Commands #1 & #2

Command #1

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

Command #2

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Pray

Father, I pray today that You would teach me how to obey Jesus’ commands. I pray that you will send people my way who will teach me the joy of obeying all of Jesus’ commands. Give me wisdom and discernment so that I see the difference between worldly repentance and godly repentance.  Show me how glorious and good You are. Show me offensive my sin is against you.  Show me how sufficient Christ’s work is for my forgiveness. May I see with the clarity of Simon and Andrew that Jesus is worthy of following no matter where and no matter what it costs. Thank you God, that you forgive the repentant. Thank you God, that your Son is infinitely worthy of being followed. Show me how. Teach me how. And use me to teach others.  Amen.

The Plan- learn how to obey all that Jesus commanded

Our daily bible reading has taken us into the Gospels.  As we read through the first four books of the New Testament I plan on spotlighting and praying through the commands of Christ.  Jesus left us with the command to teach disciples how to obey all that he commanded (Mt 28:20). Do you know what those commands are? Do you know how to obey them? Are you teaching others how to obey?  Let’s read together and pray together so that we can learn how to live as faithfully and joyfully as possible.

God is deep

Friday’s reading

Daniel 2:20-23

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Father, to you belong all wisdom. Make me wise. Give me understanding. Set Jesus before my eyes. Help me set Jesus before my eyes. Remove all worthless things from before me. May my desire to see Christ and show him to others drive me to remove all worthless things. Thank you for the light. Thank you for my Savior.

In his glorious name,

Amen

Raising Rechabites (faithful children)

Thursday’s Reading: Jeremiah 35

What an amazing testimony of faithfulness in the lives of sons and what a testimony to the faithfulness of a father.  How many of our children when grown would willing remain submissive to a command like Jonadab’s? Jonadab commanded that his sons not drink any wine, not build a house, not sow seed, not plant or have a vineyard, but live in tents all their days. When God wanted to use an illustration of faithfulness to point out Israel’s unfaithfulness God went straight for the Rechabites; they illustrated faithfulness.

Father, I pray for my children and for myself. May I be a father that instills in my children the value of joyful obedience to God. Make faithfulness to You a characteristic of our household.  May people think of us and think of joyful obedience in all things. The temptation to give up will be great. The desire for easy parenting and quick fixes will always be there and at times be close to unbearable.  Lord, be my strength.  Christ, be my righteousness and my source of abundant life.  I want to raise joyful children alive and strong in Christ. I fear raising Pharisees who have a form of godliness but deny it’s power. Help me Father to be the dad my children need.

In Christ,

Amen

Pray for true words

Friday’s Reading: Jeremiah 28 & Mark 14

Father, I pray for the prophets you have sent. I pray for the pastors who proclaim your truth from your word.  Give them a hunger for knowing you from your word. Give them knowledge. And Lord please give them boldness to proclaim what is true. Do not let them fear man in any form; may they only fear you. I pray my pastor will not run in the face of difficulty or persecution. I ask that he would be a man of knoweldge, boldness, and endurance. When times are hard give him Christ’s joy of enduring the cross. When times are good give him a grateful spirit. In every season make my pastor a man who prays without ceasing and rejoices in all things.  Make him like Christ.

In Jesus’ name

Amen

Pray, believe, and forgive

Tuesday’s Reading: Jeremiah 25 & Mark 11

From Jesus’ cursing and subsequent teaching about the fig tree we learn an important lesson for life. If we want to be effective in the hand of God we must pursue three things. Frist, we must pray. Pray specificially, pray daily, and pray kingdom prayers.  Second, when you pray believe.  When we pray through Christ we have confidence that the Father hears our prayers. The One who hears has the power to fulfill His will.  Pray and believe. Finally, forgive. The call to forgiveness is unexpected but desperately needed.  Pray because God has graciously made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. Believe because God is gracious to His people. Forgive others because you have been forgiven.  Laziness, unbelief, and bitterness will destroy you. Prayer, faith, and forgiveness will make you fruitful.

Father full of splendor and all power, make me fruitful. Make your church fruitful.  Make us a praying people who believe. Make us believe you intend to do great things through us for the kingdom of your beloved Son. Make us a people who forgive.  Increase my prayers. Increase my faith. Increase my forgiveness. For the glory of Your great name I pray you deliver us from our sin.  Unite Your church, recover the lost in Christ, and build your kingdom.

For Jesus

Amen

All Things Are Possible With God!

Monday’s Reading: Jeremiah 24 & Mark 10

Let’s survey Mark 10 and see what is impossible with man but possible with God.

1. A healthy gospel proclaiming marriage (Mk 10:1-12)
2. Salvation/entering into the kingdom of heaven (Mk 10:13-31)
3. Understanding and appreciating the death of Christ (Mk 10:32-34)
4. Serving each other instead of demanding our way (Mk 10:35-45)
5. Physical healing (Mk 10:46-52)

Father, I know with you all things are possible. If my salvation, my faithfulness, my family, and my future were dependent on me my future would be like Zedekiah’s when he went into exile. I would be like the bad figs, so bad that they cannot be eaten. But you have made me like the good figs. You have given me a heart to know that you are the Lord. You have planted me in Christ. I am a member of your kingdom people. You are my God and I have come to you. All of these are to your praise because they are your work.  Keep in my mind today the truth that all things are possible with You. May my heart rejoice. May I be an encouragement to others.  With You all things are possible. Thanks belong to Christ who has made this known.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

Getting it straight in our heads

Thursday’s Reading: Isaiah 51 & Revelation 21

First, let me apologize for being absent this week; we’ve been going full speed with VBS.  When I heard one of our kids explain the gospel to another kid I realized again the value of teaching and investing in children.

• Isaiah 51:6, Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
• Revelation 21:3-7, And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

I must constantly remind myself of the power and blessing of the Gospel. I begin to fear man. I begin to wallow in my self-pity. I start to feel bound to the power of temptation and sin.  Then the Gospel breaks in.  God shows me His power and that I have every reason to fear Him.  The Gospel shows up and I have nothing to pity myself for.  Jesus rides the conqueror’s white horse and the power of sin and temptation are broken and destroyed. My dwelling is with God. All this stuff and all the “power” of the world are temporary and small. Because I am united to Christ by faith and sealed with the Holy Spirit I have been given what is eternal and I have been equiped with true power.  In Christ I have been given all that I need.  Stop fearing man.

Father, Your words are powerful and true.  Thank You that I have ears to hear and eyes to see. That is a gift of Your sovereign will.  There is nothing good in me except for Christ. Since I have Christ everything is good. What a wonderous gift You have given when You called me to be Your son.  Set my eyes on You and Your will.  Forgive me for fearing what will be eaten by worms. May I fear what is truly powerful and in control of all things. Give me a healthy fear of You.

I pray for our children at Vacation Bible School today. I pray we would see a multitude of them striken with godly grief that leads to repentance. I pray You would work powerfully to remove the blindness of sin and pride from even the youngest. I pray, Father, that You would give the gift of faith.  Raise up the repentant. Open hearts.  May today be the day of salvation for our children at Vacation Bible School.

For Jesus

Amen

He is God

Wednesday’s Reading: Isaiah 43 & Revelation 13

I started to post some of verses from Isaiah 43 but as I began I realized I wanted to post the entire chapter.  There is so much there that is rich and encouraging for the soul.  Read the chapter again and let God’s power, love, and glorious will wash over your soul.  You will not get far before you encounter Jesus. Slow down, sit down, take out your bible and commune with God.

Father, there is so much to thank You and praise You for this morning. Above all I thank You for the total redemption that is mine in Christ Jesus. I worship You Almighty God truly there is none like You. There is nothing for me to fear. You have redeeemed me through Christ and you have called me by name. I belong to You. I am Your’s. No greater thing could I say than “I belong to God.” You have ransomed me. I am precious, honored, and loved by You. I was created to glorify You. You formed me and made me so that I would declare your praise. Father, what a wondrous gift You have given me by giving me Christ.  Because of Him I know and believe You. I understand You are the Lord and there is no other savior. You declare, you save, and you proclaim. There is no other god than my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Praise You my God. Praise You.

In Jesus

Amen

How to Conquer

Tuesday’s Reading: Isaiah 42 & Revelation 12

• Isaiah 42:15&16, I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16 And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.
• Revelation 12:10&11, And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

We Christians are conquerors over sin, death, and temptation because of the awesome power of God.  Because God is Conqueror and we are in Christ that means we also are conquerors. But that does not mean we are passive. We have the word of our testimony that must go forth. We must give testimony to our faith in Christ. How do we give that testimony? We love Jesus more than our lives to the point of death.

• Read 1st Timothy 6:6-10 to help put this in perspective