God's Sovereignty

Trusting in the sovereignty of God does not give us license to live lax or laidback lives. Knowing that God is actively governing and guiding life’s events is a comforting realization. It rightly dispels fear and anxiety, but it should not quench our passion or drive to attack each day with zealous intent. Consider Paul’s confidence in God regarding the salvation of the elect. He obviously believes that “as many as are appointed to eternal life believe” when he proclaims the gospel (Ac.13:48). And yet we see his passionate determination as he describes his evangelistic fervor: “Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” and “God is making his appeal through us:  we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2Cor.5:11; 20). There is no “letting go and letting God.” Rather, there is an underlying confidence in the providential work of God as we give ourselves wholeheartedly and passionately to the work he has called us to do. So whether it is evangelism or financial planning, prayer or childrearing, the biblical model is to trust God fully and work at it with all of our heart.

Confession

The Bible instructs us to “confess” our sins (1Jn.1:9). While many think that means to say “I’m sorry” to God, the word actually precludes most forms of modern apologies. The word confess in the Greek New Testament is a compound word which is made up of the words “the same” and “to speak”. The idea is that when we confess our sins, we are saying the same thing about our sins that God says. God, of course, sees our sins as detestable (2Kgs.21:11), appalling (Jer.2:12-13), shameful (Job 31:11), grievous (Eph.4:30), wicked (Gen.39:9), offensive (Pr.17:9), and even nauseating (Rev.3:16). Popular sentiments like “I’m sorry if I offended you” or “I’m sorry you were hurt by my actions” is a long way from calling our own actions detestable or appalling. True biblical repentance always includes seeing our sins for what they are and agreeing with God about the sinfulness of sin. That is why passages that depict biblical repentance include phrases like “this godly sorrow has produced in you… indignation, alarm and readiness to see justice done” (2Cor.7:11). So let us be careful that we don’t mistake a half-hearted “I’m sorry” for biblical “confession” of our sins.

Feelings

Our Maker tells us in his word that our volition can and should take charge of our emotions. God has so designed our minds and now insists that we not be tyrannized by our feelings. It may not be easy. At times it will be a fierce battle, but our decision-making must not be conscripted by our fickle moods and emotions. Consider the Psalmist who taught God’s people to marshal their inmost being: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; and all my inmost being, praise his holy name” (Ps.103:1). Even when fears grip the psalmist’s heart his response is, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid” (Ps.56:11). Circumstances will obviously ignite our feelings, but God has designed us and called us to take charge and lead with our volition and not our emotions. If we let our feelings lead we will inevitably be driven and tossed by the tide of our circumstances. May God’s Spirit embolden our minds to lead and allow our feelings to fall inline.

Stand for Truth

God warned of a great apostasy as the end of human history draws near (2Th.2:3; 1Tim.4:1-3; 2Tim.3:1-5; 4:3-4; et al.). This is not a promise of a religion-less world. On the contrary, the end times events are filled with references to popular and influential religious organizations (Rev.17:1-18). What God’s word predicts is the loss of true biblical faith in Jesus as the “only way to the Father” and in Jesus as our “sovereign Lord” (Rev.17:1-18; Jn.14:6; Jude 4). We must not let this forewarned slide into relativistic religion take us by surprise. We must stand on the objective truth of God’s word regardless of how unpopular it may become. Though God’s truth is timeless, we should expect increasing portions of society to mock it and malign us for adhering to it. As J.C. Ryle once wrote, “if a man studies the Scripture and labors continually for the conversion of souls… he will probably be thought a firebrand and ‘troubler of Israel.’ But let men say what they will. Such are the truest friends of the Church who labor for the preservation of the truth.”

Relationship God's Way

The newspaper recently reported that what people are looking for these days is a “spiritual” experience without any “religious” guidelines. That’s nothing new, so were Adam and Eve. We tend to want a relationship with God our way. The problem is “our way” is “sin” – which by definition is the lack of conformity to “God’s way”. God and his holy standard are what they are. Wishing or wanting it to be the way I’d prefer it won’t change the reality of God and his revealed standard. The goal of biblical Christianity is to see our thoughts, hearts and lives conformed to what is holy, just and right – according to God’s definition. Which, believe it or not, is best. And because God, the perfect One, has made us for himself, in the end, what is holy, just and right will be exactly what we want. In our fallen state, human desires are all over the map, but when God restores his children, first internally at regeneration and then externally at his coming, we realize that God’s commands “are sure and altogether righteous… more precious than gold… and sweeter than honey” (Ps.19:9-10).

