Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Malachi 3:3).

Our Father, who seeks to perfect His saints in holiness, knows the value of the refiner's fire. It is with the most precious metals that the assayer takes the most pains, and subjects them to the hot fire, because such fires melt the metal, and only the molten mass releases its alloy or takes perfectly its new form in the mould.

The old refiner never leaves his crucible, but sits down by it, lest there should be one excessive degree of heat to mar the metal. But as soon as he skims from the surface the last of the dross, and sees his own face reflected, he puts out the fire.
--Arthur T. Pierson

He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mould as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho' we fain would have said Him 'Nay,'
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire--not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment's pain?
Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.

No Condemnation..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 No Condemnation

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 8:1-4

Some believers are plagued by feelings of condemnation. Either they think they'll never live up to God's expectations for them or they're nearly drowning in guilt over past sins. These men and women cannot seem to shake the sense that God is displeased with their puny efforts at being Christlike.

The book of Romans confronts this lie head-on: "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). When the Savior went to the cross on our behalf, He lifted the blame from our shoulders and made us righteous before God. Those feelings of condemnation do not belong to us; they are from Satan. He amplifies our guilt and feelings of inadequacy and then suggests that's how the Lord feels about His "wayward child." Nothing could be further from the truth. Our sins are wiped clean, and we are chosen and loved by God.

Condemnation is reserved for those who reject the Lord (John 3:36). Sin is a death sentence (Rom. 6:23). Anyone who chooses to cling to sin instead of seeking divine forgiveness must pay the penalty, which is an eternity separated from God. Two synonyms of condemn are 'denounce' and 'revile.' Those words certainly describe Jesus' statement to unbelievers in Matthew 25:41: "Depart from me, accursed ones."

There is no condemnation for those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. The believer's penalty for sin is paid, and he can stand blameless before God. Trust in the Lord's love and let go of Satan's lie. God's beloved children are covered by His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

More Than Dust and Bone..... LYSA TERKEURST

 More Than Dust and Bone

LYSA TERKEURST

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 (ESV) 

Remember who you are.

These are words I spoke to my children countless times when they were younger. I wanted them to remember they are children of the Almighty God. I knew if they remembered this truth, they would be better able to live this truth.

Genesis 1 and 2 read like this kind of reminder to me. A reminder I needed when my heart was broken and I could feel everything good slipping away from me. I felt so insignificant. I was trying to move forward after the deep pain of betrayal. I kept asking, “Is it even possible to heal from something like this?” As we navigate a world full of hurt and hearts so often full of shame, these first two chapters of the Bible feel like God whispering to us: “Remember who you are. Remember how I designed you. Remember all I’ve called you to be.”

When God formed, shaped and painted this world and its creatures into being, His goodness seeped in with every thought and touch. And when He was done, Genesis 1:31a says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

I love that God declared Adam and Eve to be exceedingly and abundantly good, even though the actual ingredients He used to make them were seemingly so very humble and basic. Dust and broken-off bone don’t seem like the most promising of beginnings.

Left on their own, these ingredients would amount to nothing. Insignificant. Unacceptable.

But chosen by God and then breathed on and touched by God, they became the only part of creation made in the image of God. They were “nothing,” turned into the most glorious “something.” They were made to be a reflection of the image of God. These image bearers made an invisible God’s image, visible.

And I don’t want us to miss the significance of Genesis 2:18 when God says He will make a helper suitable for Adam.

The Hebrew word for suitable is נֶגֶד     neged, meaning “what is in front of you, in your sight, before your face in your view.” So, this word “suitable” gives meaning to the kind of help Adam needed. Beyond just needing help to work the garden or someone uniquely designed to be able to carry children so they could bring forth life, Adam needed a visual — something in front of him to view.

This seems to me to be a reflection. Not like a mirror reflecting only what you place in front of it. No, this is more like a reminder that what is standing in front of him is a reflection of God’s image.

It seems Eve, in being a helper suitable for him, was to be a reminder of who Adam was — a human made in God’s image. A reflection of the glory and goodness of God. It’s a reminder Eve would have needed as well. And together, they were to fill the earth with the glory of God. Not to just be fruitful and multiply it with children. But to multiply evidence of God Himself. (Genesis 1:28)

Their design in the image of God declared to the world, “God is worthy of praise!”

And their design declared to each other, “Remember who you are. You are of God. From God. Made in His image. Loved from the depth of God’s unfathomable Father’s heart. Treasured beyond imagination.”

This is the Divine Echo. This is what Adam and Eve were called to, and it’s what we’re called to as well. Not just married people, but every person with a beating heart. And the more we remind each other of who we really are, the more God’s goodness and glory will echo throughout the earth.

We aren’t just dust and bone.
We aren’t what we’ve done or what’s been done to us.
We aren’t the worst of what others have said about us.

We are the very breath and touch of God. Designed and loved by God. A reflection of the glory and goodness of God.

These are the truths I needed to remember about who I am. I am so much more than the sum total of my hurt and pain and insecurities. Maybe it’s what you need as well … so let me whisper to your soul, “Remember who you are.”

