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Insight

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 5, 2015

“Personal ministry…involves exposing hurt, lost, and confused people to God’s glory, so that they give up their pursuit of their own glory and live for His”!!! (Paul David Tripp’s significant book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishers, 2002, p. 184).

That is a massively profound statement leading to a potential worldview shift. All of our lives we have been taught by our culture that the goal of life is to be independent, fulfilled, successful and comfortable. And we’ve unconsciously absorbed this message.

In contrast, as we spend time in personal worship (giving God glory for who He is), our focus can shift away from our own little plans, problems, hurts and fears to the bigger picture of who God is and what He is doing, We can begin to see the major themes of the Scripture that Mr. Tripp points out: the Glory of God, the Greatness of God and the Grace of God.

Mr. Tripp goes on to say that personal ministry is “embedding people’s personal stories in the larger story of redemption, so they approach every situation and relationship with a ‘God’s story’ mentality.”

Joseph in the Old Testament is an example of this. In his later life he understood some of what God had been doing in allowing/sending all the suffering of his early years. He said to his brothers concerning their having sold him into slavery, “You meant it to me for evil, but God meant it for good, to the saving of many people” (Gen. 50:20).

In God’s plan He calls us to a partnership with Himself, giving us significant roles and responsibilities: He prepares, then waits for us to obey His direction. If we willingly choose to obey, our foot can still slip, we can still fall, we can suffer difficulty, but as we continue walking in obedience we are lifted up again and again by His love and power.

So what is God doing in our lives with the difficulties He brings to us? Are we, through worship, looking at God’s glory daily, and thereby getting glimpses of the great things He’s doing? Are we grasping that our disappointments, hurts and sufferings are all being used by Him in the big picture in significant ways we can’t understand, and therefore praising Him for these problems?

As an application of this, a doctor comments that getting “over an illness should not be the primary goal” for a Christian. “What glorifies [God] is what is best for all believers; therefore what glorifies Him will be the best for the sick believer. Getting well is not necessarily the best thing…The hope for the believer is victory, not relief. Relief is not inherently wrong, but it becomes wrong when it is the primary goal [an idol]. God promises victory in illnesses and trials, not deliverance from them.” (Dr. Robert Smith, The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference [Stanley, NC: Timeless Texts, 2004]). The real goal is God’s glory!

Prayer: “Lord, I confess that your glory has not been my goal. Forgive me for pursuing personal comfort as my goal and idol instead of your glory. Help me today to live with the desire to bring you glory and honor through my motives, thoughts, words and actions. Amen.”

 

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Psalm 11:3b-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 4, 2015
Yesterday ended with a dissatisfying taste, an emptiness which I tried at first to banish with reading and popcorn. But then you, Lord, reminded me to praise you for it, as this emptiness was a reminder that my soul finds rest in you alone—and the right response is to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Therefore I praise you now, Lord Jesus, for the wonder and stability of knowing you, being a child of the eternal living God. You give us all we need and I can praise you for both the pleasant and the painful. As it says in Psalm 11:3,
 
“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
 
[As everything seems to fall apart, we can look away to you, Lord God, the only sure foundation in all of existence. We can praise you in all, rejoice in your character, rest in your love, live in your wisdom. The instability of the world only serves to highlight the surety of your character: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever!]
 
Psalm 11:4-5 “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;”
 
[You are ever ruling, ever awake, ever alert. Nothing escapes your notice and you always act at exactly the right time. You rule wisely, wonderfully, willfully. You are moving events to the great conclusion of history, sweeping as many as are willing into your Kingdom, while giving those who aren’t willing multiple opportunities as well.]
 
“His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous,”
 
[You watch every person, you test each one, giving opportunities to believe to the not-yet-sons; and to your children, who have been granted the righteousness of Christ, you give tests that are possibilities to grow, give glory and display grace.
 
Ah, Lord, help us to remember that difficulties, disappointments, danger and discouragement are tests, each one an opportunity to take up your grace, rise up in praise and defeat the enemy on his own ground.
 
May we not fail in these tests but cooperate with you, for your glory! Help us today to live in the light of your love, trusting you in each test, fulfilling the purpose of our lives by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all.]
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The Land of Grace

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 3, 2015
 
Lord Jesus, my King and Master, my Savior and Shepherd, you have undeservedly set us, your adopted children, in such a wide and wonderful place, in a position of light and love, of grace and goodness, of beauty and brightness, of color and care.
 
