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The Satisfaction That Only He Can Provide

John 7:37
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
Jesus went with his disciples to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  The feast began five days after the Day of Atonement at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.  The celebration for the feast lasted for 8 days.  It was a grand feast by earthly measures.
On the last and greatest day of the feast, every man and woman would have surely filled themselves with food and drink and enjoyed and experienced all that the celebration had to offer them.  Yet Jesus knew that there would still be a hunger there that was unsatisfied.  He welcomed them to come to Him for the satisfaction that only He could provide.
As we stand here at the end of our year and our Christmas season, the same holds true for us today. God has protected us and provided for us as we have gone through yet another wild year in our out-of-control world.  We have just completed a season of celebration.  We have over-filled ourselves with food, drink, gifts and festive experiences.  Yet somehow we are not satisfied. 
Jesus knows.  He is waiting for those who are thirsty.  Those who choose to go to Him will be completely satisfied.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provisions and protections that You have provided throughout the past year.  We bless the name of Jesus through whom all of Your grace, mercy and loving kindness has been released to us.  We confess, Lord, that we have filled ourselves on all the world has offered and yet we are still unsatisfied.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we learn to forsake the world and surrender completely to Your Son who invites us into His life.  May we live in the fullness and glory of His presence.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who supplies our strength, our power and our eternal satisfaction, Jesus Christ.   

Living Under the Absolute Authority of Almighty God

Mark 1:22
The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority–quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
The Jews were astonished at the great truths that Jesus was teaching.  The nature and importance of what He was teaching was unlike anything that they had ever heard.  The teaching of Jesus was distinctly different from the teaching of the Scribes, who relied so heavily on traditions.  The manner in which He taught was also different.  He taught with such grace, such gravity and such majesty.  His teaching was rich in evidence and power.  He taught as if He had the authority to do so and needed to rely on no one else for the basis of His teaching.  He taught independent of all men, all tradition and the religiousity that preceded Him.  He taught fully dependent on His Father in heaven.
What made Jesus’ teaching distinctly different from the teachers of the law was that He taught and lived under the absolute authority of Almighty God.  Everything that Jesus did was based on the truth in God’s Word.  No wonder he stood out from teachers of the law who based their teaching on every other form of authority.  Some sought their authority based on the things that they had reasoned through their own logic.  Some sought their authority based on the traditions that history had revealed to them.  Some sought their authority based on the trending ethics and morals of their culture.  Some even sought their authority based on their emotion.  It is no wonder that the people were able to recognize the brilliance of Jesus’ teaching. 
Although we may never be teachers, we must decide under what authority that we will make our daily life decisions.  Shall we make our life decisions based on our own reasoning?  Shall we make our decisions based on what traditions teach us?  Shall we make our life decisions based on what is trending in our culture?  Shall we make our life decisions based on how we feel?  If we follow any of these false forms of authority, we will open ourselves up to short-term regrets and eternal risks.  Let us make all of our life decisions under the only real authority – God’s Holy Word.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us the Truth, Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You for the amazing and life-changing doctrine that He delivered to us with divine authority.  We praise You for inspiring the authors of the Books of the Bible so that we might have the Good News of the Gospel for presentation throughout the ages.  We pray, Lord, that our lives will be living testimonies to the way, the truth and the life that Your Son secured for us on the Cross.  May the world around us be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, as they see us living under the divine authority of Your Holy Word.  We ask all these things in the name of the Witness to the People, Jesus Christ.

