DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 1.30.21

Not Religion but Relationship - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, �Where are you?� �Genesis 3:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/not-religion-but-relationship/- Listen If you were meeting friends somewhere but had to call them because you were lost, the first question they would ask is, �Where are you?� Before they can tell you how toget there, they need to know where you are. God asked that very question of Adam in the Garden of Eden. After Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the world. So he was hiding. The Lord came walking through the garden in the cool of the day, and He called out to Adam, �Where are you?� (Genesis 3:9 NKJV). Now, do you think the Lord knew where Adam was? Of course, He did. God knows everything about us. We can�t hide anything from Him. In effect, God was saying, �Well, Adam, you ate of the forbidden fruit. How did that go? Are you happy with the way things turned out?� I think the Lord could ask the same of us today: Where are you? How is your life going? Is this the way you hoped it would turn out? Are you wondering if you�ve missed thewhole point of what life is all about? God loves you. He has a plan for you, and there�s hope for your future. But there�s a big difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ. It isn�t rules and regulations; it�s real freedom from the power of sin. It isn�t religion; it�s a relationship with Christ himself. Being a Christian is asking Christ to come and live inside of you. The Bible says, �But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, tothose who believe in His name� (John 1:12 NKJV). Only you can do this. No one can do it for you. The way you become a child of God is by receiving Christ into your life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deliveredby the Word “Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law. Plead my cause, and deliver me:quicken me according to thy word.” (Psalm119:153-154) Much of the Old Testament records God’s intervention into the affairs of men, often in huge victories on the battlefield. The great military king David wrote frequently of his deliverance amid slaughter, and certainly there is an overtone of physical deliverancefelt in these verses. The key to this prayer, however, is in verse 158: “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.” Although the psalmist spoke of his many “persecutors and...enemies” (v. 157), his desire was fixed directly on the faithfulnessof God’s promises. Note the constant reliance on the truth of what God has said: •“I do not forget thy law” (v. 153). God spoke of the opposite condition through Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea4:6). •“Quicken me according to thy word” (v. 154), for the “wicked...seek not thy statutes” (v. 155). •Even though there are many enemies who persecuted him “without cause” (Psalm35:7), this godly man would not “decline from thy testimonies” (Psalm119:157). •“I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word” (v. 158). Jesus felt the same righteous emotion when He “looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts” (Mark3:5). Hearts not stirred with the Holy Spirit’s indignation at the wicked culture and flagrant violators of God’sWord should “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2Peter 1:10). Those who love God’s holiness also love God’s Word. HMM III --------------------------------------------------------------------- Blessed are the Meek by Sarah Phillips Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV) I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back more than a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school. I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor,while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this: "I've chosen Melissa because I need someone with a strong personality - someone who isn't meek, like Sarah." Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life. At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount. Our deacon offered some thoughts on this verse that helped put things in perspective for me. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose - and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God'splan for mankind included an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love. It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the doorfor us to share in His eternal glory. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Message the World Needs to Hear Mark 16:15-20 Suppose I asked what the mission of the church is—how would you answer? Although the church accomplishes many tasks, its only message to the world is the gospel of Christ. Everything else we do is merely an extension of that primary goal. The gospel we offerthe lost is superior to every worldly philosophy. Never outdated or in need of correction, it is always sufficient to meet humanity's greatest need: reconciliation with the Creator. Although the message is always the same, methods of making it known are many—including the spoken word, music, printed material, and electronic media. But all these avenues of communication require the individual involvement of God's people. It is everyChristian's responsibility to use his or her spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities to help fulfill the Great Commission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheElect of God “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans8:33) The doctrine of election is a key doctrine of Scripture, but it is also controversial, so any discussion of it should, mostly, let the Scriptures speak for themselves. The Greek and Hebrew words for the “elect” are the same as for the “chosen,” and it is clearthat whenever the elect are mentioned, it is God, not man, who has done the choosing. For example, Christ elected the 12 to be His apostles of His own volition. They are called, in fact, “the apostles whom he had chosen” (Acts1:2). The Scriptures also speak of “the elect angels” (1Timothy 5:21) and even of Christ Himself as being the “chief cornerstone, elect, precious” (1Peter 2:6). Most often, however, the term is applied to those who have been saved through faith in Christ and His substitutionary death, and they are said to have been “chosen...in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians1:4). Having been chosen, these elect ones are then, in the fullness of time, drawn to Christ. As He