Tag: Jesus

Surrendering to the Rule and Reign of Jesus Christ in Our Lives

Mark 10:22
Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young man came to Jesus to inquire how he could inherit eternal life. The young man proclaimed knowledge of the commandments and his complete compliance to the commandments, assuming this to be enough. Jesus responded, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young man could not part with the things of this world. He chose the world over the kingdom of God.

Our Heavenly Father has nothing against our possessions or our money. Abraham, Moses and David all had great wealth. Yet they all did what God asked them to do. They placed their relationship with Almighty God above all else. They used their wealth to help meet the needs of their people so that God would receive the glory.

At some point in our walk as disciples of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will inspire us to surrender all that we are and all that we have to Jesus. Nothing less will be acceptable.

Let us make a love offering to Jesus. Let us surrender everything to Him and to His rule and reign in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provision that You have given us. We exalt Your name for the endless flow of Your blessings in our lives, most of which we take for granted. We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire and strengthen us to lift up Your name each day above all the things of the world. We ask, Father, that You prepare our hearts to surrender all that we have and all that we are to You. May we freely part with the provision that You have given us to meet the needs of those around us. May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom. We ask these things in the name of the One who calls us to follow Him, Jesus Christ.

The World Can Offer Nothing that Measures Up to Jesus

Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

There is nothing on this earth that satisfies like the love of Our Heavenly Father. He created a void in our hearts that can only be filled by the presence of Jesus in our lives. When we allow Jesus to be our sustenance, there is nothing that the world can offer that measures up.

Living under the fountain of life that is Jesus Christ is to have a future filled with joy. It is to have sufficient balance against all of our griefs and sorrows. It is the enlightenment that steers us away from wasting our precious time pursuing the things of this earth. It is the light that produces good works in us. It is what prepares us for our inheritance in the kingdom of Our Lord.

Unfortunately, too often we chase every type of earthly pleasure in efforts to fill the void in our hearts. We choose to live in darkness instead of in the light of the One who loves us perfectly. May our eyes be opened so that we see what Our Savior has set aside for us. May our hearts be prepared to receive all that Jesus holds for us. The fullness of our joy will never be reached until we turn to Our Savior for completion. He, and He alone, is the one who satisfies every desire of our hearts.

Let us satisfy ourselves in the wondrous presence of Our Savior. Let us rejoice in His perfect love and forgiveness. Let us show the world our joy.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unfailing love. We rejoice in the joy in our hearts that You have provided by allowing us to receive Your Son, Jesus. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to fill our days with the sweet presence of Our Savior and that the Holy Spirit will provide us with the wisdom to turn away from the offerings of this world. We ask, Father, that as we receive all that has been set aside of us that the world will be drawn to Your Son by our joyful countenance. We ask all these things in the name of the Joy of the World, Jesus Christ.

Learning to Pour Ourselves Out in Service to Others

Matthew 20:28
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus Christ, The Son of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords came to earth as the Son of Man. He gave up all of His royal rights to become a servant of every man. His servanthood was so complete that He gave up His own life and He separated Himself from the Father in order to take on all of our sins so that we might have life with the Father.

Once we claim our eternal inheritance as children of God, we accept that which we do not deserve and could not possibly earn except through the grace and mercy of Our Savior. When we recognize that Jesus Christ served us to the end of our meanness, our selfishness and our sin, we should exhaust ourselves serving all men for His sake.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, should we not follow the model of Our Master? We should be in constant communion with the Father, just as Jesus was, so that we can determine the will and plan that Our Heavenly Father has for our lives. We should then be servants to all men in accordance to the will and plan that the Father reveals to us.

Let us model the servant heart of Jesus for the world to see. Let us draw those around us to the Son of Man through our living testimonies. Let our modeling of the life of the Son of God be what draws those around us to Our Savior King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to be bond servants in Your kingdom. We praise the name of Jesus who came as Son of Man to show us the model for living in accordance with Your will. We come before You to proclaim how unworthy we are of all that You have set aside for us to do in service to Your kingdom. We bless the name of Jesus who has made us worthy servants through the shedding of His blood. We pray, Father, that You fill us with the power of Your Holy Spirit so that we may pour ourselves out to all men. May the hearts of those around us be prepared to receive what we have to offer in the name of Our Savior. We pray all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Joining Jesus in Doing the Work of the Father

John 14:31
But I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

What an succinct invitation that Jesus offered to His disciples, “Come let’s be going.” He offers us the same invitation to join Him in doing the work of the Father.

We cannot possibly find a better model for life, nor a better partner for our work, than the only man who lived without sin. And what was it that this man without sin did? He loved His Father and He did what His Father asked of Him. Then He asked others to join Him in His work.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are asked to be obedient to the Father as He was. We are asked to share the Gospel as He did. We are asked to suffer for the sake of the kingdom as He did. We are asked to fully surrender to the will of the Father as He did. We are asked to find others who will join in the work of the kingdom, just as the Son of Man did. In doing so, we join Jesus in doing the work that the Father called Him to do.