--Pastor Mike 

Good News

To trust in Jesus as the sole provision for my acceptance before God is the essence of the gospel. But by definition this gospel cannot be the same as a gospel which allows you to trust in Jesus plus something else. Many are glad when they find those who “love Jesus” and are quick to consider them participants in the gospel. But the gospel found in the Bible requires more than “accepting Jesus” – it requires that I relinquish my trust in any other means of approval before God. To think that “adding Jesus” to my life is the secret ingredient for salvation is to miss the “substitution” that is at the heart of biblical faith. I cannot add Christ to my efforts, works or good deeds. Christ must replace these! Paul, in describing his personal efforts to do good testifies, “whatever was to my profit I now consider loss” (Phil.3:7). He goes on to say, “I consider them rubbish, 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” (Phil.3:8-9). The gospel calls us to forsake any trust or confidence in ourselves and instead to trust exclusively in Jesus Christ as the sole provision for our acceptance before God. Adding Christ to a spiritual portfolio or loving Christ as an additional spiritual asset is “another gospel” - which God in the letter to the Galatians goes to great lengths to show is “no gospel at all” (Gal.1:6-7).

-- Pastor Mike

Creation

While many of us affirm the truth that God made the world and that it displays his handiwork, and while some of us go so far as to say that it is God’s strategic source of “general revelation” to mankind, it is unfortunate that most of us take so little time to utilize God’s creation as a catalyst for worship. David states that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hand… day after day they pour forth speech and night after night they display knowledge” (Ps.19:1-2). That was not just a theological assertion for David, it was most often a stirring prompt to pray, sing and worship the Creator. In Psalm 8 for instance, David recognizes the various ways God’s greatness is seen in the created order (from the stars and the moon to the varieties of herds, birds and fish) only to frame his observations with heartfelt praise: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” (vv.1, 9). While the world is often enamored with God’s creation, yet failing to honor the Creator (Rom.1:25), let us not miss the daily opportunity given to us through the sunsets, constellations or crisp ocean air to specifically and sincerely praise the Creator whose craftsmanship is on perpetual display.

-- Pastor Mike

Be Strong!

We intuitively prefer strength to weakness. And we should. It is a biblical virtue to possess the strength to resiliently face life’s challenges and to “bear up under the pain” we all inevitably encounter (1Pet.2:19; Eph.6:10-13). Thankfully God is desirous of granting his children strength (Is.40:29; Ps.29:11; Phil.4:13). Many do well to ask God for it, but err in passively waiting for its arrival. God would have us get active – specifically in his word! The connection between acquiring strength and indulging in God’s word is unmistakable. David testifies that encounters with God’s written word “revives the soul” (Ps.19:7). John equates the growing strength of spiritual “young men” with “the word of God living in them” (1Jn.2:14). We cannot afford to be ignorant of Satan’s strategy in this matter. To keep us weak, feeble and internally fragile, he only needs to keep us from God’s word. If we are to “overcome the evil one” and possess real strength as those spiritual “young men” in 1 John 2:14, then we must keep our nose in the Book and our mind set on God’s eternal principles.

-- Pastor Mike

Assessing Motives

Unfortunately Christians these days routinely and confidently assert their supposed insight into the thoughts and motives of those with whom they disagree. God’s people are regrettably mirroring the practice of the world by all too often claiming to know what others are thinking. While it is common to routinely impugn motives, the Bible prohibits such arrogant judgments. We may be told to adjudicate words and actions (cf. 1Cor.5:11-13; 6:2-5; et al.), but we cannot possibly judge someone else’s motives. When it comes to “why” someone did what he or she did, the Bible affirms what should be obvious to all: “no one knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him” (1Cor.2:11). Paul says that when it comes to another’s motives we must “wait until the Lord comes” when Christ “will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts” (1Cor.4:5). So let us refrain from saying we know “why” he or she did or said this or that, and let us only deal with ourselves regarding motives. Let us each spend more time allowing the convicting word of God to expose the “thoughts and intentions” of our own hearts as we prepare for the Lord’s arrival (Heb.4:12). Transgressing God’s word in this matter and engaging in accusing one another based on the speculative guesswork of appraising one another’s motives can only lead to trouble.

--Pastor Mike

Pain

Having a daughter with paralysis, I understand the blessing of pain. Without the ability to feel pain, both physical and emotional, we would run headlong into destructive situations. The pain of guilt is a classic example. We usually feel that something is wrong, because something is wrong. We often feel bad, because we have been. When our hearts feel those uncomfortable pangs, as with our feet or knees, it is important to stop and check things out. In our fallen world pain serves as a warning sign, and more often as a stop sign. The good news is, as with our coming resurrection, there is a solution for our pain. God is willing to grant repentance, forgiveness and restoration.  And that right now. I know we don’t like pain, but until our lives are glorified, we need the warning signal that pain brings. Perhaps we should thank God, that for the time being we are afforded the blessing of pain.

