Tag: Prayer

Devotional 21: So he left all…

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Luke 5  27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

The Lord requires we carry nothing to distract us from what He would have us do in His service. When he sent out the disciples, he told them to take nothing, so that they would not be distracted with the things they carried over the preaching and ministry they were assigned to do.

I’ve heard the Gospel of Matthew referred to as the ‘testimony of Jesus’ enemies’ (Pr. James McDonald, Walk in the Word Ministries). The phrase stuck with me because it amazed me to realize that even your enemies can see the Power of G-d in your life, and come against it. But the Lord is our vindicator in these matters, and indeed, sets a table before us in their presence, that we might either make peace, or watch the Lord move them aside, as He fights our battles.

While the tax collectors weren’t necessarily enemies to Christ, their corruption and greed were widespread and well known, and Jesus often preached the evil of riches in the hands of greedy, corrupt men. So when He calls us to Him, we, like Matthew, must leave behind earthly treasures.

In Luke 18:18-23 we read the account of the rich young ruler:

18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”[a]

21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

This was the only thing that separated him from the kingdom of God, but it was also the greatest thing, and he chose it over the kingdom. His heart was in the right place, but it was not prepared. Many of the things Jesus spoke about doing regarding wealth escaped the understanding of those who had it, as it was in this instance.

Yet when Matthew, called Levi then, heard the voice and saw the love in the countenance of Jesus, he left everything: his books, his writing tools, possibly even the stashes of overage he collected that day, and had a feast that night, as much to celebrate his own freedom as to honor Jesus.

The widow gave all with her two mites, and even Zacchaeus, called out of a tree by name,  gave half his wealth to the poor, and paid quadruple what he stole by the time Jesus was done, and the Lord blessed the tax collector’s house by saying it was now under salvation

So we see there is a spiritual currency for following Jesus, a currency for faith, and many of us are not sure we’re willing to pay sometimes. Yet Jesus makes several references to this currency throughout His ministry. He speaks of casting unprofitable servants into outer darkness, he speaks of being unfruitful, and counting the cost of taking up our crosses, and leaving everything, never to go back again. He speaks of taking on work we are not able to finish when we fail to count that cost.

 

And it is to our earthly shame, and our eternal peril that we do so.

Therefore I pray:

Lord, let me be willing to leave all for the sake of following You.

Don’t let my emotions of doubt and fear and loneliness lead me into temptation, where I would blame Your absence for my present, yet transitory plight.

Help me to empty my hands and heart of idols of my own making, however temporary, for tomorrow is not promised to me, and I would not die in sin.

Help me to know that my heavenly mansion is financed by my heavenly treasure, for I will take nothing with me from this world when my time is done, except a spotted soul made spotless by Your holy blood, which redeems me into the kingdom, that I may achieve what you say is the chief end of man: to glorify G-d and to enjoy Him forever.

In Your Name I ask it, believing I have received.

Amen.

 

All Nations will be Gathered Before Him

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Devotional 17: All Nations will be Gathered before Him (Matthew 25:32)

   Matthew 25:31-32New King James Version (NKJV)

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

 

A college professor I had once described getting off the topic as ‘birdwalking.’

I was never really sure why this particular phrase stuck with me, and I’ve since tried to research whether or not birds walk in a straight line, but as with all things these days, there are conflicting opinions.

For the purposes of not being an ornithologist, I’ll use it anyway, since I’ve told you what he meant by it.

We have before us the doctrine of the Great White Throne judgement, though nothing says it is a great white throne, but rather simply ‘the throne of His glory.’ Since his body will be transformed, whether or not we get to look at it directly is up for debate, but now I’m  birdwalking.

For those who have a ‘no-hell’ doctrine, I would ask, why then would there be a need for separation? God can’t look on sin, nor will He allow it inside. Spotless, or spotted.

There is no middle ground, no compromise, no ‘winking’ and saying “Well, all right, he / she did try.”

There is salvation in faith in Christ and repentance of sins, or condemnation.

