Tag: Jesus

Faithfully Serving Our All-Sufficient Master

Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Paul and Timothy understood and taught that through the crucifixion of Jesus, because of what He did on our account, we are all bound to Him through His death, His burial and His resurrection. Through the fullness of His love and eternal provision, we are forever bound to Him.

In the days of slavery, the slaves were keenly aware of who their slave owner was and what their slave owner expected of them. When the slaves had a good master, they understood the value of the provisions that they were given. They would delight in pleasing their good master because their good master fulfilled their every need. They would serve their master faithfully each day because they had faith in the continuing provision of the one to whom they were bound.

As Christians, we not only have a good master, we have a good and perfect master. We have Our Lord, Jesus, as our Master. We should be in constant praise and worship for the provisions that we have received, the provisions that we will receive and the eternal provisions that have been set aside for us. We should delight in meeting every calling that Our Master places on our lives. We should purposefully sign away our own rights in order to be bond-slaves of Jesus Christ.

Let us surrender all that we are, all that we will ever be, all that we have and all that we will ever have to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice in knowing that we will be His bond servants day after day without end.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for legally binding us to Your service for all eternity. We rejoice in knowing that we will praise and worship You forever as our needs are met and satisfied beyond our imaginations. We pray, Lord, for the wisdom and the strength to renounce any ownership that we seek to claim from this earth. May we live in the comfort and triumph of Your grace. May we live every day in surrender to Your Son. We ask all these things in the name of the Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus Christ.

In God We Trust

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Our faith comes into play whenever we encounter pain, conflict or disorder in our lives. Our natural reaction is to try to fix everything ourselves. All too often, we do not turn to God until we have exhausted all of our own failed initiatives.

God wants us to turn to Him first. He wants us to grow into a place where we trust Him for everything, whether it be big or small. We grow into this place through our relationship with Jesus. The Psalmist David captured the relationship perfectly in Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Let us believe that God is who He says He is. Let us trust in His promises to reward those who seek Him. Let our faith draw us near to Him.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the endless fount of faith that you make available to us through Your Son, Jesus. We praise Your name for the comfort that we enjoy because of the faith that we have in Your promises. Lord, we ask for the wisdom to turn to You first in all things. May You provide the grace for us to free ourselves from the need to try to fix everything ourselves. We humbly ask that all of our earthly efforts be in obedience to Your will and plan for our lives. We pray that through the love of Jesus all that we do will be as worship to You. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is faithful and true, Jesus Christ.

Claiming the Power and Authority that We Have Been Promised

John 20:21
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

In one brief statement, Jesus gave the disciples the peace that they needed to overcome the fear that had them gathered in a hiding place and the power and authority that they needed to be successful in their calling. So it is for us.

It is so easy to be overwhelmed by all that the world throws at us. It is so easy to become discouraged, even fearful of the outcome ahead of us. It is so easy to withdraw to a hiding place where doing nothing seems comfortable. Yet the words of Jesus, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you,” are just as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago.

Are we giving back to the Lord as He has given to us? He has given us the peace, the power and the authority to do what He has called us to do. Much has been given to us. Are we doing all we can do with what we have been given? Surely we will not leave on the table the feast that He has set before us.

Let us set aside all fear and uncertainty. Let us claim the power and authority that has been promised to us. Let us go out boldly and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing all that we need to be good and faithful servants. We rejoice in knowing that there is nothing in the world that can stop us from bringing to harvest the seeds that You have given us to plant. Father, we pray that You give us the wisdom to see the bounty that You have planned for us. We ask for the grace and the strength that we need to thrive under the power and authority that we have through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

All of Our Triumphs are in Him

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, all of our triumphs are in Him. All of our success, especially our success in leading others to the Lord, are reasons for each of us to rejoice. In our joy, we must go forward in life, not covered in pride, but covered in the sweet aroma of His presence.

While it is a wonderful thing for us to proclaim to the world how Our Savior atoned for our sins and made us worthy to be heirs of the kingdom of Almighty God, our living testimony should be much more. The world should be able to see the presence of Jesus in every single action we take and in every single word that we speak. The world should be able to savor the experience of being near Jesus Christ just by being near us. This should be especially true when we gain victory during times of trial and tumult.

Let us surrender to the power and the presence of the Lord in every battle we face. Let us give Him the glory in every victory and share the sweetness of His presence with the world around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us conquerors over all things in this world. We rejoice in the victories that we claim through Your Son, Jesus. We ask that we be given the grace to overcome the arrogance and the pride that naturally come with victory. We pray that in every victory that all praise, honor and glory will go to You Father, to Your Son and to the Holy Spirit. May the aroma of the One who brought the victory be spread around the world as we become living testimonies to His presence in our lives. We ask these things in the name of the Rose of Sharon, Jesus Christ.