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The End

Part of the reason God gave us divine revelation about the next life is to motivate us in this one. Some have said Christians can be “so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.” But as C.S. Lewis rightly pointed out, Christians are no earthly good until they are heavenly minded. Until we digest what God says about the end of this world and the beginning of the next, we will never truly embrace Christ’s values or live a Christ-like life. The New Testament repeatedly drives this point home, frequently exhorting us to “set our hearts on things above” (Col.3:1-2). Jesus calls us to punctuate our prayers with an ardent request for God’s “kingdom to come” (Mt.6:10). Because our decisions, our discussion and our disposition need that eternal perspective, may God empower us today to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2Cor.4:18).

For more devotionals and sermons from Pastor Mike Fabarez visit the Focal Point website.

Fight

If you knew that you had to engage in a street fight with someone today, you’d prepare. Not wanting to fight wouldn’t help if the fight were inevitable. Ignoring the fight would only ensure your loss. The Bible says that you are in a daily battle for the control of your words. Scripture warns that your “tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (Jms.3:6). James then goes on to say that it needs to be tamed, arrested and controlled. Each of us will battle today with that unruly, disruptive and powerful force. We must win this battle. We must prepare every day. We must start each day with a call for God’s help. We must seek the power of God’s Spirit to endow us with self-control (Gal.5:22-23). We must be conscious of this daily battle before it begins. May God give us the vigilance, the wisdom and the strength to mitigate the damage and marshal this powerful foe into submission. May we, with God’s help, successfully “offer the parts of our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness” (Ro.6:13) no matter how difficult the fight might be.

Visit the Focal Point website for free resources by Pastor Mike Fabarez. 

All In

Life really does necessitate that we decide who or what we are going to serve. The words of Joshua are perpetually relevant as he turned to the people and said, “choose for yourselves this day who you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh.24:15). Without a resolute decision in this regard we will be driven and tossed by every whim, trend or pressure that comes our way. Our heart will be plagued with an emotional schizophrenia until we settle this question regarding our purpose and direction. We must come face to face with the timeless words of Elijah who asks, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, follow him” (1Kgs.18:21). We cannot sanely drift through life without a decision. It behooves us to choose our “master”; Jesus said, two will not work. Lukewarm, he warned, is not a reasonable option. James warns that a “double-minded man” is “unstable in all he does” (Jms.1:8). So chose. Will the Triune God be your Master or something else?

For more biblical teaching visit the Focal Point website. 

Help Me

As you read through the Psalms you will see the repeated, simple and effective prayer of a righteous man. It is a prayer I hope you pray regularly. It is a prayer that reveals your heart of dependence on God for your life, your protection and your future. I mentioned that this prayer is simple. Actually it is extremely simple – two words in our English Bibles. The prayer:  “Help me!” (Ps.38:22; 40:13; 59:4; 109:26; et al.) The inspired Psalms led God’s people to pray this simple prayer regularly in their songs of worship. It should be our song hour by hour. Few things are more worshipful than declaring our continual dependence on God as our Sustainer, Protector and Guide. To be consciously reliant on our Creator for all things is simply a truthful awareness of reality. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that we are finite, dependent and needy. For in reality, God “gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Ac.17:25). May God help us to always be mindful of this, calling frequently on God to grant us his wisdom and help.

Smallness

While the world works desperately to bolster our sense of personal significance and individual importance, biblical truth drives us in the opposite direction. A hallmark of biblical humility is the realization that we are infinitesimally small, juxtaposed with a growing appreciation for the magnitude of God’s love to stoop to care for creatures like us. Our need is not for an amplified “self-esteem” (that has been the source of immeasurable trouble in the cosmos since the inflated self-perception of a certain angelic being – Isaiah 14:13-14).  Instead, the real challenge is to get ourselves in perspective as we seek to know the transcendent and majestic God who made us and chose to redeem us.  David sang: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps.8:3-4). When we are able to see our fleeting lives against the backdrop of our immutable and eternal God, our hearts find their dependant and appropriate place in God’s world – a prerequisite for fruitful living.  Again David typifies the godly perspective when he wrote, “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer… O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?  Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow” (Psalm 144:2-3). May we learn to esteem our great God as we recognize our smallness.

