Count The Cost

Luke 14: 28-30, 33

But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first counting the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, "There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!"
So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Luke 17: 33

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; and if you let your life go, you will save it.

Everything I own includes my own life, too. 

What am I willing to give up to follow Jesus? My house? My car? My attitude that I deserve good things? I think my Lord looks at my heart, my mind, my attitudes toward the things I have. Do I depend on my things to meet my needs, or am I willing to forgo these "things" and depend on Him for my sustenance? 

What if He has provided for me these "things" I have left from "downsizing" my lifestyle these last few years in order to meet my needs now? But if I depend on these "things" and cling to them as necessities, am I willing for Him to take them, too?

If I say, "How will I then live?" am I looking at this World and the things of this World instead of looking to my Father, Who has promised to meet my needs? 

I am preparing to turn a blind corner in my life, and I want to be habitually depending on my Lord for sustenance, and to lead and guide me to where He is working, so I can work with Him. I don't expect it to be easy, but I don't want to have any expectations at all, though I suspect I may have some, that I have imagined. 

O my Father, You have done so much for me! Thank You for being my Great God. Thank You for being my Provider and Sustainer. Thank You for Your dear Son, to have paid my debt in full and to have saved me from the power of sin and redeemed my self from destruction into glory. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, Who has come to live in my human spirit and made it alive, which enables me to communicate directly with You, my Father. 

Teach me now, Father, to clearly hear Your still, small voice, tuning out all the clamor around me. Teach me how to follow in Your footsteps, going to where You are working. Show me whatever work You have designed my hands to do, to be Your hands. Put Your Words in my mouth to speak Your Truth. I am Yours, Father, do with me whatever is Your will for me. Let others see You in me, not my flesh. Fill my heart with Your love, to overflow onto others You have put in my life. 

Remove from my heart and mind all the stony places that still remain, forgive my sins and cleanse me, renewing my thoughts and feelings. Break my heart with what breaks Your heart, and allow me to bring Your comfort to those who are suffering, and Your Light to those in darkness. 

Use me, my King, to further Your Kingdom, and to prepare the Way for You. Send me into Your fields, so ripe and ready to be harvested. Allow me to bring into the Fold some of Your lost sheep who are still wandering. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

I Kings 12: 19

And to this day the Northern Tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who killed the Prophets; how I long to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings; but you would not!" as Jesus exclaimed, as recorded by both Matthew (23:37) and Luke (13:34).

Even today, the people of Israel and Jews around the World for the most part still refuse to consider His claim upon them as the Descendant of David; the veil is still over their faces. 

II Corinthians 3:15-16 says that, Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 

So there is still hope even for Israelis in the Land and Israelites over the World where they have been dispersed. 

I have friends who are missionaries in Israel, and they have labored faithfully there for decades, and have few to count as believers. But God does not demand numbers, He looks at faithfulness, and my friends will be rewarded abundantly for their unwavering loyalty to the Lord. 

And I know some who are Jews today who have turned to the Lord, and have recognized His Salvation and Sovereignty over them as believers.

O my Father, I know that You will never abandon Your chosen people completely, but You will always reserve a remnant to Yourself; and that on that Day all Israel, everywhere in the World, will be saved, when they behold their Messiah coming in victory, and know that He is Jesus of Nazareth after all!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

"My Shameful Ways"

Psalm 119: 38-39a

Reassure me of Your promise, made to those who fear You. Help me abandon my shameful ways.

Sometimes my pride rears its ugly head and I find myself defending myself instead of humbly listening to the honest advice (criticism) that reveals my weakness.

Then I need to turn to the Lord in repentance, confessing my sin against His authority over me, and accept His forgiveness.

Then I will be able to go to the one who honored me with that insight, and make amends for how I dishonored them. 

Any time, every time, I follow my own understanding instead of relying on the Lord, I get into trouble. I have found that when I am to "eat crow" it's much more palatable fresh, rather than stale; so I try not to procrastinate.

I always need God to grant me the strength and ability to "abandon my shameful ways" whenever He reveals another one to me. He is so gracious and gentle and tender with me, to bring them up one at a time, to not overwhelm me with my failures, but to show me His victory over it, every time. And it takes time, too, to form these new habits to fill the emptiness of abandoning the old habits.

O my Father, Thank You so much for Your goodness and faithfulness with me, for Your gentleness and tenderness to my sensibilities, even when I need You to "knock me in the head with a two by four"! Your kindnesses to me are beyond my human understanding, as You are working on me and in me continually every day, so that You will be able to work through me to accomplish my part in Your great Plan.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Hallelu-Yah!

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you Nations. Extol Him, all you peoples of the Earth. For He loves us with unfailing love; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

O my Father, I eagerly wait and anticipate the Day that every Nation, every tribe, every family will recognize Your greatness and goodness and kindness to all through every age of existence of all that You have created. 

All will know how patient is Your longsuffering in your dealings with Mankind, not wanting any to perish, as we deserve, but extending Your great mercies upon all who will receive them, and graciously drawing them into Your own Family.

I long for that Day when all will be revealed, when every created being will see and understand who You are, and how You have gently and justly worked with all of us, in allowing all that has and is and will come into our lives, to experience Your strong deliverance. And how You have given every person time and opportunity to turn from their own ways of rebellion and isolation to Your waiting arms of compassion.

And all those who have refused Your kindnesses to them will suffer the consequences of their own choices, and acknowledge Your justice in Your judgments. 

And all Creation, all the Universe, all the spirit beings, all the human persons You have made, along with all the stars and planets, all the galaxies and the aether around them filling the void that would otherwise ensue, will sing Your praises with tones and rhythms that started at the time of Your creation of this World. 

And every sentient being will recognize Your greatness and Your wisdom and Your knowledge and Your faithfulness to have fully completed every detail of every part of Your great Plan of the Ages that You determined before any of it was made.

You alone deserve all the credit, all the honor, all the glory, and praise and thanks and admiration for succeeding and finishing and accomplishing everything! 

Hallelu-Yah! All praise to Yahweh!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Who Would Have Believed?

Lamentations 4: 12-13

Not a king in all the Earth--no one in all the World--would have believed that an enemy could march through the Gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened because of the sins of her priests, who defiled the City by shedding innocent blood.

Jeremiah is lamenting the sad state of the City that God Himself set His Name upon. Who would have ever imagined that such a tragedy would happen in this place. 

But it did happen, and he tells us why. He tells us that the innocent blood shed by the priests had defiled the city.

Innocent blood being shed is the reason for the destruction and conquering of the very place God choose to set His Name.

There are very specific causes that prompt God to allow enemies to destroy Nations, and shedding innocent blood is one of them. This term refers to causing the death of people who have not done anything to incur capital punishment. In other words, human sacrifice.

Is there anyone more innocent than someone who has done nothing in life yet at all, because they haven't even been born yet? And our Nation has declared that these tiny people are not "persons" before the laws. So we are "allowed" to take their lives indiscriminately, sacrifices to the gods of convenience and "choice." This is one of the things that prompts God to allow our enemies to conquer us. And our enemy has been working from within our Nation to perpetrate the very things that will destroy us from within, because we cannot be conquered from without.

Please, Father, I beseech You, grant us Leaders who are godly, who fear You, and are firm and strong in their convictions; to cast down all the idols and altars and shrines to the demons that have taken hold on our national life. Give us these godly men and women in our government to rule, to decide, and to judge us according to Your ways, Your true Righteousness and Judgment; to punish the evildoers and reward the honest and ethical and moral. 

Continue to wake up Your children, Father, and expose those who are not Yours. Return us to Your Righteousness before the end.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Fellowship In The Light

I John 1: 7

But if we are living in the Light, as God is in the Light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the Blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

O my Father, thank You so much for choosing me, and cleansing me, and teaching me, taking me under Your wing. O Father, teach me how to have true, godly koinonia fellowship with my spiritual brothers and sisters. 

Help me to be a benefit and a blessing to each one, and keep me mindful of their needs before I think of my own. And keep me humble, Lord, and open to correction, that they may speak to my weaknesses in order to strengthen me.

Draw us, each one of us, ever closer to Yourself, my Lord, as we seek Your face and allow You to work in us and on us to mold us into the very image of Christ.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

For Your People Bear Your Name

Daniel 9: 19

O Lord, hear. O Lord, listen and act! For Your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for Your people and your city bear Your Name.

O my Father, You know how the Nations of the World blaspheme Your Name in how this Nation, which is called by Your Name as Christian, has fallen from the high principles and standards it was founded upon. And having abandoned its very foundation, now finds itself adrift among the Nations and foundering.

Father, it is You Who sets up and puts down all authority, how much more are You concerned for the leadership of the Nations. Now You have granted us to have elected a President who is not a politician, but a businessman, and who I hear may even be a Christian. 

I pray, dear Father, that You would lead him and guide him in his every choice, every decision he is to make, both in his personal life and for this Nation, to begin to lead us as a Nation back to those high moral standards with which we began. 

And protect him from the attacks of the enemy, who has deceived his minions into believing that evil is good, and white is black; and is slandering his good character, and blocking the news of what his administration is already accomplishing to benefit all of us in this Nation. 

Please surround our President with men and women who understand Your ways to support him in doing Your work from the very top of our government; and continue to wake up Your church to do Your work from the grassroots up. 

And I implore You, almighty sovereign God over all, to block the machinations of the enemy in thwarting the good You desire for all of us, in Your great mercy and love for us all; that Your Name will be honored and respected publicly, that all people of this World will see Your beauty and goodness and bring all glory to You alone.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!