Author: astherainandsnow

“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
    covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills…
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work…

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
    the sun knows its time for setting…

O Lord, how manifold are your works!..

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.” Psalm 104:1-10,13,19,24a,31-33

The concept of being ‘covered with light’ sounds like an oxymoron. After all, light exposes, opens up, reveals, uncovers. But almighty God is wholly other, unique, transcendent, and is both Light Himself and covered with light. He shines the shekinah glory that is impenetrable and self-existent. He is indescribable and like none other. He covers the deep, and His light and love are deeper still. (Genesis 1:3; John 1:4,9; 8:12; Ephesians 3:17-19)

The clothing of our Lord is splendor and majesty, light and life. We see Him all around, and are invited into His breeze and breathless beauty. What we make of it and how we interact with it determines our mindset and ongoing resolve. The psalmist proclaims in praise the manifold wonders of God, and wills to sing His praise as long as He lives.

Likely we rouse ourselves for a number of activities, and muster energy for social situations, competitions, and hard assignments. We rely on light, and gravity, the foundations of the earth and rhythm of days without giving them much thought. We are earthly and horizontally minded, and fit ourselves into nice tidy places of convenience and complacency. We gaze at the moon, forgetting God’s power that sustains it, and depend on water with nary a thought for its tidal power held by holy hands, and its boundaries divinely ordained.

How regularly do we rouse our souls to bless the Lord? How often do we hush our busyness to contemplate God’s light and all it reveals? Where do we see evidence of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and rejoice in it? (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Father, cover me and fill me with Your light, so all may see that You, O Lord, are God, and my God.

“O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.” Psalm 8:1

“The Lord is high above all nations,
    and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?” Psalm 113:4-6

“I bow down toward your holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word…

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.” Psalm 138:2,6a

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

High over heavens and earth. Over all nations and peoples. High above our thoughts and ways. Infinite in wisdom, grace and power, transcendent above all earthly might and measure. This King of kings is high and lifted up. His train fills the temple as His glory fills the earth and His faithfulness reaches to the skies. (Psalm 36:5; Isaiah 6:1)

And though He is high, He not only regards, but loves, redeems, and keeps the lowly, the humble and contrite and pure in heart, the poor in spirit. He crowns them with honor and glory to be worshipers. (Psalm 51:17; Matthew 5:3;8)

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5

“Have this mind.., which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-8

This God condescended to be among us, become like us, God with us. Jesus descended from the glory of heaven in the flesh to stoop and take a place among sinners, so He could raise us to be with Him. He pours out wisdom above our highest thought and reason, and spreads His purposes far beyond our grandest efforts and intentions. What wondrous love is this! (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9-10,14-15,17)

How do we receive and appropriate this transcendent Holy One? Looking up, we must fall down, and live the highest, think the loftiest, love the best we can by His Spirit. The High God deserves our purest worship, deepest affection, truest allegiance, and holiest reverence. Though He is high, He loved us. And though we are low, we can lift heart and voice to Him.

Lord, may I exalt Your highness in the way I love and live.

“When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall set apart for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent.  Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an open space around it. And from this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, in which shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. Another section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.

“Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district you shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.” Ezekiel 45:1-6

The instructions here are to allot a portion of the land for those who would serve every tribe throughout the land. It required careful measure and thought and a guarding against encroachment, because the holy place, the sanctuary, and the priests who served there, needed this special place for ministry. For us, we are not so much to separate or compartmentalize the holy from the material, but to ensure that there is a holy place in every square inch of our lives. The sanctuary is paramount. To appoint for it distinguished care and space and time is vital, yet its fruit is meant to encroach upon the whole land of our days.

We may be well-meaning and disciplined, but to order a segment of the week for church, or of personal life for spiritual exploration, but then fail to carry that holy communion into the rest of our plans and activities, we miss God’s intent. He calls us to guard that sanctuary so jealously, so carefully, that what we glean there- the wisdom, God’s countenance, gratitude and grace and a Christ-mind- we appropriate in every aspect of life. Work, family, recreation, service, eating, drinking, and conversation should all be touched by the Almighty with a sacred impression of our holy place.

How will we measure out this portion for the Lord, and where? A devotional life does not just happen. When we set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, we will always encounter opposition, because the enemy exists to disrupt any sanctuary. When is our time, and what is our place, and plan? The holy district must be a designated in the landscape of our every day. How diligently do we protect this priority and keep this assignment? (John 10:10; 1 Peter 3:15)

Father God, help me value and guard all You’ve entrusted to me, keeping preeminent and permanent Your holy place in my heart. Establish me within to take You into every district of my days, that others see You and are blessed. (Colossians 2:6)

“So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said, ‘I only am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given us, and let them choose one bull… and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. You call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.’ All the people answered, ‘It is well spoken…’ And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice… And they limped around the altar that they had made… As midday passed, they raved on.., but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention…

“Elijah came near and said, ‘O Lord,.. let it be known this day that you are God, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord,.. that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.’” 1 Kings 18:20-24,26,29,36-39

The trouble with little-g gods is that they steal, kill, and destroy. They steal affections, away from what is true, noble, right, and excellent. They kill discernment, clouding over vision with la la and altars of our own making, grandiose intentions of self-sacrifice and the better good. They destroy authentic worship by replacing Spirit with feelings, and truth with opinion. (John 4:24; 10:10; Philippians 4:8)

Does my personal preference trump God’s prescribed way, my limited sight His wider, all-encompassing one? Have I entrenched ‘safety limits,’ restricting the risks I’m willing to take and discomforts I’m willing to bear for Him? Or will I test and trust the Lord, who is high and lifted up above my provincial world, and say, “Here am I, send me”? (Isaiah 6:1-8)

We can follow our gods so long, thoughtlessly, and habitually that we do not even realize we’re limping, impaired in judgment, vision, and strength. Would we pause to assess whether we’ve abandoned one-on-one intimacy with our Savior to join the 450, numbed to the dumbness of crowd speak and practice? God hears our prayers and speaks with fire when we turn from dancing with the masses to direct communion.

Do we want all limping healed, and to run without fainting? Shake off the sloth of entangling gods! (Isaiah 40:31; John 5:5-8; Hebrews 12:1-2)

Lord, identify and eradicate every god I limp alongside. By Your Spirit, may I serve and exalt You, the living and true, all my days. (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

“Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel…

“Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho…

“Then Elijah said to him, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.’ And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’ And he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you…’ And as they went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried, ‘My father, my father!.. And he saw him no more.

“Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them. He took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan… and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and the other, and Elisha went over.” 2 Kings 2:1-2,4,6-14

There is great poignancy in these slowly changing scenes. Love is palpable across the miles. A strangely calm urgency spurs the pair on from Bethel- a place of worship that had been corrupted, to Jericho- a city of God’s victory, to the Jordan- where He had miraculously provided. Conversation is intimate, too sacred to be overheard. Elisha, whom Elijah had called under the cover of his cloak, matched his master and mentor’s gait, keenly absorbing all he could from the companion he knew would soon depart. (Joshua 6:2-5; 1 Kings 13:1-4; 17:1-6; 19:19-21)

He wanted his spirit. He desperately needed his cloak to withstand the windy challenges ahead, to plod on for the ministry of the Word, to follow God at whatever cost. Please. Give it, please.

How tenaciously do we follow our Lord? What lengths will we go- in discipline, time set aside, persistence- to have more of His Spirit? (Genesis 32:26; Ephesians 5:18)

Father, teach me from each divine imprint along my daily journey. Cloak me with Your Spirit’s grace and power for every step, for Your glorious sake .

“Now raise a lamentation, and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

“‘O Tyre, you have said,
    “I am perfect in beauty.”
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
    your builders made perfect your beauty.
They made all your planks
    of fir from Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon
    to make a mast for you.
Of oaks of Bashan
    they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
    from the coasts of Cyprus,
    inlaid with ivory.
Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt
    was your sail,
    serving as your banner;
blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
    was your awning…

“Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army as your men of war;.. they gave you splendor.  Men of Arvad and Helech… hung their shields on your walls all around; they made perfect your beauty.

“Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you… horses, war horses, and mules… ivory tusks and ebony… emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and ruby… wheat of Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm… wine of Helbon and wool of Sahar… wrought iron, cassia, and calamus… saddlecloths for riding… lambs, rams, and goats… the best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold… choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material…

“’Your rowers have brought you out
    into the high seas.
The east wind has wrecked you
    in the heart of the seas.
Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
    your mariners and your pilots,
your caulkers, your dealers,
    and all your men of war who are in you,
with all your crew
    that is in your midst,
sink into the heart of the seas
    on the day of your fall…
Now you are wrecked by the seas,
    in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew
    have sunk with you.
All the inhabitants of the coastlands
    are appalled at you,
and the hair of their kings bristles with horror;
    their faces are convulsed.
The merchants hiss at you;
    you have come to a dreadful end
    and shall be no more forever.’” Ezekiel 27:2-7,10-22,24b, 26-27,34-36

