Author: Ben Bourland

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BITE: Thanksgiving & Prayer: Part 1

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints (the people of God), I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. (For I always pray to) the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation (of insight into mysteries and secrets) in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him.  By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones)."
Ephesians 1:15-18 [AMP]

Paul just got done telling the Ephesians about the guaranteed hope we all have in anticipation of the full implementation of our inheritance. Paul sees his unceasing prayer as a reinforcing thankfulness of the impact of the Ephesians churches love and service to the people around them.

I have so much I can learn from the prayers of people in the bible and Paul is a big one. Paul’s prayer for wisdom and revelation of the know­ledge of God is an amazing prayer he could pray for them. If they receive from God what Paul is asking for, they will have not only a more full ministry but also a deeper relationship with the only one that matters. Paul says here, that the wisdom and revelation he asks for them will flood their hearts with the light of knowledge and under­standing of God’s will on their lives… all the while increasing their appreciation of the glorious inheritance yet to come.

Application:

Each night I go into our master bedroom closet, shut off the light, close the door, and pray in the quiet stillness of the evening. I have a prayer list that I pray through and also take a majority of that opportunity to just gratefully sit in the presence of my God, revealing to Him my struggles and desires to know Him better. Reading through this passage today I am reminded of how to pray for those on my prayer list. 1) pray in thankfulness for them, 2) pray for spiritual wisdom for their lives as the live to serve Christ before He returns, and 3) deeper knowledge of the transcendent God of the universe.

Today’s Psalm:

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalms 32:5-7 [ESV]
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BITE: The Seal Guarantees…

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of His glory."
Ephesians 1:13&14

These 2 verses are such a great rooting for us as believers. In my study of this passage this morning, I learned that the words for ‘hearing’ and ‘believing’ are linked to ‘sealed’. Essentially the action on our part and God’s response. God plans and elects, Jesus redeems, and the Holy Spirit seals and guarantees…that is so awesome and how this end of the passage is so appropriate –> “to the praise of His glory”!

One interesting thing about these 14 verses of Chapter 1 is that in the first 12, Paul uses ‘us’ and ‘we’ but in verse 13 he switches to ‘you’. This points directly to his speaking to the Gentiles (me). He is reaffirming what is now available to us in ‘our’ salvation through Christ Jesus.

Finally, we come to the ‘seal’ that ‘guarantees’. In biblical times a seal was a stamp that identified someone or authenticated something. When we hear and believe the gospel message, we immediately received the seal of the Holy Spirit that is the down payment for eventual inheritance. The Holy Spirit is a foretaste of what is to come and keeps us until the end. If there was ever a set of verses that establish “once saved, always saved”, wow!

Application:

My salvation is complete and when I think about God the Father electing me, the Son redeeming me, and the Holy Spirit sealing me, I have a deeper joy and desire to seek Him more! I now look forward to that full redemption when my body is also glorified in heaven and I am welcomed into my forever home with my Savior and King. There is a hope and freedom that is enjoyed when I preach this to myself. Thank You Lord for the gift of Your Word!

Today’s Psalm:

“Oh love the Lord, and you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!”

Psalms 31:23&24
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BITE: The Secret Revealed…

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." 
Ephesians 1:7-10 [ESV]

As I study Ephesians, I am finding I have to spend more time than in other books, wrapping my head around Paul’s train of thought. For this first chapter so for I am getting 3 principles he is making.

  • In verse 3, God Blesses us – In Christ
  • In verse 5, God for ordained us – Through Christ
  • In verse 9, God revealed the mystery of His will – Set forth in Christ.

As you can see, everything is in and through Christ. Everything is about Christ. Access to the Kingdom of God is through Christ. The end of time will come about under the headship of Christ. This is the secret that Paul is talking about – the fulfillment of what God told Abraham (Genesis 12:3). This promise is now seen and realized in what Christ has done.

Application:

When I read again here what I have written, the evidence is overwhelming. My life, my direction, my focus, my work – must all be about Christ. His teaching, His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His place in heaven should be the reason behind every decision and act I take in not only my life, but my headship of my family, my ministry, and my service to others. Ultimately it is the focus on what He has secured for me in eternity that gives me the freedom in Him to love like He has loved me. Following, worshipping, and obeying Jesus is what my life as a Christian is all about.