Releasing the Flow of Love and Mercy That Was Extended to Us from the Cross

Luke 6:28
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

The supercharged, divisive mindset that has been growing and covering our nation sure does stir up everyone’s emotions. Strike back! Respond in defense! Prove that I am right! All of these are natural human responses to conflict.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow a different standard. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” requires a supernatural response when we run into personal conflict. We are called to express the love of Christ in each instance. This may require having to forgive the person in the heat of the conflict. Only our strength through Jesus Christ allows us to meet this standard.

On the Cross, Jesus prayed that His murderers would be forgiven by His Father. Stephen, the martyred disciple of Jesus, in his dying moments also showed us the standard to which we are called as he asked for forgiveness for those who were stoning him. To meet this standard of mercy, we need supernatural strength. When it comes to facing the day-to-day conflicts in our lives, the supernatural grace of God is required. Our human nature will be woefully insufficient. It is through His grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we are able to consistently respond in a manner that reflects the discipline of a follower of Jesus Christ.

Let us be merciful just as Our Heavenly Father is merciful to us. Let us bless those that hurt us. Let us pray for those that have come against us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You loving us first so that we may love You and love those around us. We thank You for the mercy that You extended to us through the redemptive blood of Your Son, Jesus, so that we may extend mercy to those who we come in conflict with us. We thank You for forgiving us of our sins so that we may be able to forgive those who sin against us. We pray, Father, for the grace and the strength to release to the world the overflow of the lovingkindness that You poured out on us. We ask all these things in the name of the Slain Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The World Has Little to Offer in Comparison to Our Savior

Hosea 14:8
O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.

The choice to focus on and follow Jesus rather than the world becomes a very practical one. Hosea clearly differentiates for us what our choices are. He instructs that the Lord has no ties to the idols of the world. He then points out that it is through Our Lord that that we gain the fruit of our lives.

As we go through life, we deal with ordinary human stuff. For most of us, the greater part of our days are filled with the labors that provide for us. For all of us, the remainder of our days are portioned out for time with our families and loved ones, time for ourselves and perhaps time for service in our community. All these things make up the fabric of our daily lives.

It is so natural to put all of our focus on the problems, the challenges and the opportunities that the world presents to us each day. It is so easy to reach out to what we think we know and what the world has to offer in order to address the issues of the day. Jesus asks us to take nothing from the world. He asks us to draw on Him and His indwelling Holy Spirit for our strength and our guidance. Where we should differ from the world as disciples of Jesus Christ is in our approach to our daily tasks. Everything that we do each day should be dominated by our devotion to Jesus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus should be our focus in all things. What the world has to offer has to be considered of little value in comparison. It is very likely that if we choose what the world has to offer that we will find ourselves fighting our way upstream with failure and sorrow as our destiny.

Let us choose to focus on what Our Savior has to offer. Let us rejoice as we benefit from the natural outpouring of His Spirit within us. Let us give God the glory as the world comes to recognize us by our fruit.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing Your ways to us to through Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for being the way, the truth and the life…for being all that we need in our lives. We pray, Lord, that You will set us free from leaning on our own ways and the ways of the world. We pray that You provide us the grace and the wisdom to walk in Your ways under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we bear much fruit in the name of Your Son. We ask all these things the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ.

Even in Our Highest Spiritual Calling We Still Have the Obligation of Meeting Our Earthly Responsibilities

John 19:26-27
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”

The compassion that Jesus Christ has for us is beyond our understanding. His compassion goes beyond human capability. His compassion extends to a level that only He, as the Son of Man and the Son of God, can personify.

His remarkable compassion was fully revealed to us on the Cross. In His moments of agony and pain, as He was fulfilling all that He was called to do, as he was placed between thieves with soldiers gambling for His clothing, He called out to the Father, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In His compassion, He recognized the frailty of all men and extended His perfect love and forgiveness.

Then in the final moments before His death. He made sure that His mother was cared for. He took the time to model that even in our highest calling that we have day-to-day challenges in our lives that must be dealt with. Who but Jesus, could exhibit such personal compassion at the same time that He was taking on the sins of the world?

Let us be acutely aware of our obligations to our family as we undertake our callings as disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit to help us properly prioritize our works as we deal with our spiritual calling from God and our responsibilities in our carnal world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your compassionate understanding of our frailty in the flesh. We bless the name of Jesus who came and lived in the flesh so that we could see how to live both in our highest calling and in our day-to-day responsibilities of caring for our families, our loved ones and those placed around us. We pray that we will be forever mindful of Our Compassionate Savior as we go through the trials of our lives. May we extend the fullness of His compassion for us to the world. We ask all these things in the name of the fount of all compassion and mercy, Jesus Christ.

What Are These Greater Works That We Will Do?

John 14:12
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Most of us will never set foot on foreign soils in an effort to win souls. Nor will we step to a podium to stir a great revival. So what are these greater works that we will do when we believe in Jesus?

The answer is certainly different for each one of us as God has created each of us with a unique plan for our lives. In our own individual ways we will be called to be laborers in the field bringing light to the world of darkness around us. We may be called to be ushers, parking attendants, babysitters, etc. We may be called to serve the poor. We may be called to lead a bible study. Who knows, we may even be called to a ministry of healing and deliverance. But in all of the various ways that we are called, there will always be one element of our works that will be the same and that is the work of prayer.

Jesus was our role model is this regard. He never attempted any work without going to the Father first in prayer. Prayer was one of His greater works as He went to the Father to have His power and His purpose released. Now that Jesus is with the Father as Our Mediator, one could argue that prayer is the greatest work that we will do as we call on Jesus to go to the Father on our behalf.

Let us call on Jesus to go to the Father to have His power and His purpose for us released in our lives. Let us faithfully seek the greater works that the Lord has set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us vessels for Your perfect Light to be released in the darkness of the world around us. We bless the name of Jesus for showing us the way in which we should approach the purpose for our lives. We rejoice in knowing that we can share in Your good work by accessing through prayer the power and authority of Your Son. We pray, Father, that the greater works of the Son will be released in our lives as we seek You and surrender to Your plan for our lives through our prayers. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Only Through Christ Can We Meet the Requirements of the Two Great Commandments

Romans 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

As a result of the disobedience of Adam, we were born with a sin nature. Because of Adam’s disobedience, we naturally put ourselves first in all things. This behavior alone puts us in direct violation of what Jesus taught were God’s greatest commands. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:38-39

The violation of either one of these two commands is enough to condemn us to eternal death. We cannot remove the condemning stain of this sin on our own. There is no escape or recovery from this sin except through the redemption provided through Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As a result of the obedience of Jesus to the calling of His Father in heaven, we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father. God removed our sin through the sacrifice of His own Son. He removed our sin in the only way that was acceptable to Him – through the shed blood of His Son which cleanses us. We accept His mercy and eternal atonement through our surrender to His Son, Jesus Christ.

It is important to understand that God does not hold us responsible for inheriting sin. He will not condemn anyone because of the sin that was inherited. He will condemn those that refuse to accept Jesus as the only measure of deliverance from their inherited sin and their ongoing iniquities. He will condemn those who choose to live in submission to the darkness of the flesh rather than under surrender to the light of the world, Jesus Christ.

Let us strive to have those around us see that we love God above all things and that we love them as we love ourselves. Let us show the world what is only possible through Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask forgiveness for the sin in our lives. We pray that You will reveal to us all the places in our lives where we are living in darkness, instead of in the Light. We ask You, Lord, for the grace to be able to repent of all the sin that remains in our lives. We thank You, Father, that through Your mercy You have made a way for us to be delivered from the condemnation that we deserve. We praise Your name, Father God, because through Your perfect love we have been given an eternal inheritance that we did not and cannot earn on our own. We bless the name of Jesus who now dwells within us. We pray that we may become Light to the darkness in world around us through His presence. We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Our Experiences Provide the Foundation for Us Providing Faith and Hope to Others

2 Corinthians 1:4
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

God’s Holy Word teaches us that we should rejoice in our trials because they are the building blocks of character in our lives. They certainly do build character and perseverance in our lives if we turn to the Lord to get us through the challenges we face.

But beyond the character building in our trials, there is an entirely different dimension that we benefit from. We not only gain in character, but we gain more – much more. We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through the same thing. God prepares us to be comforters for others in their time of need.

Our past experiences give us the foundation for offering faith and hope. It is our obligation to make suitable returns for what we received by comforting others. It is our duty to join them in prayer, praise and thanksgiving as we seek a good end to their trials and ours through Jesus Christ.

Let us turn to our model, our suffering King, Jesus Christ as we face the trials of life. Let us grasp our cup of trembling with the same resolve and confident hope that Jesus did as He faced the Cross. Let us learn to rejoice in the face of suffering for we are being prepared to comfort others in their suffering.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the consolations and comfort that we find when we turn to Your Son, Jesus, in our times of need. We bless the name of Jesus for the abundance of all of the fruits of His sufferings that are poured out in a greater amount than our own suffering, providing us relief from our distress and trouble. Lord, we pray that You build our faith and hope through our trials, so that we may be comforters for those in our lives who are going through their own trials. May it all be for the glory of Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered all on our behalf, Jesus Christ.