Triumphant Belief that the Lord is Who He Says He Is

Matthew 16:8
But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

The bread of life, which is Jesus Christ, is within us when we receive Our Lord as Our Savior. The living bread is ever present. He is never removed. He is always available to us and to those around us. The only restrictor of the living bread is our own faith.

When we have no faith in the indwelling power of Our Lord, we build a hardened silo from which no provision can flow. With little faith, we restrict what can be released from our lives. With great faith, we can release an unlimited distribution of power, protection and provision into our lives and into the lives of those who surround us.

Jesus teaches in today’s passage that doubt should never be an option for a believer under any circumstances. Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to die for us. How could we ever doubt His presence and His power in our lives? How could we ever fear with the King of Kings as our protector? His countenance shines upon us and His grace is always with us.

Let us live in the triumphant belief of who Our Lord says He is. Let our faith be not in ourselves, nor in the world, but in the One from Whom our salvation springs.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Cornerstone of our faith, Your Son, Jesus Christ. With His death on the Cross, we received victory over all evil. We bless the name of Our Savior who made it possible for us to live our lives without fear. May we live by the faith that we have been given. We pray, Lord, that You will give us the wisdom and the strength to yoke ourselves to Jesus Himself. May we learn to live in the fullness of the One who dwells within us. We ask all these things in the name of the strength of our lives, the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.

The Mindset of a Child

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Jesus was well aware that the mindset of the individuals around Him was a critical determinant in their ability and desire to accept His teaching. Jesus knew that many of the people that He was trying to reach set up blockades to learning because they granted authority only to their logic, tradition, culture and emotional feelings. They would not accept the truth and authority of the King of Kings. Thus they closed the door on the truth in His teaching. Ultimately, He closed the door on them.

As parents, teachers or caretakers, we understand the joy and the pleasure of an obedient and respectful child. The obedient child’s constant compliance to our instruction melts our hearts. Their demeanor invites instruction. It is easy and very natural for us to give compliant and respectful children greater responsibility because we are confident that they will handle the responsibility appropriately.

So it is when we become new born babes in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Almighty God rejoices when we are obedient and we demonstrate our faithful compliance to His laws, His commands, His Holy Word and His callings on our lives. When we come to Him humbly and in awe of who He is, He rewards us with more knowledge, more wisdom and more responsibility in His kingdom.

Let us seek to sit at the feet of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, with the same eagerness as children sitting around a story teller. Let us be childlike as we delightfully soak in all that we hear. Let us be even more childlike as we learn to accept all the teachings of Jesus Christ in complete faith.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for receiving us as innocent babes in Christ. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible that we could stand before You in righteousness. We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to come to You as expectant as young children who go to their fathers eager to learn about the world and anxious for their dreams to be fulfilled. We pray for the grace to please You in all that we do. We ask that You release to us the knowledge that we do not have and the wisdom we seek. May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of the Author of Our Faith, Jesus Christ.

An Invitation That All People Receive

Jeremiah 31:31
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

Jeremiah foretold of a time when the Lord would bring in a new covenant. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ when he stepped down from His seat by the Father in heaven to accept His sacrificial calling on earth to be the Redeemer of all men.

When Jesus came to earth, He issued an invitation to all men to “Come to Me.” He established Himself as the way, the truth and the life. He did not make it mandatory to accept His invitation, but He did make it clear that accepting His invitation was the only way to become worthy to be in the presence of Almighty God for all eternity.

Because Almighty God knew our frailty so well, the benefits of accepting His Son’s invitation went beyond the eternal reward promised. By accepting His invitation, we were also extended the grace needed for sustaining us during our time on earth while we were preparing for our eternal resting place in heaven.

Our earthly benefit package includes, but is certainly not limited to:

  • access to the unimaginable favor of the King of Kings
  • the privilege of laying all of our burdens on Him
  • the satisfaction of having our thirst for knowing our Maker quenched forever
  • the treasure of being able to learn from Our Master all that is good and pleasing to Almighty God.
    Why should we go to any other quarter to have our needs met?

Let us go to Jesus to receive the grace of God that comes through Him. Let us go to Jesus for the peace, comfort, joy and salvation that He holds in His hands. Let us respond without delay to His invitation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us Your Son to reveal to us Your will and Your love. We bless the name of Jesus for providing the yoke that joins us to Him for the purpose of having all of our burdens lifted from us. We rejoice in knowing that we live in Your constant shadow protected from evil and supplied with our needs. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us to release all of our cares into the arms of the One who invites us to come to Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Yoke of Our Burdens, Jesus Christ.

The One Who is Faithful and True

Hebrews 13:6
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

The Lord is our helper. He is our mighty King, but He is also our humble servant because of His promises to us. He is able to help in ways that we cannot imagine. He is our helper when there is no one else there to help. His help is always suitable, seasonable and sufficient.

Jesus promises to be Our Helper, but He also commands that we hold Him to His promises. As written in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

As the Lord commands, do we see Him in all that we do? If we do, there should be no doubt or drudgery in any task. For in every task we should find the power and the joy of Jesus. If we are experiencing a lack of joy in our circumstances, then we are not believing Jesus for His promise to take our burdens. If we are doubting the outcome of our efforts, then we are not believing Jesus for His promise to never forsake us.