There is only one Way to God, and while other ‘gods’ may have said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, ‘ none of them followed it with, “No man comes to the Father, but by Me.”

There are some who say the everlasting punishment Jesus speaks of is metaphorical.

As metaphors are comparative, I would ask, compared to what?

There are others who say that non-whites should not worship a white Jesus, yet when Jesus says “Go and make disciples of all nations,” I see no exceptions in that list.

If He was black, He didn’t say “Only the nations where they look like Me.”

If He was white, He didn’t say, “Only the nations where they look like Me.”

The enemy has us fighting over the wrong issues with each other: His existence, His color, what He said or didn’t say about certain issues, whether or not He was married and had children, which Bible translation is more accurate, hymns vs. contemporary worship music….

We argue all this, and have allowed the sectarianism which He forbid to invade our thinking, and have separated ourselves while saying we’re of one accord, instead of simply doing what He told us to do: preach the Gospel to the nations who don’t know Him.

Our fruit rots on the vine for all these things we debate that, at their core, are fleshly and of no use Kingdom building.

As Paul admonishes us: Cease from strife. Know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified.

As Christ commands us: Love one another, and fear God, and see the Day of Salvation through the Power of God.

The rest is birdwalking.

 

Therefore I pray:

 

        Father in Heaven, bring to mind the words of my Lord and Savior when I would be distracted, and need to ‘defend’ against the hard-hearted the nature of His sacrifice. Let me not worry about what I will say, but let the Spirit fill my mouth with what You would want them to know, and speak the Truth in love.

     Help me to plant seeds in fertile soil, or to soften hard ground to receive the Good News of the Living Word.

     Forgive me when through my silence, I renounce Your presence in my life, and keep my tongue still when I should testify to Your goodness.

    I know the plans You have for me, and as You are no respecter of persons, allow me to be gracious in imparting the word of Your willingness to bless another.

    Help me too, O Lord, in keeping my own path straight, that I might not cause my brother or sister, new to Your revelation, to stumble, to birdwalk, and stray because of  my lack of discipline and self control.

     Let my rejoicing in Your salvation of me come through in all that I say and do, and forgive me when the world comes in like a flood, and I forget what You have done in my life.

     By the Power of Your blood, and in Your Name, I ask, in faith receiving.

 

     Amen.

 

Devotional 15: We Hear What We Want

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1st Kings: 7:12-19

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

12 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it(he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt ), 3 that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed.

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”[a]

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!”[b]15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

“What share have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel!
Now, see to your own house, O David!”

So Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

The son of Solomon did not inherit his wisdom, nor did he ask God for anything regarding the rule of His people. As Solomon’s heart turned to flesh instead of God, so too, did his son’s heart turn to flattery by his peers.

Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders his father knew, and chose instead the advice of youth who, like him, were wealthy simply by virtue of being their fathers’ sons. In their flattering, they hoped to profit from his cruelty.

They told a cruel man to act even more so, a greedy man to be even more so, and an arrogant man to be even more so, and ignore the pleadings for mercy from those he ruled.

The elders had advised ‘servant leadership’ in order to win the hearts of the people; the kingdom wasn’t financially insolvent, so they wouldn’t have advised it if it wasn’t possible.

7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

His own father taught people from around the world: 1st Kings 4:34

 

34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

We see this type of leadership all through the ministry of Jesus, but He actually remarked upon it to the disciples. From the Gospel of John 13 we read:

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

While Rehoboam didn’t have this example to turn to specifically, he nevertheless had a choice in how he would rule, but in reinforcing through bad advice what he already had in his heart to do, he forgot that God is sovereign.

We read in Psalm 75: 4- 7:

4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with a stiff neck.’”

6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another.

 

Therefore Rehoboam was forced to flee the land he would’ve ruled, for he drove them to rebellion, and gave up the crown.

In our seeking after the will of God, we must align ourselves with those doing likewise, even as we minister to those who are not, either by example or personally.

Our integrity in such things matters to God, especially if we’re in positions of power and influence. Let us be ever mindful, when we are tempted, that God is sovereign, and will hand over what you would rule to someone who will seek after Him, and you will be forced to flee.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven, pluck from me all that wants praises from man, while disregarding Yours, which is all that matters.

Help me to heed the still, small voice of caution and not the chorus of insincere encouragement. Let me abide by the statutes of Your will, especially when it goes against my fallen nature.

I would not have that which You bestowed on me with honor removed from me in rebellious shame.

Let me always heed the teaching of my Lord, who showed the world what it is to serve, and love, and bless from a position of power and influence given by You. Let me always follow His example in serving those He called, and calls today, to accomplish Your work for the Eternal Kingdom.

Let me always walk uprightly before You in those times.

In the Name of Your Most Holy Son, and my Teacher and Lord, Jesus Christ, I ask in faith, believing I have already received.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Devotional 15: Are You the One?

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In the amphitheatre of the Judean wilderness, the herald of the Messiah preached to the people and the religious leaders about repentance and the coming judgment, and imminent damnation and separation and destruction for the unrepentant enemies of God and Christ.

 

 Matthew 3: 7-12

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[a] 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

And under the penumbra of that rousing introduction, Jesus begins his work of imparting grace to sinners, of speaking of loving one’s enemies, performing miracles for the servant of a Roman centurion, a Greek woman’s daughter, and revealing Himself to the a Samaritan female with a bad reputation.

 

It was the work of holding the teachers and leaders of the Jews accountable for their corruption, cowardice, hypocrisy, and the work of feeding and healing multitudes of people John said He would punish.

 

And John, who leapt in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Jesus in Mary’s, sent messengers whose words must’ve torn at the Savior’s heart, even though He probably knew John would come to doubt before He ever descended:

 

“Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3)

 

John wasn’t there when Jesus proclaimed from the book of Isaiah the ‘year of the Lord’s favor,’ and therefore didn’t realize He did not speak of ‘the day of the Lord’s vengeance’ that John was preaching.

 

Jesus sends the reply that the events which the prophets spoke of and the tenets that the Law commands are being fulfilled, along with this gentle rebuke:

 

‘And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’ (Matt: 11:6)

 

Prophets predicted all manner of works God through Christ would perform, but they were never given specific times; they only knew what would happen, not when.

 

So it was with John, who prophesied the events of the day of vengeance, and so grew disillusioned when Jesus, from what he heard, was going around doing good instead, and didn’t attempt to get John freed.

 

We’re not told if John was comforted, or encouraged by Jesus’ answer, but it was all he was going to get before his death.

We’re not told if his faith was restored, and if he died despairing of hope.

 

John, if he doubted Christ, was not condemned for this moment; Jesus said the least in the kingdom is greater than John, so we know that John is there, leaping again in the presence of his Lord and Savior.

 

And for all of us steeped in the Word of the Lord, it’s all we’re going to get as well, yet God says He will pour out his Spirit on all men, and we will know that we know.

And it will be wonderful to see.

 

Therefore I pray:

 

 Lord Jesus, I praise and thank You for adding this unworthy servant’s name to the Book of Life.

Thank You for finding me in the year of the Lord’s favor.

Thank You for loving me enough to let no one and nothing snatch me from Your holy hand.

Thank You for not only breaking the sin chains, but dissolving them as well.

Pour out Your Spirit on me, O Lord, so that I may walk in white, with Your righteousness before me so I will not die, an old man, will dream dreams again with Your power and favor anointing them.

  

By faith I receive Your mercy, in fear I reverence Your truth, desiring to flee the wrath to come.

 

Therefore, Lord, give me dreams wrapped in faith, mercy, love, joy, peace, understanding, and fill me with divine though and strength for all that You would have me to say, do, think, or imagine. 

 

As I carry out and further the herald’s missive, to prepare the way of the Lord, grant me bolder power, favor, and discernment, that I may disciple all nations for Your Name and to Your everlasting glory, before the throne of God.

 

I ask in faith, believing I have already received.

 

Amen.

Devotional 14: There was No More Spirit in Her

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picture credit: Illustration by Avi Katz from the book, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Blu Greenberg and Linda Tarry

1st Kings 10: 1- 5

The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon

10 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

No doubt this queen was an intelligent woman; we can only guess that she was beautiful as well, but verse 5 takes a peculiar turn when it announces that ‘…there was no more spirit in her.’

What spirits were there that fled before the God-given splendor of Solomon?

  1.  A doubting spirit: Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord…

     In a polytheistic culture, how could one god possibly have all this knowledge? Surely the labors of heaven and earth and man were divided among gods, for no one god could possibly bear the burden; they were mighty over their places, the god of the sun, the goddess of the moon, the god of the seas…etc, but they were not omnipotent over all.

And why would any god share such knowledge with a mere man; he might guide a king or queen in their rule, but surely not impart wisdom on such a grand scale as to give the man any splendor of his own..

As we walk by faith, not by sight, given the flint-faced commandments of our Savior, in our humanity we question the things He wants us to obey because they’re contrary to our fallen nature.

Rumors of Solomon’s God-given wisdom stirred up a spirit of doubt, and she, like Thomas, needed to see for herself. That’s a need we can all relate to, one that we even pray for from time to time. “Lord, show me a sign…”

But unlike the queen, when we return home, we won’t be laden with material goods, but the seed of the Holy Spirit on us, in us, and with us, with the power of conviction of putting sin in us to death, and revelation of the Living Word of the Father

2. A challenging spirit:  she came to test him with hard questions

There are those who believe themselves wiser than people of faith; they are people who place pride in their intellect and ability to ‘show up’ the works of a divine Spirit (God is spirit, Jesus tells us), based on their physical experiences.  In other words, they attempt to seek to understand spiritual matters from a material view, and cannot. I don’t say that as an excuse for us as believers NOT to be knowledgeable, for indeed, Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.

However, the Apostle Paul admonishes that knowledge puffs up.

We must remind ourselves not to wield the Sword of the Spirit arrogantly, and to stay abreast of our studies, if we can, that we too, as Peter writes (1st Peter 3:15)

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

But to those whose pride is in their intellect, independent of God, as if He would give man dominion and tell him to subdue the earth without giving him the knowledge to do so, their mind is their idol, and God will brook no idols in his presence, or share his glory.

They test us with what they believe to be ‘hard questions,’ not realizing that their own spirit of pride, coupled to their faithlessness, will yield neither comprehension nor revelation.

3. Spiritual restlessness:  and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.

Something stirred within her, just hearing of Solomon’s wisdom and splendor, for we seek after the knowledge of God, because as Ecclesiastes 3:11 states:

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

If King David was the man after God’s heart, then Solomon, in asking for wisdom, was the man after His mind, and God added to him for his unselfish request.

So the Presence of the Lord in every aspect of Solomon’s life was so all pervasive and overwhelming to her, that she glorified God, for as verse 5 says, ‘there was no more spirit in her,‘ and Solomon sent her back with more than she came with, though what she left him was unique in all of Israel, the like of which they’d never see again.

Jesus says of her  (Matthew 12:42) 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, let not the spirits of defiance and doubt hold sway over my faith in my salvation by Your blood.

Grant to me also discernment, increase my fruit, and help my unbelief.

Let me always be ready through the power of Your Word to be ready to answer, but fill my mouth with what You would have me say, and therefore not worry, for You  said:  for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (Luke 21:15) 

Put to rest and silence all testing spirits, the lying spirits, the spirits of destruction, of pride in knowledge, of striving over the miniscule and insignificant.

Keep me focused on what is important and true: You, and You crucified, resurrected, and seated at the right hand of the father, waiting to welcome me home, bringing back with me more than I left with, to Your everlasting glory.

