Month: February 2016

Without Spot or Wrinkle

1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Once we are washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to assist us in our journey toward complete sanctification.  We will never reach complete sanctification in this life.  Our full transformation is reserved for the time when we stand in the presence of God in His throne of glory and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
Until that time, the Holy Spirit will take us through an intense narrowing of our interests.  Less and less will the things of the world call us.  More and more we will hear the voice of Our Savior as we press toward complete holiness.
Through it all, we are sure to fail from time to time.  But we can be confident by virtue of the faith and promises given to us by Our Creator that He will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  He will provide an ever flowing fountain of grace that will enlighten us, encourage us, strengthen us and prepare us to stand before Him without spot or wrinkle.
  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us blameless and holy in Your sight.  We bless the name of Jesus who washes away all of our sins.  We live our lives full of thanksgiving for the constant presence of the Holy Spirit.  We pray for the grace to walk in the holiness that has been given to us through Our Savior.  May we learn to ignore the world’s agenda and to surrender completely to the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus.  May we leave the green grass of earth to rest forever in the pasture of the Lamb.  We ask all this things in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.

Moving from The Outer Courts to the Holy of Holies

Luke 24:21
But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
For the two men on the road to Emmaus, dejection had set in.  They had heard the reports that Jesus had risen from the grave and was alive, but they were perplexed as to why Israel had not been redeemed.  They had hoped for a King that would redeem their land.  Their expectation was of a redemption of a temporal kind – a redemption that would free Israel from bondage to Rome.  Jesus reproved them for the weakness in their faith and their lack of understanding of the prophetic Scripture.
For all of us that have grown up in an era where instant gratification has become the norm, waiting on the Lord to answer our prayers is one of the most difficult challenges that we face.  We often feel dejected when we have not seen our prayers answered quickly or in a manner that we expected.  We suffer the same weakness as the men on the road to Emmaus.  We are weak in our faith and we lack understanding of God’s sovereign plans for our lives.  We tend to seek things from the hand of God without fully seeking the presence of God in our lives.
Unlike the men on the way to Emmaus, let us not have our hopes dashed because God’s work in our lives does not meet our expectations.  Borrowing terminology from the design of the temple, let us move from the outer courts where we deal with all the issues and troubles of the day.  Let us strive to move to the Holy Place where we work to separate ourselves from our old lives and transform into our new lives in Christ.  Ultimately, let us move to the Holy of Holies where we can recognize and experience the anointing and the fullness of the glory of God’s continual presence in our lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to live among us so that we could learn about who You are.  We praise the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to enter into Your presence here on earth and forever in Your eternal kingdom.  We pray, Father, that You open our eyes so that we can see You in all the commonplace things that surround us.  We call upon Your Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome the depression and oppression that we find in our world.  May we always be mindful of all that is ours because of the price that was paid by Your Son, Jesus.  May the world see our joy as we live in Your constant presence.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Complete Victory Over Death

Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
How could anyone say to die is gain?  Perhaps the answer can be found in this summary: Having been washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, at death we will be delivered from all the tribulations of life.  We will be free of all diseases and free from any concerns about worldly things.  We will leave behind forever all sin, all unbelief, all doubts and all fears.  We will be absolutely free from the temptations of Satan.  More importantly, the benefit of what we gain will be far greater than what we are freed from.  We will be in the presence of Almighty God.  We will experience continuous communion with Our Savior.  We will receive eternal places of rest in the Kingdom of God.  We will live in constant light, love, joy, peace and comfort.  We will be surrounded by endless pleasure.

Our victory over death is so complete, we are able to enjoy our time on earth without the shadow of death haunting us.  While the world struggles when facing death, the followers of Jesus are able to face their death beds with an exuberance that the world cannot understand.  We know that Our Savior is waiting to receive us and that He has prepared a place for us that is free from all misery and weakness.
As we wait for the time that Our Lord is ready to receive us, we have the privilege to live with the fullness of Christ in our lives.  May each one of our remaining days on earth serve as living testimony to Our Eternal King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the eternal inheritance that You have set aside for us.  We praise the name of Jesus who secured our place with You for all eternity.  We rejoice in knowing that only a wisp of time separates us from claiming all the rights of the heirs of Your kingdom.  As we wait for that time of glory, we pray that You equip us to be Your laborers in these end days.  We ask that You arm us against the attacks of the enemy as we help bring the church to completion.  May we show the world the living Christ that is within us.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our waiting Savior. 

