One Change, One Turn Leads to Another – 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther – Day 7 – Purity
1280
Purity 1280 02/21/2024 Purity 1280 Podcast
Purity 1280 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of what appears to be a large “hump”
of rock and roots raised and ripped into two over strange vegetation comes to
us from yours truly as I captured this scene of a supposedly alien landscape while
waiting to experience flight on the back of a Banshee yesterday during my visit
to “Pandora” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Although James Cameron’s 2009, Avatar won
Oscars for cinematography, art direction, and visual effects and now is put on
display at Disney World, its visual effects could not suspend my disbelief
enough not to notice its pantheistic worldview or make me like it. Apparently,
my dissenting opinion isn’t unique as other internet scoffers have labeled the
most successful movie of all time to be irrelevant and overrated. Shots fired.
As visually stunning as Avatar is it couldn’t make me swallow the “Mother Nature
vs Imperialistic Man” plot involving intergalactic opportunists oppressing 9
feet tall Blue indigenous pagan people group. Not a favorite, the ride was fun
though.
Anyway, I repent of watching Avatar, renounce its
pagan worldview as false, reject its profane language, violence, and lust as
sin, and cancel any permission the enemy may have had in my life because of
watching it or by visiting its attractions at Disney World. I cast out any
spiritual forces of darkness that may have gained ground in my life because of
my associations with it, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Oof, that felt good. Well, now that I repented of
Avatar, I have to announce that I may have finally turned a corner in coming
back to the path of self-control and food plan sanity as I today, even though I
am still on vacation at Disney World, am committed to making one change that
prayerfully leads to going back to my balanced regulated life of healthy eating
that has put me in the best physical shape of my life- I am renouncing Disney World’s
hot cocoa….
Here at the Port Orleans French Quarter Resorts, I
have unlimited beverages and one of the offerings is Disney’s Gourmet Hot Cocoa
which is automatically mixed and brewed via a dispensing machine. It’s
delicious! But as I have learned that a Keto food plan leads to my optimal
health, it really can’t have a place in my life and so even though I will be at
Disney World today and for some of tomorrow, and could continue to indulge myself
with its chocolate sweetness, I am
making the choice to “give it up for Lent”.
Yup, I’m going back to sanity slowly but I’m coming back knowing that “one
turn – one change – can lead to another.
One small change from a life in the flesh is a victory for the life in
the Spirit and can lead to more victories and complete freedom. So we make this one small change and pray
that it will cause us to make more and be completely free from sugar bondage in
a couple of days when I return to NY and back to normal. Well, it’s the season of repentance and so we
repent and will continue to do so. And so let’s also continue with our 40 Day
Journey with Martin Luther.
It’s the seventh day of Lent and so we continue my
personal walkthrough of Gracia Grindal’s 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther
to observe and celebrate the Lenten season.
In this walkthrough Grindal’s devotional, it is our hope that we will get to know
Martin Luther a little better as we seek to draw closer to the Lord on our
journey to Resurrection Sunday – Easter.
And so we continue.
“Journey
Day 7
YOU
ARE NOT TO MISUSE the name of your God.
What
is this?
Answer:
We are to fear and love God, so that we do not curse, swear, practice magic,
lie, or deceive using God’s name, but instead use that very name in every time
of need to call on, pray to, praise, and give thanks to God.
With
the words, “You are not to take the name of God in vain,” God at the
same time gives us to understand that we are to use his name properly, for it
has been revealed and given to us precisely for our use and benefit. Therefore,
since we are forbidden here to use his holy name in support of falsehood and
wickedness, it follows, conversely, that we are commanded to use it in the
service of truth and of all that is good-for example, when we swear properly
where it is necessary and required, or also when we teach properly, or again,
when we call on God’s name in time of need, or thank and praise him in time of
prosperity, etc.
BIBLICAL WISDOM
You
shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will
not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7
SILENCE FOR MEDITATION
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
•
Read Exodus 3:13-15. What is God’s answer to Moses
at the burning bush when asked to give his name? What kind of name is that?
God tells Moses that His name is “I AM”. When Moses
asks God what he is to tell about the God of their Father has sent them the Lord
replies “I AM WHO I AM”, which honestly makes me think of the cartoon character
Popeye, “I y’am what I y’am and that’s all that I y’am – I’m Popeye the Sailor
man” –
but unlike Popeye, God is more than just a mere man. God is the self-existent
creator of all things. His Name of “I AM” is pointing to that fact – He IS and
Always Was and Will BE – and HE Created all things – and Thus HE and His Name are
to be highly exalted.