Joyously Waiting for the Sudden Power of Almighty God

Acts 16:26
Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel in Philippi when they were stripped of their clothes, beaten with rods and placed in the inner prison with their feet fastened in stocks.  Their situation sure seemed pretty dire, but they did not lose their joy.  At the end of a day of great personal trial, they were observed praying and singing hymns around the midnight hour.
Suddenly, there was a great response from the heavens that freed Paul and Silas and led to the salvation of the jailer and his family.  It is important to notice the use of the word “suddenly.”  It is used throughout scripture to announce dramatic life changing events purposefully orchestrated by Almighty God.  
As we approach the new year, we should go forward without fear and doubt.  In His Holy Word, God inspired the writers to call out the many ways that He wields His power on our behalf.  All of the recorded demonstrations of God’s sudden power should give us hope for every situation in which we find ourselves.  But be certain not to miss the actions of Paul and Silas.  They never lost their joy.  They were still praying and singing hymns in the aftermath of severe suffering in their lives.  Surely, we have a role to play in calling the sudden power of Almighty God into our lives.  Indeed, we are called to maintain our joy and continue in praise and prayer as we wait on Our Heavenly Father to intercede on our behalf.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for being our all-sufficient Lord.  We bless the name of Jesus whose death on the Cross gained victory for us over everything that the enemy tries to bring against us.  We rejoice in knowing that You will release Your power in our lives exactly and suddenly when we need it.  We pray, Father, that we will be given the grace to find joy in every trial.  We ask that we be given the strength to continue in prayer and praise when everything seems to be falling apart around us.  We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the storm, Jesus Christ.

The Perfectly Timed Gift of Christmas

Galatians 4:4
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus was born when He was?  Mankind certainly could have benefitted from His arrival at any point in time.  So why was He born exactly when He was born?
Consider that Jesus was born at a time when the whole world spoke and understood one language.   The Greek language, which had been mandated during time of Alexander the Great, remained the prevalent language spoken throughout all of Rome’s conquered territories.  The early evangelists could travel to any point in the Roman Empire, deliver their message in Greek and know that their message would be understood.
Because the Romans had built a massive road system unlike anything the world had ever known, travel was relatively easy.  The early evangelists were able to get to any major population group within the Roman Empire.  To add to the ease of travel, unlike most other time periods before Christ’s arrival, the Roman Empire quieted the warring factions.  Worldwide peace was established for over 200 years.  During this time frame, Roman centuries were posted along the major roadways to insure that there was no impediment to safe travel within the conquered territories.
As a final element of God’s perfectly timed plan, we find that the Jews had been dispersed throughout the Roman Empire.  Even though there was no longer a central temple for the Jews, there were active synagogues built throughout the Roman territory.  These synagogues were attended regularly.  They made for easy access points to disseminate the Good News of the Gospel throughout the land.
With all these factors coinciding perfectly, it is remarkable how ideal the circumstances were for the rapid spread of the story of Jesus and His salvation message for all of mankind.  And it was all in perfect accordance with the many prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter.  The arrival of Our Savior was not only perfectly timed, it was a confirmation of the infallible nature of the Word of God.
As we celebrate the birth of Our Savior this Christmas, let us consider in awe that Almighty God was just as purposeful in selecting our time on this earth as He was in selecting the time for His Son.  We were all created for this exact time and place in the history of mankind.  It was no accident.  It was because Our Father in heaven had a specific plan for our lives on this earth and with Him for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the miraculous birth of Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You for giving each of us the gift of life.  We rejoice in knowing that You created each of us with a sovereign, gracious purpose for our lives.  We bless the name of Jesus who shed His blood so that we may be worthy to do the things that You have created us to do.  We exalt the Holy Spirit for standing by us so that we may overcome our weaknesses.  We pray for the strength to persevere in pursuing Your will for our lives and not our own.  May the fruit of our efforts be our gifts back to you this Christmas day and all the days of our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of Your dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

May We Be Known by Our Fervor

1 John 4:9
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Christmas is the celebration of a spectacular supernatural event.  Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to this earth so that we might have eternal life through Him.  This event was one that could not be accomplished by the efforts of man.  Only God could orchestrate such an act of love and supernatural endowment.
There are scoffers around each Christmas season who try to deny the great gift that has been provided for all mankind to receive.  They try to logically dissuade others from having faith in the true story of Christmas.  Yet to do so, they must try to make others believe that the God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun and who upholds the entire universe itself will prove unable to fulfill His own promises. 
Is it possible that the One who hangs the world on nothing is unable to deliver on His promises to His children?  Does He not hold the winds and the clouds and the oceans themselves in His hand?  How can He fail His children?
We have every reason to be absolutely firm in our faith.  Let us celebrate openly and with great fervor the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to live in this world so that we may be supernaturally endowed with His presence in our lives and we may become heirs to Your eternal kingdom.  We bless the name of Your Son, Jesus, who became poor so that we may have all the treasures of heaven.  We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit is with us each day to provide us with the peace that only Jesus can offer.  We pray that as we receive these wondrous gifts that we surrender to the reign of Our Savior in our lives.  May our lives become our love gifts to You, Father.  May the world know us by our fervor for Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of Our New Born King, Jesus Christ.

