God's Love Poured Out In Us

Love is not meeting the standard of another, because this is law. Love is unlike law because it is spontaneous, not ordered. In our natural realm we have not the love of God. As a child of God, His love is poured out through us by way of the Holy Spirit. It is hard to describe love until it is passed. When you look back on your life and realize you have been attending to the desires of Christ, then you know that your only ability to abide in Him is by His love that dwelleth in you.

Daily Prayer: Lord, keep our hearts sensitive and unprotected from Your love. Let our life be a light unto others so that they may see to the love of God in me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Be Certain About God Alone, But Not Your Circumstances

It is a trait of the natural man to make certain what he expects. It is the characterictic of the spritual man to be certain about God alone and leave your circumstances to Him. No man has control over what the next day will bring. Jesus teaches us that unless we come to Him like little children we cannot be His disciples. Little children have certainty in their leader and wait expectantly on what comes next. The natural man wants to be the leader and control his circumstances. The natural and spiritual man are in contrast with one another. One believes in himself, the other in God.

Daily Prayer: Father, let us put down our guard and free ourselves of worrying about tommorrow. You are faithful when we are not, so let us then trust in You and your strength and your sufficiency. Amen.

Total Abondonment

So, what do you think? Is it good to have total abondonment? In the spiritual realm this is the goal. Do you remember Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water? His response was to go out there with Him! Where did Peter get such an idea? He was in total abondonment to Jesus.
The very second Peter took his eye off of Jesus, he was like any other natural man. That is he began to sink. Abondonment to God is what Paul tried to explain to Luke. Luke questions what more is there to this Jesus movement? He wanted to know what sign to look for. Paul explained to him that it is not a sign he should seek. He should seek abondonment or surrender to Jesus Christ.
Try not to ask too many questions of Jesus. Our questions give the outward sign that our inward condition is not in surrender to Him. Instead, only depend upon Jesus and the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, it is true that we take our eyes off of You. We have eyes, yet often times do not see. Help us to neither quench or grieve the Spirit, so He can have His sway in our lives. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Seeking God

The Bible teaches us that he who seeks God will find Him. Again it is said in the New Testament,
"Behold I stand at the door and knock." What the Father and the Son are saying is that they want believers to know God and to know the Son. This is why Jesus said in the High Priestly Prayer "I desire that they may become one with You like I am in You and You are in Me." Many of our prayers are temporal in that they seek temporary relief from a fleshly problem or concern. That kind of pray is not bad, but it doesn't get around to the business of knowing God.
Therefore seek and you will find and knock and the door will be opened unto you.

Daily Prayer: Father, I know our problem is that we are just too concerned about our own self.
We are not as frequently praying for others or seeking you as we are about satisfying our self. Forgive us Father and place the True Spirit withiin us. Amen.

One Must Be True To God In Order To Know Him

The famous story of the sacrifice of Isaac is one that needs to be retold. Abraham was tested by God and asked to offer up Isaac on a mountain that He would show him. Abraham took Isaac to the mount and Isaac asked his father where is the sacrifice? Abraham replied that the Lord will supply it. I don't think Isaac understood that God will supply a goat in the thicket, but instead left his traditions and personal convictions behind and obeyed God. Because he took his son to the point of sacrifice, God delivered the boy and substituted a goat. It was Abrahams being true to God that God revealed something of Himself with Abraham and God also knew that Abraham would obey.

Daily Prayer: Lord, it is not that we desire testing of our faith, but it will surely come. It that hour, deliver us also and strengthen us so that we withstand the test. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

Those Who Are Dependable Co-Laborors With Christ

We can all think of people at our work place that are either valuable or a burden to us at work. Those who are valuable are self-starters. They don't have to be told what to do. The others, they must be continually encouraged to do their best and really quite lazy. So it is in the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who are most valuable to Christ are not those waiting for a high moment with the Boss, but the one who knows the Bosses desires and heads out to do His good pleasure.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us learn to put our best foot forward when it concerns your priorities. Let us not consider the reward or payback to ourselves, but rather advance the Kingdom no matter what it costs us personally. This is the way You too do your work. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

In the Genesis narrative, God tells Adam before the fall to "be fruitful and multiply and full the earth." This imperative was so that God's righteousness could fill the earth. After the fall, there was promised a Savior and He told his disciples to "go therefore unto all the nations and make disciples." A disciple is one who is patterned after Jesus the Messiah. Discipleship in its fullest sense is total yieldedness to God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer: Lord, the haverst is ready, but the workers are few. Enable me this day to quit waiting on a call or better time. Instead help me to seize every moment for Jesus Christ and to bring His knowledge to others. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

DO NOT LET YOUR CHRISTIAN SERVICE BECOME A HINDERANCE

Many people believe that the way to please God is through Christian Service. God desires our devotion more than any other thing we can offer. He is our co-worker in service, but He desires to stand alone as the One whom we adore. The Christian life is not one of work alone, but one of faith alone. He desires relationship, not sacrifice. Therefore worship God and the Son with all your strength, might, mind, and soul for He cares for you.

Daily Prayer: O Father, we work so hard trying to please you only to learn at the end of the day you are in need of nothing. Let us therefore slow down and yoke with you and learn of you day by day. Amen.

God Stands By Those Who Are His

Christians are often abondoned by those who are in the world. As a believer, you are never alone. God stands with those who are his and strengthens them. In the same way, if you are called upon to speak to an assembly, first give your message to the Almighty and then to the public so that God's glory can shine forth from you.

Daily Prayer: Lord we are in the world but not of it. Strengthen us day by day so that we might not be guilty of falling away. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Kingdom of God is at hand

While it is true that God has a plan to take us to His Kingdom of glory, He exhibits His kingdom every day. In Christ, we are able to become a Child of God and it is through His Children that God reveals Himself today. It is as Luther once said, "God shows us who He is by our love for one another. Also, the gift of eternal life is also a present possession, because it referes not only to the length of life, but also to the quality of life. We don't want to repeat the error of the disciples when they asked Jesus "show us the Father and that is enough." Instead, we now live our lives based on faith and His grace is sufficient for us.

Daily Prayer: Father, strengthen us to seize the moment. Remove the scales from our eyes so that we may see all that Your Good Hand has accomplished. Let us be imitators of Christ because You sent Him to us to be our Example. Finally, let us not dampen the work of the Spirit so that through our lives we may exhibit the Kingdom of God in our daily lives. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Who Lashes Back At God?

Jesus gave the parable of those who were given differnt levels of gifts. One was given 1 talent, another 3 talents and yet another 10 talents. When their Master returned, the one with one talent lashes back at the Master as though he were to say "you expect too much from me. You plant me here and expect more than what I am able to do." Is the servant justified in his complaint? One has to remember, that if you are a believer in Jesus, you are also indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Is anything too hard for God? This is the point, whatever the Master expects from you, he has enabled you to accomplish through the power of the Spirit. Therefore trust in God, because for Him all things are possible.

Daily Prayer: Father, let us not go on doubting or even worrying. Instead, teach us to utilize the Spirit within us to accomplish Your good will. Amen.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO STUMBLE

When we read the Bible, we see evidence of God supernaturally bringing the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. One would say "If I had that kind of experience, my faith in God would not waiver." Yet as we read on, we learn that their apostasy was such was such that it kept them from entering the promised land.
In the same way, the Church of Jesus Christ and every member in it must guard themselves against unexpected temptation. We may say that our faith can move mountains, but it only took a woman bathing herself to turn away the obedience of David, causing him to commit his great sin.
Therefore, like Peter warns us, we need to be on the guard because Satan because he is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. The greatest Bible heros were tripped on the smallest of affairs, not the mountains.

Daily Prayer: Father our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. Teach us to walk by the Spirit, so that we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. In Jesus' name we pray Amen.

Don't Get Ready, Be Ready

If you knew God was going to show up at your house today, what would you do? God is showing up at your house today and He is not concerned about the carpet, the floors, the condition of the beds, or what's for supper. He cares about the conditon of your heart. This is why when Jesus visited Martha and Mary, he warned Martha that she is worried about "too many things." He goes on to explain to her that her sister chose the better way which is spending time with Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord, it is very hard to be in the world and not of the world. Just by being born, we are indwelt with a culture that speaks its truth to us. This is why we need to be born-again, so that we too might make the better choice. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

A COMMITMENT OF THE WILL

When all is said and done, nothing matters except the condition of the human will. That's all Jesus gave when He said "not my will by thy will be done." When people speak of the "flesh" they are not referring to our skin and bones. They are referring to our will. The spiritual man has his will set toward God and the carnal man toward his self. There really isn't any ground in between. When we speak of being born again, it refers to a surrender of the will to God of your own choices in life.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we are selfish from our mothers's womb. Transform us by the power of the Spirit to recommit out will so that your will be done. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Revelation is temporary, but intended for our long-term life

The Apostle John instructs us to walk in the light, like He is in the light. Here, light is a metaphore for Christ's revelation in our life. It is that special oneness, call it intimacy, where Jesus shares the secrets of the Kingdom. These events are not everyday things, but instead are to act as a school teacher leading our lives for Him. By these special times, we can explain the glory of the Risen Jesus to those who have yet to believe.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us focused on our mission here. The world is not our home and we are missionaries here, proclaiming your coming kingdom. By Your strength and the guidance of the Spirit, help us to convince and convict those who are coming to You. Amen.

EVERYTHING IS A BIG DEAL TO GOD

Many professing the name of Jesus Christ as their Savior have hidden areas in their life for which they try to cover up. They will say "I know I am right with God and that I am going to heaven." It isn't a matter of wheather one is going to heaven or not because to the believer his sins are forgiven him. It is a matter of spirituality. No amount of bad eggs can cook up a good omlette it has been said. No amount of unyielded sin is allowed in the spiritual life of the believer. We must confess our sins, yield to Christ and depend on the Spirit to keep our fellowship with God and the Son.

Daily Prayer: We realize that we enjoy some sins and hang onto them. If we only realized that this is an affront to the Cross of Christ we would surey turn all things over to Him. Let us therefore come clean and confess our sins so that we may learn from Him who saved us. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

The Lord Is The Source Of Our Strength

In our bodies, we are very weak. This is why Jesus said "Your spirit is willing, but your bodies are weak." Yet on the Day of Pentacost, Peter stood with the eleven rebuking the same Judaizers who crucified Jesus and from whom the disciples fled from. Where did this new strength come from? The crowd said it looked like they had been with Jesus. That is it! Our strength is in the Lord. This is why Paul & Silas when they were thrown into the Phillipian Jail could sing songs of praise to the Lord, because they counted it worthy to suffer shame for the name. Never flee from what the Lord sends to make you strong. Instead bear it with joy, because it will give you strength to persevere until the end.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we are weak, but you are strong. Raise us up to imitate you so that others too may say "they look like they have been with Jesus." Amen.

Cast your burdens on the Lord

In both the Old and New Testaments saints are made aware that we are not expected to go through life alone. The Bible teaches "Cast your burdens on the Lord " in one place. In yet another it writes " Cast your cares upon him, because he cares for you." In still another we record Jesus as saying "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. " The idea is not to run from responsibility, but to yoke with Christ so that he can bear the greatest burden and teach you too how to carry your load. The Bible says "The battle is the Lords" yet we do expect to join the battle, the army of God.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us not try to live the spiritual life in the flesh.
Instead, by your spirit, give us spiritual rest so that we do not fall to the temptation of the Evil One. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

Eternal Life is the Life of Jesus

Eternal Life is the Life not from Jesus, but it is the life of Jesus. This is why Jesus can say that we can live our lives abundantly. Eternal life is a present possession. It referes to more than length of life alone, it also referes to the quality of life. Eternal life begins with regeneration where we no longer live to sin and death, but live to Christ and live for God. No longer do we fear mortal death, but our life is joined to our Savior and where He is so we will be.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us the words to say so that we can draw others to You. Let our life be a living testamony that we not only know You, but that You live in me. In Your Name I pray Amen.

Putting Your Own Sin To Death

Paul informed us through the Word of God that sin can and must be dealt with by us. Christ died to free us from sin and death and the power of the devil, but we must for ourselves identify with the Cross of Christ and reckon sin to be dead in our mortal flesh so that we may too, walk in newness of life. I disagree when the church says we are born into sin and in bondage to it. That may have been true before Christ's first advent, but it certainly isn't now. If you have been born again, you have a new nature now. This new nature, by yielding to the Spirit of Christ, allows the saint to agree with Him about sin which involves putting it to death. So if you still feel in bondage to sin, come to Christ asking for regeneration by the Spirit so that you too may walk in obedience.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, words are cheap, but without them, how can men know? I too, struggled with sin mostly because I didn't want to give it up. Once I learned how to live the spiritual life, temptation radically decreased because Satan no longer had sway in my life. I urge all under the sound of my voice to come to Jesus and give Him His way in your life. Amen.

Seeing the Risen Jesus

It has been said that if you know Jesus for what He has done, but you have not seen Him, then your Lord is too small. Jesus does appear to us, but we often times don't recognize Him. Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb and she asked Him what He had done with the body of Jesus. Jesus walked with the two on the Road to Emmas, yet they didn't recognize Him till He went on ahead of them on the road. Jesus appeared to Peter after being risen to again tell him to cast his net on the other side. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, yet even though he was traveling with a company, nobody else saw Him. So it is with the Lord. The unregenerate He many not appear to, but if you are a believer who is going to heaven, then put on your spiritual eye-glasses and await His appearing.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, when we don't recognize you, it is either unbelief or not expectantly awaiting your appearing that steers us wrong. Forgive us Lord. Let us ready our heart, our mind, and most of all our eyes to be anxious about your near return. Amen.

BY HIS SUFFERING HE RAISES MANY TO GLORY

Christ's resurrection was a once and for all victory. It achieved the promise of resurrection to all who call on His name from the beginning of time. It is the impartation of life not only in the future, but also here and now. In Romans, Paul describes this as walking in newness of life. To all who were given to the Son, He gave power to become the Sons of God. Jesus was the first born of many bretheren. Now is the time to reach out to those who without rebirth, will die in their sins.

Daily Prayer: Lord, make our business the business of outreach. Let us like Paul become all things to all people so that some may be saved. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

Jesus said "I have many more things to tell you, but you cannot bear it."

Jesus wants to tell us more, but we cannot bear it. Things like our own selfishness, pride, and failure to yield to Him prevents Him from telling the things of heaven and the kingdom. He must keep us silent until the Risen Lord raises in our own life so that what we know is also the way we live.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, by the Spirit of God lead us into all truth. Help us to discipline our own selves so that we grow the inner-man and become more faithful. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

THERE IS NO SMALL SIN

Which sins to we consider minor? Is it a white lie, or a lustful glance, or being selfish, or greedy, or cheating, or not obeying our parents? The reason for God becoming flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ is to bear all or our sins, though he committed none of His own. By grace we are saved by faith the Bible teaches. Yet so many still do not believe. It as is though repression of own's unworthiness constitutes forgiveness to these ones. We need to begin every day confessing our sins and asking for both guidance and power to live the spiritual life apart from sin. We trample on the Cross of Christ when we intentionally sin, depending of free forgiveness to right the wrongs. Can we cease to sin? No, but we can radically reduce the sin in our life when we agree with God about it and join the good fight to live for Jesus and depending on Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to come to that place where we are broken over our sinful life. Forgive our many sins and take any guilt away from us as that is from the Devil. Let us join the good fight allowing Your Spirit to do a good work in our heart. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Jesus' Struggle in Gethsemane

In order to understand the true nature of Jesus' struggle in the garden, we must remember that at an earlier time Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. Here Jesus as the Son of Man resisted the enticement of Satan, but Satan pledged to come back at a more opportune time. Jesus never disagreed with the cross in His deity. It was as the Son of Man that he wasn't sure if he could go through it. Neverthess, not his will but thy will be done. So in his flesh, Jesus with stood the cross so that all people who come to him may have access to the Father.

Daily Prayer: Thank you Christ Jesus for with standing the agony of the Cross. Let the cross be a reminder of the high price of sin and the eternal debt we have for our salvation. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.
April 5, 2010

Jesus Christ, The First Born of Many Bretheren

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, it meant that those things that happened to our Savior will happen to us. In our life-time, we enter into his sufferings. When Jesus was risen from the dead it meant anyone who is known as a son or daughter of God will likewise be risen from the dead and receive like our Savior a glorified body. Christ suffered so that we might enter His glory and receive from Him, rightousness which is acceptable to the Father. We are no longer dead in our sins or aliens to the Father, but have been reconciled by the blood of Christ so that no longer do we die, rather we receive eternal life in Him.

Daily Prayer: Father, thank you for the Son. Let us live a grateful life knowing that we will not be judged because Christ died for us. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Spiritual Blindness Is Caused By Other gods

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit of God indwells us to lead us into all truth. Sometimes though we cling on to things of the flesh, which grive the Spirit of God and cause for us spiritual blindness. God's don't have to be idols, but they can be anything which competes with the True God for our time and our faithfulness. When we give into these gods, God shuts doors of opportunity to us and doesn't re-open them. It is not until we confess our sin and yield to Christ and depend on the Spirit that we come back into fellowship with God.

Daily Prayer: Lord forgive us for allowing the cares of this world to interfere with your eternal blessing. Unlock our blindness so that we can see, and once seeing believe and obey. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

PLEASING GOD IS A MATTER OF OUR PASSION

Jesus said that He wants us to be either hot or cold, because the one who is luke warm he will spit from his mouth. It is a matter of passion. We are currently in Holy Week and it is also referred to as the Passion Week because Jesus was determined that not his will, but God's will be done. In God's world, he wants a devout person to be the one who is a man after his own heart. This is why we should put God first in all things, even giving priority to your own family because Jesus said whoever cares more for his mother or father, sister or brother more than me is not worthy of me.