•
In what ways does your community of faith use God’s
name “in the service of truth and of all that is good”?
My community of faith, the
body of Christ, uses God’s name in the service of truth and all that is good
through prayer and in all the instances where our words or actions exalt the Lord,
share the good news of Jesus Christ, or give God glory. Today’s context is the
spoken word so, to be in the service of truth and of all that is good, Christians
should not use God’s name in disgust or as a curse, should be true to their
oaths and in the promises we make, and be honest, encouraging, and edifying in
our speech.
•
How might a community of faith actually
“misuse” God’s name?
A community of faith may misuse God’s name by using
it to prop up man-made religious traditions or by using it to control or
manipulate others to meet our man-made agendas.
We can misuse it when we make an oath by it and fail to fulfill the conditions
of the oath. We misuse it when we utter
it in frustration or disgust. We misuse
it when we use it to judge or curse someone else. Honoring God’s name is a commandment because
we tend to abuse it.
PSALM FRAGMENT
Let
them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is
above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all
his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 148:13-14
JOURNAL REFLECTIONS
•
Meditate on the proper use and misuse of God’s name.
Make a list in your journal of the ways you properly use God’s name. Make
another list of the ways you misuse God’s name.
I
properly use God’s name when I give thanks, praise Him, point others to Jesus,
and assure others of His love for them. I misuse God’s name when I fail in my
Christian Walk, try to “fix” people, or utter it in frustrating times.
•
Write a statement in your journal indicating your
commitment to increase the proper uses of God’s name and to decrease the misuse
of God’s name in your words and actions.
Lord, I pray to be more self-controlled in my speech,
to increase the proper use of your Name, and to decrease the number of times I misuse Your
Name. Help me to see the errors of my ways regarding Your name and help me to
turn from them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
•
We use God’s name properly when we “call on
God’s name in time of need, or thank and praise him” when things are going
well for us. Are asking, thanking, and praising God daily “spiritual
habits” for you? If so, describe your experience with them. If not, why
not work them into your life?
I am happy to report that asking, thanking, and
praising God daily are spiritual habits that I practice. They are a part of my daily spiritual
practice that begins in the morning and continues throughout the day. The instances
of my misuse of the Lord’s name have greatly decreased when I made these
practices regular habits in my life. With that said, I am still a work in
progress.
PRAYERS FOR THE LIFE OF FAITH
Call
upon the Lord to help you use his name properly so that those who hear and see
you may come to know God better.
Lord, Help me to use Your name properly so that those
who hear and see me may come to know you better. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord
Jesus, teach me the holiness of your name so that when I call to you it is
always to ask for help or to thank and praise you and never to curse.
Amen
(Gracia M. Grindal. 40-day
Journey With Martin Luther. Kindle Edition.)
(We encourage you to purchase Grindal’s book and
take the 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther for yourself by purchasing Grindal’s
book wherever books are sold. You can find it online at many different sites
and purchase it new, used – paper or electronic for less than $15.00).
——————————————————————————————–
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Conscience.
1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV2011)
15 But in your hearts revere
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect,
16 keeping a clear
conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in
Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Today’s
verses fall under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Conscience.
1.
Keep a clear conscience.
Today’s
verse reminds us that we represent the King and that the best way to do so is
to keep a clear conscience by doing what is right according to God’s Word. We are to have “good behavior in Christ” and
when we do those who would speak maliciously against us won’t have much to say. The reason for our hope is Christ and He is
to be the catalyst to a righteous Christian life. Our love for our Savior and
the power of the Holy Spirit makes a righteous, pure, and good life possible
and as we walk in it, our conscience is made clear. When we confess and repent
our sins, we are made right with the Lord and have harmony with Him and can
confidently walk through this life knowing that we are living in God’s will for
us – in our sanctification. So keep a
clear conscience by following Jesus with the way you live.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
EVENING READING: MARK 12
“And the common people heard Him
gladly.”
– Mark 12:37
These were the people who recognized and enjoyed the
ministry of the Lord Jesus. A little further down in this same chapter, the
Lord admonishes and denounces the Scribes and Pharisees, for though they
appeared to be religious or godly, they were absolute hypocrites. The common
people were those who not only recognized their need for teaching and healing,
but also realized that the Lord Jesus could meet that need. Therefore, He says,
“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt. 9:13).
Surely, it is to the common people that the Lord would
have me go. If He could mix with sinners and publicans, surely it is for me to
do likewise.
Embolden me Lord, as I seek to share
Your Word to those whose path I cross in
my daily comings and goings.[1]
—————————more
tomorrow————————
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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