Psalm 1: 1-3
How blessed -- Very happy.
is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly -- Does not believe worldly lies.
Nor stand in the path of sinners -- Act like or live our life like those of the World.
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers. -- We are not "at home" in this World, we don't belong here.
But his delight -- What we deeply enjoy.
is in the Law of the Lord -- The ways God designed this World to work, how we are to interact with and care for it and one another.
And in His Law he meditates day and night. -- We are to think about it all the time, figure it out, connect the dots.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water -- Constantly watered by the Word.
Which yields its fruit in its season -- Not out of season.
And its leaf does not wither -- Maintains good health.
And whatever he does, he prospers. -- We succeed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I Chronicles 17: 1
And it came about when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the Prophet, "Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord is under curtains."
V. 4 Go and tell David My servant, thus says the Lord, "You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in."
Vs. 11-12 "He (Solomon) shall build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever."
V. 10 "The Lord will build a house for you."
V. 16 "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that Thou hast brought me thus far?"
I Kings 8: 18
But the Lord said to my father David, "Because it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well that it was in your heart."
I Chronicles 22: 7-10
David has "shed much blood" and Solomon would have peace and quiet. And,
V. 14 David says that, with great pains I have prepared for the House of the Lord.
So when David had built himself a beautiful mansion to live in, he realized that the Ark of the Lord was still in a tent, and he considered the Lord much more deserving than himself of a beautiful dwelling place. And God commended him for this desire to house the Lord's Ark in a more permanent structure.
The Lord appreciated David and knew that his heart was true. But David had waged the Lord's wars, so had shed a lot of blood before the Lord, and the Lord didn't want to be identified with bloody wars. So He told David that his son Solomon would be a man of peace and build the Lord's house.
So David made extensive preparations for building this imposing structure.
Instead of David building the Lord a house, the Lord said he'd build a house (lineage) for David! This astounded David.
David had a humble heart that was true to the Lord, and remained aware of his beginnings as the youngest son of his father when the oldest had the premier position, and was a simple shepherd. Nothing here at all would suggest a regal bearing.
God does not choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen. David loved the Lord, so God qualified him to not only be king, but to be the progenitor to God's Messiah, Who would reign forever!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Romans 12: 17-21
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." (Deuteronomy 32:35)
The World says to always give back what you've been given, and to get even with whoever wrongs you. This is the world's way to even things up, but things never do get evened up, the revenge just gets scaled up more and more. And when we want to get our own revenge, it causes bitterness to grow in our spirits, instead of the love and peace God wants for us.
God is the only One Who can exact revenge for wrongdoing safely, and He will make sure that every wrong will be made right, every debt will be paid, every inequality will be made even.
But,
A much safer and better response on our part to being wronged, is:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
If you do this, you will heap burning coals on his head (make him feel guilty and ashamed)." (II Kings 6:22 and Proverbs 25:21-22)
If someone has wronged us, whether inadvertently or even overtly as an enemy, our reaction would be the World's response, which is natural. However, if we pause to consider, then our response can be more in line with the advice given here. To do something good for someone who has just been mean to you can make a huge impression and can honor the Lord.
Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.
Here is the conclusion of this whole matter. To conquer evil with good.
This is not easy. It takes strength of character, discernment, and opportunity. We must be deliberate and intentional. None of this can ever be automatic.
O my Father, please help me to be deliberate and intentional when anyone would do me wrong. Help me to have the strength of character to discern what good to do when the opportunity presents itself.
Show me Your ways, Father, and teach me to respond in a godly manner to everyone with whom I have dealings.
Give me Your gentle and winsome ways as I interact with other people, whether they are my own family, a neighbor or friend, or a stranger I would happen to come across.
Help me to destroy my enemies by making them my friends. And deliver me from human wrath, as it does not promote Your righteousness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
John 8: 12
Again therefore Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the Light of the World; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the Light of life."
Light is understanding; darkness would be misunderstanding or deception. Since our own hearts deceive us, as well as the World, and especially our enemy the devil, we need His light to understand the Truth of everything we see, hear and experience.
Followng Him is conforming our lives to His transforming ways through His Holy Spirit. God sends us His Spirit to teach us His ways, which are not our ways. That's why we need to turn around (repent) away from the World's ways toward God's ways.
