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Eager and Expectant as Children

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.
Jesus was well aware that the mindset of the individuals around Him was a critical determinant in their ability and desire to accept His teaching.  Jesus knew that many of the people that He was trying to reach set up blockades to learning because they granted authority only to their logic, tradition, culture and emotional feelings.  They would not accept the truth and authority of the King of Kings.  Thus they closed the door on the truth in His teaching.   Ultimately, He closed the door on them.

As parents, teachers or caretakers, we understand the joy and the pleasure of an obedient and respectful child.  The obedient child’s constant compliance to our instruction melts our hearts.  Their demeanor invites instruction.  It is easy and very natural for us to give compliant and respectful children greater responsibility because we are confident that they will handle the responsibility appropriately.  
So it is when we become new born babes in our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Almighty God rejoices when we are obedient and we demonstrate our faithful compliance to His laws, His commands, His Holy Word and His callings on our lives.  When we come to Him humbly and in awe of who He is, He rewards us with more knowledge, more wisdom and more responsibility in His kingdom.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for receiving us as innocent babes in Christ.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible that we could stand before You in righteousness.  We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to come to You as expectant as young children who go to their fathers eager to learn about the world and anxious for their dreams to be fulfilled.  We pray for the grace to please You in all that we do.  We ask that You release to us the knowledge that we do not have and the wisdom we seek.  May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom.  We ask all these things in the name of the Author of Our Faith, Jesus Christ.

Doing Right for the Glory of God

Romans 6:13
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
When we were born, we inherited a sin nature through the bloodlines of Adam and Eve.  Through the grace of Almighty God, we were given the choice to keep the sin that separates us from Him for all eternity or receive the atonement for our sin provided by the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is a choice that must be made.  There is no place for indecision in selecting where we want to spend eternity.
When we accept Jesus as Our Savior, we are washed clean of all of the sin in our lives.  Nonetheless, the sin nature remains.  It then becomes the work of the Holy Spirit to lead us away from the iniquity in our lives and toward the eternal, holy resting place that we will one day find in the presence of Almighty God.  Yet again with the grace of God, we are provided all that we need to overcome the sin in our lives.  To receive the fullness of our eternal reward, we must measure every experience in our lives by the standards of Jesus Christ and not by our own standards.  We must do right for the glory of God.

The things of darkness that perplex and distress us will persist throughout our lifetime on earth.  Regardless of the trials, the grace that we receive for these days will be sufficient.  But let us be encouraged, for in the blink of an eye on one glorious day, we will stand before the Father in the image of His Son.   And we will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness for our sins.  We rejoice in knowing that Your forgiveness is certain and complete through the redemptive work of Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You for allowing us to atone for the sin in our lives through Our Savior. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who stands by us as we continue to struggle with our sin natures.  We pray for the grace and the strength to repent and turn away from all the sin that the Holy Spirit reveals to us.  May our bodies be used to do only those things that are pleasing to You, bring glory to You and bear fruit for Your kingdom.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

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Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Come to me,” is the ultimate invitation.  It is always valid.  It has no expiration date.  It allows access to the greatest person in the universe on a 24-7 basis.  There is no requirement to accept the invitation, but it is exclusive to those of us who will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Our Savior and acknowledge ourselves as sinners in need of His cleansing blood.  The requirement is necessary in order to make us worthy to be in the presence of Almighty God.
When we accept the invitation, we then have access to the unimaginable favor of the King of Kings for all eternity.  As invited, we have the privilege of laying all of our burdens on Him so that we may be refreshed when we are faint.  We have the satisfaction of having our thirst for knowing our Maker quenched forever.  We have the treasure of being able to learn from Our Master all that is good and pleasing to Almighty God.
Why should we go to any other quarter to have our needs met?  Let us go to Him for the mysteries and the grace of God that come through Him.  Let us go to Him for the peace, comfort, joy and salvation that He holds in His hands.  Let us respond without delay to His invitation.  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us Your Son to reveal to us Your will and Your love.  We bless the name of Jesus for providing the yoke that joins us to Him for the purpose of having all of our burdens lifted from us.  We rejoice in knowing that we live in Your constant shadow protected from evil and supplied with our needs.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us to release all of our cares into the arms of the One who invites us to come to Him.  We ask all these things in the name of the Yoke of Our Burdens, Jesus Christ.

That We Might Become Righteous

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
When we hear the word sin, we usually think of a single transgression or specific transgressions which go against God’s law.  Sin defined in this manner only captures an aspect of sin.  In reality, sin is much more.  Sin is a complete, damning condition that separates us from God.  It is a chasm that we cannot cross on our own.  The chasm was created when Adam and Eve sinned.  At the moment of their sin, we inherited a condition that separated us from God for all eternity.
Thankfully, our merciful Father in heaven provided a way for us to bridge the chasm created by sin.  He provided His Son to take on the burden of all of our sin.  He allowed His Son’s blood to be shed so that we may be cleansed of all of the unrighteousness that separates us from the presence of Almighty God.  God made His own Son take on our sin so that we might become saints in heaven.

