To Be Crushed By Man For Christ's Sake

It should come as no surprise that if we are to suffer pain for His Name, the pain will come at the hands of men. Christ Himself does not crush us for his sake. Instead, we are squeezed like grapes by evil men and poured out as a drink offering for the benefit of the body of Christ which is the church. Christ does not unduly sacrifice us. It is for the sake of the greater good that we are offered up and counted as worthy to suffer shame for His Name.

Daily Prayer: Lord, teach us to discern your will from the calling of the world. Let us not be bitter for pain and suffering that we may go through knowing that you are in control and will surely reward those we lay down their lives for you. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Receiving The Call Of God

Receiving a call from God has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification. It means God wants you to share the gospel. The call can come as sudden as a clap of hands or gradual over time. When you are aware of this calling, then woe to you if you do not obey. It has little to do with your circumstances because if God is seeking you, He will make all things come together for you so that you can work according to His will. It is a matter of Your Will not my will be done. God desires to work through You for His purposes and for His glory.

Daily Prayer: Father, thank you for the call You have given me. It is not the call I expected, but what from on high is ever what one expects? Now, let all things come together for good according to Your Will and Purposes. In Your Name I pray Amen.

It Is Because of Jesus' Great Love That He Calls For Surrender

The way to have intimacy with Jesus is to surrender your will to His permanently. The reason Jesus requires this of us is because of His great love for us. Love with the world is emnity with God. If you have no attachments to the world or even to your own self, then the devil has little room for entrance into your life. Jesus says to Satan the tempter, man does not live by bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from God.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, even though saving transformation has already occured in me, continue to transform all parts of my life until they are surrendered to You. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Lord Knows What Is In Man

Some of us in good consciousness say to the Lord that I will follow You only to receive a rebuke from the Lord. This is because the Lord knows what is in man. This is why all of Christian service is "in Christ." Only by being under His protective cover can we pull off good works for him. Our natural tendency is self-service even if our intentions are good. This is also why when we go to the Father, it is in Christ's name. Only Christ perfectly submitted to the will of the Father and only in Christ are we able to do so as well.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are aware of our frailities and short comings. Fill us with the Spirit so that we can know you and serve you. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

In Our Journey, Our Beginning & The End Are The Same

The Christian walk begins with Jesus and ends with Him. Our mission is to know Him and to be like Him. When you find us patterning ourselves this way, we can always say that I came to do my Savior's work. The result is to glorify Him in all that we do and not to waiver to the cares of this world.

Daily Prayer: Lord, it is our desire to be like You in our life. By Your Spirit, continue to transform me so that my mind and my body and my will are pleasing to you. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Big Difference Between Master & Being Mastered

Jesus Christ is my Master, but I am not mastered by Him. This is to say, Master refers to His special standing of knowing me in every detail, even better than I know myself. It implies His ability to meet my every need and to give me understanding. What it doesn't say is that Jesus by no means imposes His will on me or forces obedience. This is because that kind of obedience lacks relationship. So when I say Jesus is my Master, it is because He is. It is my decision to choose obedience to Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me those things about myself that I need to know. Show me what true love looks like. Let not my heart be hardened, instead let it be filled with trust. This way, I will follow You because You are the Good Shepherd. Amen.

God's Purpose For You: To Be His Servant

God created us for Himself and His delight. Although the Evil One tried to throw us off course by introducing sin, God Himself has made no changes in His purposes for us. This is why God has us be born again. We are not reborn in the flesh, but in the spirit so that we can pull-off the Christian life in Christ and fulfill our created order in becoming a delight to the Most High. Even though we may feel unworthy, we must remember that it is not in the flesh that we serve, but in the spirit and the spirit is that of Christ our Redeemer.

Daily Prayer: Lord, help us to walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
Let us lead a worthy life and one with Your purpose in mind. Give us the reassurance that we are worthy and the courage to reject Satan in Christ. In Jesus name I pray Amen.