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With Perfect Love and Forgiveness

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

We are commanded to love one another as we love ourselves.  How can we be commanded to take on such an impossible task?  Does God not know how incapable our hearts are to fulfill this commandment?

Of course He does.  That is why He gave us His Son, Jesus, to be Our Savior.  Jesus is the expression of the perfect love and forgiveness of Our Heavenly Father.  When we receive Jesus as Our Savior, we receive the capacity to love as God does.  Through our salvation, we are able to free ourselves from our judgmental natures and our cynical hearts.  We are able to free ourselves from demanding of others what they cannot give.  We are able to free ourselves from every disillusioned thought that our deceitful heart contrives against others.  

So, are we able to love one another as we love ourselves?  Of course we are.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we are able love one another with perfect love and forgiveness just as The Father loves us. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing the wickedness in our hearts.  We thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that we have a way to overcome our selfish natures.  We praise You for giving us the capability to share Your perfect love and forgiveness with the world around us.  We pray that the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit will aid us and strengthen us to love others just as You love us.

He Cometh with Clouds

Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds;

It is quite natural to associate the idea of clouds with storm clouds.  When storm clouds are building we are likely to think, “look out.”  

As we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we come to realize when storm clouds begin to build in our lives, we need to think, “look up.”  Just as God used the clouds to guide the Israelites to the promised land, He can use the storm clouds in our lives to turn our focus to Him for guidance.  Through this process, He teaches us dependence on Him for providing the pathway through the storms of our lives.  Paradoxically, without the storm clouds we would have little faith.

The perfect pathway through the storms of life lies in our relationship with Jesus.  When our clouds become the darkest, we can always look up and turn to Jesus for He is the light of the world.  “He cometh with clouds.”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the Light of the World when darkness surrounds us.  We praise You for the faith that You build in us as Jesus carries us and comforts us through our trials.  We pray that we may learn from the trials that we pass through so that we may comfort others who pass the same way.

Each Precious Moment

Matthew 6:45
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

The directive was clear to the disciples.  “Get in the boat.  Go to the other side of the lake.  Wait on Me.”  So off they went, obedient to the directive given them.  They probably assumed this would be a relatively easy trip.  Little did they know that their journey would be difficult.  In fact, their journey was described as painful for the wind was strongly against them.  But in the midst of their struggles, Jesus showed up and the winds ceased.  Once again their were reminded of the power and ever presence of the Lord in their lives.  Once again God received the glory. 

This passage reminds us that life is not about achievements, not even achievements in the areas that God is leading us.  We may have the feeling that God is leading us to a particular end.  He is, but not how we are thinking about it.  The goal of getting to a particular end is simply a by product of the process that God is taking us through.  With God, the process is the end.

All the headwinds that we encounter in life are part of the process of preparing us for our eternal place with the Father.  The process is complete when we seek the will of the Father in every circumstance in our lives.  His purpose is that we call on Him and His power in each moment that we live, regardless of the end that we may be working toward.  It is each precious moment and not the end result that is important to God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for being ever present with us during the chaos of our lives.  We thank You that we can call on You every single moment of our lives to be our strength when the headwinds of life come against us.  We pray that You teach us how to live every moment of our lives aware of the sanctifying process that You are taking us through.  May our relationships with You mature beyond our expectations as we experience the fullness of Jesus Christ in our lives.  May we savor each moment, knowing that it brings glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

More than Conquerors through Jesus Christ

John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

In this scripture, we read some of the last words spoken by Jesus to His disciples.  He intended for them to be encouraged in the face of the tribulations that they would soon face after He departed.  His tone was one of triumph…victory in the face of trial, peace in the face of turmoil.

Jesus wants us to know that we will face tribulation in this world, but He has overcome anything and everything that comes against us.  He wants us to have the peace of knowing that He going to prepare a place for us in communion with Him in the presence of the Father.  He wants us to know that the various persecutions and afflictions that we endure for His sake will bring glory to His name and many blessings and joy to us.  He wants us to be of good cheer because our sins are forgiven and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts for all eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promises of peace, courage and victory over all the trials in our lives.  We pray that you will strengthen us to overcome all that the world throws at us, whether it be the temptations of the Satan, the infirmities of our flesh or the persecution we suffer in Your name.  Father, may we know the joy that only You can provide when we are in the midst of the battle.  May it all be for the glory of the One who overcame it all on our behalf.   May we be more than conquerors through Our Lord, Our Master and Our King, Jesus Christ.   

Living a Life that is Pleasing to God

Matthew15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Found in the core structure of the flesh is sin.  To think otherwise is to contradict the Word of God.  We are firmly bound to sin when we operate outside the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

We can lead good lives by worldly standards, but we cannot lead Godly lives without the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Purity is too deep down for man to get to naturally.  We need the Holy Spirit to guide us in surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ so that we may live in accordance with His unsullied purity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus, to be the supreme authority over our hearts.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us in our battle to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to You.  By Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace, may we repent of everything in our lives that displeases You.  May we surrender all that we have and all that we are to You.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity. 

Victory Over Our Old Man

Revelation3:17
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

The teachings of Jesus can seem out of all proportion with our natural way of considering things.  In fact, reading His teachings can lead to astonishing discomfort.  Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it may be challenging for us to rationalize the inerrant teaching in the Word.

