J.A. Matteson
It is better to walk with integrity and to have little than to tread the pathway of fools and possess much. "The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man" (Gen. 39:2). It should never be the ambition of saints to be successful, as the world measures success, but to be faithful to the LORD. And in so doing, and if it be His will, He will exalt you in due season. God will not be mocked, a man shall reap that which he sews. He who sews unto the flesh will, in due season, be forced to eat the bitter fruit of his folly. He who sews unto the Spirit shall reap glory, blessing, and honor from the LORD. As the proverb notes, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prv. 14:12). The fool who does not know the LORD brazenly schemes to distort his image before men, pursuing illegitimate gain by concealing truth. Saints survey the landscape of men, pondering how it is that the wicked prosper while so often the righteous suffer. As sons of the day, children of the Light, grace allows the saints to behold foolish men from the LORD's perspective, so rather than being filled with envy saints are burdened with pity, knowing that unless the fool repents divine calamity will surely visit him. It was well pleasing in the sight of God that His servant Joseph should find favor in the eyes of his master. Integrity of reputation is a jewel earned over time, but can be lost in a moment. The world may steal your possessions, bare false witness against you, impune your motives, mock your God, marginalize you from its fellowship, but it can never strip you of your integrity nor your intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. He knows where you are at this moment and the circumstances buffeting you. As Joseph continued to trust in the LORD his God when rejected by men, in the foul depths of a dungeon, saints can rest in the everlasting arms of Him who bled and died so that they might live. It is a small thing to suffer for His namesake as you maintain your integrity by walking in righteousness. In due season He will exalt you as you humbly walk before Him in obedience.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Freedom from Anxiety
J.A. Matteson
How often we are prone to walk by sight in the hustle and bustle of the day when circumstances are either delightful or threatening. "...not one of them [sparrow] will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (Matt. 10:29). It makes no difference, the state of our lot, we often fret needlessly when our LORD promises that we are continually under His watch. It is not that we do not believe His promise, but we are prone to forget it. The antidote to forgetfulness is thoughtfulness. The apostle Paul exhorts saints to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), meaning, to walk in the Spirit--perceiving your circumstance as ordained by God and responding in righteousness--and this requires practice. What freedom from anxiety awaits the pilgrim who encounters trials with inquisitiveness and who with childlike faith inquires, "Lord, what have we here?" It is not God's will that His children be fearful, but that they be faithful; that is, full of faith as they encounter daily circumstances, be they pleasant or painful. Wisdom discerns that in them God is up to something. And unless you inquire, "Lord, what have we here"?, not only will you likely be filled with fear when the sea tosses, but you will miss the point and blessing of what God is teaching you. The saints of old were not super heros, but average men and women who kept the presence of God continually in their conscience present, enabling them to respond to daily circumstances boldly and righteously. Did they always get it right by responding in righteousness? No. Nevertheless, they left for us an example, to learn from both their victories and failures what it looks like to walk faithfully and humbly before our God. Keep your spiritual eyes open today by discerning God's providential hand in the minutest details of your day. Doing so opens the treasuries of heaven to fill your heart with joy and wonder as you grow in your ability to see His hand in and through all things.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
How often we are prone to walk by sight in the hustle and bustle of the day when circumstances are either delightful or threatening. "...not one of them [sparrow] will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (Matt. 10:29). It makes no difference, the state of our lot, we often fret needlessly when our LORD promises that we are continually under His watch. It is not that we do not believe His promise, but we are prone to forget it. The antidote to forgetfulness is thoughtfulness. The apostle Paul exhorts saints to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), meaning, to walk in the Spirit--perceiving your circumstance as ordained by God and responding in righteousness--and this requires practice. What freedom from anxiety awaits the pilgrim who encounters trials with inquisitiveness and who with childlike faith inquires, "Lord, what have we here?" It is not God's will that His children be fearful, but that they be faithful; that is, full of faith as they encounter