Let us be strong and courageous. Let us make Jesus Christ our foundation. Let us learn to trust in and call on all the promises that God has revealed to us. Let us rejoice in knowing without doubt that He is working out all things for our eternal good. Let us find peace and comfort in the victory that is promised to us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us so much that You promise never to leave us or forget about us. We rejoice in knowing that You know every single thing that is going on in our lives and that You are working out all the details necessary for us to experience the fullness of joy through our relationship with Your Son. Teach us, Lord, how to rely on the Holy Spirit to be our helper in every element of our lives. Through our reliance on Your promises, may we find joy and find victory in our roles as grandparents, parents, children, citizens, employees, friends and neighbors. Through all these things may we celebrate serving You. Through all these things may we be light to the world around us. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is faithful and true, Jesus Christ.

The Fullness of Life is Found Only in Jesus

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Check out the news. The foolishness of carnal men and women rejecting the things of the Spirit of God are rampant in our society. Carnal men and women look upon the things in the Bible as absurd and contrary to reason. They find the truths in God’s Holy Word to be weak and distasteful. They are quick to ridicule anything having to do with Jesus and delight in bashing anyone who stands up for their Christian beliefs.

It is easy to see why Jesus said that it was so hard for the rich man to get into heaven. In his comfort, the rich man feels no need for a Savior. The rich man finds all of his satisfaction from the things of the world. Unfortunately for the rich man, he will soon enough find out that the cravings of his flesh will never be satisfied. His flesh will always demand more than he is ultimately able to attain.

Fortunately for all of us, the Creator placed a void in our hearts that can only be completely and perfectly filled by Jesus. Nothing of the flesh can bring the satisfaction that is derived from fulfilling the spiritual need that is within us. If we will recognize the folly in our carnal ways and surrender to Jesus Christ as our Savior, we will find satisfaction far beyond anything the earth promises or can deliver. Only when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to submit to the governance of the King of Kings, and not to the kings of the earth, will we receive the fullness of life that Almighty God planned for us.

Let us seek spiritual discernment. Let us learn how to reject the empty promises of this world. Let us flourish in our joy as we learn to live in the fullness of the indwelling spirit of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating a void in our hearts that only You can fill. We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins so that we can be deemed worthy to become His disciples and live under His Lordship. We pray, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to see the folly in the things of the earth. May we live in the fullness of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King. We ask all these things in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ.

The Cornerstone of Our Faith

Matthew 16:8
But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

The bread of life, which is Jesus Christ, is within us when we receive Our Lord as Our Savior. The living bread is ever present. He is never removed. He is always available to us and to those around us. The only restrictor of the living bread is our own faith.

When we have no faith in the indwelling power of Our Lord, we build a hardened silo from which no provision can flow. With little faith, we restrict what can be released from our lives. With great faith, we can release an unlimited distribution of power, protection and provision into our lives and into the lives of those who surround us.

Jesus teaches in today’s passage that doubt should never be an option for a believer under any circumstances. Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to die for us. How could we ever doubt His presence and His power in our lives? How could we ever fear with the King of Kings as our protector? His countenance shines upon us and His grace is always with us.

Let us live in the triumphant belief of who Our Lord says He is. Let our faith be not in ourselves, nor in the world, but in the One from Whom our salvation springs.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Cornerstone of our faith, Your Son, Jesus Christ. With His death on the Cross, we received victory over all evil. We bless the name of Our Savior who made it possible for us to live our lives without fear. May we live by the faith that we have been given. We pray, Lord, that You will give us the wisdom and the strength to yoke ourselves to Jesus Himself. May we learn to live in the fullness of the One who dwells within us. We ask all these things in the name of the strength of our lives, the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.

Doubt Should Never Be An Option

Matthew 16:8
But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

The bread of life, which is Jesus Christ, is within us when we receive Our Lord as Our Savior. The living bread is ever present. He is never removed. He is always available to us and to those around us. The only restrictor of the living bread is our own faith.

When we have no faith in the indwelling power of Our Lord, we build a hardened silo from which no provision can flow. With little faith, we restrict what can be released from our lives. With great faith, we can release an unlimited distribution of power, protection and provision into our lives and into the lives of those who surround us.

Jesus teaches in today’s passage that doubt should never be an option for a believer under any circumstances. Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to die for us. How could we ever doubt His presence and His power in our lives? How could we ever fear with the King of Kings as our protector? His countenance shines upon us and His grace is always with us.

Let us live in the triumphant belief of who Our Lord says He is. Let our faith be not in ourselves, nor in the world, but in the One from Whom our salvation springs.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Cornerstone of our faith, Your Son, Jesus Christ. With His death on the Cross, we received victory over all evil. We bless the name of Our Savior who made it possible for us to live our lives without fear. May we live by the faith that we have been given. We pray, Lord, that You will give us the wisdom and the strength to yoke ourselves to Jesus Himself. May we learn to live in the fullness of the One who dwells within us. We ask all these things in the name of the strength of our lives, the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.