Peace, July 31

Peace, July 31

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

John 16:33, Gal 5:22-25 www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we know that having Your presence in our lives and hearts brings us peace. Yet, we do not always feel at peace. We sometimes say the wrong things, do the wrong things and think the wrong things. We know, Jesus, there is no peace in disobedience. Help us today to do Your will at all times, knowing that when we do, peace comes as a gentle breeze and encompasses us, even in the midst of tribulation.

Jesus, the fruits of the Spirit are always before us as measuring sticks. We either bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit or in failing to do so we experience a sense of defeat, brought on by our own mistakes.

You speak of those who follow You as having crucified the flesh. Jesus, the instincts of the flesh, which are the very opposite of the fruits of the Spirit, need to be extinguished and You provide the enabling power for us to do so.

We need to know that the fire extinguisher is always full and ready and that we are able to use it over and over and not run low on the resource of Your power. Help us, today, to not walk away from the victory You have provided. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Courage, July 30

Courage, July 30

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Proverbs 28:1, 4, 29:25, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Solomon teaches us something that is not always obvious. The wicked know they are being wicked and they are always looking over their shoulder, worrying about getting caught!

Those who love You prefer to seek You in righteousness and obedience and we know that when we do, we are comforted by You, not apprehended by the law.

The wicked applaud the wicked and in spite of the fact that each of them know they are sinning, they look away from Your impending judgment. Help us never develop a hardened heart, one that tries to dismiss You, God. We know, Father that even with the clear evidence that sin will be harshly judged, men and women ignore You and go on sinning.

Your word teaches us that eventually, on judgment day, they will drop to their knees and confess, they will be overtaken with fear and they will plead for Your mercy. We hear Solomon say "...whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe". Help us trust You and to stop willfully sinning if any of us are doing so. Grant us Your mercy. Oh how we pray for Your mercy. We pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Prayer, Part I

Prayer, Part I, July 15

Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.
Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.

Psalms 62:9-12, www.solascriptura.com

Father, You have taught us that these physical bodies will age, die and decay and that they are as a vapor that disappears. That would be a pitiful site to behold if this life was all there was. Praise You Father for creating us in Your image. There were other choices but You have chosen to offer us redemption and new bodies, neither young nor old, in a joyous New Jerusalem where our spirits are united with Your Spirit, for eternity.

We do seek riches, comfort and security in this life but it is clear enough Father that if we gather these things to ourselves for ourselves that we have missed Your will. Help us to be as a heavenly conduit, transmitting Your love to others. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 14

Angels, July 14

..."Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Luke 22:42-43, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we know that when You suffered on the cross for our sins and took our sins upon yourself, that it meant separation from the Father, for the moment, since the Father will not allow sin or sinners in His Holy presence. You suffered as we would have had to suffer if it was not for Your sacrifice. Your assumption of our sins accomplished for us what we could never accomplish on our own.

There is no sacrifice available to us that will cleanse us our sins except Your shed blood. We are called by God's grace and saved by Your redemptive, sacrificial act.

Father, You sent an angel to Jesus to help Him endure the pain, the suffering, the separation. Now You tell us that we have angels looking over us helping us in the same way.

Our sins were borne by Jesus and the he became the propitiation for our sins. He went to the Cross so that we would never have to endure what he endured. We truly never walk alone. Bless us abundantly we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

End Times, July 13

End Times, July 13

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

2 Tim 3:1-5, www.solascriptura.com

Father, our traditional Judeo-Christian values are being attacked from within and from without. It seems the core values of the world are as the people described above by Paul in his letter to his young student, Timothy.

It is no surprise to You, Father that things are as they are. You have told us to expect to be inundated with the portrayal of violence, lust, greed and every kind of sinful act, increasingly. Now "portrayal" is setting the stage for imitation and envy, taking Your children further from You.

You have told us that these are signs of the end times, the last days before Jesus returns. Father, today we pray that You will strengthen our resolve to withdraw from that which glorifies evil. Prepare our hearts to be in Your presence, joyfully. Protect our children and grandchildren, we pray, from evil; in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Law of God, July 12

Law of God, July 12

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."
But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Romans 7:7-13 www.solascriptura.com

Father, help us not to recoil from difficult teaching such as this. We know that everything written in the Bible has a purpose and that we should seek to understand. Here, Paul is emphasizing that if the law did not exist, we would not know that we were breaking the law. But when the law was given to Moses, it became our judge and we were all guilty. The law, Father, can never save us. It convicts us and only by dying to the dominance of our fleshly instincts can we be saved.

Paul asks; how can something good, like the law, destroy us? You have taught us that it is because our flesh is disobedient and can never be obedient, to the letter of the law, and that we need forgiveness and cleansing by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent by You. Father, if Jesus had never come and if He had not died for us, becoming a sacrifice for our sins, then our sins would still be with us.