O my Father, please help me learn Your ways. Teach me how to think Your thoughts instead of mine; teach me to have Your attitudes toward the happenings in my world; strengthen me to do whatever You have planned for me to do.
Teach me how to love others with Your lovingkindness, and to monitor my tone of voice to be gentle and accepting. Keep me from mocking and foolish jesting. Help me to be a good example of Your ways to others in my life and world, and to always be encouraging.
Use me, Father, to draw others to Yourself, displaying Your love and wisdom and winsomness. My Lord Jesus drew the crowds to Himself with His warm acceptance; help me to be more like Him. Continue to mold me and shape me into His image, and shine Your Light through me into the darkness of others whose paths cross mine.
Keep me always aware of Your own presence with me each day, and to walk every step of my life in the center of the path You have placed my feet on.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Hebrews 2: 17
... To make propitiation for the sins of the people.
"Propitiation" (pro-pit-chee-ay-shun) is a big, technical word. It refers to God's wrath being fully satisfied for sin.
What God has made, is. It cannot be destroyed or annihilated, nor can it be added to. It just is.
Sin is taking the good that God as made and changing its form into what is twisted or upside down or other than the good it was made to be, rendering it evil.
Jesus took on sin on the Cross; the Creator taking what was damaged and repairing and restoring it back to the good it was originally intended to be. This is how He removes our sins and cleanses us.
He is the catalyst that accomplishes all the restoration and renewing. Just as He said, "I make all things new."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 3: 10
In order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
The mystery that is known now is that both Jews (Hebrews) and Gentiles have equal standing in the church (Vs. 1-6), the body of Christ. So now the church is to show forth the wisdom of God before (both the world and) the heavenly rulers and authorities.
We are to demonstrate to them God's wisdom in His plan to draw people from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language, all over the World, into His church, all with equal standing and place in Christ Jesus.
God had chosen one Nation, the family of Jacob, Israel, to give them His Law, so that if they followed His rules He would bless them. Then other Nations would see their prosperity, and come to learn of this Lord God also; and individual persons both in Israel and from other Nations would come to recognize God's authority and be saved.
Now God is calling persons from all over the World to take part in His plan to grow His family, build His building, betrothe His Son to a bride (whichever picture you prefer to see), in saving individuals from the power of sin, and redeeming them from the very presence of sin.
The angels have always watched to see how humans are faring, and they are still watching. They're watching us now.
O my Father, let me be a good example of Your power and wisdom. Teach me Your ways, lead me in Your paths for me, strengthen me to be bold in my choices to do good and to live my life according to Your ways, Father, not my own. Grant me Your wisdom to choose every time according to Your ways and Your character, Father. Continue to grow me to be more like Your Son.
It seems to me that the more I learn of You and grow in Your grace, the farther away that goal of being like Him gets. I know that You started a good thing in me, and that You are continuing to work in and on me to change my attitudes and my character so that You can work through me, also.
Thank You for this encouragement, Father. I see You working in my own life, in the lives of others, and in the governments of the World. No mere man, regardless of the authority he has been given in this world, will be able to change Your Plan in the least detail. Your will will prevail. Your Plan will succeed. There is no doubt of that.
Just as my own son built castles and forests and villages with his Legos, then moved them around and finally broke them down into their individual bricks, and no one could say anything to him about what he was doing with his "creations;" so You, our Lord God Almighty, are moving around the constituent pieces of Your Creation to affect the outcome of the "free will" You gave us to exercise.
You are using every decision that is made in every individual life, in every organization, and in every governmental hall to further Your program for the Nations of the World; to set the stage for the greatest drama ever performed, the live, real, actual ending of this very Age of Man.
Father, You have told us so much of what to expect when all this comes "down to the wire" so we won't need to be afraid or worry or fret about what is happening around us, we can trust You that Your plan is working out. My life isn't falling apart, it's falling into place. And this World looks like it's falling apart, but it's also just falling into place.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Romans 5: 17
For by the transgression of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (by inheriting his DNA); much more these who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in Life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Because Adam sinned, he passed on his damaged DNA to all Mankind, making sinfulness universal in our Race of Man.
But the gift of grace is not automatically universal like sin is (Vs. 15 & 16), because each person must choose for himself to receive this gift. Those who do receive that gift will reign in Life, overcoming the reign of death, because Jesus conquered that enemy on the Cross and with His Resurrection.
