Tag: Jesus

He Does Not Care What Condition We Are In

Matthew 14:14
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Jesus has great compassion for all people. During His time on earth, He poured out His compassion on all of the people whom He encountered. He did not go out condemning them, even though many deserved His condemnation. No matter what condition He found them in, He offered help. He came to heal them all in mind, body and spirit. In each case, He forgave them of their sins and offered them the hope of an eternal inheritance.

Today He does the very same thing for us. He does not care what condition we are in now or what condition we come from. His offer is always the same. He pours out His loving kindness on us. He offers us the opportunity to be healed in mind, body and spirit and to receive our eternal inheritance through His mercy and grace. His offer is always accompanied by His perfect love and forgiveness.

In turn, He expects us to reflect His love and forgiveness by having compassion on the people that He places in our lives. We should be alert to those around us that are burdened by afflictions, addictions and iniquities.

Let us raise our awareness for the need to show mercy and compassion for those who are burdened. Let us prepare ourselves to provide for the needs of their minds, their bodies and their souls. Let us willingly and purposely serve them in the same manner that Jesus would have served them, compassionately without condemnation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing for our every need and offering us the keys to Your kingdom through Your Son, Jesus. We exalt the name of Jesus for the sacrifice He endured for us to be able to accept His loving kindness and mercy. Remind us, Lord, that we are Jesus’ ambassadors of compassion today. May we be living vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness. We pray that through Your grace we will serve the world around us compassionately without condemnation. We ask all these things in the name of our eternally compassionate king, Jesus Christ.

Hope is a Person

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Is it hope that we need today? Are we seeking hope to relieve the pain that we are suffering? Are we seeking hope to relieve the concern over the financial woes that are hounding us? Or, perhaps, are we seeking hope to ease the torment of conflict in a relationship that we are feeling?

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. There is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God. He sent the fallen angels from His kingdom forever because of their sins. He flooded the earth because of the violence and evil of all mankind. He destroyed all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. Yet He spared us from our sins by giving us His Son. Through His Son, He provides us with all our temporal needs and all of our spiritual blessings. It is all given freely according to His good will and pleasure.

For while we are without strength, all that we need is provided through Our Savior. While we are sorrowful, we can always rejoice. While we are poor, we can experience His abundant riches. While we may have nothing, we can possess everything through the sacrificial offering of the Son of Almighty God, Jesus Christ.

Let us go boldly and confidently to the throne of Our Heavenly Father. Let us celebrate His desire to meet all of our needs through His all-sufficient Son, Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice in His grace.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with all of our needs, both temporal and spiritual. We exalt the name of Jesus for providing us with that which we do not deserve and could never earn except through His death for our sins. We praise You, Father, for the hope and assurance that we have through Our Savior. He is all that we need. We pray that through Your grace and through the aid of the Holy Spirit, we will find the peace and strength that we need in all circumstances. We ask all these things in the name of the Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Prepare to Receive All that He Has Prepared for Us Through His Son

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

In this passage we are given the summation of all of our blessings.  God the Father is the author and giver of all blessings.  Jesus Christ is the medium that God the Father uses to dispense His blessings.  The sphere of coverage is every single blessing in heavenly places.

The fullness of everything that we need and the fullness of everything that will satisfy us originates with God the Father.  Every iota of these blessings is held in the hands of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. And His Holy Spirit dwells in us as the dispensing fount that we may draw on at any time.

Why should we ever look elsewhere?  Man can never be counted on to stand by us through all circumstances.  At some point, all men will fail one another.  The Lord, Jesus, never fails us.  He is with us even under the direst circumstances, even the ones that we have created ourselves.

Let us surrender ourselves to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us prepare to receive all that He can bestow, all that His Son can provide and all that the Holy Spirit can apply in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You provide to us through Your Son.  We pray that You show us how to turn to Jesus first in all things.  Strengthen us, Lord, so that we may leave behind our reliance on a fallen world.  Prepare us, Father, to stand before You one day and receive the fullness of Your kingdom in heaven.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Mediator, Jesus Christ.

Complete Submission to the Father’s Will For the Good of All Mankind

Matthew 26:39
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus fully accepted His assignment of death on the Cross. He knew that His sacrifice was necessary for the salvation of all men. He knew that His death on the Cross was the reason He was sent to earth. The thing that overwhelmed Jesus was the impending separation from the Father when He would take on the sins of all men. Yet Jesus was fully obedient to the will of the Father for the good of all mankind. And He was received in all His glory by the Father.

According to this example of Christ, we must drink of the most bitter cup which God puts into our hands. Even though our flesh will seek immediate relief from all trial in our lives, we must recognize and accept the will of Our Father as we go through our trials. For, as God allowed the unspeakable trial of the Cross for the benefit of all mankind, He allows each of us to go through our trials for our ultimate eternal gain. Through our faithful obedience, one day we will be standing sinless before Almighty God and we will be received into glory by Him.

Let us face each cup of bitterness in our lives with hope and confidence in the promises of the Cross. Let us rejoice that Almighty God loves us so much that He works every detail in our lives for our eternal good. Let us exalt the name of Jesus for accepting His cup of bitterness so that we may have victory over every trial in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You allow the trials in our lives that prepare us to be received by You. May You provide the grace we need for our spiritual maturation so that we are able to take our cup of bitterness and rejoice in our submission to Your will and plan for our lives. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us so that we may overcome the weakness of our flesh. We surrender to Our Savior and ask that we live in the fullness that He has made available to us through His sacrifice on the Cross. We ask all these things in the name of the Word made flesh on our eternal behalf, Jesus Christ.

The Invitation from the Servant King

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

In days of old, the yoke was used to pair field animals together. The yoke enabled the pair to work together more efficiently. In this passage, Jesus invites us to join Him in His yoke. He then points out that He is gentle and lowly in heart. Thus, He is telling us that He is a willing servant that welcomes us along side, where He will teach us about His demeanor and bring us rest. How could we pass on such an offer from our Servant King? How could we pass on the opportunity to learn from the only man who ever lived in perfection? How could we pass on being paired side by side in all things with the Son of God, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ?

And consider this…to make the offer even greater, Jesus places no limits on the time He will allow us to come along side of Him. Nor does He place any limits on the burdens that He would share with us. His invitation to be at His side is available 24-7 regardless of the burden we are carrying. He is always along side us to bring us comfort when we are under the greatest level of stress or experiencing pain at the limits of our ability to endure. Truly He offers us the endless joy that He shares with the Father. When we surrender to the yoke of Our Lord, the joy of the Lord is our strength when we would have none otherwise. When we take up His yoke, we take on His meekness, His humility, His lowliness and, most of all, His complete subjection to His Father.

Let us free ourselves from being yoked to anything of this earth. Let us humble ourselves and seek to be yoked to Our Servant King. Let us join Our Savior in His complete submission to His Father.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing all that we need to get through our troubles. We rejoice in knowing that we can find joy in the heaviest of burdens when we accept the yoke that is offered by Your Son, Jesus. We pray that You teach us how to be lowly in heart so that we readily accept our place in the yoke. We ask all these things in the name of Our Comforter who rescues those who are crushed in spirit, Jesus Christ.

The Standard Against Which Judgement Will Be Made

Luke 23:31
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?

As the women were weeping for the suffering of Jesus as He was on His way to be crucified, He prophesied the terrible judgement that awaits those that do not accept the new life that He offers them. He emphasized the message of His prophecy by using Himself as the standard against which judgement will be made.

Jesus compared Himself to a green tree, full of life, flourishing in every aspect of its existence. Such a tree is not proper to be cut down before its time, nor is it fit to be fuel for the fire. The metaphor was designed to express the righteousness and innocence of Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, Jesus was comparing the sinner to dry, dead wood. Such wood is rotten and deserving to be fuel for the fire. The metaphor was designed to express the depravity and worthlessness of the sinner.

If He, who is pure and perfect in every measure and is the essence of life itself, had to suffer beyond the human capacity for pain and then die for our sins, why then should we, the driest of woods, not expect to die for our sins? We should expect death for the wages of sins is death. We can only escape the punishment for our sins and claim our inheritance as children of God by accepting the offer of eternal life through Our Savior.

Let us become vessels of the life of Christ within us. Let us look deep inside and make sure that we are not dry wood, bearing no fruit, showing no sign of allowing the life of Christ within us to be released to the world around us. Let us submit and surrender to the abundant life that dwells within us. Let us then seek out those around us who are living in the driest places. Let us present them with the Living Water that has taken us out of our dry places so that they might also experience life in Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing the way, the truth and the life that is found only in Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for all that He suffered on our behalf. We rejoice in the inheritance that awaits us. We pray that You will raise us up to be living testimonies to the new life that we have in Christ so that others may join us in our eternal places in Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of the life giving spirit, Jesus Christ.

The Privilege of Interceding for Others

Isaiah 59:16
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

Jesus was sent to earth to be the perfect intercessor for all mankind. He took the mantle that no one else could take. The Son of God came as Son of Man to be Our Redeemer. His Holy Spirit followed Him to be Our Sanctifier and Our Comforter. He stands forever before the Father in righteousness on behalf of all men. No human champion could ever meet the perfect intercessory requirements of the Father.

Though there is not one of us good enough to be true intercessors, Almighty God allows us the privilege to stand in intercessory prayer for others. Our privileges are not earned. They are granted through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Intercessory prayer is the perfect service for each of us to enter. We communicate with God on behalf of others. We go before the Father in worship and solicitation for His divine assistance. We seek His will for those that we pray for. Through the process, the needs of many or met and our relationship with the Father grows to be like the relationship that the Father has with The Son.

Let us strive to be sensitive to the needs of the people who surround us. Let us learn to listen to the Holy Spirit who will gently urge us to intercede for others that are placed in our lives. Let us boldly proclaim our intercessory prayers in the name of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Son to stand before Your Throne on our behalf. We pray that You will teach us how to stand before You on the behalf of those that You have placed around us. May You open our eyes and hearts so that we may see their needs and prayerfully respond to them. May You strengthen us so that we will not falter in our prayer life. May our relationship with You become like the relationship that You have with Your Son, Jesus. We ask all of these things in name of the Divine Intercessor, Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Influences That Assist Us in Being Holy, Pure and Wise

Isaiah 11:2
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

In this passage, Isaiah was prophesying of the nature of our coming Savior. The scripture foretold that Jesus would be given extraordinary endowments through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Because we are indwelled by Jesus Christ when we accept Him as Our Savior, we inherit these same wondrous endowments for ourselves. The inheritance that we receive is not temporary or occasional. It is a permanent and enduring influence on our lives.

With our inheritance, we receive three pairs of spiritual influences to assist us in being holy, pure and wise. Each pairing is made up of a spiritual gift and the resulting impact of that gift in our lives:
1) We are provided wisdom from which comes the understanding to perceive moral and intellectual truths.
2) We are provided counsel from which comes the might that gives us the direction and the power that we need to carry out the plans that emerge from our spiritual insight.
3) We are provided knowledge from which comes the fear of the Lord which establishes the foundation of our relationship with the one true God, Our Father in heaven.

Let us be mindful of all the gifts that Christ made available for us when He died on the Cross. Let us seek the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord to overwhelm us each day. Let us use our gifts to produce great fruit for the Kingdom of Almighty God and bring honor and glory to Our Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the wondrous nature that You have given us in Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that the fullness of the Holy Spirit will rest upon us. We seek Your wisdom so that we may have understanding in all matters. We seek your counsel that we may become mighty warriors for Your kingdom. We ask, Lord, that You inspire us to take the knowledge that we have of You and turn it into a reverent awe that changes how we live every moment of our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the One who gives power to the faint and might to those without strength, Jesus Christ.

Learning to Pray Outside Our Comfort Zone

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating. The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations. There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others. We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us. It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love. At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for. We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts toward all mankind. It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others. In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable. Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for. As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us. When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.

Let our hearts be softened so that we may extend our intercessory prayers beyond our comfort zone. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, strengthen us and support us in our prayers.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind. Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us. We pray all these things in the name of the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.

The Depth of His Love is Greater Than Anything that We Can Understand Fully

Ephesians 3:19
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Jesus loves each one of us unconditionally. He loves us so much that He gave up His position as Son of God to become Son of Man. He endured the pain and shame of the Cross so that He could become the sacrificial lamb that was necessary to provide the blood to wash away our sins, to make us acceptable to the Father.

He extended His unconditional love by sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, so that we would understand His offer of salvation and accept it. He continues to extend His unconditional love by dwelling within each of us that have accepted Him as Our Savior, so that we may have the strength and the power to overcome the sinful nature that still tries to rule in our lives.

He continuously pours out His perfect love and forgiveness to each of us. He places no limit on the love that He pours into us because He wants it to overflow our cups. He wants us to become living vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness so that the world will know Him and know the fullness of His love.

Let us lift the name of Jesus above all other names. Let us rejoice in His incomparable love. Let us claim the fullness of life and power that comes from a relationship with the Son of God. May our changed lives proclaim His immeasurable love, so that others may be drawn to Him.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the perfect love and forgiveness that You have poured out into our lives. We exalt the name of Jesus who became the Son of Man in order to fulfill our need for a perfect sacrificial lamb. We thank You, Father, for the blood of Your Son that washes away our sin and makes it possible for us to receive and share Your perfect love. We ask that we may become instruments of Your good work and vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness for the world around us. We pray that we will live in the fullness of the life and power that is offered by You through Your Son. We ask all these things in the incomparable name of the Son of God, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.