Staying Safe

Jesus knew the importance of getting alone with God. If He felt this habit is important, although He had a divine nature, how much more should we value this activity too?

Jesus set boundaries and escaped from the crowd or declined an offer or refused to comply to every request made of Him. He followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and was not a workaholic, an enabler or an over-achiever. He simply rested in God's love and enjoyed His company.

He went about doing good (Acts 10:38), healing the sick, feeding the hungry multitudes, casting out demons and working miracles. He did this by the Spirit's direction, not of His own volition. Jesus walked in the will of the Father who sent Him, energized Him and anointed Him (John 5:18-20).

Jesus filled Himself with the presence of God and was ready to handle the divine appointments He encountered each day (Luke 5:15-16). He cared for his own needs as well, without feeling guilty, even if He missed the opportunity to help someone else (Matthew 4:6-7, 26:18-20; John 12:2).

Interruptions in His schedule, crisis situations and dire needs in others did not tax His faith or cause Him irritation. He took them all in stride. His compassion and grace enabled Him to look at the situation and meet the real need, not just the surface issues.

Jesus enjoyed the fellowship of His disciples. He spent time mentoring, instructing and encouraging them. He answered their questions and lived a spirit-filled life as an example to others.

In the Garden, Jesus sweat blood at the thought of the anguish God called Him to suffer on the cross; but He did the will of the Father regardless of His preferences and concerns (Mark 14:32-42).

God calls us to walk in the Spirit as well; to meet His expectations for us rather than those from other people; and not to enable people but to point them to Christ and to lead them to the resources they need to help themselves.

Prayer:

Father God, only a fool despises the instruction, advice and correction of Godly parents; but those who listen and heed their words are wise. When our parent's counsel comes from Your Word, give us the wisdom to obey and to follow their advice. Our parents have been around the block a few times and can help us to navigate our way (Proverbs 15:5).

With age comes wisdom from the school of life. The same is true of the wisdom from above, which is holy, amiable, sympathetic, submissive to the Father, full of mercy and the fruit of the Spirit, unbiased and genuine (James 3:17). Help us to hear Your voice, to heed Your wisdom and to realize that the only safe place in this world is in Your presence.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus spent time in the Father's presence and filled His Spirit with God's Words; He did or said nothing that He did not first see God say or do. - John 5:44

Hungry and Thirsty

Jesus proclaimed that we are blessed when we hunger and thirst after His holiness, because He shall fill us (Matthew 5:6). We hunger for spiritual meat and drink, rather than spiritual junk food.

Junk food gives us the false impression of being satisfied. We feel full and enjoy the taste; yet it leaves us lacking in essential vitamins and minerals, which our body needs to function.

The same is true spiritually. If we dabble in religion, we get fat and malnourished. Yet, if we respond to the Holy Spirit when He draws us to God, we are filled with His goodness (John 6:44).

When we hunger and thirst for God we find His blessings, peace, joy and love. He gives us His eternal perspective. We live to do only the will of God with our life.

We align our life with His Word and His Spirit, praising Him with unceasing songs, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:17-19). As a city sitting high on a hill, our light cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

We are His Body and He works in and through us; continually drawing us to His side and filling us with His spiritual blessings and eternal presence (Ephesians 1:3).

We make a difference in our world, because we do the works of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16; John 6:29). We see the fruit of our spiritual labors and we rejoice and are humbled to be of service to our King.

Prayer:

Father God, let our life be a shining light into the dark world around us. Help us to avoid sin at all cost and to live as a testimony of Your saving grace in our life. As we love You with all of our heart, remind us to lean on You and not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remove any pride and rebellion from our life, which hinders us from obeying Your Word. Help us to walk in Your Spirit, to live the Christ life in this world, to follow where You lead us and to rejoice ever more in the center of Your will for each moment of the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28).

Thought for the Day:

We can trust in the Lord because we know His name, nature and character and realize that He never forsakes those who seek Him. - Psalm 9:10

My Soul Waits - Filled with God's Fullness

 

God chose us before the foundation of the world to redeem us, to transform us, to give us His divine nature and to use us in the work of His Kingdom (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:4).

We no longer deflect His will with hurried lives and busy days. We grow spiritually and come to the place where we surrender our desires and embrace His heart and mind as our own.

We have a continual conversation with God as we share our heart with Him and listen to His answers and directives for our day. God's presence satisfies our longing and fills our hungry soul (Psalm 107:9).

God redefines our plans and leads us in His Truth and everlasting way. He gives us a new name and nature with a heart of compassion and a willingness to do His will (Psalm 43:3; Revelation 2:12; Colossians 3:12).

Our focus switches from our self and our little place in the cosmos and increases to the world around us and the needs of the people involved in our everyday life.

We relinquish our hurt, bitterness, anger, and pride and walk in forgiveness, love and humility instead. This diminishes Satan's hold on our life and increases our fellowship with our Father.

We empty our soul of the cares of this life, having faith in God's faithfulness to work out every detail for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). He fills us with His fullness and we change the world around us - one person at a time (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Prayer:

Father God, spiritual understanding is ours as we allow Your Spirit to discipline our carnal nature and strengthen our spiritual nature as You fill us with Your faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Help us to totally surrender to Your love and to trust You in the good times and the bad.

We know that only You hold the issues of life and death in Your hands (Psalm 41:13). We so enjoy the immeasurable intimacy which You share with those who love You and who keep Your commandments (John 14:15; Ephesians 3:8). We enjoy our fellowship with You and appreciate the showers of Your blessings on our daily life.

Thought for the Day:

Let us walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in our thoughts, words and deeds, so that we can bear fruit by His Spirit through every good work which we perform; and may we continually increase in our knowledge, understanding and intimacy with God. - Colossians 1:9-10

Our Source of Rivers of Living Water

 

In the Old Testament, Jesus was the Rock from which the Israelites were supplied fresh water in the barren wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4). In the New Testament, He is still our source of living water. His springs of eternal life give us a well of living water to draw from at any time (John 4:13-14).

As God regenerates our spirit and heals our soul, there are multiple rivers of living water flowing from our innermost being and refreshing us and anyone who comes in contact with us (John 7:37-39).

If we do not feel this free cascade of life flowing from within us, then there is a dam of negative emotions, unresolved conflict and sin entrenched in our soul. They control the floodgate to God's living water within us and block the rivers' flow.

Physically, if we are not thirsty, we will not drink. Yet, when we are thirsty, we often eat instead of drink, thinking that we are hungry. We gorge our self on food and are never satisfied, because we do not fill our cells with the life-giving water they crave.

Spiritually, we actually need to come to Christ, our living water; yet we often turn to sin to satisfy us instead. We miss out on the life-giving water that Christ offers to this lost and dying world.

He reaches out especially to those who realize they are poor and destitute without personal means to obtain this living water by their own efforts (Isaiah 55:1). Without cost to us, yet with great personal cost to Himself, Jesus freely gives us His living water (Revelation 21:6).

His saving work continues through each moment of our life (Philippians 1:6). We see a constant change in our thinking and behavior. We gain spiritual understanding, power and maturity which flow through us to those God brings into our life (1 Corinthians 2:11-16; Galatians 5:15-25; Ephesians 5:18-21). 

Prayer:

Father God, as the deer pants after the water book to quench its thirst, so too we thirst for You, our living God (Psalm 42:1). We thirst and yearn for You in this weary, arid land where there is no other source of the water of life (Psalm 63:1). Help us to humble our self under Your mighty hand and to meekly accept Your living water, drinking freely until these mighty rivers flow from our innermost being.

Your rivers of living water satisfy every part of our spirit, soul and body. Peace and joy flood every cell of our being (Philippians 3:19; Nehemiah 9:20). Lead us to those in our life who are thirsting for You and help us to offer them a drink from Your rivers of life within us.

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit and the Bride say to the thirsty, "Come;" anyone wishing to drink the water of life may come without personal cost and drink of the rivers of living water flowing from the throne of God and from within His Saints.

- Revelation 22:17; Psalm 78:15-16; Proverbs 4:23; Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:26-27, 47:1-9; Joel 3:18, Zechariah 13:1, 14:8