Our reality today is that we are victors over sin. There is no longer any need to give in to the baser instincts, we've been freed from those shackles. When we have shifted our thinking to realize the freedom that we are given in Christ, then we will walk away, or run away, from the wrong that tempts us to go astray. We never again have to just fall into old habits, but to intentionally and determinedly decide to turn away from the evil and foolish to do what is right.
The power of Christ's Resurrection lives in each of us, in the Person of His Holy Spirit. He gives us the ability to turn our lives around and boldly do the hard thing, the unpopular thing, the thing derided by the World. We can stand against the wrong and the easy way, and go the "road less traveled" hand-in-hand with Jesus.
When we take His yoke upon us, He is partnering with us, and will take the brunt of the load. That's why He says that His load is light--light for us. He is strong, and in His strength I can be strong, too. I can do things I never thought I could do, but with Him at the helm I'm doing them.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your great Love for me! Thank You that there is no fear in love, and You love me more than I can imagine! So when I experience feelings of fear or worry or anxiety, I can remind myself that You are handling the timeline of my life, and I choose instead to be excited about how You are moving in my own life, in the lives of others, and in this World. You are setting the stage, Father, for the final scene, the climax, for the Hero to enter at the "last possible moment" to rescue the heroine, His bride. (Hollywood cannot out-dramatize our Lord God Almighty!)
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I John 4: 17
By this love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this World.
"In this World"! I know that we will be like Jesus is now, when we are glorified with that new body like Jesus', that can travel without going, and walk through walls into a locked room. But "in this World"?
So love is the deciding factor: When we love one another unconditionally, the same way God has loved us, then we are like Jesus is now, even while we are still in this World.
O my Father, You are so great, so good, so wonderful! You have created everything that exists, and put Your beauty into everything! You have planned out what You want to do with all this Creation, and Your plans are good.
When we know You, Father, and learn Your ways, and follow Your ways as we follow Your Son, Christ Jesus; then we will result in being able to enjoy the prosperity You have built into this Earth, prosperity in every way: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, environmental, and, yes, even financial.
And because this is how God planned us to behave here with one another and with this Earth where we live, when we do it Your way, then we reap the bounty You built into it. And You get all the glory, Father. You deserve all the glory. You have done it all, and we can only cooperate with You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I John 2: 1-2
My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He, Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world.
Jesus is my Lawyer, defending me before God when Satan accuses me of what I have thought, said, or done contrary to the right; He does not deny my guilt, but points out that the penalty has already been paid--by Himself. So I can now be forgiven and set free.
The precious Blood Jesus shed on the Cross was powerful enough to puchase the whole Universe, making Him our Owner and Master. That's how He took care of the sins of everyone in the whole World.
But only those who recognize Who Jesus is and have realized that He is their personal Sacrifice have been redeemed. He has saved us from the power sin had over us today, and He will transform our bodies into spiritual bodies of light when our Redemption is complete, at His Return.
O Father, thank You so much for choosing me for Salvation. Thank You for knowing me and loving me. Thank You for giving me a part in Your great Plan of the Ages to bring all Creation to its culmination and finish, and You use me and others as Your hands and feet to accomplish Your will.
We do every day those things that further Your Plan, day by day and step by step. Help me, Father, strengthen me; let the fears and worries that assail me be turned into excitement over what You are doing, how You are moving in my own life and in the World.
And may You receive all the credit, all the honor and glory for all You are doing. All Your will is good, and beautiful, and brings prosperity to us and glory to You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Hosea 2: 16, 19-20
And it will come about in that Day, declares the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi (Husband) and will no longer call me Baali (Master, Owner). And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness ('hesed') and in compassion. And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.
'Hesed' means loyal and steadfast and faithful love and belonging together in the love relationship. Communion, deliverance, enablement, enlightenment, guidance, forgiveness, hope, praise, and preservation are all based on God's 'hesed.'
He is passionately in love with us as the newlywed groom is enamored with his lovely bride.
We are the bride of Christ!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Philippians 3: 12-14
I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul is deciding not to live in the past, but to switch his focus onto what is before him on the road God has set his feet on. He refuses to be hampered by all the pulls of the past, and look only toward where he is going now.
I also will be putting my past behind me, looking forward to this new segment of my life that I am moving into during this time. Moving out and moving in. Turning the corner that has so often eluded me.