This is a place of belonging where all depends on your gracious heart and your ever-flowing spring of love that waters all relationships, washing away the stains of self-effort and the shame of failure.
 
In your lovely forgiveness-filled eyes, on your pure grace-giving lips, in your powerful, health-bestowing hands is the message of acceptance, cleansing, delight and favor.
 
In your presence we, who deserve eternal separation from you, are dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in.
This is not because of anything we are, but because of all you are, Lord Jesus: the King of Grace, Lord of Love, Savior of sinners and Master of Restoration. In you all is made right, all harm is transformed, all evil will be righted in the end.
Your eyes are deep, fiery and forgiving; your heart is pure, loving and giving. Yours are the acts of righteousness where mercy triumphs over justice; yours are the thoughts of good for people of evil.
 
You are consistently at work, turning the kingdom of this world right side up, starting within us. You have rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light, and now you are teaching us to see things as you do: to rejoice in persecution, to offer thanks in difficulty, to understand that in mercy you chasten all those you love.
With you there is hope, meaning, purpose, a future and a certainty of an eternity in joy. Praise you for the foretaste we can have now in your Word as we gaze upon your grace and beauty and are consistently transformed more and more into your image by the Spirit of power (2 Cor. 3:18).
 
You, Lord Jesus, are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor, both now and forever more. May we honor you all through this day with obedience to what we know to be true.IMG_20151006_155945
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Psalm 11:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 2, 2015

Psalm 11:1 “In the Lord I put my trust;”

[Yes, Lord, I willfully choose to trust you, not myself, not people, not circumstances, not power nor politicians. You alone are the One to rest in, for you are All-powerful, All-knowing, All-seeing, All-loving. Therefore I choose to praise you in and for all things–for all the proof we need for trusting you, Lord, is found in your faithful, sinless, errorless character, displayed in the rich outpouring of your Love in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Therefore I choose to trust you.]

“How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?”

[No mountain will save me, no mountain will love me, no mountain is impregnable. Only You, Lord, are the actual, adequate refuge and strength needed; you alone are my High Tower, my Mighty Rock and my Stronghold. To you, Lord, I will flee when worry, fear, danger or loss threaten. To you I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving—praising you when it costs me, when I don’t feel like it–so I will honor you and open the way for your salvation to come to me. Your help is all I need.]

Psalm 11:2 “For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.”

[If I fly to temporal help, I make myself vulnerable to attacks of the enemy. If I set my heart on a desired solution rather than God’s glory, I have made myself open to attack, to loss, to failure, pain and death.

However, if I set my heart on praising you, Lord, rather than on having my way, my desire, my plan, than you will shield my head in the day of battle. I may not get what I desire, but I will be able to exalt your name in praise, fulfilling the purpose you have for my life and live in the freedom of knowing you will do what is best.

What a privilege to live for you, my Great King, Ruler of the universe, Spinner of the Earth, Bringer of the dawn, Beginner and Ender of time. You are the One to be exalted, praised, honored and worshiped.

I bow before you in surrender, I rise up before you to obey you this day with all my heart. May the mediations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, my mighty Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)]

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A Prayer for December

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 1, 2015

A new month, a new day, a new opportunity to live for you, Lord Jesus. Help me to take it and use it well.

As I sit here in a pool of lamp light in the pre-day twilight of December 1, it is good to know, Lord Jesus, that I also sit in the pool of your love shining down upon me, undeserved, unreserved, rich, deep, wholehearted and eternal. I praise you that nothing I did yesterday and nothing I will do today can shift your love in any direction; there can be no lessening or increasing of it, for this love is part of your unalterable, perfect, eternal character: sure, solid, stable and secure.

Truly it is unspeakably wonderful to belong to you, to be part of your family, to live in your Kingdom, to be your child. I praise you for your constant presence, your unswerving commitment and your immense power, all of which guarantee our future with you in the new heaven and new earth to come.

I choose now to rest in this love, to let the shadows of dissatisfaction and disappointment of the last days fall away in the light of your presence and power. I will take the advice of Psalm 91:1 and choose to dwell in the shelter of the Most High: in your wisdom, your Word, your goodness and grace.

I choose to pray on the armor each day, to confront the unwanted things in life with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, actively getting up the shield of faith. And I choose to keep on the helmet of salvation by drawing my significance and security from you.