Let us be obedient to the call of Jesus. Let us join the Son of God in doing the Father’s work. Let us show the Father and the Son how much we love them by joining them in their good work.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us so that we are empowered to show the world how much we love You. We bless the name of Jesus for surrendering His life to You so that we can surrender to You. We thank You, Father, for the privilege of joining Your Son, Jesus, in His work. We pray, Lord, that You will raise us up as instruments of Your good work. We ask that You use us as vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We seek the wisdom, grace and the strength to be able to gather others to unite with us in union with Our Savior. We ask all these things in the holy name of One who invites us to join Him, Jesus Christ.

He Promises Exceedingly More

Luke 5:5
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

It is important to realize that there is power for us in the Word of God. The power that we can access is held in the promises that are revealed to us in the Holy Bible. The promises are the keys to our victory over all the forces of this earth and all the forces of evil that might try to come against us. No matter what we think the promises of this world hold in store for us, the Word of God promises exceedingly more.

Peter exhibited faith in the spoken words of His Master, Jesus. Even though his instincts told him that it was highly questionable to expect a worthwhile catch, he dropped his nets. He had faith that Jesus’ words were more powerful than the forces of nature that he knew were unlikely to deliver a decent catch at this place and time of day. His faith was rewarded. His nets were filled beyond the point of bursting.

Whether we are toiling in a ministry that is not fruitful, laboring in a vocation that is not productive or simply struggling with the issues of life, we should look toward the promises in God’s Holy Word and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our victory is guaranteed and is waiting upon us if we have faith in the Lord.

Let us dig into the Holy Word of God and find those scriptures that best fit our time of need. If we are diligent in our search, we will find the promises that will provide the power that we will need to overcome what the world has laid upon us. Let us rejoice in knowing that His Word is more powerful than anything that the evil one or this world can bring against us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your Holy Word to teach us the things that we are promised as inheritors of Your kingdom. We pray that the Holy Spirit shows us how to live our lives in accordance with Your Word and in reliance upon Your promises. We ask that the Holy Spirit strengthen us to stand against everything that comes against us, knowing that through Our Savior we have victory over every circumstance. We ask all these things in the name of the One who gave us victory over all things when He died on the Cross, Jesus Christ.

Finding Supernatural Nourishment and Eternal Sustenance

John 6:33
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

The Jews were accustomed to the idea that bread could come down from heaven. But the bread that they were familiar with came only to supply their natural needs. The manna that they had received came down from the lower heavens. John was writing to them about a new bread that would come to them from the upper heavens. John was teaching them about a new bread that was not for sustaining natural life, but for the giving of spiritual and eternal life. John was revealing to them the bread of God, Jesus Christ. John was confirming that God was still in the business of provision, but He was extending His giving from beyond the natural to the supernatural. In His excellency, Almighty God was offering the Jews a bread that was infinitely superior to the manna of old.

Give us this day our daily bread. How many times have we prayed this and thought only of our fleshly provision? Have we forgotten what Jesus Himself said? The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Christ taught that He is the true Bread. He wanted His disciples to understand that He is supernaturally to the spirit what bread is naturally to the flesh. As our bodies are nourished by grain, Jesus nourishes and supports our spiritual life. He is the Bread of God.

Let us remember both the natural and supernatural provision that our precious Lord provides us when we ask for our daily bread. Let us seek both that which strengthens us physically and that which strengthens us by the supernatural power of the One who was crucified for our sins. Let us give thanks for our eternal sustenance.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing both our physical and spiritual nourishment. We exalt Your name for the harvest that You bring into our lives to be the natural provision for our bodies. We praise You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be the supernatural nourishment and eternal sustenance that we need for our spirit-filled lives. We pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts so that we will receive a full portion of the nourishment of Jesus Christ for our souls. May everything we do be in remembrance of Our Savior and what He did for us. As You nourish us with Your True Bread, Father, may we provide nourishment to those who are in need of the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord of all provision, Jesus Christ.

The Abundant Life That We Have Been Created For

Ephesians 1:10
And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

This passage teaches that all that was lost with the fall of man will be restored. Jesus Christ will be the Restorer. He will renew the former state, bringing together under His authority all of heaven and earth.

While Our Father has blessed us with the capacity to enjoy all that He has created, He leaves a void in our hearts that can only be filled by His Son. Only when we fill the void with Our Savior are we able to fully experience the abundant life that we have been created for. When we become one with Christ, we inherit everything in heaven and on earth.

When we become one with Christ, we see His glory in every sunrise, every sunset, every full moon, every star, every mountain, every valley, every ocean, every lake, every river, every stream, every tree, every flower, every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every animal, every bird, every fish and in every man and woman. When we surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ, we are in position to experience the fullness of heaven and earth as God intended it before the fall of man.