This can be very scary, but I refuse to fear. I know that my Father has planned this all out for me already, and I am excited about all the new things I'm learning and doing that are preparing me for the road God is placing my feet upon.
O my Father, Thank You for laying hold of me in Christ Jesus. Strengthen me to grasp it firmly. Help me to let go of the past, letting it fade into the background; and stretch me to lean forward, reaching toward what lies ahead, focusing on all that You have (will have) given me to do to build Your Kingdom here now.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I Peter 2: 23-24
And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him Who judges righteously;
And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Peter is telling us here what Isaiah had said in his chapter 53, how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.
Jesus came the first time as Messiah to be the example of how we need to be with one another, as well as to be our personal Sacrifice as the Lamb of God.
He was humble and mild, even though He was our Almighty Lord God and Sovereign King.
He is our Great Physician to heal our every malady with the balm of His own precious Blood poured out for our benefit.
And His desire is to enable us to overcome all of our bad habits and poor choices, to not be affected by whatever misses the bulls-eye of perfection (sin). He has given us His own Holy Spirit, the power that raised Jesus from the dead.
So we have no excuse. God has done everything possible and impossible to make us into perfect, righteous examples of His creative power. We can do righteousness, we can die to sin, we can live our lives loving one another as He has loved us, we can be honest and ethical in our business dealings and we can be generous with others with the abundance He has given us.
By His wounds we are healed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Isaiah 53: 6 & 5
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
Every one of us has chosen to go our own way, instead of His way. We all have earned the paycheck of death, separation from God. But God loves us, and wants us to be with Him. This is a sticky dilemma. God cannot abide in the presence of anything that misses the mark (sin).
So He has solved the riddle by agreeing to Himself pay the debt we all owe, so we can be cleansed and healed. Made fit to dwell with Him.
When Jesus came the first time, it was to be our "suffering Servant," to divest Himself of all His glory and majesty to submit to the treatment we deserve. He came to be the sacrificial Lamb of God.
And His suffering and death also was the healing balm to restore our well-being in every area; physical, mental, psychological, spiritual, financial, environmental, every area.
He came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. His life fulfilled the letter of all the laws God gave Moses, and His death fulfilled all the sacrificial laws, beginning with the first one listed in Leviticus chapter 1, the personal sacrifice.
He also fulfilled the corporate sacrifice given for the Nation, and His precious Blood was so powerful it covered the purchase of the whole Universe, all of us included. That means He is our Owner and rightful Judge.
So if you consider that Jesus took your place in death, as though you were the only one, letting Him be your personal Sacrifice; then God accepted that offering on your behalf and granted you all the riches in Glory He has reserved for His own family.
But if you consider yourself one of many He died for, dividing up His sufferings and death, then you are still in the crowd of possessions, and still under judgment.
God puts everything in order, and He gave the personal sacrifice first because that's the one each person was to offer first, to begin that walk with Him.
O my Father, thank You so much for sending Your own Son, our Lord, to be our personal Sacrifice to offer Himself on our behalf, paying our eternal debt, and cleansing and healing us perfectly, to fit us suitably to dwell with You. You are perfect, You are our standard for right and just and beautiful. Whatever is lovely and fair and wise and fun is from You. Whatever is evil or ugly or foolish or harmful in any way is the absence of Your presence in it.
Thank You, Father, for Your own Holy Spirit to dwell in me to teach me, to lead me and guide me into Your Truth, along Your pathway for me; to strengthen me to do those things You have designed me to do, to be Your hands and Your feet in this World, doing Your work for Your glory and our benefit.
Keep me humbly in Your hand, Father, making the most of the time You have granted me, to accomplish everything You have assigned me; sharing all You have given me with others who need You but don't yet know how desperate they are for You.
And You will have all the credit, all the honor, all the glory for all You have done, are doing, and will complete.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Micah
This book tells us of Messiah's first and second comings and how the times will be when He returns.
Let's focus on The Second Coming.
(5:10-15) He will destroy and break down all the cities of the World, and Israel will be counted among all the Nations of the World.
(2:2-13) He will call all His people into one fold of sheep and rebuild the cities of the Earth in righteousness and peace (4:3-5).
(4:2) Then all the Nations will stream into Jerusalem to learn of the Lord and His ways--this is what God planned from the beginning; to give Israel His Law and everyone else seeing how good it is to follow and come to learn for themselves.
