Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Psalm 106:4-5)

Morning Thoughts,

Psalm 106:4-5, “Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation; That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.”

This morning, ease of communication lends to lack of close familiarity. One might think that easier communication would tend to help us know more about each other and learn more with one another. In a great many ways, however, today’s modern communication has merely heightened the trivial aspects of our life and suppressed the truly meaningful parts. In olden times when people visited with each other, how often did they get to have such occasions? With the rarity of those circumstances, they partook in meaningful conversations, discussed the truly important things of life, and supremely enjoyed the fleeting moments they had together. With the advent of e-mail, telephone, and other instant mediums, we talk more about less with one another. Also, due to the ease of modern communication, we tend to refuse to believe the “too good to be true” news and want to latch onto the “so bad it has to be true” news.

When looking at the subject of visitation, we see that good visitation happens when we are observant, pay attention, and number up things (in a sense of reckoning) that occur during that time. For example, when my natural family gathered with extended natural family during a vacation, reunion, etc., there was much time spent in gathering or numbering information as everyone got “caught up” on what was happening in each other’s lives. What was the news? After extended periods of conversation, these things were reckoned up as the important aspects of our time together. How much more when we receive visitation from on high? What truly should garner our conversation with our Lord? What is the most intimate subject matter that we could get “caught up” on with Him?

Today’s internet and e-mail mediums are attacked quite often by people posing as someone or something that they are not. Have you ever received an e-mail claiming to be the FBI director, an ambassador from some foreign land, or another form of dignitary? Most often, these so-called dignitaries have vast sums of money at their disposal that could be yours if you would just help them with one little detail. These pleas are quickly passed into the cyberspace version of file 13, but consider how hard it might be if you really were one of these dignitaries trying to convey that through these impersonal mediums. What would one of them have to do to convince you that they really were who they said they were? Should they really have good news – like vast sums of money that would be yours – what would it take for them to convince you that it was on the level?

Furthermore, should you know that one of these dignitaries was real and really going to interact with you, how would you prepare for their eventual visit? Knowing that the interaction would eventually move from the impersonal to the personal, what steps would you take to ready your house for their visit? Again, how much more should our belief and preparation be from our Dignitary on High? Far better than any earthly king or magistrate, our King of glory visits with His people with the greatest news that the world could imagine. This visitation is preceded by evidence and proof of the Giver, and the attendance from on high is validated in every point.

While modern day communications have ease of conveyance, most are still impersonal at best. God’s communications quite easily convey messages, but they are quite personal as well. God has no problem conveying the message of His law and precepts to the heart of His children in the new birth. After that great work, He has no problem conveying the impression of His Spirit to us by His providence. While we, His people, do not always listen to the impression as we should, the communication is not hard. On the flip side, communicating with Him is not nearly as difficult as one might think. Do you want an audience with the president today? How many levels would you have to go through to “maybe” get to see him for just a moment of the day? The King of Glory is always available with just the simple approach of a humble, heartfelt prayer of yearning. (Romans 8:24-27)

Having established the ease AND personal aspect of communication with our King, the interaction gets sweeter still. The Psalmist here implores visitation from the King. This visitation is more than just a whispering in each others’ ear through prayer and interaction. This visitation has an end result in mind. Of all the people that visit with the president this day or a king of another land, how many just want to talk with him, and how many want an end product from their meeting? Most probably want the latter. Our visitation from God does have an end product in view, but we should desire both aspects of the visitation. Whenever we went to a family reunion, my natural father always wanted to see the people he had not seen in a while, but he also hoped for some strengthening of family bonds that needed building up.

As our wayward and weary steps of life sometimes shake the fortitude of our minds, we need renewal of things that are truly important. Therefore, we need the visitation of God to strengthen our family bonds. Not that we are in any danger of falling out of the family, but we need to see and be reminded once again of the love of this family, the exalted nature of this family, and the wonderful end of this family. The Psalmist declares the salvation in “seeing the good thy chosen,” “rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,” and “glory with thine inheritance.”

