Psalm 3 (NIV)

"O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah
But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah"

Follow In His Steps

I Peter 2: 13 - 21 (NIV) - "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."


We must not, we cannot sink to the evils of the world; to selfishness and sin, to hate and anvy and backbiting, to the 'mean and beggarly' elements of life. It may not be easy, but we Can Do It! Our Great example Jesus has given us the example and we Must following in His Steps!

God Listens!

Psalm 142 ( New Century Version) - "I cry out to the Lord; I pray to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my problems to him; I tell him my troubles. When I am afraid, you, Lord, know the way out. In the path where I walk, a trap is hidden for me. Look around me and see. No one cares about me. I have no place of safety; no one cares if I live. Lord, I cry out to you. I say, "You are my protection. You are all I want in this life." Listen to my cry, because I am helpless. Save me from those who are chasing me, because they are too strong for me. Free me from my prison, and then I will praise your name. Then good people will surround me, because you have taken care of me."


We can talk to God because God listens! Our voices matter to Him. When we enter His Presence, He turns to hear us. We will never be ignored.

God Listens! Intently! Carefully!

A New Thing!

Isaiah 43: 15 - 19 (NIV) - "I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King." This is what the LORD says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."


Embracing the New Thing what God wants to do in your Life is to:

• Change Your Focus - Quit Looking Behind, Start Looking Ahead
• Clarify Your Focus - Discover What God Wants For You
• Commit Yourself To God's Plan

Be A Good Samaritan

Luke 10: 25 - 37 (NIV) - "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."


There are so many who have been hurt and injured and who need a good Samaritan to bind up their wounds and help them on their way. A small kindness can bring a great blessing to someone in distress and a sweet feeling to the one who befriends him.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Hebrews 8: 12 (NIV) - "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Romans 8: 1 (NIV) - "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

Romans 3: 26 (NIV) - "He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."


For those in Christ, these promises are not only a sourrce of joy; they ae aloso the foundations of true courage. We are guaranteed that our sins will be filtered through, hidden in, and screened out by the sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus gives Victory!

God Working In Us

I John 5: 1 - 5 (NIV) - "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.


Have you ever been impatient with your life, trying to master a habit or control a sin, and in your frustration begin to wonder where the power of God is? We need to be patient. Remember, God is using today's difficulties to strengthen us for tomorrow. The God who makes things grow will help you and I to bear fruit!

We need to dwell on the fact that God lives within us. Think about the Power that gives us Life. I believe that the realization that God is dwelling within us should change the places we want to go and the thing we want to do.

Whatever comes our way today, whatever problems and dilemmas we face, let's do what is right. We need to take a stand, and be true to ourselves and to God.

He Is Working In Us!

Holy - "A Cut Above"

Leviticus 11: 44, 45 (NIV) - "I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. 45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."

Leviticus 19:1, 2 (NIV) - "The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."


The word 'holy' means "to separate." The ancestry of the term can be traced back to an ancient word which means "to cut." To be holy, then, is to be a cut above the norm, superior, extraordinary.


Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And,looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

- William D. Longstaff

A Quiet Voice!

Proverbs 15: 1 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - "A SOFT answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger."

Proverbs 25: 15 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - "By long forbearance and calmness of spirit a judge or ruler is persuaded, and soft speech breaks down the most bonelike resistance."


We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and small molehills of difference become great mountains of contention. We know that the voice of God is sometimes a still small voice; similarly, the voice of domestic peace is a quiet peace.

Rest In Him

"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46: 10 - New American Standard Bible)

Today, no matter what you are going through, remember that you can trust in God. Do not allow worry and stress to dominate your life. Commit every need and problem to Him. Confess His Word to be true for you! Cease any striving, and have faith in God. You can rest in Him.

Almight God, please take away anxiety and worry. Thank You that You are my Father and that You have a plan for my life. I trust in You.

BE STILL AND KNOW

Psalm 46: 10, 11 (NIV) - "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Mark 4: 35 - 41 (NIV) - "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"


In the Mark 4 the disciples of Jesus found themselves caught in a horrendous storm as they sailed across a familiar sea. So intense was this storm that these well-experienced sailors were full of anxiety and they feared for their lives. They hurried to do all they could to save themselves, but at last they awakened their Master and cried for help. Then Jesus spoke three simple words, "Peace, be still," and the wind and the sea were at rest. As the disciples stood in that miraculous stillness, they knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. Indeed, they saw that He was God and their worries faded away.

Psalm 46 speaks of troubling times-roaring seas, crumbling mountains and raging kingdoms. Yet at the conclusion of the Psalm we hear God speak, "Be still and know that I am God." He tells us that in the worst of times we must stop hurrying and stop worrying. Just be still! And in that stillness see Him as the God He truly is.

Meeting The Master

Luke 24: 13 - 32 (NIV) - "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"


When We Meet the Master:

It is an Unforgettable Experience. This is the experience that one cannot forget. "Were not our heart burning within us?"

It is a Primary Experience. This living proof that these men has of the truth of the Resurrection became their most important concern. They forgot their weariness; they forgot the seven miles back to Jerusalem. They went rushing back to Jerusalem to let it be known that Christ was truly risen.

When we meet Christ, everything else becomes secondary. This is indeed the most important experience that we will have - the experience of Salvation through Christ.

It is a Shared Experience. The truth of Christ cannot be hid. It must be shared. This is called 'hot potato news.' You do not just stand around holding a hot potato. Neither do you stand around holding the news of Salvation in Christ. It must be shared. These men rushed back to Jerusalem to share it.

This is our commission - to share the news of Salvation to all the world. This we must do!

Live A Holy Life

"You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don't hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven." (New Century Version)


Do we really want to make a difference in our world?

If we do, live a holy life:

• Be faithful to our spouse.
• Be the one at the office who refuses to cheat.
• Be the neighbour who acts neighbourly.
• Be the employee who does the work and does not complain.
• Pay the bills.
• Do our part and enjoy life.
• Do not speak one message and live another.

We should not look at these as merely rules and regulations. They are simply natural outpourings of the righteousness of God in us. Let us find ways to demonstrate His righteousness today!

Let us receive all that He has for us!

Prayer - Casting Anxiety On Him

I Peter 5: 1 - 7 (NIV) - "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."


Just A Thought: Almighty God, let me take off my back-pack of burdens, and be bound up in Your care!

Constantly In Prayer

Acts 1: 8 - 14 (NIV) - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.


One way to expand private prayer is with community prayer—that is, the prayer of people approaching God together, praying in accord and in agreement. The prayer of community is the prayer of many voices combing to make a single voice. There are always times when we are tempted to turn away from community—especially organized church communities—because they lack the perfection we silently want them to exhibit. However, when we are willing to enter into the imperfect community, we can be awestruck when that community’s prayer carries us into the hall of heaven.

Draw Near To God

"Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]." (James 4: 8 - 10 - AMPLIFIED BIBLE)



I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

- Frances J. Crosby

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Matthew 7: 7 - 12 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - "Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him! So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets."


We are told to ask and seek and knock. Why?

• Because when we ask, we are expressing our desire to communicate with the Almighty.
• When we seek, we are showing our desire to find God.
• When we knock, we are letting loose our longing to be in union with the God.
• Prayer is our way of saying that we are willing to share in that rich relationship with the God.
• And, always, when we ask it is given to us, when we seek we find, when we knock the door is opened.

Perseverance In Personal Prayer

Daniel 6: 1 - 12 (NIV) - "It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." So King Darius put the decree in writing. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?" The king answered, "The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."


Some thoughts about Prayer from the life of Daniel:

• The secret of Daniel's walk in the world was Prayer.
• Daniel's prayer-life was Habitual.
• Daniel's prayers engaged his Heart.
• Daniel lived the life of habitual, personal, and wholehearted prayer.
• The battle of the Christian life is won or lost, not in a spectacular moment, but in the trenches, in the basic duties of our calling as Christians - PRAYER.
• Daniel experienced Peace - peace while surrounded by wild animals, peace granted to him through the Habit of Prayer.
• We will find grace at His throne to help in time of need.

Almighty God, we thank You for Your Word. Work in us that discipline of regular, habitual, private, personal prayer.

"LORD, Teach Us To Pray."

Luke 11: 1 (NIV) - "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."


Something Thoughts To Think About:

• The disciples had been watching Jesus in Prayer and suddenly it dawned on the unnamed disciple that somehow the amazing power of Jesus was connected with His Prayer Life. So he asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray."
• For Jesus Prayer was a Necessity.
• There is no activity of life which does not require Prayer, a sense of expectation of God at work.
• The disciples saw in Jesus that Prayer was not only Necessary but it was also Perfectly Natural!
• For Jesus Prayer meant Thanksgiving!
• Prayer was Communion to Jesus.
• Prayer is to be our Life and our Breath so that no one need encourage us to pray any more than they would encourage us to eat. We must pray!
• Lincoln - "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go."

"Lord, teach us to pray."

What Prayer Is Not And What Prayer Is

Luke 18:9-14 (Amplified Bible) - "He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men--extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers--or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.

But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am.

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."


What can we learn from the Pharisee about how not to pray? It is clear that it is not Prayer to approach God impressed with our own vitures.

What do we learn about Prayer from the Publican (Tax Collector)? It is obvious that authentic Prayer is an awareness of our helpless need.

Authentic Prayer is always an acknowledgement of divine adequacy.

Prayer is more than asking; Prayer is Taking. Prayer is more than pleading; Prayer is Believing. Prayer is more than words uttered; it is an Attitude maintained.

Prayer is that expression of total dependence which lays hold of God's resources for any need.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray!

PRAYER - Faith

"And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily.
However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?" (Luke 8: 7,8 - AMPLIFIED BIBLE)


Prayer is Faith expressed. True Prayer is Believing, it is Faith. Prayer is Thanking instead of complaining, Trusting instead of trying, Rejoicing, Accepting, Appropriating, Receiving; that is Prayer.

The purpose of Prayer is to bring us into an understanding of God's heart.Faith, in Prayer, brings us into direct, personal, vital touch with God.