Childlike Trust

Matthew 18:3
Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
What a wonderful time Christmas is to a small child in our culture.  They go to bed on Christmas Eve eagerly anticipating the arrival of the gift giver.  They burst from their beds on Christmas morning knowing that they will find gifts with their names on them under the Christmas tree.  Many of the gifts will be there simply for their pleasure.  Other gifts will be there for their comfort and provision.  They receive them all with great joy.  All the while, they never doubt that the gift giver will provide for them that which they could not provide for themselves.
This is the type of reliance that God wants to see from all of us.  God wants us to rely on Him for everything without ever considering that we could provide for ourselves just as well.  Of course, the gifts that He gives to us are far more valuable than anything we could find under a tree.  Almighty God provides us with the gift of life.  He sustains our lives with every single breath we take.  Along the way, He sees that our pleasures, our provisions and our comforts are taken care of.  Then He provides the greatest gift of all – eternal life in His heavenly kingdom.  All He ever asks from us is to accept His Son as Our Savior.  
As a matter of process, He asks that we love Him and respond to Him like small children.  Small children run to their parents for everything.  Whether they need comfort, provision or direction, they immediately seek the arms of their parents.  They do not question the authority or the power of their parents.  They assume the parents have the power to provide whatever it is that they need or desire.  More than anything else, they do not see themselves as capable of doing more for themselves than their parents could do.  Almighty God wants us to do the same with Him.  May we trust in Him for the true treasures of His kingdom.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings and the benefits that we receive as Your children.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to inherit Your kingdom and all of its provision and protection for all eternity.  We pray, Father, that we be renewed in our minds so that we may become as simple, as humble and as teachable as small children.  May we discard forever all the self-seeking lifestyles, distrust and deceit that we learn from the world.  May we walk in the excellence of Our Savior.   We ask all these things in the name of Our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  

Finding the Living Water in the Dry Periods

Psalm 87:7
Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
Christmas services are so joyous.  The singers, the dancers and all the glorious instruments come together to celebrate the birth of Our Savior.  With all the wonderful old hymns being sung, even those with less than remarkable singing skills can join in with great energy.  It is always a time when the presence of the Lord seems so powerful as God Almighty and His angels come and celebrate His Son with us.
It is a special time in which we can rekindle our love for the Lord.  It is a time that we can recover from the dry times in our lives which the world seems to pile on us through the year.  It is a time in which we can surrender anew to Jesus and tap into His living springs in us.
The surrendering process is not for the proud.  It is a most humbling experience as God reveals to us everything in our lives that is hindering the flow of the living springs of Jesus within us.  And it is generally not the “don’t do” sins that are the most humbling for those who God has called to be His own.  The most humbling experiences come when we find ourselves in dry periods because the Holy Spirit shows us that we are simply falling short of what God has called us to do to please Him.
Jesus only did in His life what the Father called Him to do.  So it will be in our lives if we surrender to the one who indwells within us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us through dry seasons when we are falling short in our efforts to please You.  We thank You that You use these seasons to draw us to the Living Water, Jesus Christ.  We pray that we may bathe in the springs of His joy, His peace and His comfort.  We pray that as we experience the fullness of His grace that we may become living founts of His perfect love for those around us.  We ask all these things in the name of the Eternal Spring of Life, Jesus Christ.

Being Drawn to the Gift of Salvation

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to earth as a new born baby.  He allowed Jesus to learn and grow in the same way that we learn and grow.  He sent His Son so that the world might be drawn to Him.  He sent His Son as the perfect example of obedience, so that we might understand how to be in union with Our Father in heaven as Jesus was. 
He sent His Son because there is sin in each of us, even the tiniest of which separates us from ever entering into the presence of God.  He sent His Son because only the Cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient to reconcile the separation that is caused by our sin.  Only through Jesus Christ can we have a place prepared for us in heaven for all eternity.  Only by accepting the invitation that Jesus issues when He draws us unto Himself can we receive what has been set aside for us.
Because Our Heavenly Father loved us so much, He allowed His Incarnate Son to die for us.  He then resurrected Him, making it possible for us to live in union with the Father and the Son for all eternity. He lifted up His Son that we may be lifted up eternally to the Father through His Son.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace that prepares an inheritance for us that we did not earn.  We praise You for Your mercy that spares us from the destiny that we deserve.  We bless the name of Jesus who draws us unto Himself that we might overcome what the world has prepared for us in order to receive what You, Our Heavenly Father, have prepared for us.  May our gratitude for Your matchless love be expressed in our living testimonies.  May we draw others to the gift of salvation that is offered through Your Son.  May we lift them up just as we have been lifted up by Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.

A Nation Seeking the God in Whom We Trust

Romans 10:3
For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
Most of the Jews at the time of Christ were more interested in an outward show of their piety than to submit to the new freedom and righteousness offered by Jesus.  Jesus offered two commandments.  Love God above all things and love thy neighbor as thyself.  Yet the Jews clung to their traditions.  The Pharisees followed 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions.  There was no room in their lives for the message of the Gospel for it was crowded out by their obstinance in sticking to their own man made laws.  Their lifestyles were dictated by their independence from God.
Move forward some 2000 years.  Our nation was born under a call for fierce independence from a government that wanted to control how individuals related to their Creator.  The early founders, while becoming fiercely independent of England, became fiercely dependent on Almighty God.  But over time, Satan has done his evil work in our nation.  Many individuals in America have become arrogantly and selfishly independent of God.  They have built their lives around self-manipulated lifestyles that require no God and they have fashioned laws to fit their choices.
May we, as a nation, firmly grasp the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus Christ.  May His laws be enacted by our leaders into our legal system.  May we keep His laws and observe them in our hearts.  As citizens, may we delight in the path we follow when we follow the Lord’s commandments.
May our lives become living testimonies of His righteousness.  As a nation, may we once again look to Almighty God as the God in Whom we trust. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing Your laws on our hearts.  We praise the name of Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.  We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who stands with us to incline our hearts toward the ways of Our Savior and not our own.  We pray, Father, that as You touch our hearts with Your laws that You will also touch the hearts of the leaders of this nation.  May we once again return to be a nation that has its trust in You.  May we once again be a nation whose laws are the same as Your laws.  We ask all these things in the name of the Mediator of the new covenant, Jesus Christ.

Our Trials Produce an Eternal Glory in Us

2 Corinthians 4:17
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
As Christians, we all love the promise of Romans 8:28.  We all take great comfort from the idea that all things in our lives are going to work together for good.  We are certain to be very disappointed, however, if we narrowly define “good” in a temporal sense and not in a spiritual sense.  Our frustration will be even greater if we fail to measure the “good” in our lives from an eternal perspective.
There is simply no question that God orders or allows everything in our lives.  To think that one iota of our lives can pass by without Almighty God being in control is heresy.  God created us and wants to use us for His eternal purposes.  He will control every component of the people, places and things in our lives in order to see that we are successful in fulfilling His eternal calling on our lives.  He will measure the good that He provides for us only from an eternal perspective.  If temporal goods help us meet our calling, they will be poured upon us.  If temporal goods become a stumbling block for us, they will be replaced by trials and affliction.  If our trials and affliction work for our eternal good then God will consider them as a good things and He will pour them out upon us so that He may produce a glory in us that vastly outweighs the burden of our trials.
Just as the Father called His Son into service, so does He call us.  The good that God works in our lives will be reflected in the things that He brings to us in order to take us from darkness to light, from bondage into liberty and from the company of sinful men into fellowship with Jesus Christ for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for setting aside roles for us in Your eternal plans.  We rejoice in knowing that You will work out every single element of our lives in order that we may fulfill the purposes that You have created us to meet.  We pray, Lord, for the grace to be able to live with our focus on our eternal good and the eternal good of those around us.  May the Holy Spirit help us and strengthen us when we weaken because we cannot see the good that You are putting into place for us.  We praise Your Name because we know that Your way and Your work are perfect.  We ask all these things in the name of God incarnate, Jesus Christ.