our joys, our sorrows.

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was the ultimate sacrifice, Who bore all our sins and sicknesses in His body on the cross —  the consummate act that made a way for us to be right with God .  Through faith in Jesus that He accomplished this righteousness for us, and not by ourselves through our good works, we obtain our “right standing with God”, and the free gift of salvation and eternal life.

We have the choice to follow the shining path of the righteous or walk the other way.

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