Lord, teach us to Pray! Teach us to be men and women who depend continually upon You, who are pouring out to You every aspect of our life without hindrance, without reservation, telling You all things, and listening to You about all things.

PRAYER - The Unavoidable Choice

Luke 18: 1 - 8 (Amplified Bible) - "ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary. And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me. Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?"


In this parable Jesus simply means that we are to pray and not quit. It is an exhortation for us to be persistence in prayer. I see no alternatives here, we either learn to cry out to an unseen God who is ever present, or else we will "faint, lose heart, and give up."

Remember, PRAYER always stirs the heart of God; always moves God to act.

Community Prayer

Acts 1: 1 - 14 (NIV) - "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.


Community prayer is the prayer of people approaching God together, praying in accord and in agreement. The prayer of community is the prayer of many voices combing to make a single voice. There are always times when we are tempted to turn away from community—especially organized church communities—because they lack the perfection we silently want them to exhibit. However, when we are willing to enter into the imperfect community, we can be awestruck when that community’s prayer carries us into the hall of heaven.

O God, hear the voice of your people when we call to you.

Mustard Seed Faith

Matthew 17: 14 - 21 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - "And when they approached the multitude, a man came up to Him, kneeling before Him and saying, Lord, do pity and have mercy on my son, for he has epilepsy (is moonstruck) and he suffers terribly; for frequently he falls into the fire and many times into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him. And Jesus answered, O you unbelieving (warped, wayward, rebellious) and thoroughly perverse generation! How long am I to remain with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to Me. And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked privately, Why could we not drive it out?
He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."


What kind of faith does the Lord expect of us, especially when we meet set-backs and trials? Inevitably there are times when each of us disappoint others or disappoint ourselves when we suffer some kind of set- back or failure. In this gospel incident the disciples of Jesus fail to heal an epileptic boy. Jesus' response seems stern; but it is really tempered with love and compassion. We see at once Jesus' dismay with the disciples' lack of faith and his concern to meet the need of this troubled boy and his father. With one word of command Jesus rebukes the evil spirit that has caused this boy's affliction and tells the spirit to "never enter him again". Jesus tells his disciples that they can "remove mountains" if they have faith in God. The expression to "remove mountains" was a common Jewish phrase for removing difficulties. A wise teacher who could solve difficulties was called a "mountain remover". If we pray with expectant faith God will give us the means to overcome difficulties and obstacles. When you meet trials and disappointments how do you respond? With faith and trust in Jesus?

Christian Service

Colossians 3: 22 - 25 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - Servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him. Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah). For he who deals wrongfully will [reap the fruit of his folly and] be punished for his wrongdoing. And [with God] there is no partiality [no matter what a person's position may be, whether he is the slave or the master].


We are all in Missions! Some are called to foreign lands. Some are call to the marketplace. Where you & I are called, serve the LORD in that place! Let Him demonstrate His power through our lives so that others might experience His Power & Presence!

Looking To The Hills

Psalm 121 (NIV) - "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."


Help does come from the Lord! That's David's view of life expressed in Psalm 121. We are aware of God who never tires of being our Keeper. And we have the opportunity to express often, both to ourselves and to others, our faith in a God who is actually intervening in our affairs.

We need not live out our lives resigned to fatalism. Our thoughts don't have to be tainted by anything that smacks of a dead obliviousness to God's presence and action.

Let's put our faith actively and firmly in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Messiah is all that David pictures Him to be in Psalm 121, and He is even more.

Matthew 28: 1 - 10 (NIV) - "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."


O joyful sound! O glorious hour
When Christ by His almighty power
Arose and left the grave!
Now let our songs His triumph tell
Who broke the chains of death and hell,
And ever lives to save.

Refrain
He lives, He lives,
I know that my Redeemer lives.
He lives, He lives,
I know that my Redeemer lives.

The first begotten of the dead,
For us He rose, our glorious Head,
Immortal life to bring.
What though the saints, like Him shall die,
They share their Leader’s victory,
And triumph with their King.

No more we tremble at the grave;
For He who died our souls to save
Will raise our bodies, too.
What though this earthly house shall fail,
The Savior’s power will yet prevail
And build it up anew.

- Thomas Kelly

The Burial

Matthew 27: 57 – 66 (NIV) - “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.



Our sin is forever dead and buried. It is interesting that sometimes we keep digging it up. Why?

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Your atoning work that leaves nothing undone! You are truly the 'Author and Perfecter' of our Faith.

Jesus, The Crucified

Isaiah 53 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE) - "WHO HAS believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed? For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah's] people, to whom the stroke was due? And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord]. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers], and He shall divide the spoil with the mighty, because He poured out His life unto death, and [He let Himself] be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore [and took away] the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors (the rebellious)."

Matthew 27: 32 - 56 (NIV) - "As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.


Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God,
Who came Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
"It is finished!" was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

- Philip P. Bliss

Luke 22: 39 - 46 (NIV) - "And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."



King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Chorus
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.

Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb,
Lead me to Calvary.

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

- Jen­nie E. Huss­ey