Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [a]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [b]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Self-denial
Let us just come right out and say it – Believers in Christ face the daunting challenge of being desensitized to the utter filth in the world around them.
The line between what is holy and unholy too often becomes fogged, unclear.
In the midst of the corruption and sin in our world, how can we be re-sensitized to live holy lives for the Lord?
Jesus explains, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves…”
And what does it mean to deny ourselves?
It means putting to death our sinful nature and putting on the spiritual nature of new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:14-5:20).
We cannot ever hope to do this task on our own, but all of this is made possible because Jesus came to live among us, as fully human, and to die in our place so that we can be completely freed from the slavery of sin and the curse of death.
In Christ we are called to put sinful ways behind us—all immorality and all impurity such as hatred, discord, jealousy, envy, rage, selfish ambition, greed, drunkenness, brawling, gossip, slander, and any kind of malice.
Instead, Paul writes we are to walk “in step with the Spirit” of God, bearing good spiritual fruit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-25).
Jesus is our example.
He gave up his whole life for our sake, so that we might live.
Will we give up our old, corrupt nature to live the full life God wants us to enjoy?
In Christ we can!
A Prayer to Surrender All
Matthew 16:24-26 Easy-to-Read Version
24 Then Jesus said to his followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. 25 Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will find true life. 26 It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost. You could never pay enough to buy back your life.
I often think about what it must have been like to live in the days of Jesus.
Even more, what it must have been like to encounter Jesus face to face, witness the miracles, to listen to him speak, try and anticipate his next journey, touch His cloak, or better yet, to walk and be one of His followers or beloved disciples.
The personal relationships that Jesus built with each of His disciples is truly touching.
The beautiful thing is that today we get to experience it all and can almost hear their conversations and interactions as we read, study and pray through each account in the New Testament.
Jesus’ teachings were not only intimate as He gathered the disciples and the people around and shared wisdom and truth with such love and grace, they were also a direct message to us as well!
Yet, some of the lessons must have been difficult to hear and understand, just as we struggle to read and decipher His Word today.
I specifically think of the verses noted above for instance.
We see parallel verses in Mark and Luke, where Jesus is informing the disciples that if they wish to follow Him, they must deny themselves and they must take up their own cross on a daily basis. (Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24)
Jesus has reminded the disciples of the price they will pay for following Him.
The cost is denial of self and to bear their own cross.
This is the high price we all must pay when we seek to follow Jesus and fully surrender our lives to the one and only God.
So, what exactly does that look like?
First, we are called to deny ourselves.
That means to disown our own interests, desires, and natural tendencies and replace them with what God loves and honors.
It’s essentially a mindset shift that chooses and craves to be more like Jesus – His attitude, His mannerisms, His faithfulness.
Second, we are called to take up our own cross.
The cross was a bold instrument of execution in Jesus’ day.
It was meant for pain and torture along with public humiliation.
As followers, we must be ready (and willing) to undergo suffering and shame.
That is because this world will mock, ridicule, reject, and torment those who claim Christ as Lord.
Lastly, we are to follow Him by surrendering all.
Jesus is the direct access and path to a good, righteous, and abundant life beyond this one (John 14:6).
When we follow His way, truth, and life examples, we fully surrender our lives to Him and seek His will and way.
So, we must discipline our spirits to daily ask ourselves, are we surrendering all to Christ in order to follow Him?
Well, are we?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So my soul [c]pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and [d]appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you [f]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [g]Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him For the [j]help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the [l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning [m]because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The [p]help of my countenance and my God.
O Lord, our souls thirst for you, the living God. Guide us to live for you. Our only hope is in you, our God, the Creator and Author of our whole entire lives and Savior. Amen.
We humbly submit ourselves to You, Lord and seek Your face. We surrender our heart, mind, soul, and physical body all to You. We ask that You give us a means to seek only after Your heart and the plan and purpose You have for our lives. Align all our desires and passions to Your passions and allow us to be shaped and molded to be more and more like Jesus.Grant us such a measure and degree of wisdom and strength to bear the cross and sufficient power to resist the evil ways of this world. Please forgive us where we fail and cave under pressure, while offering us the courage to still fight the everyday battles. Be in our midst through each and every situation, showing us areas in our lives where we can improve and bring glory to Your holy name.Alleluia, Amen
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Some time ago, while sitting in a restaurant, I overheard a conversation between a teenager and her mother.
The mother was trying to convince her daughter that as long as she was in high school and living at home, she had to follow her parents’ rules.
At one point the daughter said, “I don’t have to listen to you just because you are my mother. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
Of course, the daughter had it wrong. Lewis Smedes, in his book Mere Morality, explains that God appoints parents to guide their children on his behalf.
The fifth commandment tells children of every age that they must honor and respect their parents, simply because they are their parents.
Children who are still living at home are expected to follow their parents’ rules.
The only exception would be a case in which the parents were busy asking their children to do something against God’s will.
Obeying our parents and listening to them can save us from a lot of hurt in life.
On more than one occasion I’ve heard adult children say, “I should have listened to my parents.”
Because of their life experience, parents often can better see the consequences of the decisions their children could make.
And making Christlike decisions in their own lives helps parents earn their children’s respect.
On two occasions when Paul gives to his readers a long list of the ugly fruits of godlessness, right in the middle we find one little phrase:
“disobedient to parents” (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2).
Conversely, when you read church history, you discover that at times of spiritual awakening, practical godliness followed—including children’s submission to godly parental authority.
Paul writes children’s obedience to their parents is not merely a suggestion; it is an obligation.
Scripture teaches that such obedience is right according to the natural order of God’s creation, in accordance with His law, and as a response to the gospel.
Parents should not be afraid to call for, and praise, obedience.
But Paul doesn’t only say that obedience is right; he also says that it is rewarded.
In the Lord Jesus, there is a blessing that accompanies paying attention to God’s commands and promises.
And when parent-child relationships are marked by love, trust and obedience, we don’t just create healthy people; we also create a healthy, cohesive society.
Parents who wish to bring about such obedience would do well to remember five important truths that the Bible teaches about our children:
1. “Children are a heritage from the LORD” (Psalm 127:3).
They are a gift and a blessing.
Thinking of our children should prompt gratitude to the Giver of those children.
2. We don’t own our children; they belong to God. (Psalm 139:13-18)
They’re on loan to us, for a limited time.
3. Children are flawed from conception, guilty of sin and not deserving of eternal life—just like all of us (Psalm 58:3; Romans 3:23).
4. Because they are sinful, children are in need of the commandments of God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-12)
As parents, we are responsible for instructing them in God’s law from the earliest days.
5. Our children can be saved only by grace. Therefore, we must teach them to look to Jesus alone for salvation.(Luke 18:15-17)
Many of us live in a culture where these truths are opposed.
On the one hand, children are seen as innately good, and their education or health or happiness is held up as the highest good.
On the other, they are often bullies, the butt of jokes or subject of complaints.
Sometimes even within the church itself, there is an absence of clear, biblical statements about God, Godly family and Godly parenting.
But here is what God says: children growing up in the home are to obey their parents; parents are to raise their children to know God’s law and God’s grace.
If we would raise a generation in our homes and in our churches that is more godly and more zealous than ours, we would do well to nurture our children in the context of God’s truth.
Many, if not all of us, had parents with children in their homes.
All of us will be members of churches with children in our midst.
So what should it look like for us to contribute to the spiritual health of the next generation?
Honor Your Parents
Deuteronomy 5:16 New American Standard Bible 1995
16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.
This command was not written for the little children.
They have no choice but to honor their parents.
It was written to younger and older adults who lived with older generations.
Living together in a household with three or more generations was common in ancient Israel, as it is in some of our own very households and societies today.
How do you treat your elders, especially your parents?
I have seen some young people act worse toward their parents than they do toward anyone else.
They complain that they deserve more and nicer things.
They berate their parents because they aren’t up on the latest technology or trends.
They throw a fit when asked to do a simple household task.
When another adult says, “You sure have a wonderful child,” the parent is stunned.
Our best and our worst behavior comes out in our families.
That is why this scriptural reminder is absolutely critical and necessary.
Show honor to your parents.
It doesn’t matter if they aren’t as smart or capable as they once were.
It doesn’t matter that they, like everyone else, have flaws.
The criterion for honor and respect is the fact that they are your parents.
Scripture repeatedly teaches that honoring your parents will bring blessing.
This command closes with a promise, saying that God gives us life and blessing for honoring the parents he has given us.
How are we with caring for our own parents or grandparents?
Micah 6:6-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
What God Requires of Man
6 With what shall I come to the Lord And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? 7 Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love [a]kindness, And to walk [b]humbly with your God?
Leviticus 19:32 New American Standard Bible 1995
32 ‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the [a]aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.
James 1:26-27 New American Standard Bible 1995
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not [a]bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained [b]by the world.
How well is it with us as parents, as disciples, the church, doing what the Lord requires of us?
How well is it with us as parents, as disciples, as the church in advocating for justice for our children, our parents, our grandparents or great grandparents?
How much do we love kindness?
How about our allegedly ‘humble’ walk with our God, His Son and Holy Spirit?
How well is it with the church caring for its own widows and its own orphans?
This Lent, think muchly and pray even more about your children and family!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father God in heaven, help us to honor and respect our parents. Forgive us if we have ignored them, and help us as children to be patient with their shortcomings.
Thank you, Father God, for our children, for parents, especially godly parents. Thank you for the gift they are in our lives and in others’ lives. Help us to show them proper honor and to respect all people as created and loved by you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, [a]Elijah; but still others, [b]Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are [c]the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [d]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are [e]Peter, and upon this [f]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Who Do You Say I Am?
After a 25-mile (40 km) trip on foot from the Sea of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Daniel 7:13).
The disciples said they had heard some say he was John the Baptist or Elijah or another prophet returned from the dead.
But Jesus wanted to dig deeper: “Who do you say I am?”
They were silent until Simon Peter blurted out the most remarkable statement:
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus blessed Simon, saying, “You are Peter” (which means “rock”), explaining that God had given him this new understanding.
Years ago, A spiritual director asked me, “If you were Peter, having answered Jesus’ question, wouldn’t you want to also ask Jesus what he thought of you?”
He sent me off to consider the question.
My reflections on this question surprised me:
if Jesus blessed Peter for professing what the Father had shown him, then surely he blesses us as his disciples today too.
Who Are You?
Busyness seems to be driven by a determination not to “miss out on life.”
Behind much of the rat race of life today is the unexamined assumption that what I do determines who I am.
Jesus did not have that problem.
His identity as the Son of God and calling as the Messiah were clear.
He never asked a question to which he didn’t already have the answer.
When he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” he did that for their benefit.
The disciples looked back and forth at each other, and responded with the names of prophets from the past because people believed that the Messiah, their promised deliverer, would be like those prophets.
But Peter had seen enough to know Jesus was the true Anointed One (Messiah).
Peter had an inspired confession of faith.
He declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Peter was a prophet as he spoke these words.
He affirmed the truth of God, professing that Jesus is the Messiah and Savior.
That is what we do as prophets.
We share in Christ’s calling as prophets when we point to him as the one true Savior and Lord of all.
We are anointed as prophets to tell people who Jesus is.
We are called to make Jesus famous – not ourselves.
As a Christian, this is your identity.
This is who you are.
Whom can you introduce to Jesus today?
Which nowadays – where people are quick to get in your face and shout you down and curse the ground you’re standing on, is a heavily charged question.
Jesus asked them, “Who Do You Say That I Am?”
Matthew 16:15-18New American Standard Bible 1995
15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are [a]the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [b]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are [c]Peter, and upon this [d]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
When we read the Gospels, it becomes apparent that when people came into contact with Jesus of Nazareth, they seldom reacted with polite neutrality.
His words and deeds inspired deep love and devotion but also deep seated fear and deeper hatred. What could possibly account for such a range of responses?
