Go Directly to God

 

“In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26–27)

Don’t make God’s Son more of a Mediator than he is.

Jesus says, “I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.” In other words, I’m not going to insert myself between you and the Father, as though you can’t go to him directly. Why? “The Father himself loves you.”

This is astonishing. Jesus is warning us not to think of God Almighty as unwilling to receive us directly into his presence. By “directly” I mean what Jesus meant when he said, “I am not going to take your requests to God for you. You may take them directly. He loves you. He wants you to come. He is not angry at you.”

It is absolutely true that no sinful human being has any access to the Father except through Jesus’s blood (Hebrews 10:19–20). He intercedes for us now (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). He is our advocate with the Father now (1 John 2:1). He is our High Priest before the throne of God now (Hebrews 4:15–16). He said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Yes. But Jesus is protecting us from taking his intercession too far. “I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you.” Jesus is there. He is providing an ever-present, ever-living witness to the removal of the Father’s wrath from us.

But he is not there to talk for us, or to keep us at a distance from the Father, or to suggest that the Father’s heart is guarded toward us or disinclined to us — hence the words, “For the Father himself loves you.”

So, come. Come boldly (Hebrews 4:16). Come expectantly. Come expecting a smile. Come trembling with joy, not dread.

Jesus is saying, “I have made a way to God. Now I am not going to get in the way.” Come.

PROVIDENTIAL WORKS OF GOD FOR US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 22, 2022.

SUBJECT: PROVIDENTIAL WORKS OF GOD FOR US!

Memory verse: "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place; but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4 vs 14. )

READ: Esther 3 vs 8 - 14:

3:8: Then Haman said to king Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to them remain.

3:9 If it please the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work to bring it into the king's treasuries.”

3:10 So the king took his signet  ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

3:11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, do with them as it seems good to you.

3:12 Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and  a decree was written according to all that Haman had commanded— to the king's satraps, to the governors who were over every province, according tothe officials of every people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of king Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king's signet ring.

3:13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions..

INTIMATION:

Providence is foresight; care; especially, the foresight and care which God manifests for His creatures; hence, God Himself, regarded as exercising a constant wise prescience. It is a manifestation of the care and superintendence which God exercises over His creatures; an event ordained by divine direction. It is noteworthy that God is constantly behind the scenes working for the good of His people—His children who believe in Him.

Probably there is no book, in the entire Bible that portrays the providential work of God in the lives of His people more than the book of Esther. When considering the plan of God to bring the Mesiah into the world, the book of Esther gives a vital historical view of how God providentially preserved the returned exiles in order that they be the foundation upon which He fulfilled His promises to the seed of Abraham. The key figures—Mordecai and Esther—were of the God’s chosen race—the Jews. Ironically God or His name wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther, 

Though there is no mention of God in the book, the lives of Mordecai and Esther exemplify the lives of people who are committed to God and His purposes. When the skeptic would consider coincidences in the lives of these two characters of the book, the believer stands in wonder at how God worked all things together for the good of His people. The book shows how God worked in the events surrounding His people in order that they survive to bring about His purpose for their existence. 

Mordecai’s family was deported to Babylonian empire. He was probably born in Shushan, a city that became one of Persia’s capitals after Cyrus conquered Babylon. Mordecai then inherited an official position among the Jewish captives that kept him around the palace even after the Babylonians were driven out. At one time, when Mordecai overheard plans to assassinate King Ahasuerus, he reported the plot and saved his life.

Mordecai was in conflict with the king’s second in command, Haman. Although willing to serve the king, Mordecai refused to worship the king’s representative. Haman was furious with Mordecai . So he planned to have Mordecai and all the Jews killed. His plan became a law of the Medes and Persians, and it looked as thought the Jews were doomed. 

Esther was a Jewish orphan girl who eventually became the queen of Persia. She was brought up in Shushan by her uncle, Mordecai. Esther’s beauty and character won Ahasuerus’ heart, and he made her queen. At the instruction of her uncle, Mordecai, Esther didn’t disclose her whole identity even in the position of the queen of Medes and Persia. 

Mordecai, willing to be God’s servant wherever he was, responded by contacting Esther, and telling her that one reason God had allowed her to be queen might well be to save her people from this threat. But God had also placed him in the right place years earlier. In Mordecai’s life, God blended character and circumstances to accomplish great things. He has not changed the way He works. God is using the situations you face each day to weave a pattern of godliness into your character. 

God was working behind the scenes. God denied the king sleep, and consequently revealed to the king through his nighttime reading of historical documents that Mordecai had once saved his life, and the king realized he had never thanked him. Ahasuerus lost no time in honoring Mordecai for that act. The great honor then given to Mordecai ruined Haman’s plan to impale him to a pole. God had woven an effective counter-strategy against which Haman’s plan could not stand. There is grim justice in Haman’s death on the pole he had built for Mordecai, and it seems fitting that the day on which the Jews were to be slaughtered became the day their enemies died. 

God presumably made Haman to introduce the Jews to the king as ”a certain people.” The king was greatly infuriated when he learned that Haman’s  plan would have caused the death of the queen after Esther disclosed she was among the people he was to kill. All these things were working together for the good of God’s people, and for His purpose of preserving a remnant of the seed of Abraham through which the Messiah will come, so that His promise would be fulfilled.

As a child of God, always know that God is providentially working behind the scenes for your good, the circumstances you found yourself notwithstanding. Again, God has not placed you in your present position for your own benefit. He put you there to serve Him. As in Esther’s case, this may involve risking your security. Are you willing to let God be your ultimate security?

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my refuge and my fortress. Surely You will deliver me from hidden traps, shield me from deadly hazards, I will not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at t my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it will not come near me. Only with my eyes will I see the reward of the wicked, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

We Will Rule All Things

 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

What does Jesus mean when he says this to the church in Laodicea?

Sit with Jesus on his throne? Really?

This is a promise to everyone who conquers, that is, who presses on in faith to the end (1 John 5:4), in spite of every threatening pain and luring, sinful pleasure. So if you are a true believer in Jesus, you will sit on the throne of the Son of God who sits on the throne of God the Father.

I take “throne of God” to signify the right and authority to rule the universe. That’s where Jesus sits. “He must reign,” Paul said, “until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). So when Jesus says, “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne,” he promises us a share in the rule of all things.

Is this what Paul has in mind in Ephesians 1:22–23? “He put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

We, the church, are “the fullness of him who fills all.” What does that mean? I take it to mean that the universe will be filled with the glory of the Lord (Numbers 14:21). And one dimension of that glory will be the complete and unopposed extension of his rule everywhere.

Therefore, Ephesians 1:23 would mean: Jesus fills the universe with his own glorious rule through us. Sharing in his rule, we are the fullness of his rule. We rule on his behalf, by his power, under his authority. In that sense, we sit with him on his throne.

None of us feels this as we should. It is too much — too good, too amazing. That’s why Paul prays for God’s help that “the eyes of your hearts [would be] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:18).

Without omnipotent help now, we cannot feel the wonder of what we are destined to become. But if we are granted to feel it, as it really is, all our emotional reactions to this world will change. The strange and radical commands of the New Testament will not be as strange as they once seemed.

WHAT PRAISE TO GOD IS AND DOES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 21, 2022.

SUBJECT: WHAT PRAISE TO GOD IS AND DOES!

Memory verse: "I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of Your marvelous works." (Psalm 9 vs 1. )

READ: Psalm 149 vs 1 - 6:

149:1: Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.

149:2: Let Israel rejoice in their Maker: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

149:3: Let them praise His name with the dance: let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

149:4: For the LORD takes pleasure in His people: He will beautify the humble with salvation.

149:5: Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud on their beds.

149:6: Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

INTIMATION:

Praise is expressing to God our appreciation and understanding of His worth. It is saying thank you for each aspect of His divine nature; His mercy, love, kindness, faithfulness etc. Our inward attitude becomes outward expression. Praise starts with a right understanding of God based on God’s own Word. Praise includes a growing reverence for who God is, which, in turn, imparts true wisdom to us. When we praise God, we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who He is. Our worship should begin by acknowledging God’s love. Recalling God’s love and mercy will inspire you to worship Him daily. Praise God first, then you will be prepared to present your needs to Him. Praise God by singing, dancing, or playing musical instruments. God enjoys His people, and we should enjoy praising Him. 