Necessary is the dealing in earthly goods, but foolish is absorbed accumulation of earthly treasure. It is hard not to be taken with the luxurious bounty of Tyre’s business, and enthralled with the rich texture and variety of colorful, valuable wares. We’re created to be fascinated, and to appreciate God’s gifts with every sense and heartbeat. But we’re also created to hold loosely earthly things and store up treasure in heaven. We become like the idols we make. (Psalm 115:4-8; Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 4:4; 6:17; James 1:17)

What do we treasure most? Attention and affection will tell. This earth and its wares will one day turn to dust. Beware consummation with worldly charms, and surrendering to empty promises! Would we bow the knee, open the hands, surrender desires to be purified, and treasure Christ above all?

“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.” ~Old Irish, translated by Mary Byrne

Lord, help me wonder at the splendor of things, and hold loosely earthly treasure. You are the pearl of greatest price. (Matthew 13:45-46)

“My heart is steadfast, O God!
    I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!” Psalm 108:1-5

“Your statutes have been my songs
    in the house of my sojourning.” Psalm 119:54

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
    and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
    and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
    or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” Daniel 4:34-35,37

There’s little more spiritually invigorating than awakening the dawn with praise. When Creator God’s fiery splendor breaks through the silent darkness before dawn, synchronized with my welling heart of gratitude and praise, the glory is untouchable, magnificent. Soul strings of harp and lyre and heavenly melody mingle with divine love and faithfulness beyond the heavens.

But why is it, as the sky fades to pale day, that the sky seems to lower, the magnificence of praise fades to mediocre, and the groundswell of song grows hushed and timid? Do emotions fall so quickly to wanting ‘signs’? Is steadfastness stuck only in the spectacular? (John 4:48; 7:21)

God’s worthiness never wanes. His love, faithfulness, and glory abide above the heavens and over all the earth and nations, day in, day out. His throne cannot be shaken, His dominion never diminished. He is exalted, and deserves to be exalted. So how does the song remain?

The psalmist has great resolve. Outside looking up, or in his house, or along his sojourning, he ‘wills’ to sing, make melody, awaken the dawn, and give thanks. The humbled king Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven and reasonably, willfully blessed the Lord. Praise is a practice, a determination of the will surrendered to God’s omnipotent greatness.

“O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free;
a heart that’s sprinkled with the blood
so freely shed for me:

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer’s throne;
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone:

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from him that dwells within:

A heart in every thought renewed,
and full of love divine;
perfect and right and pure and good —
a copy, Lord, of thine.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart,
come quickly from above;
write thy new name upon my heart,
thy new best name of Love. ~Charles Wesley (1742)

Would we seek this steadfast heart? Would we endeavor to repeat the refrain of praise to our King?

Glorious Lord, write Your steadfast, loving nature on my heart, that I would freely, consistently, sing to Thee with all my being.

“Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations…

Long have I known from your testimonies
    that you have founded them forever.” Psalm 119:89-90a,152

“The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Luke 21:33

“’All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.’

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

Within an hour, the morning sky morphs from thick and dark, split with weeping rain, to broken open blue and bright with fast moving puff clouds. Within minutes more, it is a thick rough grey again, ominous and weeping. It constantly changes, its brightness in daily cycles, its hues and patterns by moments, sprinkles, gusts, and temperature changes. Yet behind and above and beyond in the unseen is the unchanging, sure Word, firmly fixed, established, standing fast and ruling forever.

I can count on His Word. Whether I look up or my eyes are cast down, God’s Word is fixed as a sentry, its truth an unshakable foundation, its purposes ruling all providence and never thwarted. Winds blow and the skies may change, but His Word is fixed in the heavenlies sure and steadfast. Cultures shift, opinions morph, expertise that is gospel one moment is anathema another, but God’s Word is unchanging and true and absolutely trustworthy. (Job 42:2; Psalm 33:11; Isaiah 14:24,27)

Do I know it? Am I daily studying and learning it? When I hear its instruction am I willfully, courageously putting it into practice? Am I hiding it in my heart to keep me from sin, and to prepare me with answers? Where has it convicted, corrected, or redirected me? Is it my own sword and lamp? (Psalm 119:11,105; Isaiah 50:4; Ephesians 6:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 3:15)