In this conversation on the road to Caesarea Philippi,
Peter spoke out—as was often the case—and for more than just himself when he replied, “You are the Christ.”
The word he used to identify Jesus was Christos, which in Greek meant “Messiah” or “Anointed One.”
Throughout the Old Testament writings, God had anointed kings, judges, and prophets, and high priests, but they were all representatives and spokesmen pointing forward to the future Messiah, the Savior, very Anointed One of God.
Therefore, what Peter declared was especially noteworthy. He was saying to Jesus, You are that one. You are the one of whom the prophets have spoken.
What is even more astounding is Jesus’ explanation for Peter’s statement.
Peter didn’t come to his conclusion because he was smart or had an advanced capacity for logical and rational thinking or because an inspiring preacher had spelled it out for him.
His declaration was possible because God the Father actually revealed it to him.
Peter’s confession of faith, like our own, could never have come about by his own strength.
Faith is a gift that we are given.
This exchange between Peter and Jesus is a concrete example of the Spirit of God taking the word of God and bringing it to someone’s mind and heart in a way that causes him or her to resoundingly declare the messiahship of Jesus.
Like Peter, our ability to declare Jesus as Lord and Messiah is not our own doing; it is “the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If our faith were the result of our own intellectual capacity or our emotional wisdom and intelligence or our own alleged moral goodness, we could place confidence—we could boast—in ourselves.
But on good days this will leave us proud, and on bad days it will make us brittle.
No: our faith rests entirely on God’s gift, so we place our maximum confidence in Him—and then we are humble on our best days and confident on our worst.
Rejoice with gratitude today, then, because God delights to transform hearts and minds by the indelible truth of His word alone so that we can join Peter in resoundingly, publicly, declaring, before God and man; “You are the Christ.”
There is no other name under heaven that can save us (Acts 4:12).
We are to confess Jesus before men, knowing that when we do, we can be sure he will confess us before the Father in heaven.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior and Lord.
We may not know the theological gravity behind those words — after all, Peter didn’t when he confessed Jesus as Christ — but we can make a commitment to know him and follow him until we are inspired enough to go and do know more.
Every single moment of the day, Jesus asks us to open our hearts to his lordship and thereby begin the journey toward fuller knowledge and experience of him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Living God and Holy Father, I believe you sent Jesus as your Son to save me. I confess to you that I want Jesus to be Lord of my life because I believe him to be your Son and my Savior. It is through your Son, the Christ promised in Scripture. Lord Jesus, make me more like you. Make my calling sure. May my heart and my mouth be open to confessing you as Christ, my Lord and Savior, in whose name I pray. Amen. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Although They Knew God …
Since God has revealed Himself to us from the beginning, it forces us to make a choice being we can either glorify Him as God or we can choose to walk away.
Paul describes this dilemma from the very beginning of time.
Our track record is we chose not to acknowledge God so our thinking became frivolous and impractical.
The result was a foolish, dark, and hard heart concerning God.
This condition of a hardened heart is a process. If we claim to be wise without recognizing God as the sovereign creator of all things, we are fools. This leads to looking to other things to satisfy our deep needs. It’s a sad day when we exchange the glory of God for made-made idols.
It is easy to look at this and think that we would never make and worship idols such as primitive civilizations did.
But as our society progresses, so do our idols.
According to Timothy Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, an idol “is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” 11 Keller, Timothy. Counterfeit Gods. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009
Modern-day idols are just as prevalent but more disguised.
Work, money, family, and material possessions have the potential to be idols.
Everything and anything we exalt above God is the modern day idol.
Idolatry starts with ingratitude.
When we aren’t thankful to God, then it is a slippery slope into not glorifying Him as God and when we do that our focus shifts from Him to something else.
Paul said, this is the mark of a fool.
Since the truth of God is written on our hearts (Romans 1:19), we crave a true connection with God.
If we ignore this desire, we shut off our hearts and minds to knowing Him relationally.
Without the spirit connection, then the best we can do to fill that yearning is with perishable representations of it.
In Our Own Image …
Romans 1:18-23 New American Standard Bible 1995
Unbelief and Its Consequences
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth [a]in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident [b]within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [c]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and [d]crawling creatures.
There is something wrong in our lives when we need an image or an icon to worship God.
We must understand that God forbids this (see Exodus 20:3-5). He does not want us to relate to Him that way.
We must also understand that sometimes people can become idols in our lives.
Maybe someone was instrumental in bringing us to Christ or we have great admiration for a certain pastor or leader.
But is that person becoming an idol?
Are they taking the place of God in our lives?
Of course, God will use people to impact us spiritually.
But every person will, at some point, fail to measure up to all the expectations we have.
And because we sometimes make idols out of others, our faith is shattered when we discover they are human like we are.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about seed that grew up quickly.
But because it had no root, it quickly withered (see Mark 4:16-17).
16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they [a]fall away.
This represents people who don’t get a good foundation spiritually.
They don’t build their faith on Jesus Christ and His Word.
Something or someone became an idol in their lives, and that idol failed to measure up to their ideal.
So they give up, because the foundation they built on was faulty.
We need to build our foundation on Jesus Christ.
Idols also can be ourselves.
Romans 1:21 tells us, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused” (NLT).
The first creature that people substitute for God is themselves.
Ultimately, all idolatry comes down to people worshipping themselves.
They want to be in control.
Humanity is incurably religious.
There is something deep within us that wants to worship, but if we can make a god in our image, by our standard, thus call our own shots, then we are happy.
That’s because, for all practical purposes, we have formed a god in our own image – we have successfully put ourselves in the place of the one true God.
Idolatry can be living for our senses and appetites as well.
The apostle Paul wrote, “There are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth” (Philippians 3:18-19 NLT).
Jesus also warned about pursuing empty lifestyles.
He asked, “Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”(Matthew 6:25 NLT).
For many people, the answer is almost indelibly, invariably – no.
Is there one thing that you would absolutely refuse to give up if God were to ask it of you?