Our praise should be focused on the good things God is doing for us. It is easy to complain about life, but we have so many things to praise God for. For instance, He forgives our sins, heels our diseases, redeems us from death, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies our desires, and gives righteousness and justice. We receive all of these without deserving any of them. No matter how difficult your life’s journey, you can always count your blessings—past, present, and future. When you feel as though you have nothing for which to praise God, look at the aforstated list. In all of these instances, praising God is simply giving Him the recognition He deserves. One way we can define what we mean by praising God is to consider the end result. The end result of giving God praise is to exalt Him and His name. 

Praise and thanksgiving should be a regular part of our routine, not reserved only for celebrations. Praise God continually, and you will find that you won’t take His blessings for granted. David made a vow to praise God each day. David continually praised God through both the good and difficult times of his life. Do you find something to praise God for each day? As you do you will find your heart elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence. Beginning any task by praising God can inspire us to give Him our best. Develop the practice of giving praise to God, and you will experience greater joy and strength to face anything. 

Praise should be a sacrifice of our lips which we can offer anywhere, anytime, In anyplace. Prophet Hosea said, “Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.” (Hoses 14 vs 2.)  We can also praise God in dance, prayer, studying God’s Word, proclamations, and the list goes on. No matter how we praise God, we must be sure to lift up His name above all else. “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods” (Psalm 96 vs 4.)

Praise takes our minds off our problems and shortcomings and helps us focus on God who is in control of all circumstances. Praise causes us to consider and appreciate God’s character. Praise lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly. Praise prepares our hearts to receive God’s love and the power of His Holy Spirit. Praise expresses our gratitude to God, and from the depths of our gratitude, we must praise Him, thank Him, and tell others about Him. Praise leads us from individual meditation to corporate worship. 

Songs of praise focus our attention on God, give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and remind us of God’s faithfulness and character. Whether you are experiencing a great victory or a major dilemma praises to God can have a positive effect on your attitude. Praise is not just a song about God, it is a song to God. In praising God we can use many word pictures such as rock, lamp, light, shield, and so on to portray God’s marvelous attributes. 

Praising God has several aspects to it. We praise God when we (1) Say thank you to Him for each attribute of His divine nature. As you read the Bible, look for other characteristics of God for which to thank Him. (2) Focus our hearts on God. Take one attribute of God, such as His mercy, then concentrate on it for an entire week in your meditation and prayer. (3) Thank God for His many gracious gifts to us. Make a list and count your blessing. (4) thank God for our relationship with Him. Through Christ you have been given the gift of salvation. Tell God afresh how mush you appreciate it.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, before You there is no God, with You there is no other God, and there will be no other God after You. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. There is none like You in heaven and on earth. I will praise You everyday of my life, and Your praise will never depart from my mouth. You are great, and greatly to be praised. May my praise come to You as a sweet smelling savor, acceptable to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Anchor of Joy

 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11)

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Jesus revealed a secret that protects our happiness from the threat of suffering and the threat of success. That secret is this: Great is your reward in heaven. And the sum of that reward is enjoying the fullness of the glory of Jesus Christ (John 17:24).

Jesus protects our happiness from suffering when he says,

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

Our great reward in heaven rescues our joy from the threat of persecution and reviling.

He also protects our joy from success when he says,

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

The disciples were tempted to put their joy in ministry success. “Even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17). But that would have severed their joy from its only sure anchor.

So Jesus protects their joy from the threat of success by promising the far greater reward of heaven. Rejoice in this: that your names are written in heaven. Your inheritance is infinite, eternal, sure.

Our joy is safe. Neither suffering nor success can destroy its anchor. Great is your reward in heaven. Your name is written there. It is secure.

Jesus anchored the happiness of suffering saints in the reward of heaven. And he anchored the happiness of successful saints in the same.

And thus he freed us from the tyranny of worldly pain and pleasure — worldly suffering and worldly success.

The Battle to Remind

 

“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” (Lamentations 3:21–22)

One of the great enemies of hope is forgetting God’s promises. Reminding is a great ministry. Peter and Paul both said that they wrote letters for this reason (2 Peter 1:13; Romans 15:15).

The main Helper in reminding us what we need to know is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). But that doesn’t mean you should be passive. You are responsible only for your own ministry of reminding. And the first one in need of reminding by you is you.

The mind has this great power: It can talk to itself by way of reminder. The mind can “call to mind,” as the text says: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lamentations 3:21–22).