daily circumstances, be they pleasant or painful. Wisdom discerns that in them God is up to something. And unless you inquire, "Lord, what have we here"?, not only will you likely be filled with fear when the sea tosses, but you will miss the point and blessing of what God is teaching you. The saints of old were not super heros, but average men and women who kept the presence of God continually in their conscience present, enabling them to respond to daily circumstances boldly and righteously. Did they always get it right by responding in righteousness? No. Nevertheless, they left for us an example, to learn from both their victories and failures what it looks like to walk faithfully and humbly before our God. Keep your spiritual eyes open today by discerning God's providential hand in the minutest details of your day. Doing so opens the treasuries of heaven to fill your heart with joy and wonder as you grow in your ability to see His hand in and through all things.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Monday, January 13, 2014
Hope Is Jesus Christ
J.A. Matteson
God is able and often willing to intersect our life experience in delightful ways far beyond what we might imagine or consider, but our unbelief often stays His hand. "Daughter, take courage, your faith has made you well" (Matt. 9:22). Unless I first believe Jesus can, He will not. He will not tolerate or compete with a spirit of unbelief, and will instead allow me to spend time and resources until I come to the end of myself, pursuing Him with faithful desperation. Until my heart confesses that in nothing else or in anyone else is relief possible--but in Christ alone is my victory assured--He will allow me to waste my time and resources chasing a mirage, my hopes dashed upon the ground. Hope is not in Jesus Christ, hope is Jesus Christ (Ps. 71:5). Will you be humiliated for Jesus' sake, a fool for Christ? Are you prepared to cast aside what the world might think in your utter desperation to get to Jesus? Have your hopes in human solutions to your situation completely disappointed you yet, to the point of despair? Lift up your eyes, nearby your Redeemer passes. Approach Him quickly, confidently, believing He is able to deliver you, He is filled with compassion to assist all who place their trust in Him. Unbelief, ignorance, and pride are the devils prized weapons to effectively keep weary souls from coming to Jesus Christ. Confront them to disempower him, confessing them as the sin they are. Your Savior bids you "Come." The Spirit and the bride say "Come." Press through in joyful expectation to receive what your Lord has purposed to graciously bestow upon you in response to your faith in Him.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
God is able and often willing to intersect our life experience in delightful ways far beyond what we might imagine or consider, but our unbelief often stays His hand. "Daughter, take courage, your faith has made you well" (Matt. 9:22). Unless I first believe Jesus can, He will not. He will not tolerate or compete with a spirit of unbelief, and will instead allow me to spend time and resources until I come to the end of myself, pursuing Him with faithful desperation. Until my heart confesses that in nothing else or in anyone else is relief possible--but in Christ alone is my victory assured--He will allow me to waste my time and resources chasing a mirage, my hopes dashed upon the ground. Hope is not in Jesus Christ, hope is Jesus Christ (Ps. 71:5). Will you be humiliated for Jesus' sake, a fool for Christ? Are you prepared to cast aside what the world might think in your utter desperation to get to Jesus? Have your hopes in human solutions to your situation completely disappointed you yet, to the point of despair? Lift up your eyes, nearby your Redeemer passes. Approach Him quickly, confidently, believing He is able to deliver you, He is filled with compassion to assist all who place their trust in Him. Unbelief, ignorance, and pride are the devils prized weapons to effectively keep weary souls from coming to Jesus Christ. Confront them to disempower him, confessing them as the sin they are. Your Savior bids you "Come." The Spirit and the bride say "Come." Press through in joyful expectation to receive what your Lord has purposed to graciously bestow upon you in response to your faith in Him.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Inward Precedes the Outward
J.A. Matteson
Too often we confuse what Jesus is implying by infusing personal bias into His invitation. "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go" (Matt. 8:19). We must go out in our mind, out in our will first, otherwise our physical change in location is a ruse and of no value to the King and His kingdom. It is not our geographical position Jesus aims to alter, but the pliability of our will to obey Him in the subtle areas of disobedience. Physically moving from here to there is easy and does not further our sanctification. Unless I am willing to obey Him from the heart my trekking about over land and sea is a sham. Discipleship takes place not in the physical dimension in what I do or where I go for Christ--as though He is dependent on me for anything--but in the spiritual dimension through what I become by the grace of God. Christian discipleship is foremost an odyssey of the mind, whereby daily dying to self I pick up my cross of self-denial, aligning my will to His in the most trivial and menial tasks, often going unrecognized and frequently unappreciated by those around me. We often in great anticipation eagerly wait for the Lord to invite us to what we perceive to be a grand assignment, all the while holding a grudge against our neighbor, cheating on our taxes, listening to or viewing worldly amusements that wage war against the soul, lusting after beautiful people, but we are very happy because we will jump on an airplane in a moments notice to follow Jesus wherever He leads. That is a pseudo discipleship, the devils trick. Christian discipleship is exacting, transforming from within thoughts, attitudes, values, hope. Daily confronting the word of God we are confronted by it, the Lord of Hosts reveals our heart, presenting two distinct paths in response to it, obedience or disobedience. And He graciously knows which sins we are holding on to tightly, it is here, in the quietness of a moment with Him we must either lay it at the cross, or hold onto it while vowing to follow Him wherever He goes. Immediately after Saul of Tarsus was confronted by the risen Christ he went into personal exile. It was only after surrendering his will to Jesus, undergoing a deep cleansing spiritual transformation, that he later followed Jesus wherever He led; the inward precedes the outward. Blessed is the pilgrim who discovers that his most extensive Christian adventures often take place within the confines of his own person as he encounters, surrenders, and joyfully obeys all that the Lord graciously reveals to him and works in him. That servant is useful to his Master, to follow Him wherever He leads.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Too often we confuse what Jesus is implying by infusing personal bias into His invitation. "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go" (Matt. 8:19). We must go out in our mind, out in our will first, otherwise our physical change in location is a ruse and of no value to the King and His kingdom. It is not our geographical position Jesus aims to alter, but the pliability of our will to obey Him in the subtle areas of disobedience. Physically moving from here to there is easy and does not further our sanctification. Unless I am willing to obey Him from the heart my trekking about over land and sea is a sham. Discipleship takes place not in the physical dimension in what I do or where I go for Christ--as though He is dependent on me for anything--but in the spiritual dimension through what I become by the grace of God. Christian discipleship is foremost an odyssey of the mind, whereby daily dying to self I pick up my cross of self-denial, aligning my will to His in the most trivial and menial tasks, often going unrecognized and frequently unappreciated by those around me. We often in great anticipation eagerly wait for the Lord to invite us to what we perceive to be a grand assignment, all the while holding a grudge against our neighbor, cheating on our taxes, listening to or viewing worldly amusements that wage war against the soul, lusting after beautiful people, but we are very happy because we will jump on an airplane in a moments notice to follow Jesus wherever He leads. That is a pseudo discipleship, the devils trick. Christian discipleship is exacting, transforming from within thoughts, attitudes, values, hope. Daily confronting the word of God we are confronted by it, the Lord of Hosts reveals our heart, presenting two distinct paths in response to it, obedience or disobedience. And He graciously knows which sins we are holding on to tightly, it is here, in the quietness of a moment with Him we must either lay it at the cross, or hold onto it while vowing to follow Him wherever He goes. Immediately after Saul of Tarsus was confronted by the risen Christ he went into personal exile. It was only after surrendering his will to Jesus, undergoing a deep cleansing spiritual transformation, that he later followed Jesus wherever He led; the inward precedes the outward. Blessed is the pilgrim who discovers that his most extensive Christian adventures often take place within the confines of his own person as he encounters, surrenders, and joyfully obeys all that the Lord graciously reveals to him and works in him. That servant is useful to his Master, to follow Him wherever He leads.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Our Daily Bread
J.A. Matteson
Am I satisfied with my lot at days end, having applied myself in righteous kingdom pursuits, trusting in the goodness of Gods providential care, or am I continually unsettled in my insatiable desire for more? "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). There is no virtue in idleness with a mind toward consuming my neighbors bread, nor is there in hoarding bread for tomorrow. Wisdom confesses it is divine providence that supplies today's bread, while simultaneously acknowledging that it is supplied through my industry as enabled by God. Israel stumbled at this point, exhibiting unbelief in Gods providential care by hoarding manna in hopes of attaining a supply for days. God frustrated their evil intent by delivering swift judgement, consuming the stockpile of their covetousness by worms (Ex. 16:20). At the same time the LORD would have us take a lesson from the squirrel, who in anticipation of winter when foregoing is not possible, stores away a supply to ensure its survival. Wisdom depends on God both today and tomorrow for what is needed, seeking first His kingdom and righteousness, living prudently with all piety and gratefulness. Folly, the fruit of unbelief in the providential care of God, seeks to establish its own providences, ignoring the word of God, forcing its way ahead by employing human wit in the hope of achieving desired ends. For a season folly may appear to prosper, but in the fullness of Gods time leads to ruin (Matt. 7:27). Intellectually we may agree with the providential care of God and His provision of daily bread; however, we may examine our inner state of the soul and there witness the true condition of our faith. Am I at peace or anxious? Am I resting in the everlasting arms of divine providence, or stressed and filled with worry? It is one thing to confess Gods providential care and quite another to live in it. Restlessness and anxiety over daily bread is an indicator of remnants of the old man wrestling control over your new life in Jesus Christ. Come to the cross, confess it as the sin of unbelief, leave it there, and continue on your pilgrims journey. The rest you seek is in Jesus Christ. He will not force you to come to Him, but when you do the peace you hunger for will become your daily experience as you depend on the faithful and loving hand of your Heavenly Father to provide what He already knows you need.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Am I satisfied with my lot at days end, having applied myself in righteous kingdom pursuits, trusting in the goodness of Gods providential care, or am I continually unsettled in my insatiable desire for more? "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). There is no virtue in idleness with a mind toward consuming my neighbors bread, nor is there in hoarding bread for tomorrow. Wisdom confesses it is divine providence that supplies today's bread, while simultaneously acknowledging that it is supplied through my industry as enabled by God. Israel stumbled at this point, exhibiting unbelief in Gods providential care by hoarding manna in hopes of attaining a supply for days. God frustrated their evil intent by delivering swift judgement, consuming the stockpile of their covetousness by worms (Ex. 16:20). At the same time the LORD would have us take a lesson from the squirrel, who in anticipation of winter when foregoing is not possible, stores away a supply to ensure its survival. Wisdom depends on God both today and tomorrow for what is needed, seeking first His kingdom and righteousness, living prudently with all piety and gratefulness. Folly, the fruit of unbelief in the providential care of God, seeks to establish its own providences, ignoring the word of God, forcing its way ahead by employing human wit in the hope of achieving desired ends. For a season folly may appear to prosper, but in the fullness of Gods time leads to ruin (Matt. 7:27). Intellectually we may agree with the providential care of God and His provision of daily bread; however, we may examine our inner state of the soul and there witness the true condition of our faith. Am I at peace or anxious? Am I resting in the everlasting arms of divine providence, or stressed and filled with worry? It is one thing to confess Gods providential care and quite another to live in it. Restlessness and anxiety over daily bread is an indicator of remnants of the old man wrestling control over your new life in Jesus Christ. Come to the cross, confess it as the sin of unbelief, leave it there, and continue on your pilgrims journey. The rest you seek is in Jesus Christ. He will not force you to come to Him, but when you do the peace you hunger for will become your daily experience as you depend on the faithful and loving hand of your Heavenly Father to provide what He already knows you need.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Monday, January 6, 2014
The Closer We Come
J.A. Matteson
Unless I am repulsed by my sin it is impossible to live the crucified life. "I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless" (Gen. 17:1). Those words ought to strike terror in any thinking person. Unless I come to apprehend the brilliance of God's glory and discern His watchful eye upon upon Me continually I will not advance in sanctification. To walk is to live; before Me implies God is already watching. So the question is how will I choose to live before the piercing eyes of the Almighty who knows me better than I know myself? To be blameless apart from grace is impossible, yet the humble orientation of the heart of faith makes all things possible. To take captive to the obedience of Christ, by faith, every thought, word, and deed as before Him, with His word as my rule, and His glory as my end, is to walk blamelessly before Him. When His Spirit through our conscience in response to His word convicts us of sin we must hate it as He hates it. No safe harbor can be afforded to and thought, or careless word, or behavior contrary to His holiness. The closer we come before His glory the more revealing is our sin to us and awful is its existence within us. Fall on our faces we must before the penetrating glory of His brilliance. We cannot reform ourselves, as soiled garments are our attempts at righteousness. By faith we agree with God as to our poverty and He graciously performs the miracle of new life. Nausea in response to sin is the work of the Spirit within us. With gladness His saints are sickened by its stain and rejoice in the grace of His convicting presence.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Unless I am repulsed by my sin it is impossible to live the crucified life. "I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless" (Gen. 17:1). Those words ought to strike terror in any thinking person. Unless I come to apprehend the brilliance of God's glory and discern His watchful eye upon upon Me continually I will not advance in sanctification. To walk is to live; before Me implies God is already watching. So the question is how will I choose to live before the piercing eyes of the Almighty who knows me better than I know myself? To be blameless apart from grace is impossible, yet the humble orientation of the heart of faith makes all things possible. To take captive to the obedience of Christ, by faith, every thought, word, and deed as before Him, with His word as my rule, and His glory as my end, is to walk blamelessly before Him. When His Spirit through our conscience in response to His word convicts us of sin we must hate it as He hates it. No safe harbor can be afforded to and thought, or careless word, or behavior contrary to His holiness. The closer we come before His glory the more revealing is our sin to us and awful is its existence within us. Fall on our faces we must before the penetrating glory of His brilliance. We cannot reform ourselves, as soiled garments are our attempts at righteousness. By faith we agree with God as to our poverty and He graciously performs the miracle of new life. Nausea in response to sin is the work of the Spirit within us. With gladness His saints are sickened by its stain and rejoice in the grace of His convicting presence.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Our Walking and His Working
J.A. Matteson
Most stubborn in our Adamic nature is the sublime insistence of a one to one correlation in what we do and what we achieve. "I have gotten a man child from the help of the LORD" (Gen. 4:1). That's because God set up the out-working of our redemption in such a way that His sanctifying work in us takes place as we walk by faith in Him. And because of the intimate connection between our walking and His working, the old man within can subtly seduce us into thinking that we are what we are because what we have done. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, unless the farmer sews he will not eat. However, it is by grace that his labor produces a crop and he cannot presume that just because he labors rains will follow resulting in a harvest. Apart from the work of the LORD you cannot accomplish anything. It was not the mere act of relations with her husband that resulted in a child for Eve, but God's graceful design; it is the LORD who opens and closes the womb. There is no greater sense of wonder and joy for the saint than to finally surrender the idea of personal sovereignty with respect to outcomes. It is a delightful thing in the eyes of the LORD when His child recognizes and confesses "I have gotten....from the help of the LORD." Thanksgiving is an attitude of worship precious to God.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Most stubborn in our Adamic nature is the sublime insistence of a one to one correlation in what we do and what we achieve. "I have gotten a man child from the help of the LORD" (Gen. 4:1). That's because God set up the out-working of our redemption in such a way that His sanctifying work in us takes place as we walk by faith in Him. And because of the intimate connection between our walking and His working, the old man within can subtly seduce us into thinking that we are what we are because what we have done. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, unless the farmer sews he will not eat. However, it is by grace that his labor produces a crop and he cannot presume that just because he labors rains will follow resulting in a harvest. Apart from the work of the LORD you cannot accomplish anything. It was not the mere act of relations with her husband that resulted in a child for Eve, but God's graceful design; it is the LORD who opens and closes the womb. There is no greater sense of wonder and joy for the saint than to finally surrender the idea of personal sovereignty with respect to outcomes. It is a delightful thing in the eyes of the LORD when His child recognizes and confesses "I have gotten....from the help of the LORD." Thanksgiving is an attitude of worship precious to God.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
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