Passing It On

The Bible has much to say about our responsibility to pass on our spiritual gains to those who will be here when we are gone. This is more than a parent’s responsibility to teach their kids the Bible. It is much broader and much deeper than simply communicating biblical data to children. In Scripture, the call usually comes from those who never had kids. It is, more fully, an urgent exhortation that has younger non-familial adults in view. By “spiritual gains” I mean the kind of sage counsel and practical insight that comes from successfully implementing and applying the truths of God’s word. If the goal was simply “passing on truth,” we could just hand out Bibles, but the objective of spiritual reproduction is to functionally train and instruct those younger in Christ to know how to do what God has said. Paul shows the breath of this task when he wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me – put it into practice” (Phil.4:9). To his spiritual protégé Paul writes, “You know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions and sufferings… continue in what you have learned” (2Tim.3:10, 14). It won’t happen without being intentional. You and I must purpose to “pass on” our spiritual gains. At whatever stage we may be in the Christian life, we must meet with younger Christians, talk with younger Christians and share our insight with younger Christians. We must purpose to train others up in truth who will advance the cause of Christ for years after we have finished our work and gone on to be with the Lord.

Joy

While it is true that sorrow may teach us more than happiness (Ecclesiastes 7:2), joy and gladness are certainly more appropriate in the hearts and attitudes of those who know and love God. The psalmist exclaimed, “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him” (Psalm 33:1). Paul exhorted us, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Would you be counted by your friends and coworkers as one who is obedient to that biblical command? Are you seen as someone whose temperament is characterized by a biblical optimism? Would others say you are quick to smile at the thought of God’s grace and his ever-present help in your life? It may be a challenge in a world filled with so much pain, but how displeasing and unbecoming it is for the forgiven children of God to be the most sour, critical, discouraged and pessimistic people on the block. Let this never be true of us. Let us find our joy in the transcendent truths of God’s word. May we learn to rejoice as we meditate on the forgiveness, grace and acceptance that is ours in Christ. Let us be those who are known for smiling, singing and reveling in God and our standing in grace.

Weakness

As sinful and fallen people we hate the feeling of weakness. On the other hand, we love feelings of strength, dominance, control, power and independence. But the reality is, that as creatures of the One who “gives all men life, breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25) all of our perceived experiences of strength and power are derived and not autonomous. As Nebuchadnezzar poignantly learned, God “does what he pleases with the powers of heaven” (Daniel 4:35). The truth is we have and are nothing without the active and gracious involvement of God, for he “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). He freely chooses to “bring one down and exalt another” (Psalms 75:7). In other words, we are all inherently weak! We have no independent power or intrinsic strength. And in the normal course of life we periodically get a taste of that reality. There are times when we painfully feel the reality of our weakness. The Bible says it is then when we are prepared to experience the transcendent strength of our God. For when we recognize and ask the true source of power, then he “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). As Paul learned in his episodes of palpable weakness, “when I am weak, I am strong” for God grants strength to those who trust him for it (2 Corinthians 12:10). So let’s get honest and be willing to “boast all the more gladly about [our] weakness so that Christ’s power may rest on [us]” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Don't Grow Weary

In a world that rarely rewards truly good behavior, it is not a surprise that God’s people would be tempted to grow weary in doing what is right. But don’t. The Bible calls us to constantly renew our perspective and our strength, remembering that doing the right thing is always the right thing. After reminding us that “sowing and reaping” is an unwavering reality (even if the sprouts of consequence are long in coming), Paul calls the Galatian churches to “not become weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal.6:9). We must not forget that God is on the throne and he will inevitably reward righteous behavior. Don’t give up. Don’t despair. Keep faithfully following his path and upholding his precepts. In the end he will vindicate every good deed. In the meantime, look to him for strength. He can give you the perseverance you need. “The Lord gives strength to his people” (Ps.29:11) and God “increases the power of the weak” (Is.40:29). So ask him today for the courage, the power and the perspective to keep doing what’s right regardless of what others may say. In time we will see it was all worth it.

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Life's Opposition

Many Christians assume that if God really loves us, he will fill our lives with good feelings, satisfied desires and things that make us happy. That may be a common assumption, but it certainly isn’t what God told us he’d do. The Bible is clear that for now, because we live in a fallen world, function in fallen bodies and interact with fallen people, we will experience a life of difficulty. Yes, God loves us (so much so that he was willing to provide for our forgiveness by punishing his Son as though he was the sinner we are), but he has delayed his ultimate blessings until we are done drafting the rest of his yet-to-be enlisted followers. Our goal is to maintain our faith, hope and love until the job is done. In the meantime Jesus reminds us that “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (Jn.15:20). Jesus experienced both, and so will we. Unfortunately, more people rejected, disdained and hated Christ than rightly responded to his call to be reconciled to God. But some did obey his teaching, and occasionally with us they do also. There are those choice few who hear us out, repent of their sin and trust in Christ – which makes all the opposition worth it. So when things in this sinful world make your life hard, know that it was the same for God’s beloved Son. We certainly can’t expect our earthly experience to be any better than the King of kings. But remember that just as Jesus finished his race and entered the perfection of “paradise”, we will too. When our job is done, the love of God will be manifest in uninterrupted good feelings, satisfaction and happiness.  Maranatha!

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