Do me a favor and finish the following phrases. “A rose by any other name …” “A penny saved is …” “Two roads diverged in a wood and I …”  Did you have any trouble? I’m guessing not. The words are familiar to most of us. Which makes me wonder if we haven’t misunderstood Jesus’ cry on the cross, just minutes before his death. Shortly before the Savior’s final breath, he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). In the face of unimaginable pain and anguish, Jesus called out to his Father. Mark recorded the words, and I’m convinced that people have misinterpreted them ever since. “It was the human side of Jesus,” some have said. “It simply shows the degree of pain he was suffering.” Maybe so, but I’m not so sure.  “When Jesus took our sin upon himself, God could no longer look at him,” others speculate. “Jesus was begging God not to turn away.” Once again I think the mark is missed. I don’t believe that Jesus was giving way to his humanity nor that God had turned his back on his Son. Our Savior was simply quoting Scripture. A passage that he knew from memory. A passage that those nearby should have remembered.  “My God, my God! why have you forsaken me?” begins a psalm of David. “Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?” The king’s rhetorical poem asks the question, only to answer it a few lines later. “For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help. I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you” (Psalm 22:1, 24-25). Jesus died with the same faith and dignity with which he lived. His pain was real, unbearable, yet he never forgot his mission. “I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.” And Jesus did just that.

Today’s Reading Psalm 22:1-25; Mark 15:34

Reflection Have you ever felt forsaken by God? How do the words of David in this reading bring you comfort?

This devotion was copied from,  Embracing Eternity: Living Each Day with a Heart Toward Heaven Edition : First Copyright : © 2004 by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2004, QuickVerse, a division of FindEx.com, Inc.

  John 12:27-28(NRSV)  ²⁷“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it , it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

All through the scriptures we have recorded of Jesus speaking to His Father. Here in John 12, we have such a conversation and here the Father and the Son are in complete agreement as always; “ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” Even in Christ death, the Father and the Son still agreed. The answer was clear,”²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” In Psalms 22:24-25 we read, “I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.” And Jesus did just that.

FOR HIS PRAISE AND IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

:

“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16).

If we are not heedful and pay no attention to the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other people are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments of ridicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on their behalf. God reveals this truth about others to us not through the sharpness of our minds but through the direct penetration of His Spirit. If we are not attentive, we will be completely unaware of the source of the discernment God has given us, becoming critical of others and forgetting that God says, “… he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” Be careful that you don’t become a hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right with God before you worship Him yourself.

One of the most subtle and illusive burdens God ever places on us as saints is this burden of discernment concerning others. He gives us discernment so that we may accept the responsibility for those souls before Him and form the mind of Christ about them (see Philippians 2:5). We should intercede in accordance with what God says He will give us, namely, “life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our minds, but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede. Can Jesus Christ see the agony of His soul in us? He can’t unless we are so closely identified with Him that we have His view concerning the people for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ will be completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as being an intercessor for them.

My Utmost for His Highest Edition : First Copyright : Copyright © 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. Original edition copyright © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House Publishers, which is affiliated with RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc.

  The Word of God says in, Philippians 2:5(ASV) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  We should intercede in accordance with what God says He will give us, namely, “life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our minds, He already abides within us; but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede. Can Jesus Christ see the agony of His soul in us? He can’t unless we are so closely identified with Him that we have His view concerning the people for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ will be completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as intercessors.  Let our witness for Christ lead us into intercession and prayer, whom God would deal with through us.

TOTALLY IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message—“The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message. There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “… you shall be witnesses to Me …” (Acts 1:8). Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.

The devotion was was from : MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST.

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense. What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use—but always consider that “you are not your own”

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). ¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple^£ of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

You are His.

Bought by His Blood, He has paid the price; We are His and His alone to be precise. To Serve only Him will be my choice, and to Praise only Him, with that I will rejoice!

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

This devotion was taken from: My Utmost For His Highest

There is more than one type of prayer for believers to lift up to the Father, and in his letter to Timothy, Paul covers several of them specifically. He urges Timothy to lift up “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” This admonition is for you and me as well.  A request is a need, a deep desire for something we don’t have—something that only God can supply. We acknowledge our helplessness before the throne and call upon God to fulfull his promise of provision. A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more accurate translation of this word from the original Greek might be to “worship in earnest.” We glorify God and acknowledge his majesty and glory, both in heaven and on earth. Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Throughout Scripture we are encouraged to put the needs of those around us ahead of our own. Our prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless lifestyle. Thanksgiving involves remembering those past prayers that have already been answered, acknowledging that we not only trust God’s supremacy and involvement in our life but also see how his hand has moved and guided us in the past. We thank him for his love, his faithfulness, and his mercy, and for all that he is and does. Developing a complete and fulfilling prayer life demands that we not only understand our need for God’s wisdom and direction in every area of life but that we also desire to interact with the Father on many different levels—and in many forms. Human nature will often cause us to focus on ourselves and our earthly wants and wishes, but God wants more from us. And he wants more for us.  When we pray effectively, we do more than communicate with God—we commune with him. We become one in mind and spirit and purpose. Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to connect with God in a very real and personal way, not as a slave would petition his master, but as a son would enjoy the company of a loving and gracious father.

Today’s Reading Matthew 6:5-13; 1 Timothy 2:1

Reflection What kind of prayers does God reward? In what way is Jesus’ prayer a model for us in our own times of prayer?

This devotion read in:

Title : Embracing Eternity: Living Each Day with a Heart Toward Heaven Edition : First Copyright : © 2004 by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2004, QuickVerse, a division of FindEx.com, Inc.

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

“Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was referring to the stinging pains produced in him by the compelling force of the call to preach the gospel. Never try to apply what Paul said regarding the call to preach to those souls who are being called to God for salvation. There is nothing easier than getting saved, because it is solely God’s sovereign work—“Look to Me, and be saved …” (Isaiah 45:22). Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation. We are condemned to salvation through the Cross of Christ. But discipleship has an option with it—“If anyone …” (Luke 14:26). Paul’s words have to do with our being made servants of Jesus Christ, and our permission is never asked as to what we will do or where we will go. God makes us as broken bread and poured-out wine to please Himself. To be “separated to the gospel” means being able to hear the call of God (Romans 1:1). Once someone begins to hear that call, a suffering worthy of the name of Christ is produced. Suddenly, every ambition, every desire of life, and every outlook is completely blotted out and extinguished. Only one thing remains—“… separated to the gospel … .” Woe be to the soul who tries to head in any other direction once that call has come to him. The Bible Training College exists so that each of you may know whether or not God has a man or woman here who truly cares about proclaiming His gospel and to see if God grips you for this purpose. Beware of competing calls once the call of God grips you.

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

This devotion was read in:

: My Utmost for His Highest Edition : First Copyright : Copyright © 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. Original edition copyright © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House Publishers, which is affiliated with RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc.

The Priestly Service of the Gospel of God

The Heart of Paul

Lately my son, Tim has written a series of being a Disciple and all that being a Disciple is. It has brought a challenge to my heart and to step-up to the plate, a baseball term, and make sure it’s covered. After all, if we are Children of God we should be all that God wants us to be and nothing short of that would be God’s Will. In reading God’s Word I came across a familiar passage and His Spirit opened up a whole new meaning that I fill fits right in with what Tim has been writing about. Understanding what God has blessed Tim with, I would like to give my testimony of how God has blessed me in conjunction with the light that God has given me through what my son has written.

Romans 15:14(NASB) 14 And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

As Paul grew in the grace, he strived in the Spirit of God and recognized his service as being a minister of the Gentiles and those who were lost and without Christ. He always looked after his flock and studied their growth as they grew in the Lord. In the 15^th chapter of Romans his confidence in his brothers and sisters in Christ was encouragement as he saw them growing in the Lord.

Full of goodness and filled with all knowledge
2 Peter 1:5-8(NASB)
⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, goodness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A child of God knows that his actions either represent the Spirit or the Flesh. There should not be any mistake of where his actions are. We are Children of the Most High God and a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul knew what his position was and where he stood in the service of his Lord.

Able to admonish, instruct, one another

Jude 1:21-25(NASB)

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.  22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Christ said, Go and make Disciples!  Thy Word have I hid in my heart. We must come along side and teach the Word of God until His Word becomes heart knowledge and not just head knowledge.

Romans 15:15-16(NASB)

15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God,  16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 

We as Children of God are more than children; we are a Holy People chosen by God, ministering as a priest the gospel of God. Go ye forth and make disciples.  Because of the love of Christ, we have no other choice.

In 1 Corinthians we read this account:

1 Corinthians 1:4-9(NASB)

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,  5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,  6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,  7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,  8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have been called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We have no other choice; we must Preach the Gospel and make Disciples of all who will hear His call.