Is there one thing that would cause you to say, “Take anything but this, Lord”?
If so, then that thing, that pursuit, that passion just may be an idol in your life.
Here’s the good news though, knowing Jesus fills that hunger inside of us for a connection with God.
When we know Jesus, we stop looking for something else.
Today, I pray that you may experience Jesus in a way that deeply satisfies you.
To the glory of God, the Father, may you fill your God-shaped hole with the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and find true joy in this process.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, the world is becoming increasingly evil, and the rejection of Your gracious offer of salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ, seems to have saturated this fallen world. But You are a God of infinite mercy and grace, Who is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance and faith in Christ. Thank You that every man has the free-will to accept Your offer of salvation, by trusting in Jesus, Who willingly died so that they might live. I pray that many, who are in the valley of decisions, would turn to Christ and trust in You today, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, and use me I pray, to touch the lives of some with the good news of the gospel of God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you; In [a]toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the [b]plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As Christians, we gather together regularly to study God’s Word, and seek to grow and mature in our faith.
Each time we come into God’s presence, we draw closer to Him and experience His love and guidance.
The Holy Spirit fills our souls with the joys of heaven as we surrender ourselves to God.
Death is an inevitable part of life, but many people avoid discussing it.
However, as believers, we have the assurance of salvation through Christ, which removes the fear of judgment.
We should share this hope with others and live each day with gratitude for the precious gift of life.
Understanding the brevity of our existence motivates us to do good and serve others.
What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is a day that many Christians, including Catholics, observe.
It gained more attention after the release of the movie “The Passion of Christ” in 2004.
On Ash Wednesday, Catholics go to church and receive a cross-shaped mark on their foreheads made from ashes.
These ashes are made by burning palm branches from the previous year’s Good Friday service.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is the 40-day period leading up to Easter.
Sundays are not included in this count because they are days of celebration for Jesus’ resurrection.
While Ash Wednesday is not specifically commanded in the Bible, it is a time for Christians to seriously reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice, dedicate themselves unto God.
How do we observe Ash Wednesday?
During Ash Wednesday services, ashes are placed on the forehead as a sign of repentance.
The words spoken during this ritual come from Genesis 3:19:
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
This stark reminder of our mortality encourages us to live our lives in a way that glorifies God. In addition to the imposition of ashes, Christians also participate in communion, symbolizing Jesus’ broken body and shed blood.
What spiritual value does Ash Wednesday have for us?
Ash Wednesday serves as a stark reminder of our forever need for God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness.
It prompts us to reflect on important aspects of life, such as our unique creation by God, our undeniable tendency to sin, and our eventual inevitable, death.
These realities should lead us to focus our minds on the Lord and seek a deeper relationship with Him.
By acknowledging our mortality and dependence on God, we can find inner peace and strength.
Ash Wednesday helps us prepare for physical death and embrace spiritual life in heaven.
Ash Wednesday is a holy day that signifies the beginning of Lent.
It marks our entry into a season of spiritual preparation for Holy Week, which culminates in Easter.
Any march toward the redeeming work of Savior Christ must begin with a recognition of our need for his grace—and that reminder is Ash Wednesday.
The day affirms that we are dust, as ashes are literally spread in a cross on our foreheads. The cross represents Jesus and how he has redeemed us. We are encouraged to seek repentance with humble hearts and prepare for his gift.
Lenten Journey: Our Decisions Carry Consequences
Decisions carry consequences.
If you decide to work hard at your job and contribute to the mission of your workplace, that will bring consequences.
You might be promoted.
You might wind up earning more than your colleagues.
Your boss might dump all sorts of extra work on you with no pay because, after all, you’re a hard worker; that could be a consequence.
Your boss’s decision would bring its own consequence.
Maybe you would set up an appointment to talk about this extra work with no pay.
Maybe you would become sullen and withdrawn.
Maybe you would feel taken advantage of and start looking for a different job where your work ethic is rewarded.
Whatever decision you make, that decision would bring consequences.
Decisions bring consequences.
The decision to sin brings consequences.
That might sound obvious, but an astounding number of people believe that sin brings no meaningful consequences.
Much of the society in which you live revolves around the belief that sin brings no consequence.
This is why we promote greed.
This is why we train our young people in seduction.
Our culture promotes sin because we don’t believe we will suffer any real negative consequences for our participation in it.
Even we who believe, in theory, that sin brings consequences struggle mightily to come to terms with these consequences when we do, in fact, sin.
We squirm against the reality of consequences like a child in trouble.
We would be far wiser to own up to what is obvious: sin brings sad consequences.
Job 1:20-21 New American Standard Bible 1995
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Tonight, as we pray upon sins “consequences” as we gather to celebrate Ash Wednesday, let us worship in the hope we have in Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Merciful God, you called us forth from the dust of the earth; you claimed us for Christ in the waters of baptism. Look upon us as we enter these Forty Days bearing the mark of ashes, and bless the journey through the desert of Lent to the font of rebirth. As we remember our mortality and seek penitence today, we know you to be a God who is rich in forgiveness and abounding in steadfast love, love that culminates in eternal life with you. Guide our steps this Lent, so we might find greater fulfillment in your promises and better serve others with a heart that’s reflective of you. Amen
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your [c]master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money [d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Faith is like a muscle group in our bodies.
We are given all we will ever need at the point of our salvation, but if we don’t often use or exercise that muscle group, it will become weak and ineffective.
Jesus said faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains (Matthew 17:20).
Matthew 17:20 The Message
20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”
Yet, if we want that minuscule-sized faith to move mountain-sized objects or circumstances, we need to exercise it, to strengthen it by using it in the small things so it grows and matures to conquer the big, bigger, and biggest things.
In the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, Jesus said if we are “faithful in a few things” we will be given more (verse 21 NIV).
He also said, “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have [or, does not use what one has], even what they have will be taken from them” (verse 29).
I believe that applies to our faith as well as our gifts and talents.
As you and I exercise faith in the little things, then we will be in tip-top faith shape for the big, bigger and the biggest things.
If you find your faith is sagging a bit right now from not using or exercising it, it might be time for a full faith lift.
Here are seven small habits which might serve to help you to build your faith.
1. Be Thankful in All Things
If you want to grow your faith, don’t put conditions or parameters around what you are thankful for. Instead, obey 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which commands us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We all know fair-weathered believers.
They are thankful to God when life is good, but they question their faith when circumstances go in all the directions which serve little or no useful purpose.
It is God’s will for you and me to be thankful in everything because it grows our faith, refines us, and makes us more like Jesus.
Being thankful in every circumstance – even the disappointing, uncomfortable, and painful ones– grows your faith in God’s ability to work all things “for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
You can become light in this darkened and cynical world when you can be thankful in all things, not just the good, comfortable, and pleasant things.
32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away Through my [c]groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah. 6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Throughout Scripture, God commanded His people to remember the things He did for them.
He told them to build altars of remembrance to tell their children and those after them the great things that God had done.
God knew we were people prone to forget and then falter in our faith.
So, if we remind ourselves what the Word of God says, remember all He had done, we’d have faith for the next time the challenging circumstances come.
Psalm 103:1-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
By picking up your Bible again, remembering what God did in the past, you are strengthening your faith in what God can do in your present and in your future.
3. Record Your Prayer Requests and Answers
Psalm 84:8-12 New American Standard Bible 1995
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. 9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold [a]from those who walk [b]uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
The more we talk with God in prayer, the more our faith grows.
And the more we recount what He did with our prayers, the stronger our prayer life and faith muscles become.
Start recording your prayer requests in a journal or on a sheet of paper you keep in your Bible.
Write the date of your request.
Then, highlight those requests that were answered with a yellow pen and record the date they were answered.
Or you may want to leave space for how that request was answered.
Just because God didn’t say “yes” to a request of yours doesn’t mean He didn’t answer it.
Sometimes His “no” or “wait” are blessings in disguise.
Seeing – and recording – how God answered your prayers can build your faith in the only God who promises that “no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).
100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
This is different than thanking God (as mentioned in #1).
Praise is adoring God for who He is, not just thanking Him for what He has done.
Our gratitude can sometimes be focused on us and what we want, and how God pleased us.
But praise moves us out of the picture and is centered on God’s character and attributes.
There are many ways we can praise God creatively.
For example, praise God through the alphabet by choosing an attribute of His for each of the ABCs:
“God, You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are capable. You are deity. You are everlasting…” Or take one letter a day and praise God with as many words that start with that letter that you can think of. For example: “God you are capable. You are compassionate. You are caring. You are the Comforter.””
As you praise Him alphabetically, and remind yourself of His attributes, you are busy recounting your reasons for having faith in Him.
5. Do Not Be Afraid to Ask Big Things of God
John 14:7-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
Oneness with the Father
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Scripture tells us that we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2).
I believe God is waiting for the challenge, for us to ask so big and exercise so much faith that we are convinced when He answers that it had to be Him.
Of course, He can provide your sustenance as you pray “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) and care for His own when you pray “Please bless my church and the missionaries.”
But ask Him for something specific and something echelons too big for you to accomplish on your own, it will strengthen your faith each time as you witness God come through, and you realize it wasn’t any mere coincidence or a result of your own efforts.
Unleash the wonders of God by asking for what only He can do (not referring to asking that you win the mega lotteries so you can give half of it to your church. Or praying that you are promoted to CEO from the mail room or Janitor at your job so you can buy that multi-million-dollar home you always promised self).
Ask according to God’s will.
Ask in Jesus’ name – which means asking God the Father for something that Jesus, His Son, would ask for.
Ask on behalf of Jesus, so that God will be glorified.
God loves to answer big prayers.
He is the God of the impossible. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11). So, please His heart – and build your faith – by asking big.
6. Ask for Divine Appointments.
1 John 5:13-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
This Is Written That You May Know
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence which we have [a]before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
I believe every day there are God-appointments for us to live out our purpose, impact others eternally. and bring glory to God.
We just need eyes to see these divine appointments and boldness to act upon them.
Over the past two plus decades of walking with God, both seeing and missing divine appointments, I have learned that when I specifically ask for divine appointments to serve someone, make a difference, glorify God, or share the Gospel, God blesses and God provides and God gives them to me every time.
Perhaps by asking for them, I am more on the alert to recognize them when they appear before me.
I’m convinced every time you ask for a divine appointment (or for eyes to see the one already in front of you), He will provide it, too.
That conviction is based on 1 John 5:13-15, which tells us if we ask anything according to His will He hears us and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we will receive what we’ve asked of Him.
It’s definitely God’s will that we partake in His divine appointments and the “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB 1995).
Ephesians 2:8-10 New American Standard Bible 1995
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
So, ask for divine appointments – and then act upon them – and it will build your faith.
7. Do Not Hesitate to Whisper or Shout His Name
Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
There are times we need God, but we just don’t know what to say or where to begin.
Start by saying His name and then speak your heart’s cry.
Scripture says there is power in the name of Jesus, not only because “Salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:12), but because Jesus responds to His name when His loved ones call to Him.
Psalm 22:1-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the choir director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [b]Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c]groaning. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but [d]I have no rest. 3 Yet You are holy, O You who [e]are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. 5 To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.
The writers of the classics called this type of whispering cry “breath prayers.”
My breath prayers to sense His presence are “Jesus, I need You” or “Jesus, give me a heart for You.”
Calling His name just as often as we breathe is one of the simplest ways to sense His presence or remind ourselves that He is there.
I believe the simplest of cries are the ones that penetrate His heart – and ours – the quickest.
And when we call upon His name and sense His presence, it builds our faith.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord; I have no good besides You.” 3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth, [e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol; Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay. 11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
14-17 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Believing and Acting
A wise person has said that we should imagine our faith and actions written up in a feature story splashed across the front page of every known newspaper.
What would that look like?