Hosea 6:

Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3 Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

Amen.

 

Devotional 13: Is Christ Divided?

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1st Corinthians 10- 13

Sectarianism Is Sin

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

We speak of ‘schools of thought,’ with foundations in schools of philosophy, where skilled master teachers of vast intelligence pushed their students to think in new ways and to question established ideas using reason and logic, and getting to the ‘true’ definition of a word and the ideas behind the meaning.

Perhaps the most common and well known of these is what we refer to now as the Socratic method:

*As a tactic and approach, Socratic questioning is a highly disciplined process. The Socratic questioner acts as the logical equivalent of the inner critical voice which the mind develops when it develops critical thinking abilities. The contributions from the members of the class are like so many thoughts in the mind. All of the thoughts must be dealt with and they must be dealt with carefully and fairly. By following up all answers with further questions, and by selecting questions which advance the discussion, the Socratic questioner forces the class to think in a disciplined, intellectually responsible manner, while yet continually aiding the students by posing facilitating questions.

A Socratic questioner should:
a) keep the discussion focused
b) keep the discussion intellectually responsible
c) stimulate the discussion with probing questions
d) periodically summarize what has and what has not been dealt with and/or resolved
e) draw as many students as possible into the discussion.

*Paul, R. and Elder, L. (April 1997). Foundation For Critical Thinking,
Online at website: www.criticalthinking.org

Paul encountered this in the roiling metropolis of Corinth, where ‘schools of thought’ were, possibly inadvertently, invented by the followers of Christ, but separated by those who listened to the preaching of Peter, Apollos, and Paul himself, respectively.

The apostle Paul quickly lets them know, with one pointed question, that such division as it concerns the finished work of Calvary does not apply to Jesus, and therefore should not apply to the faithful:

“Is Christ divided?”

Jesus didn’t die and rise that men may argue over who preaches His gospel the best.

The Corinthians were victims of their times in this, and Paul sets them straight (for the moment) in that even though they are three preachers, they are all preaching the same thing: the finished work of Jesus Christ, who died, as it says several times in the book of Hebrews, ‘once for all.’

Yet, some groups today accuse others of ‘false worship.’

And Jesus said the Gospel was to be preached to ALL the nations:

Matthew 28:19 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

and the only division there will be is between the faithless and unrepentant, and the faithful:  (Matthew 25: 31-33)

The Son of Man Will Judge The Nations

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Yet we get into heated discussions over his skin color, his childhood, his marital status…

As believers, though we are admonished by Christ not to do it (Mark 9:38-39), and Paul reinforces it here, we do the things we are forbidden to do; we’ve created sects of worship: different styles, different songs, different churches, and different preaching.

Any church worthy of the name, and any pastor worthy of their calling should all be emphasizing the same thing: (1st Corinthians 1:21-23)

              21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b]foolishness…

The rest is chaff in the wind. I didn’t come to the Lord’s house to hear musical skill or listen to clever oratory; I came to hear the Word of The Lord. We need to repent, burn off the dross, and return to the Gospel.

 Therefore I pray:

Lord, forgive my words and thoughts of prejudice, of hating my brother, of branding his outward shows of love towards You as phony or insincere, because their displays don’t look like mine.

Keep me from judgment of the hearts of Your servants.

Forgive me for the times I went down the paths that had nothing to do with anything You said, simply because it seemed a popular way to go.

 Keep me from ‘schools of thought’ that seek to limit my understanding of You, and bind me with chains of duty and fear instead of your light and easy yoke.

 Forgive my worldly compromise, for daily, I fail You in this.

 Lift me, O Lord, back into Your heavenly presence, and let Your light be as the noonday sun, to burn and purge my sin from me, as far as the east is from the west, or the left nail-scarred hand from the right, where they stretched out Your loving arms, and You embraced this unclean thing, and called me to Your pierced side.

 Thank You, Lord, that I might know the promise of eternal life is mine to inherit through faith in You, in that You rose on the third day, and will raise me up to be with You on the last.

 Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

 Amen

 

 

Devotional 9: Lord, to Whom Shall We Go? (John 6:68)

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68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Often throughout His ministry, to His disciples, as well as all the crowds, and even to the religious leaders, Jesus’ conviction and confirmation of his mission and purpose never wavered: to speak words of life concerning the Father’s will for, and through, the work of the Son, by the anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

These phrases we hear repeated: “I tell you the truth…” “Assuredly, I say to you…” and “Let no one…”

In Acts 4:12, Peter tells the Sanhedrin “…there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This confirms Jesus’ earlier statement, recorded for us in John 14:6: I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father, but by Me.”

If the road that leads to life, leads into the Kingdom of God, is indeed narrow with few travelers,  I will follow the Light of the World who speaks the Truth, who has the words of eternal life.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for not giving up on this rebellious prodigal, the one who daily makes Your sacrifice a common thing through willful sin.

My fear of your holy, righteous wrath is dulled, for I take for granted Your forgiveness; understanding that I had it even as I was in the act, the Spirit is grieved, Your heart is broken, and the Father turns away, for he can’t abide to look on it.

I hear Your voice, Lord, when I walk down the wide path to destruction that spans the chasm of the demons and fires of hell. They whisper my name with sultry voices, and pull at me with soft touches, they cover their malevolent intentions with eyes of innocent beauty, with eyes that feign interest, with adoring looks as they anticipate ripping my soul from me in triumph when I’m cast into the outer darkness.

And so I return, Lord, asking You to make me a hired hand, for I too am not worthy of the sonship, of fellowship with You.

How can You be closer than a brother and stand the smell of the piggish sin upon me?

I don’t know, really, why You continue to pursue me, but on the day that I don’t find You behind me, I will know that I am irretrievably lost, and there will be weeping…

Don’t let the enemy snatch me from Your healing hands.

Embrace me, O Lord, that I may feel Your heart, and take away my sins, the public and the secret.

And thank You, for guiding me to the next step on the narrow path, closer to glory, closer to You, closer to the Father, to dwell now and forevermore in Your House.

By the Power of Your holy Blood I ask, believing I have already received.

Amen.

Devotional 6: No One Remembered That Poor Man

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Ecclesiastes 9:14-16: Continue reading “Devotional 6: No One Remembered That Poor Man” →

Devotional 5: Neither do I condemn you…

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From the Gospel of John, Chapter 8:

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up[e] and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience,[f] went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her,[g] “Woman, where are those accusers of yours?[h] Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and[i] sin no more.”

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This is the familiar story of the adulteress caught in the act by the religious leaders, and brought before Jesus in order to trap Him. It’s used as a supplement to the verse “Judge not, lest you be judged, and with whatever measure you do it, it will be done to you.”

It’s also used as an example of Jesus’ covenant of grace toward us, but no one ever really talks about the conclusion of the passage.

The fact is, (if God’s Word is inerrant, and John’s witness is true) she was an adulteress, loving on the husband of another woman, and as Jesus convicted the Pharisees with his scorching reply, he did not hold the woman guiltless of her sin, and told her to leave from there and NOT do it again.

She had to go back to this man she had feelings for, and tell him they could no longer be, tell him to return and rejoice in the wife of his youth, in order to purify her own soul before the Lord.

We are not told whether or not she did, for that was not the point of the story. The point of the story, as far as I’m concerned, is that everyone left there with some work to do on themselves in terms of forgiveness, purity, and repentance.

We are under grace, but we will not be held guiltless for sinning under its covenant. Vigilance, keeping watch over our own souls, our words, our thoughts, our actions, is inconsistent at best, and non-existent at worse, taking grace for granted.

In Hebrews 10: 26- 29 it states:

The Just Live by Faith (bold letters added for emphasis)

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

and again in 10:31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Therefore, I pray:

Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice tore the veil, that I may approach the Father’s Presence under the covering of Your blood, that His mercy may be extended toward me in my final hour, and that I escape the fires of hell by accepting your sacrifice as the only thing that redeems me in the Father’s sight.

Grant that I may approach the throne boldly, but reverently, with fear and trembling, rejoicing and giving thanks in faith that I have received what I will ask, and over and above what I’ve petitioned my King to do for me.

Let me be ever mindful of grieving the Spirit of grace, Who reveals all Truth in Your Word to me.

Thank You for the sacrifice of the covenant of grace, proclaiming the Year of the Lord’s favor, and grafting me in, who was not called ‘His people.’

Lord Jesus, I repent, and return to You; receive Your prodigal once again, and wrap his unworthy soul in the folds of Your mercy..

Let me be ever mindful that the pain you felt was real, that the revulsion You felt toward my sins crept into Your very being, and grieved Your human heart, yet did not deplete Your divine love.

Daily, I contribute nails and thorns, but they no longer touch You, for the Work is finished. Burn them, Lord Jesus, and purify me in their fire, that I may stand on the last day, and enter into my Father’s kingdom, to praise Him forevermore, and rejoice in holy fellowship with You and all the saints.

In Your Name, and by the Power of Your Blood, I ask, in faith believing, that I have already received.

Amen.

Devotional 4: Two Trees of Eternal Life

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Genesis 3:

22 And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live for ever”—

23 therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Galatians 3:13

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Here, in contrast, are two trees of Life, one from Eden, and the other, the cross of Calvary.

Of one, we were not to eat, but because there was disobedience regarding the Tree of Knowledge, there was a casting out of Paradise, lest there be the same for the Tree of Life.

Yet, Jesus tells us that unless we eat of His flesh, which was to be hung on a tree, thereby becoming for us the gateway to eternal Life, we will not enter Heaven. (John 6:53)

Two trees laden: one with pleasant but forbidden fruit, and one with bitter, holy blood, of which we are invited to partake.

Those who now reject the latter tree do so to their eternal peril.

We are to walk by faith and know that we will be the harvest of the first fruits of resurrection, the Risen One, in this, our Father demands obedience, but does not force us to obey.

The Tree of Life is guarded by a flaming sword, but there are no such weapons around the Cross.

Earthly fruit trees die, and their fruit spoils, but there is no drying up of the holy blood which covers our sins, iniquities, and transgressions to the exacting eyes of our Father, who has handed all judgment to the Son.

Therefore let us not be found in pride, disobedience, and rebellion, for the Father says He will make the Son’s enemies His footstool.

Let us boldly, but reverently, approach the throne of Grace, and partake of the tree of Eternal Life, the cross, who’s fruit is the Bread of Life, and who’s seed is the anointing confirmation of the Holy Spirit, sealing us to Heaven. Let us reach and touch the hem of his holiness, that we might be made well.

Therefore, I pray:

Father in Heaven, help me to know that this is not my permanent home. Help me to remember that I have been called out from the world to minister to it your Holy Truth, the Gospel of Your glorious Son, the Bread of Life, who was nailed to a tree, that I might have Eternal Life and fellowship with Him, and be in the Light of Your Presence without fear of death.

Jesus says no one has seen the Father except the Son, and that is true; I haven’t seen You, Father, but I have seen Your power at work in my life, and the lives of those I love. 

Would that we did not have knowledge of evil, but we do; we also have knowledge of good, and therefore can counter the deeds of evil men, with Your power working on our behalf. We have but to ask, in faith believing we have already received.

Help me to keep the second Tree of Eternal Life, the cross of Your Son, and my Savior, ever in my vision, my thoughts, my words, and my deeds; let me partake fully of the sanctification of the fruit of salvation, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I thank You for my gifts, and the opportunity to use them for Your glory. Let me therefore be a fruitful branch in the making and establishing of Your coming Kingdom.

Bless me this day, Father, and let my sins of the day be covered by His holy blood once more.

In His Name, and to Your Mercy, I pray.

Amen.