By Life or By Death

 

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

—Philippians 1:20-21

Almost everyone does not expect to die in the next moment of time. We all anticipate taking our next breath, having our heart continuing to beat, and living on into the next minute, hour, day, month, and year.

Yes, some dear folks have received the horrible news that the disease that ravages their bodies will terminate their life. In fact, in this very moment of time, all across the world, people are dying. Sometimes that death is anticipated. But often, it comes unexpectedly. Please permit this illustration:

When I was very young, my somewhat older parents—mom was 42 and dad was 40 when they adopted me at my birth—began to experience the deaths of people they knew quite well. I went to many funerals, even at my young age.

I remember my mother reading the obituaries from the newspaper to my father at the breakfast table. Sometimes those death notices would include the phrase “… so and so died unexpectedly.” I’m certain the obituary writer intended to convey the fact that this particular person had not previously been ill and that his or her death was not something that the family expected to happen.

In reality, we all stand at the precipice between life and death. We do not know, from one moment to the next, if we will live or die. That’s a very sobering thought. And, it’s one that we frankly don’t like to think about.

There are so many ways in which we could pass from this life to the next. And, while we should not become morbid, nor spend our time brooding about this fact, we should spend time to think about the way the moments of our lives represent the God who loves us, especially during whatever time we have left on this earth. The Apostle Paul addressed this very subject when he wrote to the Christians gathered at Philippi, as recorded in Philippians 1:20-21:

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul tells the Philippians—and us—in this passage of Scripture that, whether he lives or dies, his single-minded purpose is to bring glory to his Savior. And, that is a good goal for us to aspire to, even as we begin a new day. Let’s determine that, for whatever time we may remain on this earth, we will devote ourselves to bringing glory to God through His Son, Jesus, as enabled by the Holy Spirit. Then, whether we live another 100 years, or die in the next moment of time, we will have done the very best we can to honor the love that God has poured into our lives, through our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Supporting the Weak

 

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

—Romans 15:1

Once we begin to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we will find ourselves proceeding along a pathway that He lays out before us. That pathway will take us through a process of ever-increasing Christian Spiritual Formation, where we will become more and more like Jesus. Bible scholars call this process “sanctification.” It literally means: “to become holy.” Because Jesus, the Son of God, is holy, He wants us to be like Him. So, by His grace and by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we are in the process of becoming holy, and thus, more like He is.

This includes the way we treat other people. Not every person has the same gifts, abilities, talents, and determination we do. Some people struggle with things that come quite easy to us. Some people need help, just to get through the day. We may be quite self-sufficient. But others may need lots more help than we ever do. In our process of becoming more and more like Jesus, we must determine to support those who are weaker than we are. That’s the thrust of these words from the Apostle Paul, as found in Romans 15:1:

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Let’s determine this day to put others first, to put them ahead of ourselves. Let’s determine to support the weak and help those in need. Why should we do that? Because that’s exactly what Jesus would do.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Growing More and More

 

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

—2 Thessalonians 1:3

In small group Bible studies and within larger church gatherings, we often talk a great deal about spiritual growth. We commend to one another a daily period of Bible reading and prayer as a valuable spiritual discipline for every believer. We assert that spending time listening to God through His written Word and talking to Him in prayer will result in a steady movement forward of Christian Spiritual Formation and both personal and corporate spiritual growth. That assertion is absolutely true.

The whole idea of walking along the pathway of life with Jesus means that, as we devote ourselves to Him and welcome the direction we receive from the Holy Sprit, we will more and more become like our Savior, Lord, and King. We will think like Him. We will speak like Him. We will act like Him. We will recognize the things He recognizes. We will applaud the things He applauds. We will gently and tenderly condemn the things that He condemns.

Spiritual growth that lasts is always a careful, steady, forward motion. A field of verdant grass, when viewed each day, does not appear to grow. Yet that same field, when looked at with some time between viewings, startles us with how much taller and fuller the grass has become. Similarly, in our lives as believers, our faith-walk will display an almost-too-hard-to-see daily growth. But, when viewed over time, people will observe that we are becoming more and more like the One who has saved us by the shedding of His precious blood to cover our sins. The Apostle Paul characterized such growth this way, as recorded in 2 Thessalonians 1:3:

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Paul acknowledges that when he looks at the lives of these new believers, he sees definite spiritual growth. And, Paul thanks God for this growth that he has observed. For to see such growth in our fellow believers truly produces joy.

This new day, let’s remember to spend time in God’s written Word and also in prayer. Let’s encourage each other that we might grow together in our faith. And, let’s remain grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who helps us in promoting our careful, steady, forward spiritual growth.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, November 19, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Keeping Those We Love in Our Prayers

 

“I [Paul] thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you [Timothy] in my prayers.”

—2 Timothy 1:3

Prayer is a fundamental, cohesive, and powerful component of our relationship with God. Almost anything we intend to do for the Kingdom of God must begin with sincere, earnest, and fervent prayer.

In our relationships with the people in our lives whom we love, nothing is as important as our taking time to pray for these dear ones. We show the sincerity and depth of our love for them when we purposefully pray for these special people in our lives.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the young man he called his “son in the faith.” Timothy was someone very special to Paul. Notice what Paul declares, as found in 2 Timothy 1:3:

I [Paul] thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you [Timothy] in my prayers.

This is a prayer that we all can pray each day for those who matter greatly in our lives. We can pray for our spouses, our children, our extended family members, our close friends, our fellow believers in our churches, and anyone else whom God graciously brings to our minds. Prayer represents the most powerful force we have at our disposal. It truly is a fundamental, cohesive, and powerful component of our relationship with God.

This day, let’s commit ourselves to become people of prayer. Let’s begin, right now, by praying for someone for whom we feel moved by God to pray. And, let’s not stop there. Let’s keep on praying for each one God brings to our minds.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, November 16, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

More Than Conquerors

 

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

—Romans 8:14

When the world around us seems in chaos, where do we go? When our fondest wishes, hopes, and dreams disappear in a puff of smoke, what do we do next? When those we counted on the most seem to have vanished, to whom do we turn?

From time to time, these kinds of questions seem to plague those who follow Christ. Nothing I could possibly write would have more impact than these words from the Apostle Paul found in Romans 8:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the midst of the chaos and confusion that sometimes envelopes our lives, may God, through His Holy Spirit, give us hearts filled with His love, joy, and peace this very day. May we come to understand and fully accept that in and through the Lord Jesus Christ we are, indeed, more than conquerors. No matter what may assail us in our lives, God will always give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, November 15, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Marching In Triumphal Procession

 

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

—2 Corinthians 2:14

As a small boy, I would eagerly look forward to the Memorial Day Parade in my hometown—except for the clowns. I didn’t like the clowns. They seemed quite scary to me: their painted faces, their random quick movements, their bobbing and weaving in and out of the crowd gathered to watch the parade. Scary! Really Scary!

In contrast with the clowns, I did very much like the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who marched through the street. My dad, a former Marine, always pointed out to me how the Marines looked the best in their crisp uniforms, straight lines, and precisely marching steps. He also opined that, quite understandably, the sailors didn’t march very well because they were used to walking on the ever-rolling deck of a ship.

I also very much enjoyed seeing the fire apparatus, especially the aerial ladder truck. And, I enjoyed the marching bands, even when the thudding drums caused my chest to compress with the concussive force of their rhythmic beating.

Whether we realize it or not, we Christians are “parade people.” We are part of a great triumphal procession that rivals any Memorial Day, or any other celebratory parade. Notice what the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:14:

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Today, as we “march” out into the world, let’s spread the sweet fragrance of Christ everywhere we go. Let’s allow our humble, careful, and loving witness to God’s love and grace become a perfume that draws a needy world irresistibly into His grace. And, let’s march onward triumphantly.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Thirst-quenching Holy Spirit

 

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”

—Isaiah 44:3

When you’re thirsty, really thirsty, nothing quenches that thirst quite like a drink of cool, clear spring water. As a small boy growing up in the inland valleys of central northwestern Pennsylvania, we were blessed to have a number of natural springs available to us. One of those springs existed on the outskirts of the City of Bradford, Pennsylvania, coming off a hill that led onto a road named “Interstate Parkway.”

In the summertime of the 1950s, my dad would take several clear gallon glass jugs, load them into the trunk of our car, and with me in the shotgun seat, drive out to that spring and fill those bottles with the clearest, coldest, most refreshing water that I had ever tasted. The bottled water that we have in such abundance today was nearly unheard of in those days. So, it was a real treat to be able to open the refrigerator and fill a glass or cup from one of those gallon jugs of natural spring water.

The Holy Spirit is like that refreshing spring water. He comes into our lives when we acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Thereafter, the Spirit provides us with a constant flow of fresh, clear, cool spiritual water that revives our spirits and lifts our souls.

The Prophet Isaiah had lived long enough on the edge of the desert to know how important a spring of living water was to a land that was parched by the heat of the sun. That’s why Isaiah, speaking the words of God, recorded this statement found in Isaiah 44:3:

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

God refreshes the spirits of His dearly loved children by pouring the Holy Spirit into their lives. That’s the lesson for today. We need to recognize how fortunate we are to have such a refreshment made available to us by the God who loves us with His everlasting love.

The late Donald Doig shares this appropriate musical reminder that I hope you will enjoy:

 

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2018

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}