Far more than receiving tens of millions of dollars, may we implore visitation from God to once again delight in the glorious sight of the “end product” of the family of God. What is our good as His chosen people? Where is our inheritance? Our inheritance is in heaven waiting and prepared in all things for the elect family of God. (I Peter 1:4) The gladness in the nation comes when we see the end in sight – through the mind’s eye of faith – and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)

So our visitation from God desires the end result of a renewed and aligned sight of our inheritance and the beauty of God’s work. But, our visitation also desires that close kinship of interaction that sadly is lacking more and more in today’s world. Moving into the preparation of visiting with our King, what are the particulars about this? Have you ever been in someone’s house and seen the prominent displays on the walls and otherwise? Did you think that these things meant the most to them? For years, my grandmother had in her house a prominent picture of President Ronald Reagan that contained his signatory and personal note from him. She was quite proud to know him and be on a somewhat “familiar” level with him. That picture was displayed where all could see upon entering her home.

Should the president have ever visited her, he would have immediately seen her affection for him. When we prepare for visitation from on high, our house (this tabernacle of clay), needs to be prepared in such a way that He is the most prominent in it. Peter declares that we should sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. (I Peter 3:15) This means that our heart should have Him exalted above all else, and when He visits, the first thing He sees is Himself! To exalt Him above all things, our minds and hearts need to be cleared from bitterness, evil speaking and thoughts, and such things from which we should turn away. By so doing, the image of His Dear Son will appear more vividly as He comes and comforts us during our pilgrimage here.

Finally, unlike the improbable percentage of ever being visited by a natural dignitary, the visitation from God can be enjoyed daily and consistently. The enjoyment of the rich scene of God’s salvation and our ultimate eternal paradise can be looked forward to daily and enriched by God as our souls yearn for that time. Unlike the fake dignitaries of e-mail that assault the inbox daily with “too good to be true” stories, our hearts should be ready to dine with the King about things that are way too good for this world to contain but are most definitely true. The many infallible proofs that we have of these things is that His visitation is corroborated in His word, and the precepts and laws written in our heart verify that both the written word and this impression from on High are all verily true and amen. May our days be enriched by His visitation so that we look forward more to the endless day of eternity with Him and live more closely and unified with Him here.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Acts 20:13)

Morning Thoughts,

Acts 20:13, “And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, mindful himself to go afoot.”

This morning, living in our fast-paced world at times seems to suffocate and smother every drop of time in our lives. Have you ever had days or weeks when you turned around and they were gone? Has life at times seemed to push to the point of ceaseless waves of activities and other things to occupy the mind? Has there ever been, at different times and seasons, such a busy time in the Lord and His service that some of the “feel” had been lost? Man will commonly lose that “special feeling” about something if done without respite. Of course, the answer to the last question about being tired and weary in service to God is not to absent from Him for a while, but when dealing with the hustle and bustle of life, how do we cope with worn-down nerves and mental thoughts, even when worn down after a Godly fashion?

One of the most clear injunctions of the New Testament is that God comes first with everything that we have. In Matthew 22, Christ calls this the first and greatest commandment. Undoubtedly, the magnitude of serving the Lord with fulness and heartiness is unequivocally laid out. Yet, even though serving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and might is His due from us, He understands that we do have physical needs of rest and repose that must be met. As one that has felt of the same, He understands that we cannot be at the house of God indefinitely (though there have been some meetings in my life where I would have liked to try). But, even when we need to “relax” somewhat from the strains and pressures of life’s activities, He can and should be found during the moments of quiet and peace.

While not all non-carnal/non-sinful relaxing activity is of the spiritual sort, how does one engage in spiritual downtime? Let us notice first the context of our verse above. For the past several chapters in Acts, we read of endless activity in the life of the Apostle Paul. At the start of Acts 16, he is seeking where to go preach, and finally sees in a vision where he should go. Acts 17 sees him (after being imprisoned at Philippi) dealing with very superstitious people in Athens. Acts 18 sees him spending a great deal of time at Corinth and Ephesus, and finally Acts 19 starts his purposeful journey back to Jerusalem. In all of these things, his life has been in jeopardy repeatedly, he has preached and laboured abundantly, and Acts 20 starts off again on his journeys right after a “mad mob town session.”

Paul has been a long time now labouring for the cause of Christ, suffering many things for His name’s sake, and observing the working of the Holy Spirit among the people that he has been sent to preach the gospel unto. The early verses of Acts 20 describe in detail who went with Paul during this portion of the journey (Verse 4). While in their travels, Paul engages an “all night sermon” or at least a “half night sermon.” He preaches till midnight, raises a congregant back to life that fell asleep out of the loft to hit the floor dead, and then talked until the break of day (Verses 7-12). Knowing how taxing one hour of preaching can be on the body – particularly the voice – consider how tired Paul must have been after preaching and then speaking that long. With an already tired body from these other journeys, what taxation he must have felt!

If you were to be in Paul’s shoes after the “all night meeting,” what would you want to do? Being physically drained and mentally taxed, what would be the first order of business? Sleep would probably be a very common answer (and good sleep is nothing to be condemned). Food and quiet relaxation would be high on the list for others (again nothing to be condemned). Notice what Paul does after all of this. He impresses all those travelling companions of his to enter the ship and meet him further down the coast. He decides to walk on foot while they enjoy the rest of a boat ride! After such punishing schedules, what could be the point of such an exercise?

Quite often, situations like Paul finished after the all night meeting hang heavy on the mind not allowing for good sleep or restful repose. When I experience these moments, one of the best things to recharge the batteries as it were is to find alone and quiet time with the Lord to chew and meditate on what I have recently experienced. During a weekend meeting, I enjoy a good walk to contemplate all the rich food that I have received at God’s house. When in quiet solitude and contemplation, I have the opportunity to “talk with God” in a way that I do not when in company of others. Notice that Paul was not removing himself from the rabble of worldly rioters. Rather, he was removing himself from the very Godly companions that suffered and laboured with him.

Christ also engaged a similar attitude when He concluded the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. He constrains His disciples to get in a ship, while He departs alone – away from both His disciples and the multitude – into a mountain to pray. (Matthew 14) This “alone time” allows not only the meditation on all that has gone before, but also to walk with God, much like Enoch may have done before His translation. (Hebrews 11:5, Genesis 5:24) Sometimes our friends might think it strange to want to be alone, but these “down times” are not trod alone. Rather, they are sweet moments of peaceful solitude with God lifting the heaviness and weariness that we feel.

Doubtless Paul slept again in his life (probably after entering the boat), and Christ doubtless ate and drank again after rejoining His disciples. Yet, sometimes these rich experiences, draining though they may be mentally, need to be followed with a walk with God away from everyone else. Quite often, I see preachers (knowing they are going to preach) want to walk alone and apart from everyone else. While that sometimes is my course, I often seek solitude after services and times of spiritual visitation from on high to speak quietly with God,allowing the body the rest and the mind the peace that it needs.

Friends, life will do its dead-level best to crowd out the things of God, but may we never let it be so. Sometimes spiritual service can drain the faculties to the point of loss of feeling and mental freshness. Whatever the reason for the drain, may we seek some “down time” by stealing away to talk with our God, feel His warm embrace, and hear the gentle whisper of peace in our ear that calms our fears and rejuvenates our person. Yes, there will be times to fellowship with our fellow pilgrims and strangers again. There will be times to actively pursue natural rest, and certainly there will be times of fervent and hearty worship of God in His house once more. However, may we perceive and seize upon the moments to depart with God alone and walk with Him for a while.

I love to steal awhile away
From every cumbering care,
And spend the hours of setting day
In humble, grateful, prayer.

I love in solitude to shed
The penitential tear,
And all His promises to plead
Where none but God can hear.

I love to think on mercies past,
And future good implore,
And all my cares and sorrows cast
On Him, whom I adore.

I love by faith to take a view
Of brighter scenes in heaven;
The prospect doth my strength renew,
While here by tempests driven.

Thus, when life’s toilsome day is o’er,
May its departing ray,
Be calm as this impressive hour,
And lead to endless day.

In Hope,

Bro Philip