DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 3.13.21

RedeemingLove “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians1:7) Verse four of “There Is a Fountain” fills Christians with thankfulness for the great and lasting work accomplished on the cross. A never-ending stream of redeeming love has gushed forth from Calvary to supply our never-ending need for forgiveness and provisionand love. We respond in love to Him for His abundant love framed in undeserved grace. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1John 4:19). And how can we do so? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1John 4:10). E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die. Through propitiation, God was satisfied with the full payment for our sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans6:23), but “Christ died for our sins” (1Corinthians 15:3), and God, the holy Judge, is satisfied. “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared...which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be madeheirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus3:4, 6-7). Little wonder we respond as we do. Not only do we receive forgiveness from the Father, He looks at us as though we had fully obeyed Him as His Son had done. “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that arepast....Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans3:25; 5:9). JDM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Showers by John UpChurch But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke10:40) Every morning for as long as he could, my grandfather slid out of bed before the sun rose and took a cold shower. Now, granted, he lived in the warm climes of southern Alabama, and the waves of heat there appear more like tsunamis of heat. But let me tellyou, cold showers in the early morning of southern Alabama feel pretty much the same as cold showers anywhere else. They’re cold. Every evening, my grandfather came back to a house without air conditioning. He did prop a fan in the window, but that seemed more like a concession to his wimpy family than anything he needed. In a house he’d built himself that had little insulation anda tin roof, the fan pretty much blew hot air around. But he just made it work. These inconveniences weren’t a challenge; they were opportunities. No water heater? Take cold showers. Three channels on TV? Talk when nothing’s on. No clothes dryer? Hang them up on a line. No phone? Go to your daughter’s houseand use hers (though I can’t remember him ever doing so). Something breaks? Don’t buy a new one; fix it. When I pull myself away from my iPhone, I’m sometimes struck with how different my life is. There’s never a drop of cold water anywhere near my shower. My first instinct is to buy what I need, never to make it. In the evenings, I have to force my mind tostay present on my family instead of drifting away to what "important" social media updates I’m missing. But it’s not really the technology differences that hit the hardest. You see, there was a depth to my grandfather that I’ve found much harder to emulate. I’m often too distracted to get there. He just moved and breathed faith; it naturally flowed from his character. Yet I struggle to stay afloat in an ocean of distractions. Perhaps those cold showers really would do me some good. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The God to Whom We Pray Nehemiah 1 What’s your view of the Lord? Do you see Him as the One who can handle all the challenges you bring before Him? Nehemiah knew God in this way. Upon hearing about Jerusalem’s destruction, he mourned, fasted, and prayed for intervention. His supplication (Neh.1:5-11) offers a glimpse of how he viewed the Almighty. First, the Hebrew term Yahweh refers to One who is absolute in faithfulness. Next, the title Elohim indicates infinite power and sovereignty over the universe. Finally, Adonai means “ruler over all.” Nehemiah was bringing his request before the throne with full confidence in God. And the Lord answered his prayer in a powerful, dramatic way. As cupbearer in the palace, Nehemiah tasted food and drink first to protect King Artaxerxes from possible poisoning. For a servant in this position, to look sad was very risky (Nehemiah2:1), yet the terrible news disheartened him. So the Lord worked a miracle: when the king asked what was troubling his cupbearer, Nehemiah expressed concern for the Jewish people. Instead of punishing him, Artaxerxes let him go to rebuild what had been destroyed, and even supplied the materials! Godhandled what seemed like an overwhelming, impossible burden for Nehemiah, and He can do the same for us. Having the right view of the Lord will allow us to approach Him with absolute confidence. And we know that He will hear and answer our prayers (Ps.86:7). Remember that He is absolute in faithfulness and infinite in power. Our heavenly Father is the ruler over all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ThyPrecious Blood “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:...And, having made peace throughthe blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” (Colossians1:14, 20) John introduced Jesus to the world at His baptism by saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John1:29). He was known prophetically as a lamb even before then. “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah53:7). He fulfilled the lamb role in His sacrificial death for the sins of mankind: “With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Peter 1:19). The third verse of “There Is a Fountain” continues that picture. Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood Shall never lose its power Till all the ransomed church of God Be saved, to sin no more. The precious Christology passage of Colossians 1:13-20 identifies Christ as Creator, Redeemer, and King. As Creator, His redemptive work included the ransom of His creation, lost and shackled in sin. There will come the time when all of redeemed mankind willgather around His throne “saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation5:12). They will be joined by all in creation to sing His praises. “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation15:3). JDM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Acts on Our Behalf Isaiah 64:1-4 The Lord is a God of action. Even when He rested on the seventh day of creation, it wasn't because He was tired and needed to recuperate. Although He deliberately made a choice to stop His creative activity, He never ceased working. While the Lord is alwayscontrolling the universe, He is, at the same time, intimately involved with individual lives. God has a plan for each one of us and wants us to know what it is. Every time we take a step of obedience, He sheds more light on our path. But sometimes He asks us to pause awhile, and we may not know why. We long for direction in a particular matter, butour prayers just aren't being answered, and we wonder, Why does He delay? When you aren't seeing any answers, it doesn't mean that God is not working. He's still actively involved in your life, but He works in ways that are not always visible He orchestrates circumstances, changes people's hearts, and protects His children frommaking hasty decisions that will have disastrous consequences. Perhaps the Lord knows you're not yet ready for the next leg of your spiritual journey. Waiting times are opportunities for growth in character, obedience, and faith. He may also need time to train you for future responsibilities and ministries. When you intentionally choose to be still, God unleashes His mighty power on your behalf. He has planned good things for those who wait, and I believe what He has in store for your life will surpass all expectations. When He knows you're ready to receiveHis blessings, they'll flow into your lap. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheDying Thief “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, VerilyI say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke23:42-43) One of the most remarkable scriptural passages is that of the “deathbed” conversion of the sinful thief crucified with Jesus. Christ recognized his repentance, forgave his sin, and offered him eternal life as he died. As reflected in the hymn “There Is a Fountain,” salvation comes to sinners who repent, turn from their sin, and believe on Him, without any works involved or strings attached. The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day; And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away. The “fountain” of blood flowing from the cross produces great rejoicing in those who have acknowledged His lasting work. “With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Peter 1:19), we can be forgiven and born into His family. We receive the ability for and privilege of living victorious, holy lives. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Peter 2:24). All have chosen sin; all deserve judgment. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans3:10). But because of Him, we can be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans3:24). “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans11:33). JDM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Figuring Out the Fig Tree by Ryan Duncan “Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." – John 2:19 Have you ever read the story of Jesus and the fig tree? It’s a curious moment in the New Testament, and for a long time, I had no idea what to make of it. It all begins in Mark 11, when Jesus grows hungry and approaches a fig tree looking for food. “The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.” – Mark 11:12-14 Now, everyone experiences low blood-sugar from time to time, but for Jesus, this seems remarkably out of character. After all, didn’t he fast in the desert for forty days? Surely he could handle the disappointment of not finding a fig. Even then, why notjust make the tree bloom? If he could turn water into wine, why didn’t he command the tree to bear fruit? Later, I learned it was because figs had very little to do with this story. You see, after his run-in with the unfortunate shrub, Jesus made his way to the temple where the money changers were cheating worshipers (Mark 11:20-25).By driving them out, Jesus incurred the anger of the chief priests, and the next morning he and his disciples leave the city again. This is where Jesus encounters the fig tree a second time, “In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’ ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen,it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’" – Mark 11:20-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ThereIs a Fountain “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto himthat is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” (Revelation21:6) Christian hymns were often written as deeply moving poems and later added to music. We dare not exegete hymns to discover spiritual truth, but we can use them as spiritual aids to help focus our scriptural study. One such old-time poem is the favorite “ThereIs a Fountain” sung in churches today. Its five verses can inspire Christians. Verse one reads: There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains. Before Jesus came, His unique birth was foretold by an angel and prophesied in Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Matthew1:23). He referred to Himself as “a well of water” (John4:14) available to all. The true understanding of the communion table, couched in the symbolic, precious words of Scripture (and our hymn), undergirds a lasting memorial to the work of Christ. “This cup is the new testament [i.e., covenant] in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drinkit, in remembrance [i.e., a memorial] of me” (1Corinthians 11:25). The blood that was shed applies to believers, blessedly taking away our sin, for “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1John 1:7). “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah1:18). A blessed truth indeed! JDM ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You Are Chosen and Enough by Lauren Sanchez “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm139:14) While watching The Bachelor recently, I was struck by the surprising empathy that one woman chose to display to another woman who’d hurt her. Instead of angrily keeping her distance, Kendall confronted another contestant, Krystal, about her wrong-doing andeven took it a step further. She called out the goodness in Krystal and told her that she understood why she did the things she did, but that she didn’t have to act this way. She could be vulnerable. She could be real. Real. Why does this seem like such a foreign concept? We have gotten so used to, as a society, living behind facades. We present ourselves a certain way for job interviews. We edit our Instagram accounts to show only the most interesting moments of our lives. We try to appear as the perfect Christian,parent, or leader instead of just being transparent about our brokenness. This only works but for so long. Eventually, we are found out or become exhausted keeping up the charade. Christian author Shauna Niequist explains this struggle in her book, Present Over Perfect: “What kept me running? That’s the question I keep returning to, the lock I keep fiddling with. I was highly invested in maintaining my reputation as a very capable person. I thought that how other people felt about me or thought about me could determinemy happiness. When I see that on the page now, staring back at me in black and white, I see how deeply flawed this idea is, how silly even.” Niequist continues, “The crucial journey, then, for me, has been from dependence on external expectations, down into my own self, deeper still into God’s view of me, his love for me that doesn’t change, that will not change, that defines and groundseverything.” What I’ve learned is that when we choose to let others see us in a polished manner, a version of ourselves that is partly us (or not us at all), we miss out on the true joy of feeling fully known and fully loved. It is only when we take off the maskand let others see us that we can really experience the freedom to be ourselves. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God's Choice Shaping Tools Romans12:1-5 God's kindness to us is demonstrated by the fact that He doesn't leave us in the condition we were in before coming to faith. How tragic it would be if we still thought, felt, and acted the same way we did before receiving Christ as our Savior. Throughout our lives, the Lord uses His choice tools to shape us into the image of His Son. Prayer. By talking to the Lord in open dialogue, we develop a relationship with Him. He becomes not just our Savior, but our friend, and as the intimacy grows, so will our passion to be with Him. Setting aside time for prayer each day willbecome a delight, not a duty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Breaking Bread “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples,and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) This is the first of 12 specific references to the “breaking of bread” in the New Testament, each reminding the participants of Christ’s sacrificial death. Although Paul had not been present at the Last Supper, he had evidently received a special revelationconcerning it. “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed [literally, ‘while he was being betrayed’] took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take,eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24). Similarly, drinking of the cup recalled to them Hisshed blood. All of this helped them remember and appreciate the great reality of eternal life imparted to them through His death, for He had said, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life” (John6:54). For a while after His resurrection and their empowering by the Holy Spirit, “they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house” (Acts2:46), seem to have combined each day this remembrance of the Lord’s supper with their own evening meals. Sometime later, it seems to have been “upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts20:7). There is no specific instruction in Scripture as to how often this breaking of bread should be observed, but when it is observed, the implied actions of “discerning the Lord’s body,” giving thanks to Him for His sacrifice for us, and “[judging] ourselves” (1Corinthians 11:29, 31) are far more vital than the physical act of eating the broken bread. HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How Can I Hear From God? by Adam Weber My wife says sometimes I talk too much. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I know it’s true. If you have a pulse, I can and will talk with you. A lot. “You need to give others a chance to talk and just listen,” she’ll tell me. Just listen. This is good advice for having a conversation with a friend, coworker, or stranger. I mean, it’s a basic social norm and a common courtesy that one acquires by the age of 5. It’s important to listen to others. To give others a chance to speak and share.To give each other a turn to talk. But it’s also good advice when it comes to prayer and talking with God. To give Him a turn. To give God a chance to speak. To listen to Him. While many of us, especially us extroverts, are good at talking with people, we often struggle when it comes to speaking with God. Prayer can be overwhelming for many because we don’t know the words to speak. That said, when it comes to prayer, the mostimportant part isn’t speaking. It’s listening! Listening and giving God a chance to speak isn’t just good advice, it’s necessary and vital to having a true conversation with God. Now, we can hear from and listen to God at any place and at any time, but we must know what the voice of God sounds like. The best place to start knowing His voice is by opening up the B-i-b-l-e. #SundaySchool. By seeing His words come alive. As we read, we come to understand the character and heart of God. We come to know His promises and truths. His ways. We see what Godhas said in the past, which gives us a good idea of what He’ll say to us today. And what He won’t say to us. We come to know what His voice sounds like. Unlike we naturally assume, when God speaks in the Bible, it’s often not in a loud booming voice from heaven that stops traffic. Instead when God speaks, He does so using a still small voice. Instead of brashly breaking into our lives, He stands at our front door and gently knocks. Instead of shouting when we don’t listen, we’re told that He draws us to Himself with His kindness, not His anger. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ God's Grand Plan 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 It's amazing but true that God's grand plan for your life is far greater than you can imagine. In fact, this earth-bound existence has us so preoccupied with the demands of life that most of us give little thought to what it will mean to be completely sanctified. In the Christian life, sanctification is a three-stage process. At the moment of salvation, God sets us apart for Himself. Then throughout the rest of our earthly life, He works to transform us into the image of His Son. One day, however, there will be a glorious culmination to our sanctification. Presently, we all struggle with sin,but when we die, our spirits and souls will ascend to heaven and be completely sinless. Then we'll see our Savior face to face and experience unimaginable joy. No longer will we struggle with the pride of life or the lusts of the flesh and the eyes (1 John 2:16). However, as great as this will be, it's not yet the final step. Some day in the future, Jesus will descend from heaven, bringing with Him the souls of those who have died in Christ. They will be united with their resurrected bodies, and believers who arestill alive on the earth will be changed (1 Thess. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54). Then sanctification will be complete--spirit, soul, and body. This is not a fairy tale, but the believer appointed destiny. God Himself promises to bring it to pass. We'll walk in His presence, spotless and without blame, for all eternity. Knowing this, how will you live today? The promise of salvation isn’t meantjust to give hope, but to spur us on to holy living. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Starting Again - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: �Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.� �Jonah 3:1�2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/starting-again/- Listen From the belly of the fish, Jonah probably thought that God would never use him again�and God certainly was under no obligation to do so. But then we read this: �Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: �Get up and go to the great city ofNineveh, and deliver the message I have given you�� (Jonah 2:10�3:1�2 NLT). All of this happened because God loved Jonah. And this should give hope to anyone who feels the need for a second chance in life. God gave a second chance to Adam and Eve, our first parents. He strictly warned them not to eat the forbidden fruit, but they did it anyway. And sin entered into the world. God could have said, �That�s it! I�m starting over again.� Yet we read that Adam and Eve �heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, �Whereare you?�� (Genesis 3:8�9 NLT). God still was longing for fellowship with his wayward son. God gave King David a second chance after David committed adultery and then murder, which he did to cover up his adultery. When the prophet Nathan confronted David, he repented.And God gave him a second chance. Finally, Simon Peter failed miserably, denying the Lord three times. Yet after Christ rose from the dead, this message was sent out: �Now go and tell his disciples, includingPeter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died� (Mark 16:7 NLT). Even when we fail miserably, God gives second chances. Your situation isn�t hopeless. God can change your whole story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope Has a Name - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. �Jeremiah 17:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/hope-has-a-name/- Listen Have you ever felt as though your life doesn�t matter, that no one cares about you, or that no one would miss you if you were gone? You couldn�t be more wrong. God loves you. And so many people, more than you realize, love you. Your life has meaning, and your life has purpose. You have a place, and weneed you. So I want you to hang on. Sometime life can seem so unfair, and life can seem so hard. You wonder, �How am I going to get through it?