AUGUST 4

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

1 Samuel 2:7

“The Lord makes poor and makes rich;  He brings low and lifts up”

CHARLES SPURGEON:

All my changes come from Him who never changes.  If I had grown rich, I would have seen His hand in it, and I would have praised Him;  let me equally see His hand if I am made poor, and let me as heartily praise Him.  In any case, the Lord has done it, and it is well.

It seems that Jehovah’s way is to lower those whom He means to raise, and to strip those whom He intends to clothe.  If I am now enduring the bringing low, I may well rejoice because I see in it the preface to the lifting up.  The more we are humbled by grace, the more we shall be exalted in glory.

Lord, You have taken me down of late and made me feel my insignificance and sin.  It is not a pleasant experience, but I pray You make it a profitable one to me.   Amen”

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This month we will continue the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

WHATEVER HAPPENS………..ACTIVELY PRESS ON

Philippians 3:12-14

“12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Knowing Christ is the theme of this chapter, and what a theme it is!!!

The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord is worth more than all the money in the world,  and everything is garbage and rubbish compared with the surpassing value of knowing Christ our Lord.

Here is the heart of chapter 3, Paul defined three distinct phases of knowing Christ. ….Gaining Christ, knowing Christ and  called heavenward in Christ.

GAINING CHRIST

I read about Orel Hershiser, who spent 17 years as a professional baseball player.  After he signed with the LA Dodger in 1979, he was assigned to training camp in Scottsdale, AZ.  His teammate and roommate was a dedicated Christian who was always reading his bible.  One night, Hershiser asked him what he saw in that old book, and his roommate said,

“Everything.”

Shortly afterward, Hershiser picked up the Gideon Bible in his room, started reading it, and came under deep conviction.  He later said, “without any prompting, I slipped to my knees by the bed.  Openly confessing my sins, I invited Christ into my life.”

At some point we all need to slip to our knees, confess our sins, and invite Jesus into our lives as Savior and Lord.  That’s how we meet Christ.  That’s how we begin the process of getting to know Him.

KNOWING CHRIST.

The next phase is in verses 8-10, and notice the words I’ve emphasized:

“….that I may GAIN CHRIST and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to KNOW CHRIST.”

Paul said, “I have gained Christ; now I want to know Him.”  It was time to get to know Him better – to become more intimately and deeply acquainted with Him.  This happens over the course of our lifetime as we cultivate our friendship with Him.

Hosea 6:3 says: ”Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

For the Christian, that’s the function of quiet time.   How often do you intentionally spend time alone with God?  65 percent of church-goers say they do it daily.

Have you noticed God speaking to you when you close the door and read your Bible?  Do you look for what He might be trying to tell you?  As you develop a daily habit of reading the Word and praying, you will get to know Him better.  That is not a shallow spot of time;  it is the deepest and richest thing anyone can do.

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