Today’s Psalm:

How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence, you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.

Psalms 31:19-20
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BITE: Adopted as His Own Child…

"For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]-[so that we might be] to the praise and commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." 
Ephesians 1: 5 & 6 [AMP]

[Catching up on some posts]

So many Christians struggle with the doctrine of predestination because of the implication that would remove our personal will to accept Christ of our own conscience. However, what Paul tells us here is that the important ‘will’ is that of God Himself (“in accordance with the purpose of His will”). Gods existence is outside of time; my brain can’t exactly comprehend the aspect of God ‘choosing’ and me having my own decision. But, over and over again, we see in scripture that both these things exist. I choose Christ and God predetermined that I would. It also says that ‘anyone’ who seeks God will find Him. So, the place that the Lord has brought me in my understanding is that God knew before this timeline we under­stand, that I would choose Him. In the same way He already knows those who will not.

Application:

I believe that God’s Word is very clear on this topic. I also feel that everyone is on their own road of sanctification and there are doctrines like this one that take some time before the Lord not only reveals this truth but also gives confidence through the Holy Spirit on the fact of this truth (some of you reading this might have recoiled a bit here). I believe that Jesus gave us insight into this aspect of our growth when we seek after and follow Him…more and more will be revealed as the Lord increases our knowledge of Himself. Here is what Jesus has to say in Mark 4:22-25.

For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

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BITE: Admission of Dependence…

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3-4 [ESV]

Verse 3: Who SHALL ascend and stand in His holy place? -> I love the explicit declaration that whoever meets the following criteria SHALL ascend and stand.

The Attributes:

He who has clean hands and pure heart -> This person must be innocent inside and out. Innocent in actions and their minds…including their motives.

He who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. -> False worship is one interpretation (from NIV). The person allowed entry into the holy place must not worship an idol or offer oaths in the name of a false god. Additionally, it is pointing to someone who does not lie or make promises they have no intention of keeping.

The Takeaway:

At first blush this is depressing because we are inherently sinful and even though I am a born again Christian and devoted to Jesus, I will fall. So, I don’t think the Psalmist is saying these things are a self-righteous declaration as much as it is a solemn admission of dependence on the merciful grace of God. I SHALL ascend and stand in the holy place because I am cleansed by the precious blood of my Savior when I confess and repent of my sin. Because of the redemptive work of God through Jesus, I am able to meet these qualifications.

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BITE: Tough Day…

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14 [ESV]

It’s been a tough couple of weeks at work. Won’t go into it here but I had a meeting today that was plain awful. It was uncomfortable, I felt alone, I felt misunderstood, and I felt overwhelmed. On my way home I was just praying to the Lord to give me peace about how I handled myself. Before entering the room, I had been meditating on Galatians 5:22-26. Although the meeting was hard and ended not far from where it began, I had only one acceptable outcome I was striving for -> Honor the Lord with my words, actions, behaviors, and stay true to who God has called me to be. I did that and although the meeting was as uncomfortable as it was, I left assured that I had represented integrity, gentleness, kindness, patience, peace, goodness, and self-control.

I am very glad this meeting is over and I am anxious to see where the Lord takes this. Knowing that I am laying this at His feet and trust that He is in control; I submit to whatever the path is that the Lord sets in front of me going forward.

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BITE: Enemies, Internal and External…

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
  He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
  They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
  He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me. Psalms 18:16-19 [ESV]

A quick read this morning as I get ready to head into the office. Following on from yesterday, I was thinking about David and his physical enemies that God was addressing but I can’t help but think that he was talking about the internal enemy as well – himself. If I read this and apply it to my heart, rather than a physical enemy, the point is so strong.

“He took me and drew me out of many waters” – because David had submitted himself entirely to the Lord in this moment. I wonder if the ‘many waters’ includes his own tendencies and sin.

“They were too mighty for me” – David knew that he could not of his own power rescue himself from his situation. The surrender and acknowledgement of his own weakness was his submission to God to do what only He could.