Proving Our Love for Jesus

John 21:17
He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep”.
“Of course, I love You Jesus,” is a refrain that each of us as Christians could speak very easily and we would believe fully in our sincerity.   Yet aren’t we all a bit like Peter?  Our spoken proclamation of love does not necessarily measure up to our proven love.

Peter, believing his love for Jesus was obvious to Jesus, became frustrated.  So Peter challenged Jesus, saying, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”  Jesus’ response to Peter’s challenge was essentially, “Prove it.”
Jesus challenges each of us as well to feed His sheep.  He calls us to provide appropriate nourishment to the young lambs and encouragement to the mature members of the flock.  He calls us to go after any that leave the flock until they are found and brought back under the protection of the Good Shepherd.
Jesus calls on each of us who love Him to go out and do the work that He was doing.  He tended to all of the needs of the people, all the way to the Cross, because of His love for His Father.  Jesus expects us to take up His work, to take up our cross, because of our love for Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to tend to our every need, especially our need to be freed from the sin that separates us from You.  In response to Your loving kindness, mercy and grace, we surrender our lives to You.  We ask that You show us the cross that You have prepared for us.  We pray, Lord, that You instruct us in the way that we should go.  May Your Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen us for the journey.  Father, we pray that You release Your power through us so that others may discover the Way of the Cross.  We ask all these things in the name of the one who went to the Cross and shed His blood for us, Jesus Christ.

Sacrificing Ourselves on Behalf of Others

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
The life of Jesus Christ was the epitome of servanthood.  He poured Himself out upon the needs of the people, especially the need for salvation from sin.  He was willing to be the sacrificial lamb.  He was willing to be the door mat under people’s feet.  He sought no recognition.  He sought to show us what love is.  He is the precious Lamb of God.  He is love.

More than that, Jesus is the perfect model of love.  He represents the ideal standard for us to imitate.  As His disciples we are called to be His bondservants.  We are called to serve the will of Our Master.  We are called to serve the world as He served the world, sacrificing all that we are and all that we have for the good of all mankind and for the honor and glory of the Father.  We are to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  And like Jesus, we must extend ourselves on behalf of others whether or not they merit our services.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be the blood sacrifice required to atone for the sins of all mankind.  We praise the name of the Precious Lamb of God who gave His life so that we may all have eternal life with You, Father.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will take us to the foot of the Cross to seek a life of service to all men.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to minister in love to those around us.  We ask, Lord, that you provide the grace that we need to forsake the need for recognition, except in Your eyes.  May our lives be a reflection of our Servant King.  We ask all these things in the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Living A New Life Through the Love of Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:14
Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.
Had Jesus Christ not died for us, we would be spiritually dead and ruined.  We would be slaves to our sin and would have no power to deliver ourselves from the miserable state that we would be in.
Christ died for all, so that we may all die to sin and self.  As we die to self and receive Jesus as Our Savior, we are free to live for Our Redeemer.  It is through Christ’s love that we are able to live as Our Redeemer lived in the perfect will of the Father.
It is the love of our beloved, Jesus Christ, that shines forth in us when we submit ourselves to be vessels of His perfect love.  The love of Jesus in our lives is what allows us to show the world what living for Christ is all about.  If we ever try to show the world Jesus through our own holiness, and not through the righteousness that we have received from Our Savior, we will fail.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son who died for our sins.  We praise the name of Jesus for accepting Your will and plan for His life all the way to the Cross.  We pray, Father, that the world will see the way, the truth and the life of Jesus through us as we leave our old lives behind in exchange for the our new lives in Christ.  We ask, Lord, that the fullness of the life of Your Son, Jesus, be perfected in us.  May the world know us as His disciples.  We ask all these things in the name of the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Has Political Correctness Quieted You?

