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Transferred Into the Kingdom

Colossians 1:13
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
Sin is our nature.  It never leaves our flesh.  It keeps us in darkness from which there is no escape.  Without Jesus Christ in our lives, we are easy prey for Satan who stands ready to exploit the power of sin in our lives at a moment’s notice.
But our merciful Heavenly Father made it part of His plan to give us the light and the power that we need to escape the darkness.  He provided a way for us to be bond servants to His Son and not to be slaves to Satan.  Through our relationship with His Crucified Son, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God.  We receive true spiritual light as Christ is revealed to us, causing the prince of darkness to flee from us and the scales of darkness and blindness to fall from our eyes.

Our only refuge from sin is Jesus Christ.  By faith in Our Savior we are redeemed at the expense of His shed blood.  We are forgiven of our sins so that we may become objects of the Father’s love and delight, just as His Son is.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a way for us to be freed from our sinful natures.  We thank You, Jesus, for giving us victory over sin through Your shed blood and death on the Cross.  We thank You, Holy Spirit, for standing with us and strengthening us to overcome the sin in our lives.  We pray that we will come to the humble place where we recognize that we are incapable of victory over sin without the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand in the light for all eternity and darkness will never again touch us.  All praise and glory be Yours, Father.  We ask all these things in the name of the Great Light, Jesus Christ.

See Others As God Sees Them

Matthew 7:2
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

The opportunity for judging others is so readily available.  After all, we are all so flawed yet the desire to proclaim judgement seems to be part of our human nature.  As a society, we have become very good at speaking out against things that we consider offensive.  Unfortunately, in speaking out we often focus on the individual and not on the offense.

Jesus knew that we would struggle in this area.  Thus He provided us with a stern warning about judging others.  He wanted us to recognize that we are not qualified to judge, only He is.  Even more so, He wanted us to understand that in judging others we put ourselves in a position to pay an enormous price.

In addition to the potential of ruining other people’s lives because of our judgmental nature, we also risk the following for ourselves:

  • If we practice a critical spirit, we are likely to steal our own joy and peace.
  • If we assume God’s authority to judge, we place ourselves under greater scrutiny.
  • If we include malice in our judgement, we pollute our own hearts.
  • If we plant seeds of unforgiveness and condemnation, we become vulnerable to hatred.
Almighty God, through the sacrifice of His Son, chose to see us all as holy and blameless.  He gives us the freedom to choose to see others as He sees them.  He calls us to:
  • Forgive others as we let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts.
  • Comfort others as we manifest the mercy of the Father.
  • Honor others above ourselves as we imitate the humility of Our Savior.
  • Encourage others as we share in the treasures of Jesus Christ.
  • Love others as we let the perfect love of God flow through us.
Let us choose to live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ and not in the spirit of the world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the sacrificial blood of Your Son.  We praise You for the mercy that You have extended to us through Your Son.  We pray that You will shield us from the desire to judge others when You have kept judgment for Yourself.  May we not seek to find sin in the lives of others, but only seek to help others find the forgiveness that is in the name of Jesus.  May we all live our lives as vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness.  We ask all these things in the name of the Judge of the Living and the Dead, Jesus Christ.

Our Comforter Strengthens Us to Overcome Sin

Mark 14:34
And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
Through Jesus, we receive the exchanged life of joy for the old life of sin and its miserable consequences.  Jesus paid a great price for our redemption.  He suffered physically, mentally and emotionally to go to the Cross for us.  He knew in advance the bodily torments, the agonizing death and the inconceivable burden of the weight of the sins of all men that He would suffer.  To secure our redemption, He chose the only path that fulfilled God’s plan for our salvation.

As Jesus approached His time of great suffering, He was very sorrowful.  He was feeling the full agony of knowing that He would be taking on the burden of all sin.  His suffering was so great that He took Peter, James and John with Him to stand by Him in prayer as He prayed for strength in His most awful time of distress.  Three times He left the apostles to pray.  Each time He asked them to remain and watch.  Each time He found them asleep when He returned.  The apostles in their weakness were not able to provide Jesus with the support that He requested as He prepared to take on His Cross.  But even though the apostles left Jesus to take on the Cross alone, Jesus was given the strength that He needed by the Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, we must choose to take up the Cross of Jesus Christ.  We must die to sin.  If we choose the way of Jesus Christ, God’s life lives in us and sin dies.  If choose the way of sin, then God’s life cannot live in us.  This is an impossible decision for us to make on our own.  Just like the apostles, our flesh is too weak.  But like Jesus, we have the power and the strength that we need to overcome sin because the Holy Spirit stands by us and prepares our hearts to take our victory over sin.  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  We praise the name of Jesus who chose to take all the sorrow and grief that He endured on our behalf.  We thank You for the Holy Spirit who guided us in choosing to accept Jesus as Our Savior, so that we might overcome the sin in our lives that separates us from You.  We pray for wisdom to always seek the strength and the counsel available to us through the Holy Spirit that stands on watch against sin with us.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lamb Slain.

Called Out of Darkness

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once we received our salvation, we were called out of the darkness offered by the world.  We were placed into the living light of Jesus Christ.  We were called to become priests to spread His light to the world around us.  We were called to intercede on the behalf of others so that they may be taken out of the darkness into the light.
In Numbers, we read that the Lord instructed Moses to have the priests, Aaron and his sons, to bless the people in the following way:  “May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile upon you.  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.”
These are the blessings that we should desire for those around us when we have accepted our calling into the royal priesthood.  As we abide in Jesus, these are the blessings that we should take before the Lord without stopping in intercession for those around us that are in need.  We should prayerfully seek nothing but the best of what God has to offer for all of the people in our lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us out of the darkness of the world and making us part of Your royal priesthood.  We praise the name of Jesus who guides us in our priestly duties.  May we learn to bless the people in our lives through our prayers and through our living testimony.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus, the Light of the World.

Freed from the Anguish of the World

Job 42:10
And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The Bible records that Job was blameless and upright.  He had a great family and much wealth.  It was written that he was the greatest of all the people in the east.  And then it all changed.  God allowed Satan to take it all away from Job.
From this point on in the story of Job’s life, we see Job in his anguish.  He not only has lost everything, but he is mocked by his friends and even his wife tells him, “Why don’t you curse God and die.”  Job assumes that God is persecuting him and hiding from him.  He lashes out at God in pain.  

Once Job turned from his anger and turned instead to intercessory prayer, the mercies and blessings of Our Lord were released to him.  He found his prayer for others to be profitable for himself.  More importantly, he found that Satan had no more power over him.
No one goes through life without hardship, heartaches, and headaches. Most of us have learned to face the reality that life is difficult. But still it can feel almost intolerable for us to accept and cope with what’s seems so unfair at times.  Like Job, our relief will come when we turn our focus away from our pain and on to the wondrous majesty and mercy of Our Creator.  When we do this, our concern will be more for others than for ourselves.  At this point, we will receive all that the Lord has prepared for us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we lift Your name above all names.  There is no name above Yours.  You are Our Creator and Our Sustainer.  You have given us life and granted us eternal life through Your Son.  We give thanks for the unmerited grace that You pour upon us.  We pray Lord that You strengthen us for the battles that we face in life.  We ask for the divine inspiration to keep our focus on You always. May our days be spent in service to You, free of any anguish that the world tries to bring us.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Strength of Our Lives.

Through Devotion to Our Servant King

1 Peter 5:2

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly–not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.

When we were children, we joined our parents in the work that needed to be done around the house.  We joined them in obedience to their request for help. If we served them because we loved them and wanted to honor them, our work was done eagerly and with joy.  If we served them for any other reason – to earn allowance or perhaps avoid punishment – our work probably became tedious quickly.
We may find a similar experience when we seek to serve humanity.  No matter how fulfilling the service may be at first, the humanitarian cause will become exhausting if the root of our service is not our love for Our Savior.  The secret of our joy in service will be our devotion to Jesus Christ. 
Jesus was the perfect model of service.  Jesus was able to carry through on His service to mankind all the way to the end because He was driven by His love for His Father first.  Honoring His Father with His obedience was His calling. The service that He provided for mankind was the result of His love for His Father.

So let us serve the Lord willingly, even eagerly, in devotion for Our Savior King.  Through our labors of love we will receive a crown of unfading glory.  Our reward will be greater than any power, wealth or pleasure that the world has to offer. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to express our love to You through our service to those around us.  We pray that You strengthen us, Lord, for our work by helping us to grow in our relationship with Your Son.  May our devotion to Him be measured by the fruits of our work.  May all that we do to serve Your kingdom bring honor and glory to Your Holy Name, the name of Your Son, Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Servant King and Savior, Jesus Christ.

That Sinking Feeling

Matthew 14:30
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
When Peter first stepped out of the boat, all He saw was Jesus.  He saw nothing but the one he desired to be with.  His focus was on His Lord and His Lord alone.  With His focus only on His Lord, he walked on water.  But then Peter let his focus shift to his surroundings and down he went.
It is a bit difficult for us to relate to walking on water, but we can all relate to finding ourselves in a place in life where we feel like we are sinking.  In these times, we are weak in faith and our doubts are overwhelming us.  

Too often we get to this place because we are seeking a way out through our own strengths.  Our focus is on our problems and not on the promises of Our Savior.  Peter was rebuked for his lack of faith.  We should know that we share in Peter’s weakness.  There is no valid reason why the disciples of Jesus Christ should be of doubtful mind.  Even on the stormiest of days, He is our ever present help.  

With our focus on Jesus, two important things happen.  1) The things that are around us to scare us or hinder us become insignificant.  2) The vision of Who we are living for and where He is leading us becomes crystal clear.  Through Jesus, we are able to see clearly the path that God has set aside for us before we were even born.  Through Jesus, we find the strength to keep up the good walk of faith when the world distracts us.  Through Jesus, we are able to complete the course that ends in our eternal resting place with Almighty God.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us with a unique purpose through which we serve You and bring honor and glory to Your Name.  We rejoice in knowing that we can fulfill our purposes here on earth as well as in Your eternal kingdom.  We exalt the name of Our Savior, Jesus, who walks along side us to insure that we have the strength to overcome the torments of our flesh and the attacks of the enemy.  May we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus so we are not distracted or hindered by the things which are trying to pull us away from our purposes.   May we stand before You one day and hear the words, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” We ask all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Our King, Our Priest and Our Prophet, Jesus Christ.

Our Sacrificial Calling

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
The life of Jesus Christ was not the life of a mere man, but the life of a divine man who gave up His deity and His royalty in order to accept the calling of Almighty God to be the blood sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  Jesus took on this calling freely and voluntarily that He might secure our legal standing in the kingdom of God.

The moment that we accepted the salvation that Jesus made possible when He laid down His life for us, we were given the power and the calling to lay down our lives day after day for the people around us.  This sacrificial calling is contrary to our human nature.  Our flesh will fight us on every occasion, be it large or small, that we seek to emulate Jesus’ love for us in our service to others.  And certainly, Satan will do his part to discourage us too.
Yet we can and will overcome the urges of Satan and our flesh, if we learn to rely on the urgings of the Holy Spirit.   For we were not only given the calling to serve, we were also given the power to serve.  We were given the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to dwell within us.  All we have to do is let the Spirit within us flow out of us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son Jesus to die for us so that we would not remain separated from You for all eternity because of our sins.  We praise Your Name for extending Your mercy so that we could accept the salvation that we did not earn and do not deserve.  We pray, Father God, that the fullness of Your Holy Spirit will flow from us each day.  May we learn to lay down our lives each day so that others may see the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.  We ask all these things in the name of the Slain Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

The Release of God’s Power In Our Lives

2 Chronicles 27:6
King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the LORD his God.

After the Jews were freed from bondage, they made their way to the holy land that God had set aside for them.  Moses sent twelve men to scout the land.  All but two returned with fearful stories.  As a result, the Israelites rebelled against Moses and refused to take the land that was prepared for them.  God punished the Israelites by condemning them to wander the desert for forty years.  None of the men over the age of twenty were ever allowed in to the holy land because of their disobedience.

On the other hand, Jotham became king at the age of 28.  He was obedient in all things.  Because of his faithfulness, he was given victory in all of his battles and a resting place of honor when he died.
We can miss out on the promises of God in our lives simply by not complying to the small things of life that the Holy Spirit may place on our hearts.  How many times have we passed up the opportunity to assist a testy neighbor, lend a helping hand to a needy stranger or respond politely and with love when receiving poor service?  Each time we passed on one of these or numerous other Holy Spirit led opportunities, we deprived God of His glory and we halted or limited the release of His power in our lives.  It is important that we seek and give full consideration to the will of God concerning all elements of our daily lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the opportunity to bring honor and glory to Your Name when we allow the marvel of Your grace to be exhibited in our lives.  Teach us, Father, to recognize You and Your love in the simplest of tasks that are performed in service to others.  Lord, we pray that You release the fullness of Your power in our lives as we learn to share Your perfect love and forgiveness with the world around us.  We ask all these things in the name of Lord of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Settling the Burden of Our Sins

Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
It is very important that we confess our sins and repent of them quickly.  We should not hold on to them for any reason – not even to punish ourselves.  We must take God’s merciful grace and cleanse ourselves of our sins.  We must recognize that Jesus Christ has atoned for all of our sins for all eternity.  To hold on to any sin, even its guilt, is to continue to unnecessarily suffer its destruction in our lives.

As difficult as it is for us in our carnal natures, our confession requires that we gloss over nothing.  We must lay our souls bare before the Lord with no attempt to conceal an iota of our guilt.  Then with great sorrow we must turn away from our sin in repentance, pleading for the pardon that Jesus Christ has paid in full.
Once we have cleansed ourselves of our sins through confession, the Holy Spirit will come along side us and lift us to a new, higher level relationship with the Father.  “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”  Psalm 32:1-2  We are truly blessed when we place our trust in the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace that has provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins and freed from its destructive power in our lives.  We thank You Jesus for settling our sin debt for all eternity.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to uncover all of the sin in our lives so that we may quickly confess it with our mouths.  May we escape the darkness that has overcome us and live in the precious light of Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb without Blemish, Jesus Christ.