“They confronted me in the day of my calamity, BUT the Lord was my support” – Again, pointing this internally, I see how not letting my own guilt and shame ruin me because of who I am in Jesus. I have been justified forever; I have been adopted as a son of the Almighty God.

“Because He delighted in me” – This is the icing on the cake. God was not angered by having to rescue David. God did not hold David’s failings in front of his face; no, God delighted in David. Wow!

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BITE: Rescued by the Redeemer…

…I…am…so…far…behind…

These last couple of weeks (15 days to be exact) I have not gotten my quiet times posted. I will have them updated for each day but for those of you who get my email notice of a new post, I will turn that off for past posts that I need to get transcribed here. You are welcome to check back every once in awhile to see what has come in but I will not bother you with the deluge of post notifications that will be coming. 🙂

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
  Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
  Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
  He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
  He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
  He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
  Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. Psalms 18:6-12

Marianne and I finished Week 3 of the Canyon Hills Biblical Counseling class this week and the information is so awesome…overwhelming, but awesome! When I read this passage today, I reminded me of the amazing help our Lord and Savior can become for us when we make Him the Lord of our lives. Our raw nature is corrupt because of what we have been born with in sin. When we release our own inward self-sufficient attitude and embrace the power of God Himself available to us through His Word and Holy Spirit, I think it can look a lot like what I read here. Essentially an overwhelming decent of attack on the aspects of ourselves that get in front of our restoration.

One of the things that really spoke to me 2 weeks ago in class, is the fact that we must first ‘Speak truth to ourselves’ before we come to the counseling room with pointers to the answers God has for us. As the counselor, I better have my act together understanding what my own tendencies are before I try to guide someone to the Redeemer. Of course God does not need me to reach those to whom He is going to call to Himself, but I also don’t want to be any type of stumbling block either.

So grateful that our church is offering this training. Only 3 weeks in and I am already seeing the benefit in my own walk.

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BITE: His Allegiance: Clear-Cut

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord; Psalms 15:1&4ab [ESV]

At first glance, the first part of verse 4, “in whose eyes a vile person is despised” might seem Pharisaical. In fact, this is more an assertion of loyalty. He’s not trying to compete or judge; he’s just expressing his preference and his position.

I must be careful not to take passages like this as a ‘right’ to despise an enemy of God; rather the rest of the bible and Jesus Himself commands us to love others including our enemies. What this does do is reinforce how I align my loyalty to my brothers and sisters in Christ over those who would oppose my co-heirs and Christ Himself.

As I live my life, I am to be a ‘light’ in the darkness and blatantly/outwardly expressing a despising of enemies of God is detrimental to being the light God has called me to be. Instead, I am to love my enemy, offering them a drink of water or bread to eat, which will heap burning coals on their head.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:18-21 [ESV]
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BITE: His words: Restrained…

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? v3 -> who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend; Psalms 15:1&3

I covered verse 2 yesterday which speaks of a man’s character as ‘True’ as one who shall dwell with God in His tent and on His holy hill. Today we look at verse 3 which talks about a man’s words that are ‘restrained’.

The word for slander implies ‘going around’ to spy or gossip (Gen. 42:9 and following; also, in different words, Lev. 19:16). It is closer to scandal than slander. Neighbor is a Hebrew word that can have different meanings depending on the context; here it could just mean ‘someone else’, and this middle ground fits better with the picture than proximity would. In the last phrase, ‘takes up a reproach’ could mean either ‘throws shade’ or ‘digs up something shameful’, in the sense of bringing it up unnecessarily. The whole verse expands on the idea of Proverbs 10:12: ‘Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offences.’

The book Respectable Sins (by Jerry Bridges) comes to mind. I have a regrettable propensity to talk about someone in the light of ‘praying for them’ when speaking to others and I am convicted by this verse in the same way I was when I read Bridge’s book. I sometimes find myself unwittingly justifying gossip because it is clothed in support through caring-through-sharing. I have prayerfully asked the Holy Spirit for a pang of conscience when I am on the cusp of doing this and I am so thankful He has. In my walk of sanctification, I want to grow to be more and more Christ-like and build the alignment of my actions around the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’.