Father God, what a humbling and beautiful gift it is to be Your image bearer. Help me to change how I see myself and others. Show me if there’s anyone I've been viewing through a lens of hurt and shame instead of Your divine lens of love. I want my life to be a declaration of Your goodness and glory. And I want to speak life and truth into hurting hearts who have forgotten who they are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (NIV)

Honoring All Souls..... by Sarah Phillips

 Honoring All Souls

by Sarah Phillips

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11: 17 - 27

Most of us who’ve been around for more than a couple decades have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember when a close family friend died while I was in high school.

"Uncle" Ed was only in his 40's, a tough-looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned ICU nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Ed he needed medical attention as soon as possible.

My sisters and I would only see Ed a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Ed we always knew.

The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before prom, and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about the prom dresses we designed. Ed listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Ed passed away.

One of the saddest aspects of Ed's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Ed's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Ed's Lutheran funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Ed's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.

I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.

Some of the most encouraging reflections on death and eternity I've read can be found in a book published by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."

While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what Christianity teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.

Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.

While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: While many of our loved ones are not famous Saints like Augustine or Aquinas, they are just as precious to us and to God. Nov. 2 is the Feast of All Souls – the day when many Christians officially remember all who have gone before us, like Ed. Thank God for the blessings of the time you had with your loved ones, and perform some little act of kindness in their memory.

Further Reading

Romans 5:5-11
John 10:9-10
1 John 3:1- 3

The Best Method for Bible Study..... by Alex Crain

 The Best Method for Bible Study

by Alex Crain

Sometimes, Christians complain that following an orderly Bible study method seems to squeeze out the Holy Spirit. At least it feels that way to them. But if we want to know what God is saying in His Word, our feelings must give way to disciplined and principled study. Otherwise, we'll only be hearing our own thoughts and ascribing them to God.

If you want to read the Bible to know God and know what His Word says, here are some basic steps to Bible study:

1. After praying for God’s help, survey the entire book you're studying.

After asking God to give you understanding into His Word, open a bible dictionary or a good study Bible and find out some basic background information about the book. Who is the human author? When did he write this book?

What was his situation? Is it a historical book? A letter? Poetry? Prophecy? Next, skim read the book for what each chapter's main point is. Jot down a title for each chapter. Many Bibles today already have titles added by the publisher. You might follow along with those as you skim read the book, or write your own chapter headings. When you're done surveying the book, try to summarize the book's major themes and main message in your own words.

2. Observe.

Now you're ready to dive in to a specific passage and make careful observations about it. Examine the text carefully to see what it says. Underline the verbs. Note any key words that stand out. Take enough time to observe facts that are stated, words or phrases that are repeated, contrasts or comparisons that are made in the text. Note any questions about the text that come to mind.

3. Interpret.

Define those key words and concepts that you found in the observation step.  When you interpret, remember three essential rules: (1) context (2) context (3) context. As one clever writer put it: "never read a bible verse." (Meaning, always read a verse in its larger context.) Seek explanations for any words or phrases that were hard to understand. Write a summary on what the passage means.

4. Apply the passage in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The key question to ask here is: "Now that I know what God's Word says in this text, what am I to do about it?" We also might ask: "What does this text have to say about my relationships? Is there a command to obey? A promise to believe? A sin to confess or avoid? A character quality to pursue? An example to follow? These are the kinds of questions to ask as you seek God's help in applying Scripture.

Remember that a sensible method of Bible study doesn't diminish the importance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our powerful Guide, who helps us as we read, observe, interpret, and apply His Word to our lives. Let's pray now for strength and disciplined consistency to spend well-ordered time in the presence of God as we seek to know Him through His Word.

A Prayer for Grace as You Navigate Life..... By: Jack Graham

 A Prayer for Grace as You Navigate Life

By: Jack Graham

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” – Colossians 3:23

I remember several years ago when I was teaching my kids how to drive. Talk about nerve-racking! Sitting in the passenger seat, I felt absolutely helpless. All I could do was give them guidance and allow them to follow it. And when they first began driving on their own, I don’t think I slept for days!

Now when it comes to teaching kids how to drive, you can do it one of two ways. You can start by showing them the first aid kit, the map, the insurance card, and where to put their Starbucks while the car is moving. Or (the best way), you can let them start driving and show them what to do along the way.

God wants us to know how to steer through life. One way He could’ve taught us that is by telling us exactly how to respond to any and every situation that might arise. All we’d have to do is memorize His instructions, and we’d be good to go.

But like driving, God knows the best way for us to learn is to get out and experience life for ourselves, walking by the Spirit and listening to Him as we go. So if you want to get the most out of life, live teachable. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your steps and you’ll learn how to excel in every aspect of life!

Dear Lord, allow us to take every experience we possess and use it for good in this lifelong journey. Teach us to be wise, and to use that wisdom for your glory. Teach us to strive for excellence in everything we do. May our actions always be righteous, and our hearts always be sensitive to your voice. Amen.