If we don’t “call to mind” what God has said about himself and about us, we languish. Oh, how I know this from painful experience! Don’t wallow in the mire of godless messages in your own head. Messages like: “I can’t . . .” “She won’t . . .” “They never . . .” “It has never worked . . .”

The point is not that these are true or false. Your mind will always find a way to make them true, unless you “call to mind” something greater. God is the God of the impossible. Reasoning your way out of an impossible situation is not as effective as reminding yourself that God does impossible things.

Without reminding ourselves of the greatness and grace and power and wisdom of God, we sink into brutish pessimism. “I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you” (Psalm 73:22).

The great turn from despair to hope in Psalm 77 comes with these words: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11–12).

This is the great battle of my life. I assume yours too. The battle to remind! Myself. Then others.

ALWAYS INQUIRE FROM THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 2022.

SUBJECT: ALWAYS INQUIRE FROM THE LORD!

Memory verse: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33 vs 3.)

READ: Second Samuel 5 vs 17 - 20; 22 - 25:

5:17: Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 

5:18: The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 

5:19: So David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" And the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand." 

5:20: So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there, and he said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water......"

5:22: Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 

5:23: Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 

5:24: And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines. 

5:25: And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Gerba as far as Gezer.

INTIMATION:

To inquire is to ask, but it is more formal than asking. It entails showing an eagerness to find out or learn. It is to earnestly ask or investigate and receive information. God is ever willing to offer His assistance to His children who earnestly desire it. He said: “"Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds  and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8.) You must make inquiries from Him, if you really desire the way out of your predicament, for all about you is known to Him from the beginning. 

God has instructed us to inquire from Him. Prayers like, "Oh God, come and do it for me" is the prayer of babies in Christ, but, "Lord, what must I do?" Is the prayer of sons. As long as you remain a child in the kingdom, always asking for things to be done for you and crying in the face of every adversity, God’s glory never comes near you. It is sonship that attracts the glory, and responsibility is what makes a son. The Bible in Jeremiah 6 vs 16 says, "Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls...." God desires our commitment to His leading us at all times. Nothing is too little to make inquiry on. 

David was a man of inquiries, always showing his trust and confidence in God’s leading, and God stood firm for him that he never suffered any defeat or injuries as a warrior. He had access to divine instructions by prayer of inquiry, and it made a world of difference in his life. One instruction from heaven can deliver you from a lifetime of struggle. You will no longer suffer injuries in your life in Jesus’ name.

There is what you must do to commit God to listen to you. You must show God that you are dependent on His leading, hence your constantly inquiring from Him. In the passage we read today, David never moved into battle against the Philistines—their enemies, without inquiring from God on what to do. God said, "Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you" (James 4 vs 8). You have your part to play and God has His; He will never play yours for you. He said, It is your drawing near to Him and making inquiries that provoke His drawing near to you with answers and instructions. 

Don't watch your life drag on endlessly. Determine to see the end of that problem—take responsibility. Make inquiries by getting into God's presence, and with your entire spirit approach Him for an answer. Do not be in a hurry, be set to get an answer and take delivery of His higher ways which will put you above whatever situation you are in. In whatever way you are missing it, He will reveal it to you when you go before Him to inquire in determination for an answer. You worship before Him, speak to Him and wait for His response, celebrating in tongues until the answer comes.

We are full of prayers of petition, calling on God to intervene and do something about our situation. But we have, more often than not, ignored the place of inquiries, and taking responsibility which is what gives us access to God's ways; the access to the secret and hidden things of life. The end of all matters are known to Him for the beginning. When you are faced with a dilemma of not knowing what next to do in life or which way to turn—you are at the cross-roads of life—you need to inquire from God in prayers what next to do. God will show up for you, and your responsibility is to put to work what He has revealed to you. 

It is a common practice by many to pray; pouring their hearts out before God, and never conscious of listening and waiting to hear from God. The communication is one way, while it ought to be two ways. When you rush out after laboring in prayers without hearing from God, how do you intend to receive divine instructions or guidance? In your quiet time after prayers, God may speak to you in His usual still small voice.

Prayer: Abba Father, lead me in all my ways, and answer me when I inquire from You; that I may walk in divine guidance, and wisdom, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!