Myriads and myriads of scandals erupt because high profile Christians don’t behave like the believers they vigorously claim to be.
But the tension between our walk and our talk brings dishonor to our Lord.
There are many times when believers deserve to be called hypocrites.
In those moments, our faith and deeds show a rather severe disconnect.
James speaks bluntly to this contrast between believing and acting.
Our trust relationship with God must show itself in acts of obedience.
Just nodding in agreement to a biblical teaching doesn’t transform the way we treat our next-door neighbor.
What about your faith?
Is it authentic?
Does it show others that you have a living relationship with Christ?
Real faith turns the misunderstood contrast between faith and works into a dynamic combination of genuine faith and real action.
Receiving God’s Word through Action
Faith and action go together.
Understanding and works are tethered—joined together at salvation through the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
James 2:14-17 asks us,
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
The poor, orphaned, widowed, and lost don’t just need a word from God.
They need us to act on our beliefs and love and serve selflessly with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Gathering together as believers to worship is just a part of what God intends for us as his children.
If we are to receive all that God has for us, if we are to walk in the abundant life God intends, we must resolve to be doers of the word.
James 1:23-25 gives us a window into the life of a believer who never puts action to his faith.
Scripture says,
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Your identity as a disciple of Christ undoubtedly comes from relationship with God, but it is meant to be lived out in your deeds.
God longs for you to live a life of good works in response to the unconditional love you’ve been given.
He longs for you to live in selfless humility sharing with others what he’s done in you.
We’ve separated Christianity from the world.
We’ve separated Sunday from Monday, the sacred and secular.
Jesus lived in line with God’s love every minute he was here.
He broke the rules in healing on the Sabbath.
He ministered almost completely outside of the walls of the synagogue.
He brought the good news of God’s grace to all who would believe everywhere he went.
His life was in no way segregated.
Jesus’s turning the water into wine at a party was just as holy and spiritual as his standing up, reading of Isaiah in the temple, proclaiming his fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Messiah.
His love was put into perfect action through every word, miracle, step, glance, and prayer.
With Jesus as our perfect example, let’s live in accordance with God’s will.
Let’s blur the line between faith and works until the two become one.
Let’s regard meals, conversations, rest, family time, and parties as important and holy as worshipping inside the walls of our churches. Let’s live as Jesus did and reveal His love as an action instead of just an idea we talk about on Sunday.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire for your faith to produce good works.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”James 2:14-17
2. Ask God where he would have you put faith into action.
It could be the completely random act of buying flowers for your wife, or your finding a new way to honor your husband, taking your children on a special trip, or offering encouragement to someone around you at meal at work or at school.
Ask the Spirit to give you specific ways in which he desires you live out the love you have received.
3. Ask God for the strength and courage to live out his word.
Follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit into the good works he has prepared for you today.
The Spirit has an incredible ability and power to guide a willing heart into action for God.
Receiving the knowledge of God’s love for the people around you will open up doors in your own life to better know the fullness of God’s heart.
You will be more deeply blessed by serving others than you could ever be blessed in being served.
God pours his love and grace out on those who minister in line with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It’s truly an honor to be used by God to further the advance of his kingdom in the earth.
You were made to live out the truth of the gospel.
So choose today to act upon the leading of the Spirit.
100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, renew my heart, refresh my heart, change and transform my heart so my trust in you becomes a powerful, and active display of your grace and power. Help me to serve you by serving, caring about others. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
10 “[a]Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the [b]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God.
From my recent devotionals we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and more receptive to God.
In our coming devotional efforts we’ll try to learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.
God Speaks in Solitude
Matthew 6:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Solitude—a time set apart where the rush, the noise, and the anxiety of the world may finally fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely in need of “alone time” with God, lost inside the peace, presence of their Creator.
Solitude is a private time to be spent with your heavenly Father, free from the myriad of distractions which the world offers us at seemingly every moment.
We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory,
“We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.”
Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being “starved” for solitude.
We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our Sustainer.
Let’s take some time today to recognize our need for solitude and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis.
You can know that you need solitude for one reason—Jesus needed it.
All over the New Testament we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray.
One example, Mark 1:35, tells us Jesus, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark . . . departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with his heavenly Father while here on earth still needed to spend time in solitude.
Jesus, who loved parties, loved people, and was God and man simultaneously, knew he still needed time alone.
If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it.
When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the Crucifixion, he didn’t just toughen up and get through it – He spent much time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane in a deep tearful heartfelt conversation with his heavenly Father.
Matthew 26:36-46 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Garden of Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “[a]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
He needed solitude to accomplish his purpose here on earth and so do you and I.
Solitude is life-giving.
It’s necessary to the Christian spiritual life.
Richard J. Foster said, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”
Solitude is one of the most important and life-giving spiritual disciplines.
If you want to hear God, you must practice solitude.
If you want fortitude in your life, a steadfastness that surpasses your circumstances, you must practice solitude.
You are designed for time spent in the quiet, simply, exclusively, being with your heavenly Father.
So how can you best practice solitude?
The first step is finding a place where you can spend time with God free from distractions.
Find a place where you know you won’t be interrupted.
If you live with others, find a time when they will not be around or awake.
If you live alone, designate a place and time that you will spend in solitude free from any distractions.
Second, give yourself an amount of time to spend with God just being in solitude.
It could be ten minutes or an hour.
Spend this time free from reading, free from worship or prayer unless solitude leads you to those things.
Madeleine L’Engle said, “Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.”
Solitude is a point of deep communion where words aren’t required in light of God’s glorious nearness.
Take some time today to practice the incredible discipline of solitude.
Be patient with yourself.
Be patient with God.
Fill the emptiness of silence with the satisfaction of God’s presence.
Your heavenly Father loves just simply spending time with you, enjoying deep communion with his crown of creation.
You are his beloved child.
Climb into the comforting and sustaining arms of your heavenly Father today as you enter into a time of solitude.
One More Point: Some Thoughts About Silent Prayer
Psalm 46:10-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
10 “[a]Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the [b]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Matthew 6:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
We might think of “silent prayer” as communicating with God not by speaking words aloud but by saying them in our minds.
But prayer does not always require words.
In fact, Jesus cautioned that using “many words” in prayer could become like babbling (see Matthew 6:7).
Matthew 6:7 New American Standard Bible 1995
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Being still, without using words, can help us reflect on the majesty, power, beauty, love, and other characteristics of God.
We need to be clear, though, that this is different from meditation that views silence as a way to empty the mind of thoughts, to connect with one’s “inner self.”
The command to “be still” in Psalm 46 has nothing to do with that—and is actually the opposite.
Notice that the words “be still” in verse 10 are immediately followed by the instruction to know God.
Prayer helps us grow in our knowledge of God, and knowing the heart of God is what enables us to be still in his presence.
As Psalm 46 indicates, God is both powerful and kind.
Our troubled hearts are quieted when we find our refuge in him.
Some Bible versions include the Hebrew word Selah after verses 3, 7, and 11 in Psalm 46, and that may help us understand this point.
Scholars aren’t sure what Selah means, but it seems to signal a pause and also perhaps an unknown period of time of reflection.
Practice being silent in God’s presence.
Quiet reflection intensifies prayer as the mind is filled with thoughts of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Find a place free from distractions.
Ask the Spirit to calm your heart and mind and help you to spend time in deep communion with God.
2. Spend a few minutes simply resting with God in solitude.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
“Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.” Madeleine L’Engle
3. Write down how solitude made you feel.
If you felt uncomfortable or frustrated, that’s alright! Solitude and silence is something most of us have never practiced so have patience with yourself.
Solitude is a practice.
The more you do it the better and more fulfilling it will become.
Once you connect with God’s heart free of words and just look at him face to face, his gaze will become one of the most important parts of your life.
Knowing experientially that your heavenly Father sees you and loves you is meant to be at the foundation of everything you do.
Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.
Lord, thank you for enabling me to be still in your presence. You are my strength, and I trust in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I [a]shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside [b]quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death, I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You [f]have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.
13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.
“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Jeremiah 29:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
The context for this verse is Jeremiah’s letter to the exiled Jews in Babylon.
This is a promise of restoration after the completion of the time allotted for their discipline.
We should read this as pertaining not only to them but to all God’s Church, even today – this was a specific promise to those Jews in exile, but it captures a basic principle of relating to our God that holds true in every generation of believers.
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
God has made himself completely and totally available to those who want him.
He calls to us, but he does not force us to follow.
His mysterious and prevenient grace notwithstanding, it is a crucial element of our relationship and fellowship with him that we’ll actually choose to seek him, come to him and abide with and in him.
Romans 1:20 suggests that everyone, even the unregenerate actually knows this to be true, though they have lied to themselves:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
For the Christian, it is necessary to wake up to this fact, stop running away, and begin hardcore running toward God, who has made himself apprehend able for the seeker.
Breaking Down the Key Parts of Jeremiah 29:13
#1 “You will seek me,”
Jeremiah prophesied that the Jews, currently then in exile for their failure to follow God, would indeed turn to him at the right time and seek his face.
But more importantly to us, he has reserved his elect Church as those who will at the right time wake up to the truth and at the right time they will seek him.
#2 “and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
The key to finding what we seek when we seek God is to put all our heart into it.
This we will do only when we place our very highest value in our God and in a relationship with him above and beyond echelons more than anything else.
Finding him is like finding a treasure in a field that is worth selling everything we have in order to buy it.
In Luke 18:29-30, it says, “29 ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.’”
We must leave all behind in respect to what or who has the highest place in our hearts if we would truly find God.
What If You Can’t Find God or Can’t Hear His Voice?
Some of us have had that sour experience of feeling that God is far away and unreachable.
Even some of the psalmists wrote about times when God did not seem to be anywhere near.
In Psalm 22, David cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus himself repeated those words as he hung dying on the cross (Mark 15:34).
So what do you do when you can’t find God?
So what do you do when you can’t hear God’s voice?
Do what the psalmist did, and cry out to God.
Let him know how much you need him.
And read and reread today’s Bible passage, which assures us that when we seek God with all our hearts, we will find him.
God wants to be a part of our everyday lives, just as he showed us when his Son, our Savior was born.
Four Questions to Ask When Listening for God’s Voice
Jeremiah 29:12-13 New American Standard Bible 1995
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
One of the joys we experience in childhood, although we don’t see as a gift at the time, is that decisions are made for us.
We love independence, but most of us can at least appreciate the idea of a person telling us which way to turn when the lines get blurry and a world that once seemed very black and white subtly takes on a surprising shade of grey.
One of the most common questions we have all heard asked is, “I wish I knew what God wanted me to do…how do I listen for Him or know I hear from Him?”
I would like to suggest four questions we should consider when seeking the voice of God:
1. Am I willing to hear what He might say?
Do you believe His voice will flow out of His great love for you, even if it’s not the message you wanted to hear?
If we aren’t willing to receive what He says, we really cannot proceed.
If that scares you, and I fervently pray it does, remember that a God who loves us enough to sacrifice His own Son, who promises to never leave us, and who is gentle enough to wipe away our tears ( Revelation 21:4). His will is vastly good.
Are you willing to hear more?
2. What does scripture say?
The Bible is God-breathed, so it is here where we begin.
We might not be able to flip to the concordance and search “how to know if I should stay in this dating relationship…” or “how to respond when my co-worker says something cruel…”, however, if we develop a disciplined habit of reading, studying, praying, abiding in the Word of God, we will know His heart.
And when we get serious enough to know his Heart, we will recognize His voice.
In the hardcore quest for God’s voice, let the first most critical stop be scripture.
The more familiar we are with the heart of God, the more familiar we will be with His voice.
3. What do the people who love you say?
Before we were married, during one particular coffee date I had with her, we discussed about unhealthy dating relationships.
I asked her what her family, close friends, and spiritual mentors had to say about “unhealthy dating relationships.”