Jesus was not a sinner.  He never sinned, yet He was made sin by the Father.  He became a sin offering, a sacrifice for the sins of all men.  The end and plan for all of this was that we might be made righteous in the eyes of God.  Can we surrender too much, labor too much or suffer too much for the One who has made us righteous before Our Heavenly Father and secured our place with Him for all eternity?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, our thanks are inadequate to cover the redemptive work that cleanses us of our unrighteousness and allows us to stand in Your Holy Presence.  There is no manner of word or worship that we could bring before You that would be sufficient to cover the debt that has been paid for us.  We bless the name of Jesus who left His throne in heaven to come to earth to redeem us from the debt we could not pay on our own.  We humble ourselves before You, Lord.  We kneel at the foot of Your Cross and submit ourselves to a life in Your service here on earth and in heaven.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You forever.  We pray that our lives in Christ here on earth will lead others to the foot of Your Cross to receive their salvation.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lord of Our Righteousness, Jesus Christ.

Called By His Grace

Galatians 1:15-16
…who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me…
When Paul was writing and speaking to the Galatians, he made it clear that he was on a completely different path in life when He was touched by the hand of God.  Paul emphasized that it was God that changed him and not him who changed himself.
Because of our sin nature, we all begin our lives on a path covered by darkness.  Until Our Heavenly Father opens our eyes, we can not see the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus Christ.  Only when our new path has been made visible to us by the light of the Holy Spirit, can we receive the precious gift of salvation.  All who are converted to be new men and women in Christ are called by the grace of God.
Upon accepting our salvation, we begin yet another journey – the journey to work out our salvation.  Just as salvation is not a work of our own hand, neither is the working out of our salvation.  The Holy Spirit within us molds our hearts so that we can submit to Jesus as Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us to full submission to Our Savior so that God can do the work in us that is pleasing to Him.  All the saved in Christ who are working on their sanctification are under the power and grace of the Holy Spirit working in them.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace that is expressed to us through the gift of our salvation.  We praise You for taking us from the darkness of our lives in the flesh into the light of Your Holy Spirit.  We rejoice in being guided into full submission to Our Lord, Our Master and Our King, Jesus Christ.  We pray, Father, that You will strengthen us and regenerate us as we strive to overcome the world in order to live our new lives in Christ.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Most Gracious Savior.

Made Righteous Through the Blood of Jesus

Romans 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
As a result of the disobedience of Adam, we were born with a sin nature.  Because of Adam’s disobedience, we naturally put ourselves first in all things.  We instinctively put ourselves first in violation of the first commandment, “I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have no false Gods before me.”  The violation of this commandment is enough to condemn us to eternal death.  We cannot remove the condemning stain of this sin on our own.  There is no escape or recovery from this sin except through the redemption provided through Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As a result of the obedience of Jesus to the calling of His Father in heaven, we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father.  God removed our sin through the sacrifice of His own Son.  He removed our sin in the only way that was acceptable to Him – through the shed blood of His Son which cleanses us.  We accept His mercy and eternal atonement through our surrender to His Son, Jesus Christ.  
It is important to understand that God does not hold us responsible for inheriting sin.  He will not condemn anyone because of the sin that was inherited.  He will condemn those that refuse to accept Jesus as the only measure of deliverance from their sin.  He will condemn those who choose to live in submission to the darkness of the flesh rather than under surrender to the light of the world, Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask forgiveness for the sin in our lives.  We pray that You will reveal to us all the places in our lives where we are living in darkness, instead of in the Light.  We ask You, Lord, for the grace to be able to repent of all the sin that remains in our lives.  We thank You, Father, that through Your mercy You have made a way for us to be delivered from the condemnation that we deserve.  We praise Your name, Father God, because through Your perfect love we have been given an eternal inheritance that we did not and cannot earn on our own.  We bless the name of Jesus who now dwells within us.  We pray that we may become Light to the darkness in world around us through His presence.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

The Role of Teachers, Encouragers and Confirmers in the Sanctification Process

1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
When Paul addressed the Corinthians, he emphasized their sanctification through Jesus Christ.  He confirmed that they would be among all the saints in heaven who had also called on the name of Our Lord as their Savior.
Our Heavenly Father’s hand never leaves us as He prepares us to be His saints.  The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is always at work in our lives.  God also brings commonplace people and commonplace events into our lives to teach us, to encourage us and to confirm the plans that He has for us. 
Sometimes the commonplace people and events are meant to challenge us.  The challengers are there to test us.  Through the aid of the Holy Spirit, we come through the challenges built-up in our character and strengthened in our will to follow God’s plans for our lives. 
By the grace of God, we are all called to be heirs to His kingdom.  It is His will that none shall perish, that all will come to repentance.  He puts a God-size hole in all of our hearts that can only be filled by His Son.  It is according to His perfect plan that He provides His Son as Our Redeemer.  It is for His good pleasure and for His glory that He provides His Holy Spirit to prepare us to be His saints.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect plan to have us join You in heaven for all eternity.  We bless the name of Jesus for His shed blood that washes us clean and makes it possible for us to enter into Your presence.  We pray, Lord, that You will release many teachers, encouragers and confirmers into our lives.  We ask for ears to hear them and the wisdom to follow their counsel.  We pray that we may also become teachers, encouragers and confirmers in the lives of others on their journeys to sainthood.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Awesome Lord, Jesus Christ.

Humiliation or Celebration?

Luke15:17
But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!”

The prodigal son left home thinking he could conquer the world on his own.  His journey turned out much different than he had imagined.  It did not take him long to exhaust the resources that he had.  It then became painfully obvious to him that all that he ever needed was available to him at his father’s house.

We all experience a journey similar to the prodigal son when we try to take on the world on our own.  We set up ourselves for failure and frustration when we try to make our way independent of the resources that Our Heavenly Father has set aside for us.  Our skepticism of God’s plan results in us landing in a places of humiliation.

With each failure and with each moment of mounting frustration and humiliation, Our Father in heaven awaits our turning to Him.  All of heaven prepares to celebrate our return.  When we realize the foolishness of living our lives in the flesh instead of under the divine hand of Almighty God and return to the riches of Our Father, He calls for a celebration on our behalf.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the inheritance that You have prepared for us.  We rejoice in knowing that Your abundant riches await us when we join You in our permanent home.  We ask forgiveness for living our lives in the foolish arrogance of our flesh.  We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will guide us in repenting of all of the things in our lives that are displeasing to You.  May we live our lives in the fullness of the way, the truth and the life that is ours through Your Son, Jesus. We ask all these things in His precious name. 



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Precious Moments with Our Savior

Mark 9:2
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.

Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain so that they could experience the fullness of His glory.  Jesus wanted His disciples to be prepared for the bitter agony that was ahead.  He wanted them to have the strength of the promise of the kingdom experience to carry them through the suffering that they would also experience in the future. 

Each of us will experience moments in the presence of God.  It may be through a vision, a dream, a visitation or perhaps a quiet word whispered in our spirit when we are in prayer or worshiping Him.  Each such moment is meant to lift us from our day-to-day lives in the flesh to our eternal lives in the kingdom of God.

Just as the disciples were not allowed to remain in the presence of the glorified Christ, neither are we allowed to stay in the precious moments of Our Lord’s visitation.  The Lord simply uses these precious moments to show us the unimaginable promise of our futures in His kingdom and to give us the strength to endure the suffering we will encounter as we prepare to be with Him for all eternity.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the treasured moments that You grant us in Your presence.  We praise You for those times that You become so real to us.  We exalt Your name for the grace that You provide during these intimate exchanges that are beyond our normal earthly expectations.  We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will stand by us as we leave the high mountain of Your presence and return to the valley where we struggle in our ways of the flesh. May Our Comforter help us keep the fullness of the joy and the hope of Your presence with us always.  May the world know that we are living in the fullness of the presence of Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Ever Present Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prepared To Be A Comforter

2 Corinthians 1:5
For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

In the Bible, we are taught that we should rejoice in our trials because they are the building blocks of character in our lives.  They certainly do build character and perseverance in our lives if we turn to the Lord to get us through the challenges we face.

But beyond the character building in our trials, there is an entirely different dimension that we benefit from.  We not only gain in character, but we gain more – much more.  We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through the same thing.  God prepares us to be comforters for others in their time of need.

Our past experiences give us the foundation for offering faith and hope.  It is our obligation to make suitable returns for what we received by comforting others.  It is our duty to join them in prayer, praise and thanksgiving as we seek a good end to our trials through Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the consolations and comfort that we find when we turn to Your Son, Jesus, in our times of need.  We bless the name of Jesus for the abundance of all of the fruits of His sufferings that are poured out in a greater amount than our own suffering, providing us relief from our distress and trouble.  Lord, we pray that You build our faith and hope through our trials, so that we may be comforters for those in our lives who are going through their own trials.  May it all be for the glory of Jesus.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered all on our behalf, Jesus Christ.