When I set aside time for study, would I pray that the Lord will anoint and bless my concentration on the Word, and enlighten me to its treasures, assurances, promises, and power? In the whirl and storms of ever-changing times and tumult, what steps will I take today to make God’s Word my own? (Ephesians 1:17-19)

“How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!” ~George Keith (1787)

Holy God, fix my heart and mind on Your Word that stands forever. Open my eyes to see wonderful things in it, and to know You better by it. Cause it to fill and direct my thoughts, control the impulses of my loves, and permeate all I say and do, that You be both magnified and glorified. (Psalm 119:18)

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
    and bring her into the wilderness,
    and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
    and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
    as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day… And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:14-20

The alluring promises of our Lord woo even the hardest, most resistant hearts. What stubborn rebel is not moved by tender words? What forlorn or betrayed soul is not quickened by a Sovereign-backed pledge of faithfulness, safety, and hope in the valley? What reckless sinner is not softened by unmerited mercy? God reaches His beloveds with a strong, steadfast love that is both unimaginable and irresistible.

This is an amazing love promise only He can offer, and back. Man is too fickle, too weak, too capricious, to be faithful forever and perfectly love. We are too selfish to give the full vineyard, too bereft to guarantee an eternal dowry. It is only a perfect Father who can know and disarm the erring prodigal child, only a unique Deity who can vanquish all lesser gods.

What are we to make of this sure hope and intimate knowing He pledges? What need we eschew to accept His proposal? Why do we dance around His invitations, and flirt with false lovers? Sometimes we are unwilling to release the control we think we have over idols of our own making. Sometimes we’re consumed with our unworthiness instead of relying on Christ’s worthiness. Sometimes we can’t shake a shameful identity we loathe, to take on His new name.

But our Lord woos us still, longing to enfold us in His grace and favor. The great Redeemer is the true Lover of our souls.

“Jesus, lover of my soul, 
let me to thy bosom fly, 
while the nearer waters roll, 
while the tempest still is high; 
hide me, O my Savior, hide, 
till the storm of life is past; 
safe into the haven guide, 
O receive my soul at last! 

Other refuge have I none; 
hangs my helpless soul on thee; 
leave, ah! leave me not alone, 
still support and comfort me. 
All my trust on thee is stayed, 
all my help from thee I bring; 
cover my defenseless head 
with the shadow of thy wing. 

Plenteous grace with thee is found, 
grace to cover all my sin; 
let the healing streams abound; 
make and keep me pure within. 
Thou of life the fountain art; 
freely let me take of thee; 
spring thou up within my heart, 
rise to all eternity.” ~Charles Wesley (1740)

Faithful God, forgive my unfaithfulness. May I, as Your beloved, honor Your name forever. (Song of Solomon 6:3)

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

“Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:6-16a

Paul encourages Timothy with the rhythm of a train: clack-a-chug clack-a-chug down the track, train and serve, toil and strive, command and teach, devote and watch, practice and persist. A good servant never lets up, can’t let up, won’t let up, always presses on, with hope set on the living God. (Philippians 3:13-14)

This rhythm takes commitment and perseverance, which the Spirit supplies as we turn our desires and days over to Him. Silly myths will not go away, nor will temptations to spiritual sloth and embracing false doctrine. Since the competition for our fidelity is constant and ruthless, it is vital that we keep being trained, and train, in truth and good doctrine, that we continually are taught, and teach, the Scriptures. Constant familiarity with and practice of the Word make for right handling, and persistence, and progress. (2 Timothy 2:15)

We cling to the Vine, and through Christ we bear much fruit. We submit to His discipline, He brings about holiness. We get in step with the Spirit, He keeps us from yielding to and gratifying the flesh. We commit to the gospel, He guards us from fear and makes bold our words. But we cannot let up or give up. We cannot give in to excuses or give over our attention to the myriad of pulls and forces vying for it. (John 15:5; Romans 1:16; Galatians 5:16-17,25; Ephesians 6:18-20; Hebrews 12:1-13)

Have we grown stale on things of God? Complacent about genuine consecration? Flabby in faith and study? Do we spend the same zeal and energy in spiritual exercise that we do in physical, or vocational, or social? Do we believe that training in godliness is of premium importance for this life and next? If so, what evidence is there of such devotion in our routines?

Good Father, may I never let up pursuing You. Make me bold to teach and humble to be taught, consistently training in and practicing Your holy word. Keep my hope set on You, and my aim on seeing others set their hope in You too.