1 Corinthians 4:13
when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world–right up to this moment.
Paul and those who joined with him in spreading the gospel message were attacked viciously by the social media of their day.  How remarkable it is that Paul’s words of 2000 years ago are so accurate today.  The voice of our corrupt world screams out against the gospel message wherever it is presented.  The media persecution of celebrities and public figures that speak out for Christ is a perfect example of this growing trend.  All who are public proclaimers of the Gospel can expect to suffer vicious attacks in all forms of media simply because they are willing to express the truth about their Savior.
Unfortunately, the attacks of the enemy have quieted the voices of most Christians.  We have sat back and watched as prayer has been taken out of our schools and community events.  We have allowed the Ten Commandments to be removed from display in public places.  We have sat idly as the mention of Jesus has basically been banned in any form, unless of course, it is used to ridicule Him.
Now more than ever, as the world spins faster and faster toward total destruction, we must become the lamps on the hill that provide the light to those that are in darkness.  If we don’t, who will?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You have bestowed on our nation.  We praise You for granting us the privilege of living in the greatest nation that has ever existed.  We come before You, Lord, and ask for forgiveness for allowing Your Truths to be taken out of our society, to be spit upon and ridiculed just as Your Son was at Calvary.  We ask, Father God, that You shine Your Light upon our land so that the darkness that we have allowed to creep in will be overshadowed.  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may the laws of our land and the actions of our people come into alignment with Your laws, Your commandments and Your Holy Word.  Once again may we call upon You as the God in whom we trust.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

The Supernatural Component of the Fruit of Our Work

1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News–and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.
Paul served the emerging church in a number of ways, but he understood that God had called him and equipped him specifically to preach the Good News.  Paul teaches us that, as we serve our churches and communities, it is important that we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us to find out what God is specifically calling us to do in service to His Kingdom.  

As we discover our role in God’s kingdom on earth, we should be aware of several important aspects of our calling.  
1.  No role is too big, nor is any role too small, when we are doing what Our Creator called us to do. 
2.  When we find our calling, we will recognize it because we will have the same passion for our calling that Paul had for his calling. 
3.  The fruit that we bear in our calling will be the result of the supernatural work of God and not attributable to us.
Paul made it clear to his audience that the redemptive power of the Cross did not rely on anything that he did, nor would it rely on anything that they did or said.  We learn from Paul that it is not our enticing words or the strength of our presentation that wins hearts.  We are simply vessels of the divine truth of God’s mercy on all of us.  We should never consider ourselves to be the reason that a soul came to Christ. The redemptive process is totally reliant on the supernatural work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You equip us to do Your work.  We praise You for allowing us to participate in the work of redemption made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we can see the unique ways that You have endowed us to serve You.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts so that we may serve You as humble vessels of Your divine, redemptive power.  We pray all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

A Bond Servant of Jesus Christ

Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Paul points out three things about himself as he addresses the Romans.  These three things apply to all Christians.  1. We are called to be servants of Jesus Christ.  2. We were all called to some specific purpose for which God created us.  3. We are all separated unto the gospel of God.
When studying the original writings, it is suggested that the word that was used for servant was actually quite a bit stronger.  It was rendered in the original text as “bond servant” which means someone who is subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another.  Thus, we are called not only as servants to Jesus Christ, but as bond servants to Our King.
As His bond servants, each of us are called to a specific purpose in service to His kingdom.  But according to His will, we are also “separated unto the gospel of God.”   We must realize that the redemption that we have received through the grace and mercy of Almighty God has separated us from who we were.  We are now righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.  We are proclaimers of the Good News through our spoken words and our living testimony.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for separating us from the world through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We bless His name for the blood that He shed so that we could live in the spirit and not in the flesh.  We pray, Father, for the grace to abandon our old lives.  We ask that You help us to understand the fullness of the redemption that You have provided us through Your Son.  We beseech You to give us the courage and the strength to proclaim Your Good News to those that you have placed in our lives.  May the world see that we have been separated unto You, Lord.  We ask all these things in the name of our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.