Therefore I can rest in the shadow of the Almighty, proclaiming that you are my “Refuge and my Fortress, my God in whom I trust” (Ps. 91:2). I can rest in you, knowing that your power and wisdom, your goodness and grace will protect me from all true harm. Truly my soul finds rest in you, Lord God, alone.

Help me to follow through on these choices today, Lord Jesus, that I may bring honor to you, as well as light and love to those around me. May I be a consistent race-receiver, glory-giver and hope-bringer. Amen.

 

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Usefulness in the Hand of God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 30, 2015

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your wonderful wisdom working consistently in the lives of your children, bringing protection, guidance, goodness and difficulties. You know what is best, you know what is right, for you are the wise and powerful One, that entirely good One whose heart is set on bringing glory to yourself through doing what is righteous and merciful.

I praise you that in your mercy you bring positive pressure on us to see truth, to come to ourselves and surrender to you. You are the One we can trust, the One who is our refuge and strength, our joy and wisdom, our Shepherd and King.

Through challenges and adventures (suffering, tragedy and persecutions) you give us opportunity for faith-responses, for glory-giving, for grace-demonstrations, for volitional praise, for clenched teeth obedience. These provide chances to fulfill the purpose of our existence: to bring honor to you, to be reflectors of your glory, to exalt your name and your Word above all other things.

I praise you now for another day, another opportunity to live for you, to live by faith, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and thereby honor you while opening the way so your salvation can flow further into my future and that of those around me. (Ps. 50:23)

May you be glorified today in my thoughts, actions and words, may those around me be influenced by your Spirit overflowing from me. May grace be the fragrance of my life. For your glory may I be a strong scent of life to those around me who are looking for truth. May many more be swept into your Kingdom. Amen.

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From the devotional book "EDIFIED!"

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 29, 2015

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

Hebrew 13:15

 

My plane had taken off from Istanbul over an hour late and was now circling Frankfurt for the second time. It was 6:15 and my train left at 7 pm. My train ticket was for this train only and it looked doubtful that I would make it. I could feel the tension of worry building in my body.

God often gives me tests like this, opportunities to trust Him, Will I praise Him in faith, or worry in fear? If I give a response of faith and praise, then God gets great glory, for we are all being watched continually in the battle of life by spiritual beings—angels and demons—as well as people. If I give in to fear, I rob God of glory because I am worshipping the idol of having everything go my way, of being comfortable.

In this case, with His grace, I remembered to praise Him while still struggling with worry. After the plane landed, I quickly made my way to passport control, then to baggage claim where I waited for my bag—and waited and waited—another chance to praise. Finally it came out. Then there was the long dash to the train platform—I got there with 7 minutes to spare. Whew!

Then it began again, for my train was late! Late enough so I would probably miss the next connection. Another chance to praise God! And I did, this time with more enthusiasm, telling Him that if He allowed me to miss my next train, I was sure He had something better for me.

That is a key aspect here: if our plans don’t work out, we can be certain that God has a better plan. We can trust Him with that. If we are praising Him in the midst of the changes and challenges, we will be more alert to the opportunities He will give, having us meet someone, be an example, share a word of comfort or witness.

In the end, the other train waited and I made it home. In all this God showed Himself faithful again, while giving me a chance to grow in my faith.

Each such “test” is another chance to put a brick in the wall of faith God is building in our lives, a chance to live by truth, to give Him honor. We just have to recognize what is happening: “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord” (Ps. 50:23).

 

Prayer: “Father, help me to praise you when things are not working out, when failure and problems loom. Help me to be a glory giver, praising in faith based on your good character. May you be honored in my life today. Amen.”

 

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Psalm 23:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 28, 2015
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;”
 
[Goodness and mercy are your constant gifts to your children, Lord; it is a certainty that in each situation you are pouring these out into our lives. However, very often we cannot see them at the moment. Then when we can look back at a difficult situation, there they are, goodness and following us!
 
Like the disappointment I had recently. After waiting two weeks for a door installer to come, he only did half the job and then left, saying, “I’ll be back in about two weeks!” I could see no goodness and mercy in that! But the next day while talking to one of my disciples, I found that he had worked as a door installer and he offered to come and finish the job for me. We both profited, as he needed some extra income, he told me where to get the springs I needed at a very reasonably price and I got the doors done. We both saw God’s goodness and mercy.
 
