Salvation, Love, and Obedience

November 5

(Psalm 119:166-168 NIV) “I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands. {167} I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. {168} I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.”

(John 14:11-21 NIV) “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. {12} I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. {13} And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. {14} You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. {15} "If you love me, you will obey what I command. {16} And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- {17} the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. {18} I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. {19} Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. {20} On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. {21} Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Salvation, love, and obedience are like three sides of a triangle. If you remove any one of the three sides, it collapses. Sometimes in this age of grace, we forget the importance of obedience and love. We are not saved by loving and obeying -- we love and obey because we are saved. Where you find genuine salvation, you will find obedience and love. Jesus ties them together in the package called discipleship. He told his disciples in John 14 that if they believed Him, they would love Him… and if they loved Him, they would obey His commands. It wasn’t a matter of choosing one or the other -- it was a matter of all three being present in their lives. It is much the same for today’s disciple. We start by coming to salvation, we begin to love the Lord who saved us, and we naturally grow into loving obedience. Salvation, obedience, and love: necessities for today’s complete disciple. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Trembling Hearts

November 4

(Psalm 119:161-165 NIV) “Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. {162} I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. {163} I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. {164} Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. {165} Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

(Philippians 2:5-13 NIV) “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: {6} Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, {7} but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! {9} Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, {11} and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. {12} Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, {13} for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

The old saying goes: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” We tend to disrespect people and things we are close to on a daily basis. We tend to treat things we are familiar with as ordinary, overlooking their greatness. The Bible is very accessible in the USA. We average about three Bibles per household, but Scripture reading is at an all time low in the nation. A very small minority read the Bible daily. As a whole, we have become contemptuous of God and His word because it has become so familiar. We no longer tremble at His word. We’ve been so “graced out” that “working out our salvation with fear and trembling” has become a foreign concept. We must recover the awe of God. We need to resuscitate the spirit that would praise the Lord seven times a day. We need to exalt Jesus and His word to the highest place again. A little trembling will not hurt us. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day   

Eternal Truth

November 3

(Psalm 119:160 NIV) “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”

(John 17:17 NIV) “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

(Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV) “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, {2} but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. {3} The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

(2 Timothy 3:16 NIV) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

God’s word is eternal. God’s word is powerful. God’s word is truth. God’s word rebukes us. God’s word encourages us. God’s word teaches us. God’s word corrects us. God’s word trains us. God’s word sanctifies us. God’s word breathes life into our soul. God’s word sustains us. This is why God’s word is under constant attack. The Enemy seeks to trivialize it, slander it, marginalize it, squelch it, abuse it, degrade it, hide it, diminish it, censor it, and eliminate it. But God’s eternal truth will not be silenced. It is the very breath of God, and cannot be stopped. It goes out. It draws in. Like the sun that shines even when obscured by clouds, the word of God illumines, giving light to those with open eyes. Like the proverbial tree falling in the forest, the word of God speaks to those with ears to hear. Truth goes forth and eternity is calling. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Faithless Folly

November 2

(Psalm 119:155-159 NIV) “Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. {156} Your compassion is great, O Lord; preserve my life according to your laws. {157} Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. {158} I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word. {159} See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your love.”

(Romans 1:28-32 NIV) “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. {29} They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, {30} slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; {31} they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. {32} Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

Yesterday we read that God is near -- today we read that “salvation is far from the wicked”. Are both statements true? Yes! God loves us, but man’s depravity blocks that love. When a culture does not seek God, faithless generations rise up and the knowledge of God wanes. This causes a death spiral of aberrant behavior, contaminating entire nations. People become hostile to God and begin to consistently ignore His precepts. Greed, gossip, arrogance, boasting, slander, and even murder, are normalized. As our hearts grow harder, our lives become senseless, our behaviors become ruthless, and our religion becomes faithless. When we refuse to believe God… when we keep the Lord at a distance… when we squander our lives in unbelief… we move dangerously close to the event horizon of the black hole of godless eternity. Turn back while there is still time! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day    

Nearer My God To Thee

November 1

(Psalm 119:150-154 NIV) “Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. {151} Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true. {152} Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. {153} Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. {154} Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.”

(Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

(Philippians 4:4-7 NIV) “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! {5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. {6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. {7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, it will be good to remember that the Lord is near. Wickedness is also near, along with trouble and pain -- but God is near, and though we may suffer in this world, He will never forsake us. Jesus, who was Himself forsaken, promises not to forsake us. He is risen and will stand with us. He will defend us. He will deliver us. He will redeem us. He will preserve us. Rejoice Christian! Evil may rise up against us, but it can never rise higher than our Lord. Death may appear to conquer us, but through Christ we will be victorious. Our Lord has conquered death, and like Him, we will rise again. Therefore, we will not live in fear, but step out in faith and courage. We will not live with anxious hearts because the peace of God will flood our lives. The Lord is near. Be strong. And be thankful. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day