This book contains one of Christendom's favorite verses: (6:8) "You mortals, the Lord has told you what is good. This is what the Lord requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God."
When we live our lives in alignment with His Law and His ways, then we reap the natural consequences of all the bounty of the Earth. This is what He's always wanted us to have--what is for our good is what brings glory to Him, for that is His design.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Isaiah 65: 17-25
These verses describe what the New Heavetn and New Earth will be like:
Rejoicing and gladness, extremely long lives, being able to enjoy your own accomplishments for an extended length of time and never having to give them up for someone else to benefit from; no more sin, no evil or harm in God's whole government.
66: 4
I will bring on them what they dread; because I called but they didn't answer, I spoke but they refused to listen. They did what I consider evil. They chose to do their own thing.
66: 22-24
The New Heaven and New Earth I am about to make will continue in My presence, declares the Lord. So your decendants and your name will also continue in My presence. From one month to the next and from one week to the next all people will come to worship Me, declares the Lord.
Then they will go out and look at the corpses of those who have rebelled against Me. The worms that eat them will not die. The fire that consumes them will not go out. All humanity will be disgusted by them.
These last two chapters in the book of Isaiah describe the final state of all Creation, the New Heaven and the New Earth. This is as far into the future the Bible goes.
And it is a veritable Heaven On Earth! No one will die, whatever someone does or achieves, they will be able to enjoy it for a very long extended time, and there will be no crime, no sickness, no mishaps to mar the perfect existance God has planned for us.
But those who refuse to accept what God offers or admit their need of Him will suffer intermidably just as the righteous ones who have accepted His righteousness will have pleasure intermidably.
Our Eternities will then be set, for good or bad, with no possible changes. Today is when we have the choices, to be able to choose God and His ways or to choose our own way in life. Now is the time we can turn to God from whatever has had first place in our lives. Today is the day of Salvation.
Jesus is God the Father's Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb that God allowed to be sacrificed for human sins. My sins. Your sins. Individually.
He is our Personal Savior, taking our death upon Himself for each of us.
So ask yourself: "Did Jesus take My Place in death?"
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 3:16
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.
This is my prayer today, that I would be “strengthened with power,” to get done what I need to do today and each day to “turn this corner” in my life that I’ve been looking at for so long, and has finally arrived!
It’s still a pretty blind corner, I can’t see more than a step or two ahead, but my trust in God is growing mightily and I’m not afraid, just excited.
This will be a whole new segment of life for me, very different from any of my past, and a dream come true, in a sense.
I am looking forward to all the wonderful and interesting people and events that may come my way, and doing what I can each day to do my part in letting it all come to pass.
Rejoice with me in the joy of the Lord in this new path.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Numbers 10: 2, 10
Make yourselves two trumpets of silver ... and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.
And also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts....
Leviticus 23 tells us that one of the "appointed feasts" is the Feast of Trumpets, to be observed on the first day of the seventh month, in the fall; following the Day of Pentecost in the Summer; and just preceding the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, on the 10th day and the 15th day of the same 7th month (see Leviticus 23).
I Thessalonians 4: 16-17
For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
We know from the book of Acts that the Feast of Pentecost refers to the Church of Christ, which God formed by sending His Holy Spirit to indwell each member.
So the next "event" on God's calendar of Feasts will be that Feast of Trumpets, to call out this Church He formed, to be "raptured" (the word means, "called-out").
And in close succession are the last two feasts of the liturgical year, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths.
My understanding is that Jesus, having returned to this Earth, will scour it of all that has harmed it, conducting the Battle of Armageddon and cleansing it of everyone and everything the World of Men has perpetrated upon it.
So the Day of Atonement is King Jesus cleansing the whole environment of His Kingdom, and we who have returned with Him will build temporary "tabernacles" or "booths" for shelter while we rebuild the cities of the World.
O my Father, thank You for giving me a little understanding of what You have revealed in Your Word; Your order of events is unfolding and playing out before my very eyes and ears.
Thank You for for telling us in Your Word what to expect, and for Your faithfulness to Your promises.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Proverbs 9: 10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
O my Father, You are all and fill all; You are the aether that fills the empty reaches of deep space, and You are all the oceans and seas that cover the Earth.
What You have revealed to us of Yourself is like one tiny little drip of a droplet of water! We approach that drop and observe to study it, and we enter into it, farther and wider and deeper, and never come to the end of it!
So I am in awe of You, El Shaddai, the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe!
You steer the stars and guide the planets in their courses, yet count the very hairs on my head!
I know that the tiny details of my life, of every life of every person, every thing You have made, are all pieces of the Puzzle; You fit us all together perfectly.
All the little details build into the big things, and the big things all fit together into Your Great Plan of the Ages!
It's exciting to watch the outworking of Your Plan in the World today, proof of Your faithfulness to the Truth, Your Word.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Numbers 6: 24-26
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.
This is God's blessing upon all of us, each one of us. May we take it to heart and live its Truth.
O my Father, You alone are worthy to receive all praise, for all glory is Yours alone. You are the One Who has done all things, and You will accomplish Your whole counsel.
You will perform all Your plans to execute Your Plan of the Ages, Your Grand Master Plan, into which all the plans You have for each one of us fit in perfectly.
And all things are working out just as You have intended, to accomplish Your purposes for which You made it all.
And You take great pleasure in all You have made.
O Father, Your Love is unmeasurable! You ARE Love!
You have loved me with an everlasting Love, the quality of which is not seen in this World.
You have blessed me, You keep me; Your face shines upon me, You are gracious to me; You lift up Your countenance upon me, and Your peace fills the days of my life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Proverbs 6: 6-8
Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which having no chief, officer, or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest.
This little worker is so industrious. She (yes, God knew these little laborers were female) has no accountability, yet she still works so hard, gathering her resources while they can be had, and using them in very profitable ways in a timely manner, to sustain her life and prosperity, wasting no time whatever the season.
O Father, help me to learn how to use my minutes each day to do something toward each of the goals You have given me, to accomplish every feat, use every resource, to prepare me and sustain me in the fulfillment of Your purpose for me and my life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
John 1: 49-51
Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these."
And He said to him, "Truely, truely, I say to you, you shall see the Heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Wow. When Nathanael's faith was based on Jesus' knowledge of Nathanael, Jesus was not shy at all about informing him of much greater proofs of His Deity and Authority.
It was like He was saying, "Just wait, kid; you ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Jesus knew Himself fully and had the confidence to proclaim Who He was; He didn't mince any words.
O my Father, give me the confidence of knowing who I am in You, to boldly proclaim Your great Gospel to those who are ready to hear.
Father, send me to Your lost sheep, to find them and bring them in, so there will be one fold and one Shepherd!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Philippians 4: 4-8
Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: be joyful!
Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near.
Never worry about anything, but in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.
Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.
This is called God’s “thought list” for us. We are to train our focus on all these positive qualities. When we’re looking for these good traits instead of what we can criticize, then God’s peace will flood our consciousness beyond anything we can even imagine.
This is amazing. Just practicing looking for the right instead of the mistakes we all make will actually protect our mental state from worry and fear.
It really is true that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. Our mental and physical and spiritual strength to experience victory over all the worries and fears our enemy throws at us.
O my Father, thank You for all the goodness and beauty You placed on this Earth for us. Help us to train our attention and focus on all the wonderful things You give us, and to see Your image in every person You placed here in this World, even those the World would not think attractive; show us the beauty You placed there, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 24: 27, 32, 45
And beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them all the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the Road while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
On the Road to Emmaus, the Resurrected Jesus appears to Cleopas and his companion, who could have been his wife Mary, who was with Jesus' mother at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25).
What a marvelous conversation that must have been, as our Lord Himself explained to them all the Scriptures, the whole Old Testament, concerning Himself, and opened their minds to understand.
Now God has given us His Holy Spirit to teach us and give us understanding of what He is saying to us in the Scriptures. It's His Spirit in us showing us a right understanding of this cryptic Book.
To the World it seems to be written in code, that is hard to understand. But to us who have His Spirit, it all makes perfect sense. The whole Old Testament is about Jesus, the Lord God of the Patriarchs. The whole New Testament is also about Jesus, fulfilling everything that was written about Him in the Old Testament.
All the dots do connect, and the more dots we can connect, the broader and clearer we see the picture of God's Great Plan of the Ages.
O my Father, I pray that You would continue to open my mind to an ever greater understanding of how all Your Word fits together.
I prayed a decade ago to, "not be led aside by men's teachings and opinions. Retrain my mind to discard whatever is not in accord with Your Plan."
And You answered that prayer, Father. You have been showing me Your ways; Your past accomplishments, what You are doing now, and to how recognize what You will complete and finish in days to come. And also my part in Your Plan.
You have taught me how to connect so many of the dots, to see and comprehend so much of that Big Picture of all You are doing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 23: 6, 11
Now Herod (Antipas) was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.... And Herod, with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
Herod Antipas may not have been as ruthless and violent as his father Herod the Great (Matthew 2:16-18) or his brother Herod Archelaus (Matthew 2:19-22), but he still imprisoned John the Baptist for calling him on his immorality in marrying his brother Philip's wife (Matthew 14:3-5; Mark 6:17-20), then beheaded John to honor a foolish promise (Matthew 14:6-11; Mark 6:21-28).
He had listened to John's teachings, conversing with him while in prison (Mark 6:20), but killed him anyway (Matthew 14:10; Mark 6:16).
Now he gets an opportunity to see Jesus, but treats the whole incident as a joke!
So many opportunities to turn, but squanders them all.
How blind he was to Your goodness to him, Father.
Give me Your eyes to see the lost with Your love, Lord. Give me Your words and boldness to speak persuasively, to draw Your lost sheep into the fold.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 22: 61-62
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, Before a cock crows today, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.
Peter was still relying on his flesh, and gave in to the fear and pressure and denied he even knew Him. Three times.
It took a direct eye-to-eye look from His bloody face to remind Peter.
And Peter recognized the weakness of his own flesh.
But then Peter went out and wept, he didn't hang himself. He trusted Jesus' love for him, even in this betrayal. He did not despair, he got discouraged. And his tears showed that he repented.
Then after Jesus' Resurrection, He restored Peter.
Since Peter had denied Him three times, Jesus asked him to affirm his love for Him three times. And Peter could then understand how hard it was for Jesus to hear those denials.
May I always remember how weak my flesh is, and remember to rely on Him for every word and action.
O my Father, thank You so much that You really are with me and in me all the time. That You will never leave me to manage alone. No matter what circumstances I may find myself in, I trust You to strengthen me and give me Your wisdom to handle the situation, no matter what it is.
I trust You, Father, to lead me and guide me into the path that You have placed before me. Whenever I come to a fork in that path, show me the road less taken, that I will serve You in serving those who would not have the knowledge of You otherwise.
Thank You that You began a good work in me and you will perform it until I am perfected in That Day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Leviticus 18: 1-5; 19:2
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God.
You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you are not to walk in their statutes.
You are to perform My judgments, and be careful to keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God.
So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
...You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
God is instructing Moses to teach all the people to not pay attention to any of the peoples that live around them. Not where they came from nor where they are going.
These other people don't know God, so they are unaware of His ways. God is the Source of everything we need for life: Water, Air, Food, and Light. And we now know that Life itself is spiritual. And Jesus is the Living Water, the Breath of Life, the Bread of Life, and the Light of the World.
Over and over I read in Scripture that I am to "be careful" and to "pay attention" to what God says. He is my Teacher, and His Holy Spirit in me is my Guide Who manifests His Truth to my understanding.
We become like those we hang out with, spend time with. And Who or what we worship. Look at the character and moral values of those you call your friends. Hang out with God every day in His Word. Worship with your spiritual brothers and sisters each week. Become aware of God's presence with you every moment of every day, and hang with Him.
Brother Andrew had the right idea, he called it, "practicing the presence of God."
O my Father, I do want to hang out with You. I want to to become like You. You are holy--separate from everything else. I want to be different from those who are of this World, even though I live in this World.
Father, help me to recognize all the nuances of the differences between being in the World and being of the World. My primary citizenship is in Your Kingdom, and my National citizenship is secondary to it.
Give me Your strength to stand up against the unrighteousness that wants to take over my Nation, with the gentleness and kindness You have shown me.
Your Power and Authority is paramount in Your Universe that You put our Earth into, yet You rule over it all with compassion and patience, waiting for us to choose Your ways and accept Your bountiful gifts.
One Day that patience will give way to Your Authority to rule. Your Son, our Lord God, will return to this Earth to conquer His enemies and set up His Throne as King; and every eye will behold Him, and every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will admit that He is Lord (Boss) over all the Universe (Isaiah 45:23-24, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, Revelation 5:13).
Until that Day arrives, Father, strengthen me to keep on keeping on, to "occupy" until my Lord returns, as He taught in the parable in Luke 19:11-27. Show me how to do my work that You have given me to do to proclaim Your Word and Your ways to the World, spreading the Seed of the Gospel of Salvation and the Kingdom among the Nations of peoples who are desperate for help, the help only You can provide.
Bring into the fold all Your lost sheep, my Shepherd; climb the mountains and reach into the crags to draw them out of the darkness of deception and lies into the glorious Light of Your Truth. Use me and the words You give me to share with them in this honorable work. And increase my stamina to never quit. Keep me keeping on, until the last moment before Your Glorious Appearing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
II Samuel 3:1
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.
Back in that day, when there was a change in administration (a new king), the usual process was the complete elimination of all of the former king's relatives and supporters. But David would not do that.
Even after Saul and Jonathan had died, their supporters still fought against David. God was with David, so he grew steadily stronger.
I look at the political reality today, with the change of administrations.
In the past the outgoing administration accepted the election of the new President and worked with him to enact his new policies.
What has happened this time is that the former administration's people who are still there still want to promote their own agenda, and seem to be working against the duly elected head of state; so we also have a "war" between two "houses."
May the Lord Who strengthened David also strengthen His choice who He has caused to be lawfully elected, and allow the previous "house" to grow weaker continually.
May the Lord continue to look upon this Nation with favor, as we turn our eyes upon Him and elect His choices to continually strengthen the righteousness that is growing back into our political life, little by little.
May we all become informed voters, becoming aware of who the people are who want to represent us in all the elected offices our political system provides. May we all examine their characters and the morality of their lives and their views, so we will recognize the most appropriate candidate to vote for.
When we are granted a voice in our own government, we would do well to consider that responsibility, and realize how powerful our voices are at the ballot box. Every vote counts, just like every person God saves is valuable and part of God's family.
Is any member of your own family not important to you? Of course not. We value our own family members, individually, as our Heavenly Father does.
And the same way, every vote counts, as it is added to every other vote, to raise up into office the specific person who could best do that particular job with integrity and passion.
God is working out His great Plan of the Ages through our choices. Every day is another day closer to the completion of His Plan, when He will manifest to the World His own righteous King.
O my Father, thank You for allowing us to each have a say in our own government. Help us to discharge our responsibilities in a manner pleasing to You, and work in Your strength to return Your righteousness to this Nation.
I pray, Father, that Your children all over the World would see where You have given them Your power to bring Your ways into their own Nations, to influence their own Leaders to follow Your ways.
And may You continue to work out Your great Plan of the Ages, drawing us all closer each day to that final Day of the Lord.
And help me to "occupy" until the return of my King.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Psalm 16: 11
(NIV) You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
With eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
(GWT) You make the path of Life known to me.
Complete joy is in Your presence.
Pleasures are by Your side forever.
God's goal for us is to be like Christ; to have His Life, His purity and wholesomeness, His beauty and glory, His authority under Him to rule over all Creation, and to enjoy all the pleasures and advantages that brings.
People who don't understand this can think that God is vindictive, looking for where He can whack us up the side of the head for every little infraction.
Not at all!
God is Love. Everything He does comes from that Love.
Love means He will bless us as much as we can stand.
Love also means He will not force Himself on anyone who rejects His offer, and let them have their own will--to spend eternity in the absence of all God is.
This is not what He wants, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, because all their chances to choose Him are gone.
God told Ezekiel to tell the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon to turn around (repent) and turn back to the Lord God. He said, Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (18:31-32).
And Ezekiel says again, As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (33:11).
God is good. He is our standard for discerning what is good and what is evil. The better we know God and learn His ways and follow them, the more He can bless us, both in this life and in the life to come.
But those who reject Good, deciding "for themselves" what they think they want, expecting that things will turn out "all right," tend to find themselves in the midst of trials and troubles, and even addicted to the pleasures of this World. Anything this World provides is never the end--only a means to an eternal end, whether good or bad.
How much better it is all around to submit to God, admit that He is Sovereign Lord, and seek His Truth.
When we seek Him honestly and sincerely, with an open mind to receive whatever He would give, even if it's not what I thought it would be; and trust Him no matter what; then even if troubles come in the meantime, we can still know that it will all come out right, and submit ourselves to His loving hand.
This life is our school. We are to learn during the few days of life that we have here. Schooling includes testing, as well as rewards.
And our final rewards will be beyond anything we can even imagine.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
