II Timothy 4: 1-5
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His Kingdom:
Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove; rebuke; exhort; with great patience and instruction.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
... And will turn aside to myths.
But you be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
This is written to all Christians, not just pastors and elders.
We are all to know what we believe, and be able to show why we believe it.
And not be shy or ashamed to speak of our Lord and what He's done for us.
O my Father, please be with me in a very powerful way to enable me to obey these commands.
Teach my mind, my emotions, my attitudes, and my mouth to speak in season and out of season the reproof, the rebuke, the exhortation that is needed with great patience and love and compassion and accurate instruction.
Grow me as I do the work of an evangelist, and enlarge my borders to fulfill my ministry in this World.
And may You receive all the glory in drawing many to Yourself! O Father, find all Your lost sheep, from every Nation, every tribe, every family, every language; that there will be Your one flock with one Shepherd!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Friday, November 9, 2018
Her Right And Her Cause
Psalm 35: 22-26
You have seen it, O Lord, do not keep silent;
O Lord, do not be far from me.
Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your rightousness,
And do not let them rejoice over me.
Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, our desire!"
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.
(Read the whole Psalm, 28 verses.)
O my Father, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem! I pray for Your child Israel; that as David prayed for vindication against his enemies, that I pray for You to stir up Yourself and awake to her right and to her cause, O Lord; do not let them rejoice over her!
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed her up!" as their purpose and reason for being is stated so!
O Father, those Nations that surround tiny Israel are unabashedly seeking to destroy and obliterate Israel, and yet Israel has yet to turn to You!
Please, Father, draw this tiny Nation that You have chosen and built to Yourself! Open their eyes and hearts to Your Truth, that You may then strengthen her over her enemies!
Please draw her to Yourself, Father; for she cannot turn to You withoug Your drawing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You have seen it, O Lord, do not keep silent;
O Lord, do not be far from me.
Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your rightousness,
And do not let them rejoice over me.
Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, our desire!"
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.
(Read the whole Psalm, 28 verses.)
O my Father, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem! I pray for Your child Israel; that as David prayed for vindication against his enemies, that I pray for You to stir up Yourself and awake to her right and to her cause, O Lord; do not let them rejoice over her!
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed her up!" as their purpose and reason for being is stated so!
O Father, those Nations that surround tiny Israel are unabashedly seeking to destroy and obliterate Israel, and yet Israel has yet to turn to You!
Please, Father, draw this tiny Nation that You have chosen and built to Yourself! Open their eyes and hearts to Your Truth, that You may then strengthen her over her enemies!
Please draw her to Yourself, Father; for she cannot turn to You withoug Your drawing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, November 8, 2018
He Will Give Then He Will Grant
Psalm 37: 4-5, 7, 8
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it (He will grant it).
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
God is so good, and He has made this Earth specifically for us, Mankind, to build our World here and prosper. He has put here everything we need.
When we delight in our Lord, learning His ways, then whatever desires He has placed in our hearts, He wants to fulfill. Then we'll be able to cooperate with the way He designed things to run, and it will work for us.
Even if it doesn't seem to be happening right away, we can still rest in the Lord and wait patiently for His answer we trust Him to bring us in His time. We don't need to fret over other people who don't even know Him when they prosper, too. If they're doing it God's way, then maybe it will draw them to Him.
And then also we won't need to get angry at anyone, and leave all the wrath for God to take care of. When we take that into our own hands, we're stealing it from God, and making ourselves our own god. Let Him be God, and trust Him to always do what's right, because He is righteous.
He has promised to even all the odds, balance all the books, pay all the debts, and finish every plan. He will see to it, we only need to cooperate with Him.
O my Father, You are our Maker, our Creator; You have made this environment for us, and placed us here. You have made us in Your own Image, after Your likeness--so we have intelligence and a will to choose and imagination to get passionate about.
We receive all these from You, Father. You are the Intelligent Designer Who used Wisdom to create and give order to what You have made; You have chosen to give us the power of choice, so we can choose to love You and follow Your ways; and You have imagined us--if You would not be thinking about us, we wouldn't exist! And Your Love for us is as passionate as a newlywed husband for his new bride, as You have called Israel Your wife, and the church is the Bride of Christ. And His Passion for us is shown by His Sacrifice on our behalf.
O Father, thank You so much for Who You are! Thank You for showing us Your Love, and Your Passion, and Your Grace and Mercy. Thank You for letting us see Your passionate justice for evil and wickedness, to have poured out Your Wrath that we deserve on Your own Son, so You could give us His Resurrection Life, in the Person of Your Holy Spirit to give Life to our dead spirits.
And the passionate drama of Your judgment on those who refuse to choose You and let Jesus take the wrath we deserve upon Himself is another demonstration of Your Love for us.
Father, You are Love (I John 4:16), so everything You do comes of this Love: all Your blessings, all Your Grace and Mercy; and all Your Righteousness and Justice and Judgment and wrath. All of it is because You are Love and our standard for measuring what is Love.
The World has no understanding of this concept. Our enemy has twisted what he wants us to believe about love, and the World has fallen for his deceptions.
But we who have been born into Your family, Father, and have Your Spirit of Truth in us, can see and understand what real Love is, can recognize the Genuine Article, and don't need to succumb to the devil's lies.
Real True Love is not only tender and gentle and passionate and accepting; it is also tough and hard when it needs to be, to remain True and beneficial to us.
Father, I know that my desire to spread Your good Seed of the Word all over the World is from You, and I have waited for more than 15 years for You to release me from that geographical bond, which You have granted! Thank You so much, Father; now show me how to make my plans to be in alignment with Your plans for me, in living out this dream of mine.
Send me, Father, into Your fields white for harvest! Continue to prepare the way before me in these travels. Show me Your ways, my Lord, and take my hand, for You will never let me slip out of Your grip! Lead me and guide me, give me Your eyes to see and comprehend, Your ears to hear and understand, Your words in my mouth to teach clearly Your Word to those You have drawn to hear.
Father, permit me to grow Your Kingdom finding lost sheep to draw into Your fold, in preparation for Your Son, our King Jesus, to return to set up His Kingdom, that Your will be done on Earth just as it is in Heaven.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it (He will grant it).
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
God is so good, and He has made this Earth specifically for us, Mankind, to build our World here and prosper. He has put here everything we need.
When we delight in our Lord, learning His ways, then whatever desires He has placed in our hearts, He wants to fulfill. Then we'll be able to cooperate with the way He designed things to run, and it will work for us.
Even if it doesn't seem to be happening right away, we can still rest in the Lord and wait patiently for His answer we trust Him to bring us in His time. We don't need to fret over other people who don't even know Him when they prosper, too. If they're doing it God's way, then maybe it will draw them to Him.
And then also we won't need to get angry at anyone, and leave all the wrath for God to take care of. When we take that into our own hands, we're stealing it from God, and making ourselves our own god. Let Him be God, and trust Him to always do what's right, because He is righteous.
He has promised to even all the odds, balance all the books, pay all the debts, and finish every plan. He will see to it, we only need to cooperate with Him.
O my Father, You are our Maker, our Creator; You have made this environment for us, and placed us here. You have made us in Your own Image, after Your likeness--so we have intelligence and a will to choose and imagination to get passionate about.
We receive all these from You, Father. You are the Intelligent Designer Who used Wisdom to create and give order to what You have made; You have chosen to give us the power of choice, so we can choose to love You and follow Your ways; and You have imagined us--if You would not be thinking about us, we wouldn't exist! And Your Love for us is as passionate as a newlywed husband for his new bride, as You have called Israel Your wife, and the church is the Bride of Christ. And His Passion for us is shown by His Sacrifice on our behalf.
O Father, thank You so much for Who You are! Thank You for showing us Your Love, and Your Passion, and Your Grace and Mercy. Thank You for letting us see Your passionate justice for evil and wickedness, to have poured out Your Wrath that we deserve on Your own Son, so You could give us His Resurrection Life, in the Person of Your Holy Spirit to give Life to our dead spirits.
And the passionate drama of Your judgment on those who refuse to choose You and let Jesus take the wrath we deserve upon Himself is another demonstration of Your Love for us.
Father, You are Love (I John 4:16), so everything You do comes of this Love: all Your blessings, all Your Grace and Mercy; and all Your Righteousness and Justice and Judgment and wrath. All of it is because You are Love and our standard for measuring what is Love.
The World has no understanding of this concept. Our enemy has twisted what he wants us to believe about love, and the World has fallen for his deceptions.
But we who have been born into Your family, Father, and have Your Spirit of Truth in us, can see and understand what real Love is, can recognize the Genuine Article, and don't need to succumb to the devil's lies.
Real True Love is not only tender and gentle and passionate and accepting; it is also tough and hard when it needs to be, to remain True and beneficial to us.
Father, I know that my desire to spread Your good Seed of the Word all over the World is from You, and I have waited for more than 15 years for You to release me from that geographical bond, which You have granted! Thank You so much, Father; now show me how to make my plans to be in alignment with Your plans for me, in living out this dream of mine.
Send me, Father, into Your fields white for harvest! Continue to prepare the way before me in these travels. Show me Your ways, my Lord, and take my hand, for You will never let me slip out of Your grip! Lead me and guide me, give me Your eyes to see and comprehend, Your ears to hear and understand, Your words in my mouth to teach clearly Your Word to those You have drawn to hear.
Father, permit me to grow Your Kingdom finding lost sheep to draw into Your fold, in preparation for Your Son, our King Jesus, to return to set up His Kingdom, that Your will be done on Earth just as it is in Heaven.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Mary's Curiosity
Luke 1: 34
And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin?
This shows us that Mary was a seeker after Truth. When the angel told her what would happen to her, Mary asked how it would be accomplished; she needed to know all the details.
And the angel told her the method by which God would perform this great feat in her body. He didn't reprimand her for her curiosity, as he had rebuked Zechariah, who had asked the same question, but in unbelief.
Mary had no unbelief, she didn't doubt He would do it, but she wanted more information. And the angel honored her request, and gave her the prophesy of Who her Child would be and what He would do!
I am so glad for Mary's curiosity! We now have that pronouncement to ponder, as Mary pondered so many things in her heart. She knew the Scriptures well and meditated on them, as all the things spoken of her Son and what was said and done by Him, also.
Thank You so much, Father, for Mary's curiosity, which validates my own curiosity! I also seek to know Your Truth.
Continue to open my eyes and my understanding to see what You would have me know in Your Word, to connect the dots to see Your bigger Picture of how everything fits together and works together into that great Tapestry of Time.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin?
This shows us that Mary was a seeker after Truth. When the angel told her what would happen to her, Mary asked how it would be accomplished; she needed to know all the details.
And the angel told her the method by which God would perform this great feat in her body. He didn't reprimand her for her curiosity, as he had rebuked Zechariah, who had asked the same question, but in unbelief.
Mary had no unbelief, she didn't doubt He would do it, but she wanted more information. And the angel honored her request, and gave her the prophesy of Who her Child would be and what He would do!
I am so glad for Mary's curiosity! We now have that pronouncement to ponder, as Mary pondered so many things in her heart. She knew the Scriptures well and meditated on them, as all the things spoken of her Son and what was said and done by Him, also.
Thank You so much, Father, for Mary's curiosity, which validates my own curiosity! I also seek to know Your Truth.
Continue to open my eyes and my understanding to see what You would have me know in Your Word, to connect the dots to see Your bigger Picture of how everything fits together and works together into that great Tapestry of Time.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
He Escaped Naked
Mark 14: 51-52
And a certain young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he left the linen sheet behind, and escaped naked.
There were so many things that Jesus did that were not written down (John 21:25), so why was this little side story included? What significance does this happening have in God's scheme of things?
Maybe one application could be that I seek to be covered only in the white linen of Christ's righteousness; and when I die I will go naked without my body, which I will leave behind.
But I seek not to be naked, but to be clothed with the immortal body God has prepared for me; mortality must put on immortality (I Corinthians 15:53).
O my Father, I know that You do nothing without Purpose. Just because I can't figure it out doesn't mean that You don't have a significant reason for including this little side story. I don't see any connection with any other part of the saga laid out in the Gospels, but You do; please enlighten me to understand the nuances of Who Jesus is and what He did while He walked among us. Help me to connect the events in Your skilfully woven tapestry of Time.
Father, the more I learn of You and Your ways, the more I am astounded at the cleverness and wisdom and depth and breadth and beauty of all You are doing.
I am amazed with how much You know us and You love us anyway; You love us with a Love we can only imagine!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And a certain young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he left the linen sheet behind, and escaped naked.
There were so many things that Jesus did that were not written down (John 21:25), so why was this little side story included? What significance does this happening have in God's scheme of things?
Maybe one application could be that I seek to be covered only in the white linen of Christ's righteousness; and when I die I will go naked without my body, which I will leave behind.
But I seek not to be naked, but to be clothed with the immortal body God has prepared for me; mortality must put on immortality (I Corinthians 15:53).
O my Father, I know that You do nothing without Purpose. Just because I can't figure it out doesn't mean that You don't have a significant reason for including this little side story. I don't see any connection with any other part of the saga laid out in the Gospels, but You do; please enlighten me to understand the nuances of Who Jesus is and what He did while He walked among us. Help me to connect the events in Your skilfully woven tapestry of Time.
Father, the more I learn of You and Your ways, the more I am astounded at the cleverness and wisdom and depth and breadth and beauty of all You are doing.
I am amazed with how much You know us and You love us anyway; You love us with a Love we can only imagine!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, November 5, 2018
Keep On The Alert
Mark 13: 5, 9, 23, 33
Jesus began to say to them, See to it that no one misleads you ...
But be on your guard ...
But take heed (pay attention); behold (look here!), I have told you everything in advance ...
Take heed (pay attention!), keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
God has told us everything He's doing before any of it happened.
May we recognize His doings, and understand what it all means. May we take to heart all the stuff we're hearing on the news; about all the weather happenings, and the geological upheavals, and the lawlessness among the peoples.
How God is lining up all the Governments (Kings) of the World for that One-World autocratic rule, that will usher in the Man of Sin (Antichrist) and we'll see the Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John unfold before our eyes.
May we have the eyes to see and minds to understand and take to heart what God told us will be happening at these, the end of the Last Days.
May we respond by cleansing our own hearts; exposing and confessing and forsaking those sins we are still cherishing in hiding, that we will live our lives in purity and righteousness. And may we promote God's righteousness in the societies in which we live, all around the World.
And may our witness resound and reverberate throughout all the Nations of the World, to every creature; that no one will have any excuse for their poor choices, and every lost lamb will be found and brought in to the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Jesus began to say to them, See to it that no one misleads you ...
But be on your guard ...
But take heed (pay attention); behold (look here!), I have told you everything in advance ...
Take heed (pay attention!), keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
God has told us everything He's doing before any of it happened.
May we recognize His doings, and understand what it all means. May we take to heart all the stuff we're hearing on the news; about all the weather happenings, and the geological upheavals, and the lawlessness among the peoples.
How God is lining up all the Governments (Kings) of the World for that One-World autocratic rule, that will usher in the Man of Sin (Antichrist) and we'll see the Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John unfold before our eyes.
May we have the eyes to see and minds to understand and take to heart what God told us will be happening at these, the end of the Last Days.
May we respond by cleansing our own hearts; exposing and confessing and forsaking those sins we are still cherishing in hiding, that we will live our lives in purity and righteousness. And may we promote God's righteousness in the societies in which we live, all around the World.
And may our witness resound and reverberate throughout all the Nations of the World, to every creature; that no one will have any excuse for their poor choices, and every lost lamb will be found and brought in to the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, November 4, 2018
The Calm Before The Storm
II Kings 23: 25
Before [Josiah] there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.
This king over Judah was highly praised of God because when the priest found the book of the Law that had been "lost" in the Temple and it was brought to King Josiah, he tore his clothes in sorrow and instituted reforms that removed all the idols and pagan altars and "high places."
And he had the Passover celebration observed in the Land, such as had never been celebrated since the days of the Judges in Israel, before there was a king over them.
Because he had turned to the Lord with his whole heart, soul, and might.
We need a Josiah to come into power in our Nation. We need a man who knows the Lord, knows His Word, and is strong in His Spirit to do in these days what Josiah did for Israel in those days.
Our God is still the same God Who led Josiah in all his reforms, and He can also raise up His man here in these days to tear down all the altars to Molech and Chemosh and put down all the ungodly institutions that have enslaved our people.
This is what we need. It looks like He has, and I am looking to see how it all turns out. This may be a temporary pause before the predicted judgment, as King Josiah was a righteous king between the evil kings, and Judah went into captivity after his days.
O my Father, I pray that Your righteousness would be promoted in this Nation in these days, just as Josiah drew the Nation back to You in those days.
And I pray that Your strength and protection be upon those who are doing Your work in our government and in Your churches here, to prepare us all for the judgment You said would come, as it comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Before [Josiah] there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.
This king over Judah was highly praised of God because when the priest found the book of the Law that had been "lost" in the Temple and it was brought to King Josiah, he tore his clothes in sorrow and instituted reforms that removed all the idols and pagan altars and "high places."
And he had the Passover celebration observed in the Land, such as had never been celebrated since the days of the Judges in Israel, before there was a king over them.
Because he had turned to the Lord with his whole heart, soul, and might.
We need a Josiah to come into power in our Nation. We need a man who knows the Lord, knows His Word, and is strong in His Spirit to do in these days what Josiah did for Israel in those days.
Our God is still the same God Who led Josiah in all his reforms, and He can also raise up His man here in these days to tear down all the altars to Molech and Chemosh and put down all the ungodly institutions that have enslaved our people.
This is what we need. It looks like He has, and I am looking to see how it all turns out. This may be a temporary pause before the predicted judgment, as King Josiah was a righteous king between the evil kings, and Judah went into captivity after his days.
O my Father, I pray that Your righteousness would be promoted in this Nation in these days, just as Josiah drew the Nation back to You in those days.
And I pray that Your strength and protection be upon those who are doing Your work in our government and in Your churches here, to prepare us all for the judgment You said would come, as it comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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