This pattern has been and will be true throughout the whole of our lives with you, Lord Jesus. You are faithful, you are good and you are merciful, whether we can see it at the moment or not. Praise be to you my wonderful Shepherd!]
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
 
[What a hope for the future: I WILL be in your presence for eternity. Therefore death holds no fear, shortness of life holds no panic, the future holds no threat as we press on to what you have for us in this life and more so in the next.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the One we yearn for, live for, hope for. And our hope is as certain as your Love, your Word, your Power, and your present Presence! Glory and honor are due your wonderful Name, Lord Jesus. May my life give you that honor today as I trust you through praise and thanksgiving in and for all.
 
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Psalm 23:5b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 27, 2015
 
 “You anoint my head with oil;”
 
[As my Shepherd you care for me, pouring out your goodness on me every day. Oil here can represent many things, among them the Holy Spirit, protection, blessing and healing. Shepherds put oil on the heads of sheep to keep away pesky insects, to heal wounds, to refresh. You, Lord, provide for us all these blessings and more in your gracious giving, pouring out continually from your unending, inexhaustible store of riches.
 
As it says in Ephesians 1:2 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The following verses detail some of these blessings.
–He chose us before the foundation of the world.
–We are holy and without blame before Him in love.
–He predestined us to be adopted as His children.
–It was His good pleasure to adopt us.
–We are accepted in the beloved, Christ.
–In Him we have redemption through His blood,
–We have the forgiveness of ours sins according to the riches of His endless grace.
— And in 1 Peter 1:3 it says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life….” ]
 
Truly, “My cup runs over.”
 
[For you, Lord, give us what we need and far more. What I actually need is air, water, food, clothing, shelter and love. But when I look at what you have given me, it is way beyond that, much more than what I need spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially, financially and in every other realm.
 
Now it is my privilege and responsibility to share these with others, to let your blessings to me flow over, through and onto others. For example, the joy you give me should bring joy to others as I am kind, thoughtful, positive and helpful to them, whether I feel like it or not. The material provisions you’ve given I should be sharing around. The spiritual riches you give I should also be passing along, for, in your Kingdom getting and hoarding is not the norm, but receiving and giving.
 
So when we go to church on Sunday, we can go filled with the riches, grace and insights from our quiet times during the week, ready to give to others as they have need, as well as to receive what the Lord may have for us.
 
May we overflow with the wonder of our walk with Jesus, bringing encouragement, hope and perspective to all around.]
 
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Thanksgiving Morning

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 26, 2015
Praise be to you, Lord, for your protection and provision, for your goodness and grace. We awoke this morning in our own house, with heat, light and water, with clothes, food and furniture, with your love, presence and kindness. We are able to see, hear, walk, talk and use our hands. For all this we give thanks
 
But more than that, I praise you that we can be your children, in the Kingdom of Light, in your Love, in your Favor, in your Grace. I praise you that you have taken us from being condemned criminals, filthy in our foolishness and rebellion, to being forgiven, cleansed, adopted, commissioned and embraced. I praise you that you have given us all that our hearts could desire—love, joy, peace, eternal life, purpose, meaning, hope and a future.
 
But far beyond that, you have given us yourself, you, the Eternal, Living, All-powerful Creator who is Holy, Perfect, Good and Gracious. In your goodness and love, Lord Jesus, you were willing to leave the pure perfection of heaven to come to live in the flea infested, filthy, sin-ridden violent world among selfish, evil and hateful people.
 
And you did this to redeem, at great cost, all of those rebels, knowing that a good percentage of them would spurn your offer of grace, forgiveness, love and eternal life. You are the ultimate in love, giving and goodness.
 
How can we doubt anything that you have to say? You promise your presence as our Great and Good Shepherd, leading us through life, over the hills of opposition, through the valleys of difficulty, out onto the plains of pleasantness and on into more adventures with you.
 
As we read the news and see the crumbling of societies and the spreading of war, we can rest in you, knowing that you have a plan to move all to a conclusion where evil will be eliminated, grace will be great, good will be glorious and we will be in your presence forever.
 
In the light of such truth, we can only fall before you in thanksgiving, rejoicing in your beauty and grace, your goodness and glory. May we honor you today in word and thought, in motive and deed, for you are our Mighty Rock and Refuge (Ps. 19:14).
 
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