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Sin is our nature.  It never leaves our flesh.  We must always be alert to its lurking in our lives and the fact that Satan stands ready to exploit its power over us at a moment’s notice.

Our only refuge from sin is Jesus Christ.  We must constantly renew ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  We must allow for His strength to be perfected in our weakness.  If we ever consider ourselves adequate for the battle, we will surely fall to our sinful nature.

Our corporate sin sent Jesus to the Cross to die.  Our individual sins will lead to our deaths unless we go to Jesus to accept our gift of redemption from the death penalty.

Through Jesus we receive the exchanged life of joy for the old life of sin and its miserable consequences.  We must recognize in the process that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to live a life that brings glory to God and results in the joy that we experience.

We can be certain that we have much to be concerned about in our own lives when we are constantly judgmental of others.  We should be careful not to look at others with a judgmental eye, seeking to find the stains of sin in their lives.  We should seek instead the path of intercession for others.  We should be diligent in prayer for the blood of Jesus to cover them so that they may stand spotless before the Father.

As we turn our focus on prayer for the salvation of others, the eye of judgment will leave us.  The spiritual cleansing that we seek for others will be imparted to us through the Holy Spirit.

In Numbers 6:24-26, we read of the priest’s prayer for the people.  “May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.”

These are the things that we desire for everyone around us when we submit our own lives to Jesus.  When we abide in Jesus, we will seek nothing but the best of what God has to offer for all of the people in our lives.  Numbers 6:24-26 is a great way to start our prayers of intercession.

Once we have received Jesus into our lives, it becomes our nature to pray for the salvation of the lost persons in our lives.  This type of prayer intercession for others can be a frustrating experience if we are looking for instant results.

We must recognize that God works according to His perfect plans and perfect timing – not our desired timing.  But more importantly, we must recognize that the work of salvation that we pray for was completed on the Cross.

When we were children, we joined our parents in the work around the house.  When we did the work with them, we were expressing our love for them by honoring them with our obedience.  It is probably safe to say that we enjoyed spending time with our parents more than we enjoyed doing the work itself.  

How is it that we can somehow become more enamored with our own Christian works than we are with Christ, Himself?  Somehow the truth has escaped us.  May the Holy Spirit rekindle our love for our Savior. 

As good managers, we should always keep our sights on our goals.  As good Christians, we should also keep Jesus in our sights as we go through our daily activities.

With Jesus as our focus, two very important things happen.  1)  The things that are around us to scare or hinder us become insignificant.  2)  The vision of what we are trying to attain and how we are going to get there become crystal clear.  Through Jesus we are able to follow the path that God put in place for us before our birth.

When we can look at any other human being without being critical of their behavior, then we know we truly know Jesus.   When can overlook the behavior of others while we love them because of the fact that they are one of God’s beloved children, then we know that we truly have a relationship with Jesus.  

Until we reach that time of spiritual maturity, we must take every situation in which we are ready to criticize someone and turn that situation over to the Holy Spirit.  Then we must praise God for giving us the grace to see the frailty in others without damaging them with our words.

What Jesus did for us, we did not earn.  What Jesus did for us, we do not deserve.  Yet the moment we accept the salvation that He made possible when He died for us on the Cross, we have the power within us to lay ourselves down each day for those around us.

Our flesh will argue against it and Satan will certainly do his part to discourage us, but the victory is totally complete.  All we have to do is let the Spirit within us flow out of us.

Instead of calling for the water to come from the rock as God instructed Moses, he hit the rock twice with his staff.  Moses was prohibited from entering the promised land because of this simple act of disobedience.  

What promised land do we miss when we are not obedient in the small things – a helping hand for a grumpy neighbor, a kind word and unsolicited help for a tired spouse, a loving hug for a disobedient child.  God is in all these acts of kindness.  We should do them for His glory.  He has much awaiting us.