1 Corinthians 8 states it this way;

1 Corinthians 8:6(NASB)

6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. We have no other choice.

In Matthew 28 we are commanded:

Matthew 28:18-20(NASB)

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As Always

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

Just last week we came home to a wonderful message on our answering machine. A woman from our church—my wife’s good friend—called to say that her tumor was benign. She didn’t have cancer after all. We’d been praying for such a miracle, and now those prayers had been answered. “God is so good,” she said excitedly. We agreed aloud and thanked him for his kindness. Answered prayers have a way of lifting us all a notch or two. We love sharing stories of God’s miraculous intervention in our life—and that’s a good thing. Yet even as I write these words this morning I wonder to myself, What if God had chosen not to heal her? Would he be any less wonderful? Would we still be praising him for his power and goodness? Is God still good and merciful, even when our prayers go unanswered? Paul wrestles with that question in his letter to the Corinthian church. “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud,” Paul confides in his brothers and sisters in the Lord. “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Paul didn’t just pray for help, he pleads for it, begging repeatedly.  And what was God’s response? “My gracious favor is all you need” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In a word, God’s answer was no to his most faithful and trusted servant. God wouldn’t even heal a simple problem? Unbelievable! That’s what I would think. But Paul has a different response: “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses …. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). In the midst of suffering and unanswered prayer, Paul continues to preach about God’s goodness and power. God refuses a simple request, and Paul still praises his name. He still has the thorn but glorifies God in spite of it. What does Paul understand that so many of us seem to have missed?  Paul knows that grace is all he really needs. He knows that answered prayers are nice, but they have little to do with the big picture. He knows that God has already given him more than he ever deserved—more than any of us dare ask for. And he knows that thorns are just diversions from our real purpose—temporal problems that won’t even be remembered in eternity. It’s great to praise God for miracles. But let’s not forget to praise him in his silence.

Today’s Reading 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Reflection Why was Paul given a “thorn in the flesh”? What allowed him to “boast in his weaknesses”? Is there a “thorn” that keeps your mind off of God’s purpose for you?

Read from Devotional; EMBRACING ETURNITY.

As Always

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

 “… the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions
into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little
world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament
says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the
miserable faith we exhibit by saying, “I haven’t had this experience or that
experience”! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides—He can present
us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous,
and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith “in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption …” (1 Corinthians 1:30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for
the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk
about making sacrifices! We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in
Jesus Christ—not a “prayer meeting” Jesus Christ, or a “book” Jesus Christ, but
the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us
dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs.
Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can
never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of
our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.
It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience
of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create
our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who
is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be
an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant
belief.

For me to live is Christ, and to die would be GLORIOUS GLORY.

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi

Title : My Utmost for His Highest
Edition : First
Copyright : Copyright
© 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. Original edition
copyright © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by
Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. United States publication rights
are held by Discovery House Publishers, which is affiliated with RBC Ministries,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files
Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc.

1 Peter 2:21-25(NRSV)

21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his
steps.

22    “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

25For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Here lately I have been thinking of how I have been allowing my thoughts to be expressed as I speak and not really putting serious
thought in what I am saying. What I’m saying is, we have a way of talking in our Christian jargon without putting serious thought In every word that that we speak. In 1 Peter 2:21-22 we read:

 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

22    “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

The scriptures state, For to this you have been called, so that you should follow in his steps. We have—- a set way—- in which we
should walk and how we should speak. To those around us; brothers and sisters in Christ, and also to the lost, we have a way to act.     “He committed no sin,      and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

I know there have been times in my life I will get a crosshair in my feelings and before I know what is happening I will speak
before my thoughts are in control. I will say something judgmental, and I’m sorry I said it. In Verse 23, He says it best; no abuse, and  when He was threatened he did not threaten back. We Have Christ in us and we must allow Him to be in control of us, not
the other way around. We are to entrust ourselves to the one who judges justly.

24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds£ you have been healed.

If Christ shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. We have such a freedom in Christ and we should live in that freedom rather than in bondage. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.

Through Christ we have been freed from sins; Through Christ, because He has left us an example to walk and to talk with everyone
around us and encourage and lead the way we should, as Christ leads us. Let us walk through Christ justified. For by his wounds you have been healed.

25For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

In My next talk we will continue in:

 Do it Yourself
2 Corinthians 10:5-6(ASV)
⁵casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ⁶and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.

As Always

IN HIS GRIP

Chuck Howi