� Maybe you�re terrified of the future and don�t think you everwill be happy again. As someone with one of the few advantages of age, let me just say this: No matter how bad the crisis you�re facing is right now, you�re going to get through it. Ultimately,it all will pass. I�m not speaking from a vacuum. I wasn�t raised in a Christian home. I didn�t have Christian parents who tucked me into bed at night and read me Bible stories. I lived theopposite of that. My mother was an alcoholic who was married and divorced seven times. I had a very difficult, crazy, and tumultuous childhood. But when I came to faith in Jesus Christ, it changed the course of my life. Now I feel like I can take the pain and hardship I�ve been through and use it to help others. Dr. Robert McNair Wilson, a British cardiologist, wrote, �Hope is the medicine I use more than any other�hope can cure nearly anything.� Could you use some of that medicine today? Hope has a name, and it�s Jesus Christ. God can take all the hurt and pain you�ve experienced in life and use it to touch other people. He can make you into the person that He wants you to be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheLimited Knowledge of Jesus �But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son,but the Father.� (Mark13:32) This verse has always been difficult to understand. If Jesus was God, how could He be ignorant of the time of His second coming? Indeed He was, and is, God, but He also was, and is, man. This is a part of the mystery of the divine/human nature of Christ. Inthe gospel record, we see frequent evidences of His humanity (He grew weary, for example, and suffered pain), but also many evidences of deity (His virgin birth, His resurrection and ascension, as well as His perfect words and deeds). He had been in glory with the Father from eternity (John17:24), but when He became man, �in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren� (Hebrews2:17), except for sin. As a child, He �increased in wisdom and stature� like any other human (Luke2:52). Through diligent study (as a man), He acquired great wisdom in the Scriptures and the plan of God. After His baptism and the acknowledgment from heaven of His divine Sonship (e.g., Matthew 3:16-17), He increasingly manifested various aspects of His deity, but He still remained fully human. With respect to the time of the end, this depends in some degree on human activity. For example, He said that �the gospel must first be published among all nations� (Mark13:10), and only God the Father could foresee just when men will have accomplished this. Although the glorified Son presumably now shares this knowledge, in His self-imposed human limitations He did not. In no way does this compromise His deity. In our own finite humanity, we cannot comprehend fully the mystery of the divine/human nature of Christ, but He has given us more than sufficient reason to believe His Word! HMM ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Born Blind by Ryan Duncan "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.� � John 9:3 One of my favorite Bible stories appears in John 9, where Jesus heals a man born blind. Take a moment to read the following: As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam"(this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. � John 9:1-8 Every time I read this, I can�t help but wonder what went through the mind of the blind man when he heard Jesus. All his life people have been telling him he�s cursed, that his blindness is punishment for some sin his family committed. Then, in a singlemoment, Christ turns his world around. Not only does he absolve him of guilt in front of the disciples, he announces that God is going to display his glory through a blind man�s life. Many people read this story and think it�s all about how Jesus healed hissight, but I believe it�s more about how Christ restored his soul. Too often we Christians are like the Pharisees of old. We look at people, find something in their life that isn�t quite perfect, and make a note of how much they "need God." What we�re really saying is, "Look at how messed up this person is, you know it�sbecause they�ve turned away from God." Just like the disciples did. If you ever find yourself tempted to think that, beware. While the story of John 9 ends with one man receiving sight, it also ends with some who are still blind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Be a Friend to Have a Friend by Laura MacCorkle A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17, NIV Christmas is weeks past us, but the remnants remain on a bulletin board in my office. There, I have thumb-tacked various holiday family pictures and newsletters that I received in the mail from all different friends and acquaintances. I decided that that's how I would "handle" these materials this year, instead of putting them in a pile tocollect dust and go forgotten. As I look at the bulletin board each day, my heart is warmed as I see the faces of friends who have played different roles in my life: comforter, truth-teller, listener, hugger, encourager, constructive criticizer, relationship decoder/investigator, andso forth. I see so many ways of serving and giving from so many different types of friends. And I am blessed as I am reminded of what they have done for me. And then I am also convicted: What am I doing for my friends? How am I pouring into their lives as they are pouring into mine? How is God moving me to be part of their worlds? And am I responding to his instructionand guidance in my life? Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: "The only way to have a friend is to be one." And he was so right about that. Friendships don't just happen. They take time. They take effort. They take upkeep. And that means we all have to do something if we want to cultivate, grow and nurture relationships with others. When I look at my bulletin board of friends, if I am truly willing to be a friend "who loves at all times," I know that that means I have to always be ready to shelve or alter my plans in order to help meet the varied needs of others. It's something God has been working on me for a while now. Am I willing to lay down my plans and sacrifice my time and my desires for my friends? Or is it more important that I get done today what is on my list and what I think is right for me? Am I seekingthe Lord for his direction? Am I paying attention to the Holy Spirit for conviction? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fullness of God in You Ephesians3:14-21 Have you ever wondered if you are a "whole person"? We all have struggles in life that could make us feel incomplete, but the apostle Paul says we can be "filled up to all the fullness of God" (v. 19). What does that look like? A "whole person" is generally satisfied with life. He feels loved and is able to love others in return. Difficulties and hardships don't devastate him, because he is able to go through them with confidence in God. He isn't a complainer or someone who isquick to blame others. A positive attitude guards his mind since he knows that the Lord will work everything out for good (Rom.8:28). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ThyPower to Save �O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hathgotten him the victory.� (Psalm98:1) Throughout Scripture God accomplished glorious things, and His people responded in song. The final verse of �There Is a Fountain� reminds us that our song will last for eternity. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I�ll sing thy power to save, When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave. There will come a time when redeemed individuals will amass around the throne of God and His Son, our Redeemer, and sing a mighty song of praise to Him for salvation: �And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the sealsthereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation� (Revelation5:9). The Creator had bought creation back with His own blood. The just and holy Creator was rejected by His creation and rightly pronounced the penalty of death. Yet, He entered the created world to live a sinless life so that He could die as a proper substitute for all, and then rose from the grave in final victory oversin, offering us eternal life. Our inability in this life to fully understand all that has transpired or even phrase a proper testimony will be replaced with an accurate assessment. We will gather there with all the saints to sing His praise: �Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory andhonor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created� (Revelation4:11). The great Creator became our Redeemer and our everlasting King! JDM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Awesome God Revelation 4:9-11 In our culture, God�s name is oftentimes mentioned with little reverence. In fact, many people actually use it as a curse. Even among those who love Him, it is far too common to use His name casually, without taking time to ponder who He is. When you say a blessing at mealtimes, for instance, do you realize that youare talking to the almighty Creator God who rules over all things? Our view of the Lord impacts three areas of life. First, it affects our prayers. As we come to know Him better and better, our desires will start to look like His goals for us, and our petitions will align more closely with His purposes. Furthermore, aswe recognize His greatness and power, we�ll become more confident that He can accomplish mighty things�and we will venture to �pray big.� ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Not Obsolete. Absolute. - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man�s all. �Ecclesiastes 12:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/not-obsolete-absolute/- Listen One-fourth of Americans today can name what�s in a Big Mac, and one in three people can name all the kids from The Brady Bunch. But only 14 percent of Americans can namethe Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are at the heart of Western civilization and form the foundation of our legal system. God has given us the solutions to all of our problems right herein the Scriptures. And they�re broken out for us in the Ten Commandments, which we find in Exodus 20 (nkjv): 1. �You shall have no other gods before Me� (verse 3). 2. �You shall not make for yourself a carved image�any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;you shall not bow down to them nor serve them� (verses 4�5). 3. �You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain� (verse 7). 4. �Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy� (verse 8). 5. �Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you� (verse 12). 6. �You shall not murder� (verse 13). 7. �You shall not commit adultery� (verse 14). 8. �You shall not steal� (verse 15). 9. �You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor� (verse 16). 10. �You shall not covet your neighbor�s house; you shall not covet your neighbor�s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anythingthat is your neighbor�s� (verse 17). God gave us the Ten Commandments for our own good so that we can go from hopelessness to happiness. But we need to do more than just memorize them. We need to internalizethem because they�re not obsolete; they�re absolute. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PromisedPerformance �Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until theday of Jesus Christ.� (Philippians1:6) Our Lord gave this powerful promise to perform the good work that He began at and with the church at Philippi (the �you� is plural in the Greek text). It is an earthly, temporal promise; that is, the promise is to �perfect� the good work �until the day of Jesus Christ.� The church at Philippi closed its earthly doors centuries ago. Something much more than mere continuation is pledged. Surely our Lord has in mind His assurance that �the gates of hell� would not prevail against His church (Matthew16:18), but there were some churches to whom Christ spoke who were in danger of losing their �candlestick� or church-hood (Revelation2:4; 3:16). What, then, can we be assured of by this marvelous promise? Perhaps the basic �good work� that our Lord refers to is seen in the list of commendations given to the seven churches in the letters dictated to John at the beginning of Revelation. All except Laodicea had some strengths. Even troubled Sardis had a �few names� not yet sullied and �things which remain� that were still good and worth preserving (Revelation3:1-4). Our Lord knows all His works �from the beginning� (Acts15:18) and sees the eternal fruit of our ministry that ripples long beyond our short earthly life (Revelation14:13). There is also the mystery of our being �builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit� (Ephesians2:22)�a �spiritual house� that produces �spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ� (1Peter 2:5). All of this, perhaps, is what our Lord had in mind when He promised to perform the good work He had started in Philippi. HMM III --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Were You Expecting? by Scott Savage "When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremelyrich." - Luke 18:22-23 Every Jesus follower has the same experience at one point or another. We recognize that the way Jesus is leading us is not the direction we wanted or intended to go. Whatever our expectation involved, we are shocked to find out Jesus has other plans. And we are not alone. In Matthew 16, Peter heard the words "Get behind me, Satan" when he told Jesus not to go to Jerusalem and be crucified. In Luke 18, a wealthy, powerful young man turned away from Jesus when he was invited to go up the one thing he could not abandon. At the heart of our expectation is often a desire for more. It could be more fulfillment, more meaning, or even more connection. Comedian and actor Russell Brand would say "more" is a longing for God. In an interview with Relevant Magazine in 2017, Brand said, �There�s a famous quote: �Every man who knocks on a brothel door, he�s looking for God.� Crack houses and these dens of suffering and illicit activity, they�re all people trying to feel good, trying to feel connected. People are trying to escape. Peopleare trying to get out of their own heads. To me, this is a spiritual impetus.� I can relate to Brand's words. Not because I've knocked on a brothel door, but because I've longed for more. I knew I was meant for more than the role I held at a church about two years ago. And as I sought what "more" looked like beyond that, my wife andI both became convinced we were supposed to make a move. But the move involved a major adjustment for me. It meant leaving a city of 4 million for a town of 40,000. This transition has not been easy, but we knew this was our next step of obedience. What if �more� means a next step we weren�t expecting? Like the young man in Luke 18, we might be disappointed. Or like Peter in Matthew 16, we might be frustrated. But once our next step is clear, we have a choice to make. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lure of Momentary Pleasure Genesis 25:29-34 You probably read the story of Jacob and Esau today and thought, I can't believe Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. How foolish! But let's think beyond birthrights and soup. Is there anything of true value that you are trading for somethingof lesser worth? In other words, what is your "bowl of soup"? Have you pursued wealth and a career at the expense of family? Maybe your busy schedule has kept you from spending time with God in His Word each day. Some people become involved in extramarital affairs, trading the well-being of their family for the satisfactionof lustful desires. Others sacrifice their health by consuming harmful or addictive substances, or even by overindulging in food. The list of ways we make foolish, shortsighted choices is endless. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM