Month: September 2015

Letting Go of Our Natural Lives

2 Corinthians 10:3
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
To wage war against Satan relying on our on strength is pure folly.  To fight against the strongholds of our flesh without Jesus Christ is also pure folly.  Without Jesus Christ, we will lose each of these battles more times than not.  Without Jesus Christ, the small battles that we may win will only be pyrrhic victories.  The costly war will be lost.
Our only formula for victory over Satan and over the torments of our flesh is to cast all of our cares upon the Lord.  Through Him we have victory in everything.  The process of sanctification is giving up one’s own ability to compete and placing the battle entirely in the hands of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, the battle is not against sin.  Jesus won the battle against sin on the Cross.  The battle is our struggle to let go of our natural lives in which have no power against the enemy and take on the spirit filled life of Christ which allows us to apply the supernatural power of Almighty God against Satan and his minions.  May the victory that He won on the Cross be ours. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blood of Your Son that cleanses of our sins.  We bless the name of Jesus who indwells us so that we may have the grace to turn away from our natural lives and turn toward our life in Christ.  We pray that when the enemy comes prowling with the intent to destroy us that we look confidently to our Savior King.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord mighty in battle.  

The Stench is Never Too Great

Luke 15:20
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him” is the opening verse in the passage about the prodigal son.  Luke wanted us to know that Jesus was not speaking to His disciples. Jesus’ audience was exactly who He wanted to reach with His message about the love of the Father.  Jesus used this parable to define the breadth, width and depth of the love of Our Heavenly Father for all people – no matter how much their lives separates them from being a disciple of Jesus Christ. 
When the prodigal son returned in shame, he was a filthy and stinky.  He was a broken mess of a man – completely defeated.  His father saw no filth.  His father smelled nothing but the fragrance of the son that he so longed to see return to him.  The father did not scorn the son.  He celebrated his return and placed him in good standing once again.    
Jesus went into great detail to establish that Our Father in heaven will allow us to go as far away from Him as we choose.  He will allow us to choose the entitlements of the world over the entitlements of His kingdom.  But no matter what choices we make, He will not stop loving us.  He will not stop longing for us to return to Him no matter where we have gone in our travels away.  And when we do return, all of the heavens will celebrate our return.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace.  We rejoice in knowing that Your love for us is so great that You see us only in the image of Your Son, Jesus, whose blood covers the stench of our sinful pasts.  Father, forgive us for the times that we have chosen the entitlements of the world over Your precious gifts.  We humble ourselves before You and ask that we may be Your servants for all eternity.  We pray our new lives in Christ will be an encouragement to others to join in Your heavenly celebration.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who washes us clean, Jesus Christ.

Seeking to Dwell in the Light

Psalm 120:5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
It is believed that David did not actually travel to Mesech or Kedar, nor did he live among their people.  Mesech was often mentioned with Tubal, Gog and Magog.  The people of these lands were regarded as barbarians.  The Kedarenes were a people who lived in tents, moving from land to land looking for new pastures.  It is believed that David was using mention of these people to paint a picture of the types of his own people that he was living with.  His intention was to highlight the danger of becoming engaged in a society that is known to be ignorant, idolatrous and barbaric.

David’s warning is one that we should pay attention to.  So often we are searching for more favorable circumstances in our lives.  Much of the time, we are not being shortsighted, we are just being wrong sighted.  We are finding our dwelling place in a lost world and looking toward that world for answers instead of seeking the favor of Our Lord.  We end up making many decisions in the darkness instead of in the light.

Why do we turn to the darkness of the world instead of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ?  For the most part, the depth and perfection of Jesus Christ is beyond our capability to comprehend.  It is not because the knowledge of the fullness of living in the light is not known to us.  It is because we are spending so much more time in the world than we are in the arms of Our Savior.  Let us run to Our Lord and seek the treasures of the eternal light that He is holding for us.  May we turn away from all the darkness that the world is offering.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with escape from the darkness that this world offers us.  We rejoice in knowing that we have the favor of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We cry out to You, Our Lord, for Your peace and Your holiness.  We pray that You will strengthen us to overcome the evil that surrounds us.  May we become vessels of light to the world around us as we surrender to Your Son, the Light of the World.  We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the world, Jesus Christ.

Representatives of Jesus Christ

Matthew 7:16
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
Any company that is successful will have salesmen that reflect the established standards for representing the company and presenting the company’s goods.  The standards will include dictates for personal appearance, behavior and their passion for presenting the product.  Of course, their knowledge of the product must be exemplary and their ability to close the sale must be top notch.  And finally, at no time are they to have collusion with the competition.
If these are the world’s standards for good salesmen, certainly the standards for being a good disciple and a representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ, are at least similarly required.  We are all called to represent ourselves to the world in a manner that glorifies Our King and to present His message in a manner that draws others to Him.  If we are true disciples, the fruit of our work will be born from the perfect Vine and not come from our collusion with the world which cannot yield anything but pride and vanity.   
So let us not be like the Pharisees who were outwardly righteous, but whose doctrines were contrary to the perfection of God, in direct conflict with the Word of God and were designed to exalt themselves and gratify their own desires and passions.  Let us be true disciples who set our minds on the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus Christ.  Let all that we do be for His glory.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the fellowship that we have with You through Your Son.  We bless the name of the Holy Spirit for instructing and guiding us in being good disciples of Jesus.  We pray that the world will be drawn to Your Son through our living testimony.  We ask that those that You have placed in our lives will be convicted by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Releasing All the We Have Been Given

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We are mere vessels on this earth.  Whatever we receive from the Lord needs to be released into the world.  Upon receiving His Living Water, we must share what we have received with the thirsty amongst us.  To dam up the outpouring that we receive can actually damage us.  The vessel that receives and receives without pouring out will eventually burst or at the very least, fill to the point of being unable to receive any more.  Then upon being filled without flow, the vessel will become stagnant.

Upon receiving His Light, we must let His Light flow through us to the darkness in the world around us.  Jesus taught that we are the light of the world and emphasized that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but places it on a stand so that all can share the light.  It is our responsibility to allow others to be exposed to the Light that is within us.

Let us be sure to allow our light to shine before men.  May the light of the Gospel and the knowledge of the mysteries of God’s grace be openly declared and manifested in the world.  May we be known for our zeal and our fervency, our sincerity and our openness and our integrity and our persistence.  May the Father be glorified in all that we do.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You pour into our lives.  We pray that You will protect us from clinging to our blessings to satisfy ourselves.  May we freely take our blessings, whether they be things of this world or portions from Your heavenly treasure, and pour them out before You.  May the Holy Spirit guide us so that our sacrifice and our works are suitable and pleasing to You.  May the world receive Your Light and Your Living Water through us.  May it be for Your glory.  We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The Life Giving Spirit of Jesus Christ

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
By faith, we receive Jesus into our lives.  When we receive Our Savior, we receive His living water that can flow continuously from our hearts if we are in submission to the Cross and not to ourselves.  Just as we thirst for water for our bodies, may we desire the spiritual blessings that can only be satisfied by the sanctifying and comforting presence of the Holy Spirit flowing into and through our lives.
The flow can manifest itself in many ways.  It can range from the smallest, unseen kindness to a magnificent production on the grandest of stages.  The flow is as a fountain of living, running water that is providing continuous streams that are all at once cooling, calming, refreshing and cleansing.  The flow is plentiful, constant as a river.  It is a continuous stream of the fullness of Jesus Christ and His grace.  It is a miraculous stream that overwhelms the opposition that stirs our fears and our doubts.
These life giving streams have flowed from Our Redeemer throughout all time to every place and person.  These streams continue through us.  May we submit fully to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that God’s goodness may be poured out through us to the world around us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for using us as founts of Your living water.  We praise You for the refreshing and cleansing that it brings into our own lives as we allow the waters to pass through us.  We humbly and anxiously submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We pray that we come into the fullness of the flow so that the thirst of those around us may be quenched as we are quenched.  We ask all these things in the name of the Life Giving Spirit, Jesus Christ.

Reflecting the Holiness of Jesus

1 Peter 1:16
Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian.  Recognizing that sustained holiness is beyond our grasp because of our sin nature, we must be mindful that it is still remains our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ to reflect His holiness in our lives.  We must seek holiness in all of our endeavors under all circumstances.  We should reflect our holiness as we engage with all people.  

Of course, this level of holiness is not reachable through our own efforts.  We must trust in the grace of God for His holiness to be reflected in our lives.  We must turn to the Holy Spirit for strength so that we can manifest the holiness that God has given us through the presence of His Son in our lives.  

We shall be holy.  It is a promise from Our Savior.  We just will not be absolutely holy at any time in our life on earth.  Absolute holiness is the final product for the disciples of Jesus Christ.  We will become absolutely holy when we go to meet Our Lord for all eternity.  Until that time, let us seek to have the world see us as holy as we live day to day reflecting the holiness of the One who lives within us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the atonement that You have provided through Your Son which allows us to be holy, as You are holy.  We rejoice in knowing that we are in perfect union with You when we are abiding in Your Son.  We ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit will help us to be on guard against the sins to which we are inclined.  We pray that Your countenance shine upon us and Your grace be with us always so that we may turn away from evil and obey Your will in all areas of our lives.  May the world see the holiness of Your Son in our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of Your Holy One, Jesus Christ.