W. Spencer Perry

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” Romans‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Set apart. Separated.  Paul’s focus was to bring the Good News of redemption to all peoples. “The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God be recognized as the  abiding reality.”  Enduring, everlasting, unchanging.  “Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell - it is redemption.” Our connection and oneness with God will bring about sanctification and holiness but we need to share the gospel and proclaim the reality of redemption. Our holiness is a result of redemption - not our own human goodness.  “Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).” We are redeemed first. Then we are set apart. Made holy. Paul spread this good news with reckless abandon. He cared more about what God thought than what o...

“He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.” 1 Samuel 3:15 NLT God was calling out to Samuel. He would wake up and run to Eli, because he thought Eli was calling him. After the third time Eli knew it was the Lord calling out. He told Samuel “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:9 The message in the devotional is to “get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak, Lord,’ and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press in on you, say, ‘Speak, Lord,’ and make time to listen.  We can’t rush around or blunder into service to God. All day long as life and circumstance occur, we must pray, and be one with God. Asking Him to speak to us. But we can’t hear when we are talking so we have to get quiet and listen. If we are too busy with our hands or our mouths, we may never hear His Voice. 

“‘Who are you lord?’ I asked. And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” Acts 26:15 The next verse in Paul’s conversion. Jesus speaks to him, revealing Himself.  The devotional continues with the focus being listening to God and not plowing ahead in our own self-will and determinations.  “God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, ‘I know that this is what I should do” - and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms is by revealing the depths of our ignorance.” Jesus was calling Paul into service. Be mindful of how you serve God. Is it in your own way for your own self satisfaction?  “We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord - ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God …’ (Psalm 40:8).” Tracing back to yesterday - oneness with God. That is where our delight should be, and any and all things done for Him will then bring us joy and delight. 

“We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’” Acts 26:14 NLT  The story of Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. The devotional discusses how we persecute Christ daily when “… we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do…” The goal is to be one with Him. By making it my will and determination to be Godly / Holy persecutes Him because we leave no room for Him. He tells Saul “It is useless for you to fight against my will.”

“Do not worry about your life…” Matthew 6:25 What do we focus on? Where does your treasure lie? I don’t want to pay lip service to my faith in Christ. I want it to be real. I have to ask myself daily, what is your priority? It is not sufficient to ask, “where is Christ in this?” We must have Him as our primary focus.  From the devotional “Wherever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.”

“‘And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these little things, saying ‘what will we eat, what will we drink, what will we wear.’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs.’” Matthew 6:30-32 NLT The first couple of sentences in the devotional are something I seem to always be circling back to. The simplicity of the Gospel, and how much we try to complicate it: “A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life  will become amazingly simple.” Chambers goes on to talk about how we get in our own way, not experiencing His true presence, “…because we are no...

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Using the King James translation Chambers expands on this verse, and more specifically the section - “when it pleased God.” Quotes from the devotional: “As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him – to give God “elbow room.” . . . The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come but not in a certain way.” “Suddenly - God meets out life - ‘…when it pleased God…’” “Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.” Be in touch with God. Expect him to show up, but don’t put Him in a box. Be ready for Him to come from any and all angles. He is working on His ways, and on His time - NOT MINE!

“Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.” Acts 26:16 NLT Paul was on a mission for a person. Not a religion, a cause or a set of doctrine. His life had been turned upside down as Chambers puts it, “He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.  I think this quote is a good summary of the message today: “It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, not even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him.” Jesus Christ seeks a relationship. He is not a cause to support but a person to devote yourself to. 

“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT Quotes: “When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors.” “Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it - something good, but not what is best.” “The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through.” “Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship ship of abiding in Him.” Let the Holy Spirit fill every aspect of our lives and let us be mirrors of God’s character reflecting Him by our words and deeds. Do not tarnish it with pride over your goodness or with sin. Always ask God what He thinks is best.  There is a quote in my Bible. It is f...

“Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22 NLT Chambers talks about how we tend to complicate things. That the simplicity of Christs message is to “look to Him.”  “The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attentions elsewhere.” The summary in the last paragraph of the devotional: “Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. ‘Look to Me…..’ Salvation is  yours the moment you look.” Are our interest so broad that we can’t focus on Him? Are there so many troubles or blessings that we can’t find the quiet place to just look to Him? He has the power to change us from the inside. To help correct the feelings and/or behaviors that are hindering us and making us feel hu...

“‘Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.’” Jeremiah 2:2 NLT Quotes from devotional: “Am I spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way.” “Am as as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him?…… Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him.” When we start to think about the mountain top experiences or the times that we were in a great groove with the Holy Spirit, we can find ourselves yearning for that connection. Chambers is telling us that God remembers and desires this also, and that feeling should bring Godly sorro...

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’”  John 3:3 NLT Some quotes: “Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself.” “It (being born again) provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living - a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God.” “If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.” If you are not able to be still and know that all contentment and peace come from Him, then your relationship is stale. Being filled with the freshness of the Holy Spirit can make any and all tasks exciting and pleasurable. We seek self satisfaction so much in this world. We are trying to fill ourselves up but we can never get satisfied. In all my prayer and study I realize over and over again t...

“As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him” Genesis 15:12 NLT This verse comes after God’s covenant with Abram. To make him into a great nation. To give him as many descendants as stars in the sky, and lands to occupy.  “Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in ‘the shadow of His hand’ (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen.” The waiting is hard for us. So we put faith and trust in other people, myself, blessings, joys/pleasures, books, etc. God tells us over and over that He is sufficient. He is enough. That we need no more and no less than all of Him. But we want to force things. Press things into our agenda.  We have to get to the spot where we are content to wait. Where God is so real to us that “… people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.” Lord, I want all my advice and di...

“‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.”  John 20:28 NLT The title to this days devotional is “It is the Lord!” The verse is when doubting Thomas is finding it hard to believe that Jesus is alive in front of him after the crucifixion. He has asked to see the scars in His hands and the wound in His side. Jesus shows him and tells them that he believes because he is seeing, but blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.  “We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on him to satisfy us.” “The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him . . . Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ himself?” Thomas had to be satisfied by the Lord in order to believe. The goal of the calling though is his satisfaction. But be careful of falling into the trap of works.  Why do you serve? To show your goodness/devotion? Do you just know the right things to say and do? Or are you drawn...

“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace. Then it pleased Him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.” Galatians 1:15-16 NLT In todays devotional Chambers is discussing the difference between Gods call and service.  “The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature.” “Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call  to that.” “Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature.” Service is not the call. Service is the response to the call. In Paula’s sake that was to be a missionary and to spread the Gospel to non-Jews. Ultimately I believe that is the direction that all service points towards. Acts to show your lov...

“Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’” Isaiah 6:8 NLT The calling of God is an important theme to talk about. Today when Chambers discusses the verse he wants us to understand the nature of God,  “The call of God is the expression of God’s nature, not ours.” “The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God.” We cannot respond to a call if we are dictating the terms of how we can be used. That is negotiating. We cannot disrespect God that way. We have to cast aside any idea of how God may need us and just be open to respond wherever He leads. 

“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:4 NLT  Quotes from today's: “ No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a ‘white funeral’ - the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream.” “You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. . . It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying - being ‘baptized into His death. (Romans 6:3).” Are you truly willing to let your old self die. To give up old ways and habits? Are you masking it by “working” so hard at being a Christian but not really submitting your life, your self, your will to God. . . So much of scripture calls to me to wait. To yield. To slow down and let God reveal the way, the path.  Lord help m...

“Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am Lord. Send me.’” Isaiah 6:8 NLT  The call of Isaiah isn’t about God specific calling Isaiah. Chambers explains that Isaiah was in the presence of God and heard God’s “calling” - “Who should I send? Who will go for us.” Isaiah’s response is what is key - “Here I am Lord. Send me.” I love this quote from the devotional: “Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you.” Like when Jesus asked his disciples to “Follow Me.” He was not forceful. But they were perceptive to the call and they responded.  He does not force or plead with us. Be perceptive to the call. To the still small voice. Then respond - here I am!  “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything in love.”  1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT

“Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked Him what the parables meant.” Mark 4:10 NLT The first sentence of the devotional sets the point Chambers is trying to make: “His solitude with Us - When God gets us alone, through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us.” When going through those moments we are so drawn to question “why?”. What did I do to deserve this? Make us better God! He is calling us to Him. To quiet ourselves. To be able to be open to see the path He has laid before us. To hear the still small voice telling us the purpose for the “trouble” in our life. Or sometimes we realize He just wants us close to Him. Hard times can do that.  My takeaway is that you can’t hear Him or be taught by Him ...

“In fact, in His public ministry He never taught without using parables; but afterward, when He was alone with His disciples, He explained everything to them.” Mark 3:34 NLT Chambers discusses the need to be alone with the Lord. To have solitude with Him. We can fill up our time with activities and relationships etc. A lot of the time escaping any kind of quiet for fear of how our minds might start to race. Chambers says,  “We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only one who understands us is God. . . Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything.” We must let God reveal our true self, acknowledging the deep sins that hinder our relationship with Him. He wants to teach us, to show us who we are. Not who we think we are or pretend to be.  That all comes with the leap of faith in acknowledging who Jesus is - and if that matters or not to you. For me, I want to celeb...

“As they led Jesus away, a man from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” Luke 23:26 NLT Chambers discusses obedience in todays reading. How obedience to God could have consequences for others. “If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins.” “If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset.” “If we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him. Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.” There are many pitfalls and traps to leading a life traveling towards God. We are reading “Little Pilgrims Progress” to the kids. It is an adaptation of the old book “Pilgrims Progress” about the character, Christian’s journey to the Holy City, leavin...

“And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’” ‭‭Acts 26:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In todays devotional, Chambers says, “Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely the forgiveness of sin.” There are a lot of Christians who have been awoken to the message of The Gospel. But they have never received anything. Converting to Christianity is not regeneration. “In sanctification , the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others.”

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may you whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Chambers also explores Psalm 139 in todays devotional. This chapter speaks of God knowing us through and through. When I sit and stand, what I will say. You made me in my mothers womb. You know all the hairs on my head. Verse 23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” So we understand that God cleanses sin, but to what depth? What we are only conscious of? He is not an arms-length friend. God goes deep, so let Him. Search me, O God. Reveal to me what offends you. Then like yesterdays devotional, we can work on giving it up, so that we can be blameless. 

“When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” Genesis 22:9 This is from the account where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Out of obedience to God, Abraham follows through with the request and is ready to do whatever God asked of him, however difficult and painstaking it might be. It had taken so long for he and Sarah to have this child, the one God promised them. But he had continually trusted in the Lord and wasn’t going to doubt or question, even though I am sure he did internally - he still acted. The importance of this account that Chambers relays in the devotional is that it is not about death. That being a martyr is not what God wants from us. To seek death in His name. We need to seek to be a living sacrifice. Giving our lives to Him in obedience. Chambers says: “God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of gi...

“Jesus replied, ‘Have I been with you all this time Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show Him to you?’” John 14:9 NLT Philip had asked Jesus to show them God, the Father and then he would have been satisfied. This is how Jesus replies. From what Chambers talks about in the devotional, it speaks more to Jesus encouraging them to draw nearer to Him, not rebuking them. He wants close intimacy with us. He calls us friends.  Some quotes from the devotional: “True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ.” “The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.” I think about some close friends that I have. Where we do identify in thought, heart, and spirit. To think and know...

“After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country , with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshipped the Lord.” Genesis 12:8 Some quotes from the devotional: “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.” “If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded.” “Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram ‘pitched his tent’ (made camp) between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him.” “There are not three levels of spiritual life - worship, waiting, and work. . . God’s idea is that the three should go together as one.” At the end Chambers talks about the discipline it takes to merge the 3 into harmony, and how it is not an overnight accomplishment. Discipline, discipleship, takes time. We...

The verse in todays devotional “My utmost for His highest” by Oswald chambers: “And Jesus replied, ‘You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.’” John 13:36 Chambers talks about the stages of following Jesus. The first external following of Jesus when the attraction of Jesus is upon you and you don’t need the Holy Spirit to follow. See Peter’s life. The first following when he laid down his nets and followed Jesus. The second after Jesus gives him the Holy Spirit. A quote from the devotional: “All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to ‘receive the Holy Spirit.’ ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ - the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Resolutions ending in denial or failure - fitting for this time of year. We set out goals for ourselves that WE are resolved to conquer. I can...

“‘But why can’t I come now Lord?’ he asked. ‘I’m ready to die for you.’” John 13:37 NLT This is a great verse and the context is so crucial. Jesus is telling them that He must go away and that the disciples cannot follow Him. Peter is ready to go! Jesus tells him in the next verse that “before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you know me.” Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He knew that Peter would dent Him the next day but He also knew what a great leader Peter would be in the days to come. We can be so impatient to just wait on the Lord. Here are some great quotes from the devotional: “When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait.” “Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt - wait.” “Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never m...

“Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” Psalm 97:2 NLV Oswald Chambers expands on this verse by explaining that to have full understanding of Jesus’ teachings we just have the light inside us. Not the casual way we approach Him through religion. He says we need to be “getting rid of all the excessive informality with which we approach God, to truly see Him.  Some quotes from the devotional: “… when he is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he finds that “clouds and darkness surround Him. When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first realization of this.” “Once, the Bible was just so many words to us - clouds and darkness - then, suddenly, the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new. That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God it is by the most simple way - words.” We are always searchi...

Verse from today’s devotional: “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 NLV Some quotes I highlighted: “One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, ‘What do you expect to do?’ You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is going to do.” “God does not tell you what He is going to do - He reveals to you who He is.” “Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is!” If we truly believe that God is in control and working a plan in all of our lives - then worry is unnecessary and disrespectful towards God. Surrender not only means giving Him control of our lives, but also understanding that He is in control of other’s lives too - husbands, wives, children, mothers, fathers etc. He crave...

Todays focus verse from “My utmost for His highest” by Oswald Chambers “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will being honor to Christ, whether I live or die.” Philippians 1:20 NLV Some quotes I liked from the devotional: “He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, ‘My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest - my best for His glory.’” “An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision (surrender to God's will), although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering.” “But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. . . He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide - for or against. . . If a crisis has come to you on any front, surren...