said: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”; and He also said: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and himthat cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John6:44, 37). Finally, to make it crystal clear who does the choosing, Jesus said: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John15:16). None of this eliminates our individual responsibility to “make [our] calling and election sure” (2Peter 1:10), but the grand purpose of this great doctrine is simply this: “Base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen....That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1Corinthians 1:28-29). HMM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Owned by Identity, Bought by a Savior by John UpChurch You are not your own, for you were bought with a price (1Corinthians 6:19-20). Arguments about "identity" should end at this verse. For non-Christians, it’s meaningless noise. For Christians, it’s everything. We own nothing from our hair follicles to our toenails. Every drop of cytoplasm, every hormone, every spark of our synapseswas paid for in full. Christ didn’t die for the “good” parts or the parts we let Him have; He wanted all of us. That’s why it makes no sense for us to justify what’s natural or what makes us happy or what satisfies us. To do so breaks us into pieces, compartmentalizing where we will and will not surrender, what we will and will not hand over to Christ. But the choiceisn’t ours. The price paid was for the whole shebang. The heart loves to mass-produce idols, and identity works just as well as anything else. Deep inside, the hammers of what’s just and fair and right beat in time with our resistance to surrender. We know who we are, and we can’t change. But the possibility of change is completely beside the point. Even if no change comes before the perfect does (1Corinthians 1:10), even if the desires never stop, we have no room to act on them or justify them. We have no ownership in ourselves. Not even a partial vacation stake. It all belongs to Jesus. Christ urged us to follow Him with the heavy weight of lumber slung across our shoulders (Mark8:34). That image is one of ownership. Why else would we take up humiliation and hardship to struggle after a bloodied Lamb? It isn’t an image of coercion, but of willingness. Just as the Messiah surrendered Himself to be crucified, we crucify ourselvesto admit surrender. The arguments about orientations or ingrained needs or natural behaviors focus on one thing: us. They point to who we are and what we want. Put succinctly, such discussions are nothing more than navel-gazing. We’re peering down at what makes us tick and letting that determine our course. And ultimately, none of it matters. That navel we’re peering so deeply into belongs to Christ. He bought it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condemning the Condemners - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. �Romans 8:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/condemning-the-condemners/- Listen Although Marilyn Monroe became an American icon, she lived a tragic life. She was involved with a succession of men, and all of them let her down in the end. �She was a lady born into turmoil,� said biographer Charles Casillo, �and she spent therest of her life looking to be saved.� Tragically she never was, at least that we know of. The Bible tells the story of a woman who made some bad moral choices, but Jesus Christ saved her. John�s gospel tells us that one day while Jesus was speaking to a crowd, �The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. �Teacher,� they said to Jesus, �this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her.What do you say?�� (8:3�4 NLT). But instead of answering them, Jesus bent down and wrote something in the dirt. I love what happened next: �They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, �All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!� Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust� (verses 7�8 NLT). We don�t know what Jesus wrote down that day. But whatever it was, it made the accusers leave, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus had condemned this woman�s condemners. And He will do the same for us. When we put our faith in Christ, we�re forgiven of our sin. The Bible says, �So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus� (Romans 8:1 NLT). Jesus died for you on the cross and bore the judgment of God in your place. God will forgive your sin right now, right where you are. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Teachers and Soldiers “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at hiswill.” (2 Timothy 2:26) We are in a great battle for the minds of young people today. The battlefield may be the classroom, or the home, or the church, or the family television, or any place else where teaching—good or bad—takes place. It is significant that one of the greatest verses on teaching and one of the greatest on soldiering occur together. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:2-3). Thus, it seems clear that a faithful teacher is a good soldier inthe battle of Jesus Christ against the devil for the minds of those we are trying to teach. The battle is not to be fought with bullets, however, or even with ballots, but with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).Furthermore, our battlefield strategy is not to strike down our enemy with a sharpened tongue or to bludgeon him with a superior intellect. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians4:6). Our text for the day gives us reason to continue, for it promises that those whose minds have been ensnared by the devil may yet be recovered. The words just preceding this verse describe our tactics: “The servant of the Lord must not strive; butbe gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2Timothy 2:24-25). Not even Satan can stand before the mighty sword of the Spirit, wielded by an apt soldier-teacher. HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Teachersand Soldiers “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at hiswill.” (2 Timothy 2:26) We are in a great battle for the minds of young people today. The battlefield may be the classroom, or the home, or the church, or the family television, or any place else where teaching—good or bad—takes place. It is significant that one of the greatest verses on teaching and one of the greatest on soldiering occur together. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:2-3). Thus, it seems clear that a faithful teacher is a good soldier inthe battle of Jesus Christ against the devil for the minds of those we are trying to teach. The battle is not to be fought with bullets, however, or even with ballots, but with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).Furthermore, our battlefield strategy is not to strike down our enemy with a sharpened tongue or to bludgeon him with a superior intellect. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians4:6). Our text for the day gives us reason to continue, for it promises that those whose minds have been ensnared by the devil may yet be recovered. The words just preceding this verse describe our tactics: “The servant of the Lord must not strive; butbe gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2Timothy 2:24-25). Not even Satan can stand before the mighty sword of the Spirit, wielded by an apt soldier-teacher. HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Unifying Christ by Katherine Britton May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just asChrist accepted you, in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:6,7 A couple years ago, I spent two weeks with missionary friends in France. Over the course of those days, I learned a bit about buying baguettes, European clothing sales and measurements, and where to watch for pickpockets. I picked up a couple helpful phrases,(often falling back on the always-applicable "pardon" and "bonjour"), took the RER train system, and frequented the French version of Walmart (it's called Auchan). I got used to hearing a language that made little sense to me in the streets. But two weeksdid not instill a sense of belonging. I loved the experience, but the language barrier was too great to tempt me into staying. The most nerve-wracking moments - for us unilingual Americans - came the day our hosts had other commitments. We were left to attempt a trip into Paris on our own, without our erstwhile friend/guide/translator. In reality, the abundance of English-speakingFrenchmen should have made us easy, but we still felt painfully and distinctly not French. It was intimidating to jump on the RER with its quiet passengers, who knew the route better than we did and would immediately identify us if we opened our mouths. Westuck with "pardon" for the train ride, though we later chickened out and ask the restaurant's waiter if he spoke English. He said, "Yeah, sure." Perhaps the most rewarding evening of the trip was a birthday celebration at our hosts' home, when several of their French friends came for dinner. The language barrier still existed, but its unease lifted during that evening. We all made linguistic blunders- some of which were funnier than others. But for all of us, we were united in our mutual friendship of the hosts, and our implicit trust that, well, if he's friends with them, they must be wonderful people. The unspoken bond carried even further in some cases, when we knew we shared a common faith as well as friend. Our Parisian adventure eventually ended back in Dulles International airport—not the most exciting or warm place in the U.S. But did we ever fell at home! We felt so welcomed and at home. Everything was written in our own language! We could understand thepassing comments of strangers! We could joke in line at Starbucks! We could speak without translating in our heads! We could revel in our Americanness because we were home. Our language unified us with total strangers after the immersion of two weeks in France. Being back in our home culture with our native language made me feel like old friends with total strangers, who probably gave me an odd look at the time. But the unity of our common understanding was wildly apparent to me, and I couldn't help feeling joyfulat the strangeness of hearing my own language again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stop Robbing the Body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:14-21 Every day, you get out of bed, put on clothes, and walk to the table to eat breakfast. You greet the rest of the household and maybe read the paper. A few minutes later, you drive to work at 60 m.p.h. on a strip of asphalt where other vehicles can pass bywithin four feet. In the first hour or so that you’re awake, your body completes thousands of complex tasks that are so routine they go unnoticed. Our physical frame is a creation of remarkable beauty and intricacy. And while certain parts seem more attractive than others, all are useful. The body’s interdependent nature—that is, the way every part relies on other parts to perform properly—is an aptmetaphor for a Christ-centered church. When believers use their gifts and talents to operate together lovingly, the whole body functions properly to the glory of God. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shadows and Quicksands by Laura MacCorkle O God, The Eternal All, help me to know that all things are shadows, but Thou art substance, all things are quicksands, but Thou art mountain, all things are shifting, but Thou art anchor, all things are ignorance,but Thou art wisdom. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions Arthur G. Bennett, Editor I've felt distant from God lately. Not again. Spending time in shadows and quicksands can do that to you. They can make you feel stuck and lost. But I don't always know that I'm in a place that's shifting or that I'm spending my time on that which is ignorant … until I start paying attention to my condition. Recently a friend mentioned how Scripture was coming alive to her and how she was enjoying digging in the Word during this season of life. When I heard that, I realized that I hadn't felt that way in quite a while. Where is the joy of my salvation? And why am I not finding peace in my life right now? The answers are this: I've been spending my time elsewhere and not looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. I've been in places, in activities and in thoughts that are keeping me away from the light and keeping me mired in entanglements. But what are or easily can be the shadows and quicksands in my life? I'll start with what I can see: family, home, job, hobbies, possessions, church, ministry opportunities, social activities, volunteering, and so forth. And then there is that whichis unseen: hopes, dreams, obsessions, idols, jealousies, insecurities, anxieties—to name just a few. It is so easy to "live" and get "stuck" in these types of things. They suddenly become our whole world. And sometimes what are blessings or good things in our lives can quickly become something which we mishandle or view in unhealthy ways. Not everythingis inherently wrong in and of itself. But it is how we approach what is in our lives, how we prioritize, and how our perspectives can keep us away from knowing and focusing on what the puritan prayer so eloquently stated: But Thou art substance … but Thou art mountain … but Thou art anchor … but Thou art wisdom. It's a slippery slope into shadows and quicksands, but God's Word gives me footholds and that which I can cling to when my feet give way. I think David must have felt the same way as he struggled in his faith walk, to: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do We Really Need One Another 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Believers have two responsibilities. The first is to worship God and the second is to work for His kingdom. Where and how we serve is based upon our unique talents, skills, and calling. But the one place where we are all expected to give of ourselves isthe local church. When you were saved, the Lord baptized you by the Holy Spirit into His church—the body of believers who live all over the world but are united by trust in Jesus Christ. You then chose, according to the will of God, to become part of a local, autonomous group of believers. He placed you there because Heknows that you are needed (1 Cor. 12:18). You are significant to your home church. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lord Is Thy Keeper “The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand....The LORD shall preserve thy goingout and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” (Psalm 121:5, 8) One of the most precious doctrines in all of Scripture is that of the secure position of the believer in Christ Jesus. Nothing in creation is “able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans8:39). The apostle Peter tells us that we who are born again are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5). Nothing we can do can meritsalvation; similarly, nothing we do can keep it. This is God’s work, not ours, and extends to all realms of our lives. “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved [usually translated ‘kept’] blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This keeping aspect of God’s work for us should not be a surprise, for Christ prayed for just this. With His betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and death imminent, He prayed for all who would eventually believe on Him (John17:20). “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me....While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost....I pray not that thou shouldest take themout of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]” (John 17:11-12, 15). We can be certain the prayer is answered, for God the Fatherwould surely hear the intercessory prayer of His own beloved Son. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude1:24-25). JDM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anything and Everything by Shawn McEvoy He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?Romans8:32 When my children were but ages five and three, they already knew my weakness. They recognized that it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them. See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. Icommunicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry. ...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is. And like I said, my children, who are older now, have known this from early on. And oh, have they twisted that knife. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what havethey invariangly picked through the years? The Giving Tree of course! I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here? First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches,and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges...and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect."And the tree was happy. The end." And I am undone... again. Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Man Who Went Looking for God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. �Acts 8:35 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-man-who-went-looking-for-god/- Listen He was a government official, a VIP. He oversaw the treasury of Ethiopia, which was a powerful kingdom at the time. But he didn�t find what he was looking for in the religionsof his culture. He�d heard about the city of Jerusalem, the home of the Jewish people�the people who had a relationship with God. So he went to Jerusalem in search of God, but he didn�tfind Him there. Sadly, the Judaism of the day consisted of a lot of rituals and regulations. But he did obtain a scroll of Isaiah, one of the books of the Bible. And as he rode throughthe desert in his chariot, he read aloud from Isaiah 53. Meanwhile, God directed Philip to go and wait for this man in the desert. And then Philip saw this VIP riding along, reading aloud from Isaiah 53. Acts 8 tells us what happened next: �So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, �Do you understand what you are reading?� And he said, �Howcan I, unless someone guides me?� And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him� (verses 30�31 NKJV). He wanted to know whether the prophet was talking about himself or someone else. Then the Bible says that �beginning at this Scripture, [Philip] preached Jesus to him� (verse 35 NKJV). Like this man from Ethiopia, sometimes people don�t know what to make of the Bible. They need someone to show them the way. And that�s exactly what Philip did. He told himhow to have a relationship with God. So the Ethiopian official believed in Jesus, and Philip baptized him that day. How long does it take to become a Christian? It doesn�t take years, months, or even hours. It can happen in an instant. You can have your life changed in a moment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lord of the Living and the Dead Romans 14:7-12 In the New Testament, Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus Christ. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we are all quite familiar with another word: boss. That is basically what Lord means�one possessing authority, power, and control. The Word of God describes Jesus as the head of the church, the ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings (Col.1:15-18; Rev. 3:14; 17:14). The realm of Christ's reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth. No one�not even those who deny His existence�can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doingwhat we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ's loving lordship. Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God's Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead. All people must decide to either yield or rebel against Him, but they have the opportunity to make this choice only while they are still living.After death, they will acknowledge Christ's lordship through accountability to Him. If we have not bowed the knee to Jesus in life, we will be forced to bend it in the judgment. Have you submitted to Christ's rule over your life? His authority causes anger or fear in individuals who have not yet yielded to Him, but those who have experienced His lovingkindness, trusted in His goodness, and surrendered to His authority take comfortin knowing Him as the Lord of their lives. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Childrenin Heaven �And [David] said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GODwill be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.� (2Samuel 12:22-23) The death of a loved one is always a time of great sorrow, but the death of a beloved child is perhaps the keenest sorrow of all. Nevertheless, for the Christian believer, we �sorrow not, even as others which have no hope� (1Thessalonians 4:13). Our text verse makes it clear that when a child dies (even one born of a sinful relationship such as this child of David and Bathsheba), that child goes to be with the Lord in heaven. Jesus said: �Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:for of such is the kingdom of heaven� (Matthew19:14). Heaven is thus a place where there are many �little children.� Their inherited sin-nature never yet had generated acts of willful sin, and their Maker is Himself �the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world� (John1:29), so they are safe in Him. Although there are few specific Scriptures on this subject, what we do know, both from the love of God and the Word of God, suggests that the souls of all deceased little children are with the Lord in heaven, but also thosewho died in early childhood (and even before birth) from every time and place since the world began. There they, along with all those who were saved by personal faith in Christ and are now awaiting the resurrection, will receive new bodies when Christ returnsto Earth. The old and lame will be young and strong again, and the children will grow to perfect maturity, for all will become �like him� (1John 3:2). �God shall wipe away all tears� (Revelation21:4), and all will say: �As for God, his way is perfect� (Psalm18:30). HMM As He Forgave Us - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Make allowance for each other�s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. �Colossians 3:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/as-he-forgave-us/- Listen Alexander Pope wrote in the 18th century, �To err is human; to forgive, divine.� If you want to be like Jesus, then forgive. The Bible tells us that we should �make allowance for each other�s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others� (Colossians 3:13 NLT). Jesus modeled this so beautifully for us when He hung on the cross of Calvary. They had ripped open His back with a Roman whip, pressed a crown of thorns around His head,and pounded spikes through His hands and feet. But the first words He spoke from the cross were these: �Father, forgive them, for they don�t know what they are doing� (Luke 23:34 NLT). Those words were so powerful intheir effect that one of the criminals that was crucified next to Him believed on the very spot. Matthew�s gospel tells us that initially both criminals joined in the chorus of mockery. Some of those at the foot of the cross that day were saying, �Well then, if youare the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!� (Matthew 27:40 NLT) But when Jesus asked the Father to forgive them, one of those thieves came to his senses and said, �Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom� (Luke 23:42 NLT). Jesus told him, �I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise� (verse 43 NLT). Young Stephen, the first martyr of the early church, emulated his Lord�s example. As the furious Jewish leaders put him to death for his bold proclamation of the gospel,Stephen cried out, �Lord, don�t charge them with this sin!� (Acts 7:60 NLT). And that incredible testimony ultimately helped bring about the conversion of the notorious Saul of Tarsus, later known as the apostle Paul. You are never more like God than when you forgive. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheDebt We Couldn�t Pay - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. �Ephesians 4:32 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-debt-we-couldnt-pay/- Listen One day Simon Peter went to Jesus and said, �Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?� (Matthew 18:21 NKJV). Maybe Peter wanted to impress the Lord with his willingness to forgive. He probably thought Jesus would say, �Seven times! Let�s give Peter a round of applause. That isincredible! I can�t believe you with your forgiving attitude!� But Jesus essentially said, �Seven times? I was thinking of 70 times seven.� Was Jesus saying that we could forgive someone up to 490 times, and then on the 491st offense, we could nail them to the wall? No. Jesus was advocating unlimited forgiveness. He was saying, �You forgive them over and over again.� Jesus then went on to tell a story about a king who decided to collect what his servants owed him. But one of the servants who owed him a significant amount couldn�t paythe debt. So the king ordered that the servant, his wife, his children, and everything he had must be sold to pay the debt. But the desperate servant threw himself down before the king and begged for mercy. The king, feeling sorry for this man, decided to immediately erase the entire debt. Then Jesus continued with the story: �But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demandedinstant payment. . . . He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full� (Matthew 18:28, 30 NLT). When the king heard about what happened, he threw the unforgiving servant into prison until he paid the king everything he owed. God has forgiven us of the most enormous debt imaginable: all of our sins. Therefore, if God has done that for us; then surely, we can extend that same forgiveness to others. It�s only reasonable that we who are forgiven should also forgive. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM