Tag: independence

Turning to Almighty God as the One 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.

As a nation, let us firmly grasp the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus Christ. Let us pray for our leaders to make God’s Word and His commandments the foundation of our legal system. Let us once again look to Almighty God as the God in Whom we trust.

As citizens, let us keep His laws and observe them in our hearts. Let us delight in the path we follow when we follow the Lord’s commandments. Let our lives become living testimonies of His righteousness.

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.

Missing What God Has in Store for Us

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

A true disciple of Jesus is one that walks in the same anointed way that Jesus walked. A true disciple follows His Master’s example on a daily basis. A true disciple is energetic and passionate about every task assigned by the Master. A true disciple of Jesus Christ is one that denies self and takes up the Cross that Jesus has prepared for him or her.

During our toddler ages, we are already beginning to express our own individuality and independence. It is during this time that most of us realize for the first time that we are our own person and can make choices for ourselves. Unfortunately, one of our favorite words during these early ages is “no.” Our rebellious nature wants to reject all the good counsel of our parents in order to fully express our own independence. This independent behavior has a tendency to carry over into our relationship with Almighty God. We set a pattern early for ourselves which establishes the importance of our desires over loving authority. We establish lifestyles in which our decisions are made based on the needs of our flesh and not on the desires of Almighty God for our lives. Ultimately, we miss much that God has in store of us.

Let us shake loose from the independence that we have strived so hard to attain throughout our lives. Let us learn to deny ourselves and surrender completely to the will of Our Savior. Let us follow the path that Our Redeemer laid out for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You provide so that we are able to take up the Cross of Your Son and follow Him. We thank You for Your patience with us as we learn to deny our sinful natures, our ungodliness and our worldly lusts. We pray, Lord, for the strength to exercise the humility, zeal, patience and self-denial that the Cross demands. May we carry out every duty for Your glory and for the gain of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus Christ.

Receiving the Honor that Almighty God Bestows on Jesus’ Disciples

John 12:26
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

How is it possible that Almighty God would honor His lowly creations from dust? As unimaginable as it seems to us, it is settled in the kingdom of God. The process for such an honor is locked into place for all eternity. The steps are clearly defined. Become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Serve Him wherever and whenever He calls. Be honored by the Father.

Simple enough, right? At least it would seem so. But for most of us, we have some social hurdles to overcome. We were raised to be fiercely independent. That trait, while desirable in the carnal world, can have a negative impact on how we are able to build intimacy with God. The true intimacy of a Holy Spirit lead lifestyle is not possible until we are able to completely surrender our lives to Jesus.

Anything short of full surrender to Jesus will lead to a life on the fence – half devoted to being a disciple of Jesus Christ and half devoted to the callings of the world. When we are in that vacillating position, we are spiritually immature. That is not the real life that God has planned for us. God wants a spiritually mature life for us and from us. He wants us to reach a place where we make every decision in life with discernment of the Holy Spirit. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be fully committed disciples of His Son, conscious of our dependence on Him without regard to the trappings of our world.

Let us take full advantage of our salvation. Let us become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice as we receive the honor that Almighty God bestows on those that become bond servants of His Son.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that we can stay in constant communion with Him and receive grace from Him. We rejoice in knowing that we receive honor from You when we follow Your Son and accept the gift of salvation that He offers. We ask forgiveness, Lord, for all the times that we make decisions based on the world’s standards and not Yours. We pray, Father, that You will provide the grace that we need to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit only. We ask for the strength and the wisdom to lay aside the trifling concerns of this life. May we learn to exercise love, humility, patience, self-denial and resignation to Your will in the same manner as Our Savior did when He walked this earth. May the eternal glory be Yours. We ask all these things in the name of Our Refiner and Purifier, Jesus Christ.

All We Need is Available to Us Now

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.

Let us run to the Father now. Let us claim all that He has set aside for us. Let us live now in the richness and fullness that is in Jesus Christ.

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 the name of the One who rewards those that seek Him, Jesus Christ.

The Righteousness that Living in His Kingdom Requires

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We have been raised in a world where goals, objectives and top line results are everything. We feel measured by the things that we have and the things that we have accomplished and pressured by the things that we are trying to accomplish. We have been trained to be independent and self-reliant. This is absolutely upside down from the kingdom of God. Our all-sufficient Lord promises that He will meet our every need.

Although Our Lord promises us that He will provide all that we need and all the desires of our hearts, we must realize that these promises are conditional. We must first seek His kingdom and the righteousness that living in His kingdom requires. Then all of these things will be given to us. Food, drink, clothing or whatever other worldly sustenance that we need will be given to us freely and liberally. We are able to receive these gifts without having to think about how they will come, without having to concern ourselves about the timeliness of their arrival and, most importantly, without due consideration of our own merit or our own capability.

Let our great goals in life be set based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Let all of our objectives be directed toward putting our relationship with God first. Let us set aside our need to worry over our results. Let us receive the truly abundant life that has been promised to us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the abundant life that awaits us when we seek You first. We bring You all the honor and glory for being Our Provider. We ask Your forgiveness for seeking the things of the world before You. Teach us, Lord, how to prioritize our lives according to the principles of Your kingdom. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us so that we may live in Christ and not in the world. We ask all these things in the name of Our Promised and Abundant Provision, Jesus Christ.

Seeking the Simplicity and Satisfaction of a Life in Accordance with the Plans of God

Matthew 6:30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you–you of little faith?

Gorgeous are the wild flowers that fill our fields in the spring and the summer. They pop up everywhere without a hint of human intervention. They are here with us for only a brief time before succumbing to the seasons. Yet year after year, God raises them up and displays them spectacularly as just one tiny example of His loving providence. How is it possible that we doubt the provision and protection of Our Father in heaven when He is so loyal to even the small plants with their limited life cycles? Do we not have enough faith to see how much more He would provide for His children who He holds so dear as to grant them eternal life?

We have allowed the cares of the world to come in and diminish our faith in the promises of Almighty God. We have followed the world’s lead and put our faith in our own independence instead of in the hands of Our Creator. We have tried to satisfy ourselves in all the things of the world instead of the perfect provision of Our Loving Father in heaven. In the process, we have complicated our lives to the point that we cannot be satisfied.

Let us seek the simplicity and satisfaction of the promised provision that is ours to claim from the One who never breaks His promises. Let us trust that His planned provision for us is more than sufficient and is far more satisfying than anything that the world has to offer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing for our every need. We rejoice in knowing that all the treasures of Your kingdom are ours through the eternal inheritance secured for us by Your Son, Jesus. We pray, Father, that you will help us break our worldly appetites that are impossible to satisfy. Strengthen us, O Lord, that we may bear up to our daily troubles, stand up against our temptations and allow none of these things to move us away from You. Help us to seek You, Father God. We pray all these things in the name of our endless fount of provision, Jesus Christ.

The Folly of Man Made Laws

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.

As a nation, let us firmly grasp the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus Christ. Let us pray for our leaders to make God’s Word and His commandments the foundation of our legal system. Let us once again look to Almighty God as the God in Whom we trust.

As citizens, let us keep His laws and observe them in our hearts. Let us delight in the path we follow when we follow the Lord’s commandments. Let our lives become living testimonies of His righteousness.

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.