2007 December 09 « No Other Rock

Four Points of the Compass – Greater and Lesser

December 9, 2007 at 7:43 pm | In Awake My Heart, Serving the Lord | No Comments
Tags: false idols, Fear God, Honor the King, Patriotism

Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. I Peter 2:17

Note: This devotion is from November 6-7

We Christians recognize the stamp of the Creator upon all men, even upon the brow of the demoralized savage. Despite the degradation caused by sin, superstition and Satanic oppression, we believe that fundamentally, in his mental and moral nature, man is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).

To be Christian is not merely being a part of a club or even a church for that matter. We are members of a family. There is not a different spirit within each of us, but one Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” When we allow the new nature in us to have its way, we do love one another, and delight in each other and sympathise with each other.

When the apostle Paul wrote “Fear God” and “Honor the king” the man seated on the throne was Nero, who was one of the vilest monsters.

The idea of “Fear God” and “Honor the king” are intricately linked for this reason. That’s because the fear of God is the one sure safeguard against giving the wrong kind of honor to an unearthly ruler or leader. For patriotism apart from godliness is rooted in evil. Call it false idol worship . . . but it is evil nonetheless.

Today, I pray that you and I will fear God and honor the one true King.

Meaningful Metaphors

December 9, 2007 at 1:43 pm | In Awake My Heart, Serving the Lord | No Comments
Tags: Acts, Biblical metaphors, I Timothy

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. II Timothy 4:7

Note: This devotion is from November 3-5

Here, we are presented with three metaphors – a fight, a race and a trust.

Each metaphor describes an aspect of Christian life. It is a fight for there is a foe to quell . . . a race for there is a goal to reach . . . a trust for there is a truth to guard. However, all of them come together and are necessary to each other. For the Christian life demands bravery, perseverance and fidelity to triumph in the fight, race and holding that trust.

We use the war metaphor throughout so many facets of our modern age (i.e. the war on drugs), but at our conversion, we enlisted in the Christian fight, or war. In I Timothy 6:12, he defines this battle as “the good fight of the faith.” This war is the “good fight” for complete mastery over sin and Satan. And yet, while we battle on the side of God, He will not conquer our temptations for us if we do not fight them ourselves.

When Paul says, “I have finished the course,” he speaks with the stadium and the Olympic racecourse in mind. It differs from war, fight or battle in that it is more individualistic. Paul means that he has now completed the special track or stretch of ministry that has been set before him (Acts 20:24). This special course is divinely set and marked for each of us to persevere. As in a physical race, the runners keep their eye toward the prize – and so we must keep our eyes firmly placed on the goal of our heavenly prize.

Today, I pray that you and I be brave, persevere and hold strong to our fidelity