The corruption of the world has become so commonplace that it is often overlooked and at times completely approved of as acceptable behavior.  The Word of God magnifies the differences between the ways of Our Risen Lord and the ways of the world.  When the Holy Spirit leads us to see the power and joy in the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, we begin the process of gaining victory over our old man.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to show us the way, the truth and the life that is available to us through our salvation and the daily working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We pray that You will shine Your light on the world so that all the darkness is exposed for what it is.  May Your Holy Spirit send laborers into the field to bring in a great harvest of disciples of Jesus.  May we join You in Your good work.

Our Righteousness is in Jesus Christ Alone

Matthew 5:20
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

No man can make himself pure enough to enter heaven by obeying the laws.  The Pharisees created laws upon laws that were supposedly put in place to prepare them for their way to heaven.  Jesus put to rest the folly in their thinking.

We are born in sin.  There is no possibility for us to enter heaven without being washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.  No matter how many good things we do, no matter how many laws we adhere to, we are not worthy for heaven without the cleansing and indwelling of Our Savior.

No one can stand before the eternal light and consummate holiness of Almighty God with the slightest taint of sin.  We are incapable of reaching this pure condition without the remaking of our nature by Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making it possible for us to stand in Your presence one day.  We praise You for making The Word flesh so that we could be inheritors of the only bloodline without sin.  We rejoice in knowing that one day our holiness will be complete as we shed our earthly bodies and take on the pure, supernatural bodies that You have set aside for us.  We pray, Lord, that Your Spirit guide us and strengthen us as we learn to shed the corruption of our flesh here on earth in preparation for the time that we go to our full glory in Jesus Christ.

Our Holiness Flourishes on Earth

1 Corinthians 1:30
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

Are we willing for God to make sanctification as real in us as it is in His Son, Jesus?  The sanctification process begins with submission.  The submission process begins when we humbly receive Jesus Christ as Our Redeemer.  Our sanctification begins immediately upon our submission to Our Savior.  The sanctification process flourishes as we deny ourselves and rely entirely on Jesus to release His holiness in our lives.  The sanctification process continues until the day we stand before the Lord in the fullness of our completed holiness.

Sanctification is impossible in our flesh alone.  It is only possible with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in full operation in our lives.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we access all the perfections of Jesus and slowly, but surely, begin to live a life of holiness on this earth. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us from the corruption of our old man into a condition of holiness in our new man in Christ.  We worship You and bless Your name from the fount of holiness that Our Savior has created within us.  We pray that we will receive the grace that we need to remain steadfast on our journey of sanctification.  We seek to have our journey become a living testimony to those who you have placed in our lives.  We ask for the wisdom and the courage to share our sanctification story with  them.  

The Struggle Within


Hebrews 13:21

equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Upon receiving Jesus Christ as Our Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to show us what sanctification means. Immediately the struggle begins. Everything that we do that is displeasing to the Lord comes to light.  

Jesus became man so that He could die for our sins.  When He comes to dwell within us, there is no room for the sins of the old man.  We must allow our old selves to die as we assume our new life in Christ.  The two cannot abide together.  To try and hold on to our old lives once Jesus has arrived is to enter into a struggle that is filled with endless pain. The new life of joy is found only in the death of our old lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your Holy Word that defines the things that please you.  We praise You for revealing to us all the things in our lives that displease you.  We bless the name of Jesus for giving us victory over the sins that try to defeat us.  We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us in our struggles to overcome the torments of our flesh and the attacks of the enemy.  May the Holy Spirit enlighten us in the areas that the world tries to redefine as acceptable when You have already defined it as sin. May all that we do be acceptable in Your eyes. May it all be for Your glory. 



Opening the Door to the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes seem quite odd.  They seem to erect standards that we cannot attain and offer gifts that are beyond our reach.  The Beatitudes become much clearer when we realize that they are all about our relationship with Jesus Christ and how it impacts our lives.   The first four Beatitudes specifically address our relationship with Jesus.  The remainder of the Beatitudes address how our lives will change when we accept Our Savior.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit” speaks to how far we fall short of the glory of God without His Son’s redemption.   “Blessed are those that mourn” speaks to our need to express our sorrow for our sinful ways.  “Blessed are the meek” speaks to our need to humble ourselves before Our Savior and accept the salvation that He offers us.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” speaks to our need to become new men and women in Christ.

When we have responded to the teachings of the first four Beatitudes by accepting Jesus as Our Savior, the character and actions in our lives become a reflection of the rest of the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.  With Christ indwelling in us, we are able to be merciful, be pure of heart and be peacemakers.  As a result, we will be persecuted for our righteousness in Christ.  When all these things have happened, rejoice and be glad for our reward will be great.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us our great need in Our Savior, Jesus.  We exalt the name of Jesus for it is through Him that we are given the kingdom of heaven.  We pray, Lord, for the humility to recognize our filthy and condemned nature without the saving grace of the Cross.  We ask that Your Holy Spirit will come along side of us and help us so that we will allow the power of the presence of Your Son in our lives to change how we serve You.  May we receive the fullness of the blessings that are promised in the Beatitudes.