Let us prepare ourselves to receive all that has been set aside for us. Let us share our joy so that others will come to live under the glorious rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us a part of Your creation plan. We bless the name of Jesus, through whom we are able to experience the fullness of Your creation. We long for Jesus to make His home in our hearts. We pray that we may have the wisdom to understand the depths of His love. We ask that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to trust in Him completely. We pray for the humility to surrender totally to His authority. May we experience the joy of being one with Christ in heaven and on earth. We pray these things in the name of Our precious Savior and Restorer, Jesus Christ.

Getting Past the Busyness in Life

Isaiah 40:26
Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.

The prophet Isaiah wrote these words to the people of his time because they had turned their attention to idols. Isaiah was redirecting their focus from their man-made idols to the Creator of all things. He was testing them. He wanted them to use their imaginations to find the might, the power and the presence of God Almighty in everything in nature that surrounded them.

Jesus has authority over all creatures and all created things on this earth. Through the prophet, Isaiah, we were directed to use our senses to consider who created everything and give honor to Him. We should test ourselves. Have we replaced God Almighty with our own idols – ourselves, our work, our avocations, our idle time?

Let us lift our eyes to the the heavens above. Let us seek to understand what a glorious being our God must be. Let us consider what power He must possess. Let us imagine the brilliance of His majestic presence. Let us know for certain how He infinitely exceeds any other being. Having done these things, let us set His place in our lives where it should be – first and foremost.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for directing our imaginations toward You. We pray that the Holy Spirit show us how to get past the busyness of our lives so that we can enjoy Your presence in all that we do. We ask that You teach us how to praise You in every breath, exalt You in every provision and worship You in every activity. May we find the essence of who You are in our every high thought. We ask all these things in the name of Our Most High God and Creator, Jesus Christ.

Do You Love Me? Prove it!!

John 21:17
He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep”.

If Jesus had asked any of us the same question that He asked Peter, surely our response would have been similar. “Of course, I love You Jesus,” is a refrain that each of us would speak very easily and we would believe fully in our sincerity. Yet aren’t we all a bit like Peter? Our spoken proclamation of love does not necessarily measure up to our proven love.

Peter, believing his love for Jesus was obvious to Jesus, became frustrated. So Peter challenged Jesus, saying, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus’ response to Peter’s challenge was essentially, “Prove it.”

Jesus challenges each of us as well to feed His sheep. He calls us to provide appropriate nourishment to the young lambs and encouragement to the mature members of the flock. He calls us to go after any that leave the flock until they are found and brought back under the protection of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus calls on each of us who love Him to go out and do the work that He was doing. He tended to all of the needs of the people, all the way to the Cross, because of His love for His Father. Jesus expects us to take up His work, to take up our cross, because of our love for Him.

Let us go out into the world and join Jesus in the work that He would be doing for His Father in heaven if He were still on earth. Let us allow Him to do His work through us. Let us show the world His love as we respond to His question, “Do you love Me?”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to tend to our every need, especially our need to be freed from the sin that separates us from You. In response to Your loving kindness, mercy and grace, we surrender our lives to You. We ask that You show us the cross that You have prepared for us. We pray, Lord, that You instruct us in the way that we should go as we join Your Son in His work. May Your Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen us for the journey. Father, we pray that You release Your power through us so that others may discover the Way of the Cross. We ask all these things in the name of the one who went to the Cross and shed His blood for us, Jesus Christ.

Mirroring the Nature and Character of Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 5:14
Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

Had Jesus Christ not died for us, we would be spiritually dead and ruined. We would be slaves to our sin and we would have no power to deliver ourselves from the miserable state that we would be in.

But, indeed, Christ did die for us, so that we could all die to sin and self. As we receive Jesus as Our Savior, we are freed from a spiritually dead life. We are freed to live for Our Redeemer. It is through Christ’s love that we are able to live as Our Redeemer lived in the perfect will of the Father.

It is the love of our beloved, Jesus Christ, that shines forth in us when we submit ourselves to be vessels of His perfect love. The love of Jesus in our lives is what allows us to show the world what living for Christ is all about. With Him and through Him, we will do more for the kingdom of God than we could ever even imagine.

Let us be certain in our faith that Jesus lives inside us today. Let us surrender to Him, giving up our old lives in the flesh and claiming our new lives in the spirit. Let us mirror His nature and His character. Let us live in the fullness of His will and plan for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son who died for our sins. We praise the name of Jesus for accepting Your will and plan for His life all the way to the Cross. We pray, Father, that the world will see the way, the truth and the life of Jesus through us as we leave our old lives behind in exchange for the our new lives in Christ. We ask, Lord, that the fullness of the life of Your Son, Jesus, be perfected in us. May the world know us as His disciples. We ask all these things in the name of the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.