We do not trust in our obedience to the law for our salvation. Only by the redeeming blood of Jesus, shed for us, can we ever hope to stand in Your Holy presence. That Father is what separates Christianity from every other belief system. We can not enter into Your presence stained by sin and Jesus takes away our sin, forever.

Such a simple fact should not be ignored by other faiths. Without Jesus there is no cleansing and forgiveness. Help us to understand, we pray, In His name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Peace, July 11

Peace, July 11

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--
...ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
...who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever...

Eph 3:1, 13-21 www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul, a Jew, tried, as we know, to preach to the Jews about Jesus. They, for the most part, would not listen. It was no surprise to You that the Jews would not listen. You then sent him to preach to the Gentiles. Paul did so under great pressure and distress but here he tells us that his tribulations bring glory to us; salvation to us.

If and when we suffer for declaring You, Jesus, among men, we know that our tribulations bring glory to You. We never can out give You. What You did to redeem us exceeds anything we could have hoped for. Our manifest love for You is our response to Your love for us.

May we, this day, be strengthened in the inner man, be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit and willingly love and obey You. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Courage, July 10

Courage, July 10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
"Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish.
You shall seek them and not find them—those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

Isaiah 41:10-13 www.solascriptura.com

Dear God, what powerful promises these are. Even in the midst of fear, You lift us up, You extend Your hand to us, in a very personal way. You are our God!

You clearly teach that those who choose to try and bring us down, to upset our faith, will be as non-existent. Their taunts and derisive comments will be silenced and we who endure, through faith in You, will know eternal peace.

Father, even though these words are true, we pray for the enemy; we seek to experience the truth of the New Covenant, wherein Your truth is written upon our hearts. Yes, if the enemy chooses to remain Your enemy as well, they will perish but help us to help them.

Give us a heart to love those who do not deserve our love just as we, when we came to You as sinners, did not deserve Your love. Strengthen us. We can never be as You in our own strength. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

God’s Children, July 9

God's Children, July 9

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:11, Galatians 4:6-7 www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we know the children are Yours but we also see that they, at some point, must stop thinking as a child. What is it, Jesus, to put away childish things? We can guess; we begin to choose, to seek the truth, to cope with sin and to make decisions about our relationship with You. We stop being hand fed and we begin to invest our lives in bearing fruit in the lives of others.

We know this earth is Satan's domain and that You have given him great latitude to bring us and our children down. We are born into sin with hearts of flesh but Father, thank You for sending Jesus to us and teaching us that we can stop being a slave to sin. We are able to become Your children, heirs of Your kingdom. Help us not to waiver in our choice and to wholeheartedly seek a perfect, mature relationship with You, this day. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Temple of God, July 8

The Temple of God, July 8

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Food is for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

1 Corinthians 6:9-14 www.solascriptura.com

Father, You have taught us that we are Your Temple and that you reside in our hearts. It does not surprise us that this temple should not be dragged into sinful situations. If we claim we are Yours, help us to not desecrate the temple, to not embarrass You, and eventually ourselves, by our bad choices.

We know that You hate sin and will not let it into Your midst. Is there any way Father that we can willfully sin and still expect Your presence? There may be a way but it seems like a childish expectation.

Father, the sins listed are more or less "sins against our bodies" but are sins of anger, pride and envy any less irritating to You? You have taught us the answer many times; we are to be as Jesus and that was the embodiment of perfection. Since we are in a state of "becoming" in terms of our sanctification, we realize that sin will pursue us, relentlessly. Strengthen our resolve to look to You for the solution.

You did resurrect Jesus and the last verse of this quotation says You will lift us up. We are, at times, very burdened here and can't wait for the perfection You promise. In the meantime, help us to use the days You have allotted to us wisely that we may bring glory to You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

God’s Gifts July 7

God's Gifts, July 7

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:25-33, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, to have You, personally, teach us is no small thing. Is there anyone, anywhere whose words could be more important to us?

On many occasions You teach us not to be anxious about anything. Given the number of deep sighs, hands wringing, and perplexed looks we manifest, it seems anxiety and stress are more common than not. But what do You say Jesus, about anxiety? You say, repeatedly, "don't worry" and then You teach us why. When we abide in You and You in us, You fully understand our needs.

You tell us that if we seek a relationship with You, seeking first the kingdom heaven, that all the things we need will be added unto us. You ask us to have faith in the fact that You are there for us, a friend for eternity.

We do not always get everything we want Jesus but we do get everything we need. Help us today to know that if you bless us with more, much more than we need that Your expectations of our service to others, goes up. Truly, to whom much is given, much is required. We seek both Your blessings and Your Spirit in us, enabling such blessing to inure to the benefit of all. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Narrow Gate, July 6

The Narrow Gate, July 6

...(they) worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Rom 1:26-32 www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul is not mincing words when he tells us what upsets You, what causes You to give up on those who choose to live their life pursuing things that You say are not fitting, not right.

