Month: November 2016

 

John 20: 29 “Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

Dear God,

I am so grateful for Your care of myself and all my doings, as well as the application of Your written promises in my own soul, when in belief my mind is staid upon You.  By experience I have found Your promises are real; and that indeed, You are the God who never changes, lies or speaks with a ‘forked tongue’, and You will deliver upon Your promises, when we are genuine and do not ask with a divided mind  or ‘forked tongue’.

You truly are my rock and salvation, and the only answer to the relentless attacks of Satan and his angels, which often come in such subtle, yet invasive ways that without the illumination from Your Holy Word and the in-working of the Holy Spirit, we mere sinful human beings, would even less often recognize the source of the attacks and delusions.

I am so grateful that You provide for us to feel joy even though so very often, life is a battle.  As every day I am uplifted by Your love through the journey of life, I am strengthened by the assurance, that in Your strength, we can overcome all that besets us and arrive at You place of salvation and eternal redemption.

In Your word, there are a number of occasions, when a promise was given, and yet years passed, and it looked as if these promises would never be fulfilled.  There is a reminder of this in Hebrews 6: 13 “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.” V 15 “And so after he patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Unlike the promises given between two people, Your promises rest on two unchangeable facts, which make Your word totally reliable and to be believed with absolute assurance, and the two facts are – You never lie, and You are the all-knowing and powerful God of heaven, able to deliver on Your promise, having confirmed Your promise by an unchanging oath.

We can believe that Jesus is our High Priest in heaven, and sustain the hope that He will indeed come for all those who are called His own.  V 19 and 20 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever….”

Upon these facts I flee to You for refuge; with full belief and courage to carry on Your pathway for my life.

Amen

Hebrews 5: 7, 8 “…in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who is able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

Dear God,

You truly anchor my mind and emotions.  Within Your perpetual care, I thank You for filling me with Your peace when I ask; with the assurance that I can lay all before You in prayer, prayers for myself and others, activities, our needs, crisis events and all will be heard and answered according to Your wisdom.  You will also direct me upon Your pathway, and keep me safe.

Paul uses the analogy of the High priest in the Israelite temple to further expand upon Christ and His role in the Heavenly temple.  The High priest of the earthly temple represented the people in matters pertaining to God.  He was a sinful human person, as were all the people who attended the temple.  Like all humans, he needed God in his life by obediently humbling himself before You, and to pray often to be able to live a godly life representing You.  A High priest was not to decide for himself to be a priest, but was called to the office by God.  The Son of God, Christ did not decide for Himself to be High Priest, though He was worthy for the office.  He was called by God, V 5 “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’”

Please teach me Your earthly child to await Your calling for me to accept positions in Your church and work, so we can follow the example of our Saviour, Jesus, as each day He allowed You to plan His day.  Whilst He lived upon earth in human flesh, in no way did Jesus presume on You, for I read, that all through His time here on earth, Jesus offered up earnest prayers and supplications for strength not to sin.  For in the text above we read, that in the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed with ‘vehement cries and tears” to You, Father God, who alone was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His godly fear.  I understand during the time Jesus came to earth in human form on His salvation mission for mankind; even though Jesus was Your own Son, His obedience to You, His Father, had to be tested by suffering and eventual death, because many of God’s earthly children have and will also be persecuted and put to death in the name of Jesus, down to His second coming.   Satan who hates Christ and His followers, once started on his rebellion toward God, the Father and Jesus, His son, could stop being evil and cruel and incites all suffering and causes all death on earth!

I wonder how it is possible, that many of us sinful humans think that we can be Your true children and spend so little time in heart-felt prayer and supplication.  Forgive me Lord, for those times in my experience and continue to impress me to pray throughout each day.

Amen

Hebrews 3: 19 “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Dear God,

I give thanks as I remember how far You have bought me after several culminating illnesses leading to a health crisis several years ago, which led in my weakness to the turmoil of allowing stress to be most significant. Praise Your name for instead You have given me a more balanced mental acceptance about what now is in my life.  It has been in the times of humble surrender to You that my longings for peace and acceptance were answered by You, when it seemed as if I was not at rest, as I my thinking mind thought I was!  I do know and believe that I am in Your care in all things and I do trust that You will give me internal strength to just rest in Your will.  I sure know that You never abandon anyone who is calling out to for assistance.

The Israelite’s by Your instruction and supernatural interventions, were led out of Egypt by Moses, but could not in the end; enter the Promised Land, when they first arrived there, because of their rebellion and unbelief.  I have found in the scriptures, that there is a promised rest for God’s children, Hebrews 4: 1 “….since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”  V3 “For we who have believed do enter that rest…..”  In the record, it was those who were disobedient who did not enter God’s rest.  In V4, Your rest is described in a different way, “……And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.”  This rest spoken of I understand, is more than entering into promised land of Canaan or the weekly seventh day rest from work,  for there remains a spiritual rest for God’s obedient people, of which the seventh day is a symbol, that will lead me to trustingly do as You ask and rest in Your care.

By faith in what Jesus my Saviour has done for me (us), I can receive spiritual rest, as I accept the salvation You have so graciously provided for all who accept, which will cause me in my gratitude  and love for Him, to give Him my life, which includes my plans, joys and concerns.

Today I give You not only my praise but my needs and concerns.

Amen

James 2:19, 20 “You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe – and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead.”

Dear God,

It is good, to bring all of me to You this morning, though jaded, worn and needing rejuvenation to my faith that only You can give.  By Your Spirit, bring my mind and heart truly to a place where You want me to be in belief and practice, not just in mental assent and head knowledge.  For as James writes “the demons believe and know the truth” but do not manifest the works of faith in God, that result in good works, but instead tremble in the presence of Jesus, and acknowledge Him as the “Son of the Most High God” Mark 5:7

It is compelling for me as I accept that there is more to being a Christian, than believing there is God the Father, and that Jesus is Your Son and our Saviour.  1 Peter 1: 22, 23 “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever.”

I praise You God, for You have provided us with all we need to move from just believing in You intellectually, to being born again, by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Then any allegiance to the allurements and attitudes of Satan that cause me to not fully accept Jesus as my Saviour, have no attraction now, because by the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart, I am filled with love for my God.  Who places His love in my heart to love others, which leads to a natural overflowing of His love, as a manifestation of this love toward others.  If this is not so, then I do not truly love You.

I am truly humbled, that You want to fill me with Your love, and by faith, I can be Your blessing to others, as is Your plan for each of us.

Amen

John 16: 22 “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see You again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy, no one can take away from you.”

Dear God,

My heart and mind go to You often through the day. Thank You that my faith in You grows a little stronger and it is good to know, that You know all my needs before I ask, and when I allow, I can be filled with joy, throughout all circumstances.

The disciples loved Jesus as a fellow person, apart from His connection to heaven, believing He was the promised Messiah, so naturally they were sad, when He stated, it was time for him to leave them at that time.  Most likely the promise that they would have joy that no one could take from them when He returned was not fully understood by them, because like so much about Jesus, it was out of their frame of reference.

The scriptures have many references, that when Jesus comes triumphantly again, sin and death for the redeemed will be forever gone; and sin and death are not in heaven.  For those that Jesus takes with from earth, they will experience true joy in praise and exultation toward God, and Jesus who made their redemption from sin and death possible.

However Jesus told His disciples, that they can have joy whilst on earth awaiting His return, John 16: 23 ,24 “………Most assuredly, I say to You, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Thank You Jesus, for this statement takes in all men and woman, from when You lived on earth down through all who have lived since Your return to heaven.  Forgive me for being so slow to ask for spiritual blessings and for Your intervention and direction in my every day affairs.  For Your promises are there for believing and receiving; which means me.

David the shepherd boy, who grew up to be Your anointed king can also serve as our example in that he had experienced Your joy here on earth, Psalm 16: 11 “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Today I choose to make You first and last and best in all areas of my life, and know that I then will be filled with Your peace and joy, that no man can take away from me.

Amen