Would the people closest to her, who loved her and wanted the best for her, all warn her that staying in any relationship was dangerous and if they advised her to end it – would she, or I be honest enough with ourselves to be able to discuss.
Would we talk about the reasons behind their concerns for any length of time, when she looked at me through teary eyes and said, “I try to hear them, know what they want me to do…now, I just wish I knew what God wanted me to do.”
The people who love you…the people you trust and respect…what do they say?
Have you asked them?
Obviously, everyone should not be within your circle for wise counsel.
Ask people who have made decisions that you respect, and who love you enough to want what is best for you.
Allow their voices to enter the conversation and examine how their input is compatible with scripture and what you know to be true about the heart of God.
The Lord frequently uses the voices of others to echo what He is speaking to our hearts.
4. What does the “still, small voice” say?
You know that whisper?
That sense of what God is calling us to?
In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard refers to this as the “still, small voice”.
For a deeper discussion about what it means to have a “conversational relationship” with God, as Willard describes it, jump into this thought-0provoking piece of writing.
I cannot do justice to the understanding he brings to the subject.
I will say this though – it’s hard to imagine hearing the “still, small voice” of God if we don’t make listening a priority.
Our lives produce a shocking amount of noise.
Our days seem to fill themselves with appointments and activities before we even have a chance to say otherwise.
Repeatedly in scripture, Jesus left the noise.
He got up earlier than everyone else, went away from the chaos, and was alone with His Father.
He prayed and they talked, a habit which scripture tells us He did often.
Are you positioning yourself to hear the still, small voice of a great God who wants so badly to talk with you?
These are our beacons.
If we are in the business of seeking direction, these questions may or may not lead us to a specific answer, but hopefully they will begin the process, to help us listen more carefully discern God’s small voice in the midst of so many others.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the [c]other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be [e]blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
My Savior Jesus, Giver of peace, I find myself so easily distracted by the voices of the world when I’m trying to focus and hear your Holy Spirit. Help me to quiet my mind in the middle of my busy life. Help me to just pause and to make space to listen to the most important voice of all. Empower me to be a good listener to the gentle whispers of your Spirit. Help me better follow the example of Jesus, who would slip away in the evening or the early morning to be alone with you. Teach me to abide in you. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Ephesians 1:15-21 New American Standard Bible 1995
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and [a]your love for all the [b]saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the [c]knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart [d]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the [e]saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
God’s Desire for Me
Ephesians 1:16-17 GOD’S WORD Translation
16 I never stop thanking God for you. I always remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better.
First and foremost on Paul’s spirit is this – To Never stop thanking God!
Second is this – to Never stop praying to God for wisdom and revelation!
Third is this – to Never stop praying to God for His saints, for their faith or their lack of faith, or for their troubled faith to gain a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Our own growing in wisdom is about cultivating a character that is Christlike.
If we desire that much to be growing and maturing into that spirit of wisdom, then the words of Ephesians 1:16-17 are a great discovery and encouragement.
What is striking about these verses is how they tell us we don’t have to figure this all out on our own. It’s not a project for which God gives us a textbook and tests us with a final exam at the end of life. God is not a “hands off” teacher.
In Ephesians 1:16-17 Paul explains that he prays for people to have wisdom, he prays, God to be involved in the process—because that is what God promises.
Apostle Paul goes on to mention “the Spirit of wisdom,” and he isn’t asking only for the Spirit to help us; Paul asks that the Spirit of wisdom be given to us.
Why? So that our desire is that we may each come to know God better.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, this matter of gaining wisdom is not just about learning some Christian way of living.
Try to fathom this miracle: it is about an interactive God who wants to live in us, make His home in us and be part of our faith growth by becoming part of us.
We can simplify all that to this: God wants us to have wisdom.
So we can each make this incredible prayer our own, saying to God, “I want to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation because I want to know God better.”
Getting to Know God Better
The Apostle Paul has been teaching the great facts underlying the Christian faith in Ephesians 1, and we turn now to his prayer.
This is a helpful revelation of the place of prayer in the Christian experience, especially in believers who are maturing, and in relationship to the study of Scripture – the revelation that this brings prayer and the Scriptures together.
Having finished a great passage in which he has set forth what the three-fold God is doing for us, now adds these words addressed to the Ephesian Christians.
That is really the major objective of a Christian life — is to know God better.
We need to ask ourselves,
Is this happening with us?
Are we really getting to know God better?
There is a principle in the Scripture that is very important for us to understand.
We are all familiar with the phrase that says we are made in the image of God, which means in some way that humanity reflects God.
But this fact means that we cannot learn who we are until we begin to know and learn who God is.
It is the revelation and understanding of the nature of God that will tell us what we are like.
I believe that this is one of the major reasons why many people today never seem to discover who they are.
They never learn what they can do, what possibilities lie within, and what potential is theirs because they have never discovered who God is.
We reflect Him, and therefore it is extremely important that we come to know God better.
Remember that Jesus said this in his great prayer to the Father:
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”(John 17:3)
John 17:1-5 The Message
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
17 1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, The very splendor I had in your presence Before there was a world.
This is the reason that we exist — that we may know God better.
I both hope and pray this is happening to you, young and old alike.
You never get to the end of knowing more about God.
He is such a fantastic being that revelations about his character and nature keep coming to us, keep being revealed unto us, we truly discover that as we all come know him better, we suddenly blink our eyes, realize what our God is revealing is that we’ve come to a place in our spirits where we know ourselves better too.
So Paul prays for these people.
He doesn’t know their circumstances – he can’t pray for their daily problems and pressures as you can when you know somebody personally – but he can pray, does pray, they may know God better. That will take care of everything.
Will you make it your top priority to know God better?
Will you pray to this end on a daily basis?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 100 The Message
100 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
Heavenly Father, please give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Open the eyes of my heart to know the hope and power by which you want me to live. Open my souls eyes, Lord, so that I may see more of who you are.For my Jesus; sake, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 