What we notice Father, is that You place pride and disobedience in the same list as sexual immorality and murder and say the same penalty awaits all sinners. Father, we know that sin is sin and that all sin separates us from You. You have told us that You will not permit sin to come into Your presence.

How do we get to come into Your presence? It certainly is not as one who has never sinned. Regardless of the sins that we have committed, you tell us that our faith and belief in the redeeming act of Jesus, can, at our election, wipe away every sin, as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again.

That is truly a miracle and none of us is worthy of such grace and mercy. Help us to stop sinning and to claim a victory over sin by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in us, we pray. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

God’s Gifts, July 5

God's Gifts, July 5

...love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

1 Corinthians 13:5-10 www.solascriptura.com

Father, this much quoted "love" chapter has some wonderful promises. When we immerse our spirit in Your Spirit, this gift of love lifts us to levels of caring and commitment well beyond anything we can achieve in the flesh.

Help us today to better understand the meaning of these verses as they apply to our everyday relationships. You have told us that love never fails. We know, that when it does, it is not Your love for us that fails, but love seems to fail when we forget to access the power of the Holy Spirit, that one source that is able to cause us to focus on our commitment to the needs of other persons.

Help us today not to be envious, prideful, rude, possessive, argumentative, lustful, or envious of sin. Let us rejoice in Your word, be kind and patient, hopeful, and able to endure difficult people and circumstances. Surely they will know us by our love.

We await perfection. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Narrow Gate, July 4

The Narrow Gate, July 4

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.

... to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:7 www.solascriptura.com

Father, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States as a way of marking our freedom from the control of others. When we accept, by faith in Jesus, Your grace and salvation, we celebrate a different kind of freedom. We believe that freedom from dominance by Satan marks that day as the most important day in our existence.

It is on that day Father, that we place our trust in You, forever. We confess that it is not our good works that place us in Your hand, but the redeeming act of Jesus, lest any of us feel we can boast about being in Your care.

Our grace from You was made effective by Jesus. Absent our faith, we can not draw near to You. We know that when we draw near to You, it was facilitated by Jesus and that You respond by drawing near to us. It is nearer to You that we want to stand, this day. Independence from the heavy weight of sin is a result of our dependence on You. Bless us this Independence day, we pray in Jesus' name.

Bruce Caldwell

Temple of God, July 3

Temple of God, July 3

...the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

Luke 1:13-16 www.solascriptura.com

Father, if we were to ever wonder about Your level of control in the affairs of man, here You allow us to listen in to one of Your angels as John the Baptist's parents were being told of his miraculous birth and pivotal mission.

You ordained John before he was born. You set him apart and Father, when he proclaimed the coming of Jesus, You had already seen the entire scene. It is Your omniscience, Your knowledge of the beginning, the process and the end that we are witnessing.

Father, we realize You have already seen who we are and how we are going to live our lives. Nothing we do surprises You. Yet, everything we do seems new and unrehearsed to us. We do not know how tomorrow will turn out and we sometimes have anxiety and fear about what will happen.

Help us O'God to trust You and to have faith in the fact of Jesus' redemptive power. We know that if we seek You, if we hunger and thirst for Your word and Your Holy presence, You are there for us. No one, ever, could be to us what You are. Help us, today, to know that we are enveloped by Your love. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Prayer, July 2

Prayer, July 2

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalms 8:3-5 www.solascriptura.com

Father, as we look upon the beauty of Your creation, we are overwhelmed at the breadth and depth of the universe and both humbled and overjoyed as we see our children, created in Your image, born. The purity of a child is a representation of Your perfect will for us. Give us the faith and purity of a child as we seek to be as You Jesus.

Your creation, given to us as a gift, is a testimony of Your omniscience. As we contemplate our place in the universe, we have a hard time understanding how You can know and love each of us. We often underestimate how complete Your understanding is.

You tell us that our lives count, that You notice our trials and triumphs. You have crowned Your children with glory and honor. Help us as parents to be as hopeful for our children as You are for us. Bless each of us and all of our loved ones this day, we pray. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 1

Angels, July 1

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Hebrews 13:2, Psalms 34:7-8 www.solascriptura.com

Father, are angels for real? Your words confirm that angels are indeed real and that we interact with them and are observed by them more than we know. It is sort of a scary thing, at first, because we don't know when we are entertaining an angel unaware or if we are just in the presence of a person that seems a little more interested in us than we would expect.

Father, your advice seems to be that we should treat all encounters with an expectation of hope and love because some of those encounters are ordained for our own good.

Your word tells us that angels are encamped all around those who love You. Are angels only serving, leading, protecting and nurturing believers? Your word says "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him." That seems to answer the question. We should not expect deliverance if we do not fear You (reverently love, honor and obey).

The Psalmist says, "taste and see that the Lord is Good." This free sample wasn't provided without cost. We know the price You paid, Father. Your grace is sent to us, constantly, and the "taste" turns into a daily feast and an eternal banquet. May we draw near to You, today? Your answer is yes! We pray we do so, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell