Upper Loft Meditation - Hebrews 10

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” - Hebrews 10:23

The context of this great verse gives important perspective for how we are to live. The preceding verse exhorts us to come close to God, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Because the pathway has been cleared, we have passed security controls, and we are invited into His presence.

Verse 23 exhorts us to hold tight to the hope we proclaim. Our profession of faith is to be a witness in word and deed to God’s faithfulness. What we say must match how we live. Hold tight.

You may think that your spiritual grip is not very strong. The faith threats that mock your beliefs, the sinful splattering in your workplace, your sputtering steadfastness all threaten your ability to hold on tight. But, God has a hold of you. It is the power of His grip that will enable you to persevere. Hold fast to His faithfulness. Wear your spiritual seatbelt.

Verse 24 follows with a third exhortation, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” As we hold fast to the Lord, we are to prod, provoke, and incite one another to Christ-like action toward others. In other words, in light of God’s faithfulness and our secure hope in His promises, we must stir up one another to acts of love and mercy.

Our hope gives us confidence to boldly follow Christ’s example.

Upper Loft Meditation - Romans 12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” - Romans 12:12

There is a children’s story of a little girl who would look out the window every morning. If it was rainy or overcast she would be sad, but if the sun was shining she would overflow with joy.

What determines if you are to be filled with joy today? The weather? No known problems that must be tackled? Aches and pains and a general feeling it will be a downer day?

Jesus, for the hope set before him, endured the cross. Such a great hope overrules all feelings and circumstances.

Our hope is found in Jesus. This is a hope for which we have a guarantee, the promises of God.

Notice that this exhortation to be joyful is coupled with two others, “patient in affliction” - to persevere or keep on going when it gets tough and “faithful in prayer” - to pray always.

If our joy is based on God’s faithfulness and His unfailing love for us, then we have confidence that our prayers are heard and that He will lead us through the valley of shadows. The joy in the midst of the storm is based on truths far greater than the storm.

Think of the great hope you have in Christ Jesus. I can picture your smile and hear your singing!

Upper Loft Meditation - Ephesians 1

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” - Ephesians 1:18-19

Did you know that you have eyes in your heart?  The Apostle Paul prays that his fellow believers would see with their hearts.  In his day, this meant seeing with one’s whole being, heart, soul, and mind.  The idea here is that the Holy Spirit would turn on the light for you to see more clearly.  When you are in the dark you may see dimly, but when the light is turned on everything clear.

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” - 1 Corinthians 2:14

Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit the eyes of the heart are blind.

“The constant desire of our lives should be that we might ‘grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord’.  The trouble with so many of us is that we have never awakened to this realization.  We seem to think that we have ‘arrived’, that we ‘know’.” [M. Lloyd-Jones]

How often do you have the attitude that there is nothing new for you to learn?  There are three key principles here;

1. There will always be more for us to know and understand
2. Seeing is progressive and what we understand builds on what we have understood.  Spiritual apperception is critical to growth, and
3. It is only when we enter heaven that we will fully understand.

Lord, turn on the lights, so i may see you more clearly.

Upper Loft Meditation - Romans 15

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” - Romans 15:4

Hope is like a muscle, it must receive nourishment and be exercised, or it begins to wither away. It is not like a fire extinguisher mounted on a wall and available for emergencies.

How should we feed our hope? From the Scriptures, we receive the nutrients, the very basis for our hope. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Just as we must eat to live, so we must feed our hope through regular reading of the Scriptures. No one would think of eating only a Sunday morning brunch each week. With this type of habit it is no wonder people struggle clinging to their hope.

How should we exercise our hope? One ongoing exercise is the Trust Factor. How does this work? Consider how you will walk in hope today. How is your walk affected by three central truths:

1. God’s mercy is new everyday.
2. God’s grace is sufficient for all your needs.
3. God’s love for you is unfailing.

The words used in this passage convey the idea that the recipients of this letter are going through hard times. This is when hope is so important. Wrapped in the arms of Jesus you have confidence that God is faithful.

Upper Loft Meditation- 1 Peter 1

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” - 1 Peter 1:3

Through the resurrection of Jesus, God has given to those who believe in His son, a living hope.

It is very important to understand that this is a hope, not as the world defines hope, but as it is defined in the Bible. Hope is defined by the world as wishful thinking. It is what you want to have happen.

The Bible defines hope as something in the future you are certain will come to pass. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

You can see the huge difference between the two different view points.

C.S. Lewis writes that hope is not “a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Salve Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth and you will get neither.”

Hope is not to be set on a shelf with all your other reference books. It is to be set ever before you like a fresh bouquet of flowers.

Upper Loft Meditation - Genesis 3

This past Easter week got me focused on how great God’s plan is for his creation. He knew before it all began that He would be suffering and dying on the cross for our sins, then rising again. It got me thinking about how it could be possible to divide the entire Bible into two parts. Genesis 1-2 and then Genesis 3 to the end of Revelation. Think about it. The first two chapters of Genesis speak of God’s amazing creation. Then Chapter 3 talks about the rebellion of man against God. And for the remainder of the Bible, God’s intricate and loving plan to redeem, restore and reconcile creation back to himself is described.

So what does this mean to those of us reading Chapter 3 of Genesis?

I guess there is no better way to begin to understand God’s message than to wrestle with and fully understand our separation from him because of sin and our desperate need for him to reconcile our relationship. We need to always be remembering this point in Scripture. The point that divides God’s creation from God… the point at which sin enters the picture.

And even though God knows everything, he still calls out to Adam asking “Where are you?” Why does he do this? Maybe it has to do with the concept of confession. Maybe God was wanting Adam to confess his sin, to come to God and desire reconciliation, to desire to remove his sin.

Yes, Adam responds out of fear and shame when he says that he hid and was afraid. We are all most tempted to hide from a situation when we will have to face punishment of a feeling of shame. We all desire to please others, and Adam felt like he let God down by his action and his inaction.

So each day, we all need to desire to pursue reconciliation… not waiting to be confronted with our sin… but to be proactive in seeking reconciliation.

Upper Loft Meditation - 1 Corinthians 15

“then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus.” - 1 Corinthians 15:54(b)-57

The triumph of Easter follows the crucifixion of Jesus. An innocent man, Jesus, has paid the penalty for all my sins. He has paid the price to set me free from the law of sin and death.

What is freedom?

• Death has no claim upon my life. Death is not an end point, a period. It is not an event to be feared. Death is a comma, as my story will continue into eternity.
• I am no longer separated from my Creator, but am called to live in intimacy with Him. I am to know God and enjoy Him forever. His promise is this: (Romans 8:37-38)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• This victory has set me free, not because of what I have done. It is what Jesus has done on my behalf. He gives me the victory. It is a gift that God gives to all those who receive it by faith.

This good news is fantastic. It is the answer for what everyone is looking for, whether they know they are looking or not. It is cause to celebrate every day.

Therefore, Hallelujah, thanks be to God forever and ever.

Upper Loft Meditation - Psalm 100

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he, who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” - Psalm 100:3-5

 

This is a Psalm of exhortation to those who believe in God.  It is a call to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving.  We do not sneak into God’s presence through a back door, nor do we timidly saunter into his presence chit-chatting about our own trivial sound bites.  We belong in His presence.  As Doug Goins points out, we are to be “noisy sheep!”  Our noise is not to be about us, but about Him.

 

Why should we be shouting His praises?

1. The Lord is God.  There is no other.  He is the maker of heaven and earth.  All things are under His power and authority.  All things were created for the praise of His glory.
2. He has made us and we are His family!
3. He has rescued us from sin and death and clothed us in the righteousness of His son Jesus so that we may enter and live in His presence for eternity.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the praise and hallelujahs of the crowd.  For us it is the beginning of Holy Week, the week we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  How will you celebrate this world changing event?  Like a lamb being led to the slaughter house or a lamb carried in the Shepherd’s arms back to His family?  (Matthew 18:13)

 

Hallelujah, the Lord has come!  Be noisy sheep for His praise.

Upper Loft Meditation - Philippines 4

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippines 4:6-7

There is a great formula for reducing stress in this passage.

THANKSGIVING (PRAYER + PETITION) - ANXIETY = PEACE (HEART + MIND)

Anxiety is all about worry, both of the expected and the unexpected. You think what is coming is not good and there are external factors that would co serious damage to you or the ones you love. This thought can become a controlling menace that will enslave your hope and peace. This storm will last forever and sunshine is only a fading memory, but this need not be the case.

Just say no to any thought of worry. This is not easy. Replace that thought with prayer and petition. This petition is not a long list of your requirements for an easy life. Here, petition means a request you make to someone in authority.

You under gird this prayer and petition with thanksgiving. For what?

You were created to know God and to enjoy Him forever.

God sustains you by the power of His spirit. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” - Psalm 23:4

God pours out His blessing upon you because He loves you.

God has adopted you into His family forever.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) God is with you.

Without thanksgiving, you walk in the storm alone.

Read the Spanish version of this meditation.

Upper Loft Meditation - Ephesians 5

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5:4,20

As dearly loved children of God (v.1), how are we to live?

This chapter sets forth four areas that will negatively impact our fellowship with God: (1) “even a hint of sexual immorality”, (2) “any kind of impurity”, (3) “any out of place talk”, and (4) greed. As you prepare your hearts during Lent to worship and celebrate the Lord at Easter, all four of these areas must be addressed in your life. This is serious!

Jesus tells the story of cleaning out a house and the great danger of leaving the house empty;

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left’. When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” - Matthew 12:43-45

If you clean up your life and remove the evil from the four areas, what will you put in its place? If you do nothing, you risk replacing the evil with even greater evil - sevenfold!

Paul points out clearly that what should replace the evil is a spirit of thanksgiving, activities of thanksgiving, and prayers of thanksgiving.

It is said that one failure, accident, mistake is remembered with the equivalency of fifty blessings, victories, or joyous events. Do you dwell on the dark clouds?

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