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Friday, December 26, 2008
Dear Faithful One,
Thank you for your willingness to join us for the Epiphany journey. This is a journey of revelation - having just celebrated the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and reflecting with wonder and awe on His coming into the world as a humble babe - our focus now shifts with great longing for the future hope of His return as a mighty warrior and reigning King!
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on His shoulders."
(Isaiah 9:6)
Some of you may be questionning why we are "squeezing in" another journey, at the end of the year, when our plate is already full with holiday travels, vacations, and visitors. The answer is simply, because the Lord has asked us to. This entire year has been guided and directed by the Lord and we have a new year ahead of us - He has led us to deeper levels of intimacy through our time of prayer and feasting on His Word - there is so much more He desires to show us. He has revealed and accomplished so much this year, in the hearts of His children, and the work is just beginning. Our greatest desire should be to see the Lord's will be done; because of this, delving deeper into His Word, and spending intimate time with Him in prayer, should be our number one priority as we close out 2008 and enter into the New Year.
"Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever."
(Isaiah 9:7)
The Year of the Harvest lies open before us, and these next 12 days will set the stage for the next 12 months. The number twelve is a symbol of divine power and divine government. As our nation, and our world, is undergoing power struggles and changes of power, we must keep our eyes on our reigning King - Jesus Christ - Who is the source of all power! In the new year, we can expect to experience further stripping and refining, as the Lord is calling us to greater levels of holiness and righteousness. We will find this year requiring deeper dependence and trust in the Lord, and greater understanding and clarity for the work He has called us to do. Most important, we must realize that to truly yield a good harvest, it will not be because of our futile toil and labor, instead, it will be the result of God's blessings in our lives because He loves us and because we have responded, in kind, to His mercy and grace with wholehearted devotion.
In our devotional time we will begin each day with the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. Most everyone is familiar with this very popular Christmas song, but some may not know of the spiritual significance behind each verse. There are questions to the original use of the song, but we do know that it was originally printed in a 1780 children's book titled, Mirth Without Mischief. And while there are variations to the symbolism of the verses, we will be using them solely as a guide in our study of God's revelation of Himself.
In addition, we will look at mankinds' limitedness without God in our devotional time in the Book of Ecclesiastes, contrasting it to God's limitlessness and Sovereignty in our devotional time in the Book of Daniel. We have a lot of ground to cover these next few days - may you be blessed as you have faithfully set this time aside to feast on God's Word, and may He reveal to you all that He desires you to know for these next 12 days and for the new year ahead!
For His Glory, Honor, and Praise,
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
John 1:14
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Day One: Revealing the WISDOM of God
"...we speak of God's secret wisdom,
a wisdom that has been hidden
and that God destined for our glory before time began."
(1 Corinthians 2:7)
Breakfast: A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Focus on 1 Corinthians 1:30
"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God -
that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."
Jesus Christ is not just the focus of this season - He is supposed to be the focus of our entire lives. The song begins: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a partridge in a pear tree." In the Book of Revelation, chapter 2, verse 4, we are exhorted to return to our "first love". Our "First Love," our "True Love," is Jesus. He came in human flesh, stepping down from His throne, and laying down His life, because "God so loved the world" (John 3:16). His motivation is love, and His wisdom and knowledge brought about His plan for salvation.
The Scriptures tells us that "wisdom is proved right by her actions"; in a single act of love God the Father showed His wisdom in the sacrifice of His One and only Son, Jesus Christ (reference Matthew 11:19b; John 3:16). The wisdom of God is not confined to the mind, it is a matter of the heart, as Christ is revealed to all who believe in Him. His wisdom is revealed to mankind through His Spirit, and through His Spirit we are given greater access to this treasure valued a greater worth than silver or gold, or precious rubies (reference Proverbs 8:11).
Our greatest pursuit, both now, and in the months to come, should be growing in the wisdom and knowledge of God. For without it we will not be able to stand in the days that are ahead. As a partridge protects and defends her young, so too, our Lord longs to gather us under His wings of protection, but we must be willing to come to Him. We must be diligent about becoming people of the Word and of prayer. Resolve this year to passionately pursue the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength!
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
Who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him."
(James 1:5)
Lunch: Finding Meaning...in Wisdom - Focus on Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief."
(Ecclesiastes 1:18)
The Scriptures tell us that wisdom is supreme and we should give all that we have to gain wisdom (reference Proverbs 4:7). Solomon, who was the wisest person to ever live (having asked for godly wisdom - reference 1 Kings 3:5, 9-12;4 :29-30), and who is also considered the author of Ecclesiastes, expressed that wisdom, apart from God, is filled with nothing but sorrow and grief.
The entire Book of Ecclesiastes is dedicated to relaying the message that life without God is futile. Our lives are constantly being bombarded with information that stands in stark contrast to that message. The majority of information we are hit with each day is dedicated to distracting and driving us from spending time with and preventing us from growing in the wisdom and knowledge of God.
We live in an information age where we have vast amounts of data available to us at a seconds notice. With cell phone and laptops attached like additional body parts we find ourselves downloading and processing endless amounts of information while we walk, shop, and, in some cases, even, drive. Many may not even be aware how much of their day is consumed with reading and responding to text messages and emails. While, it is a blessing to live in this high-tech age, and we are thankful for the convenience it has afforded us, we must be careful to not allow ourselves to be distracted and robbed of intimate time with our Lord.
You came to your computer to read this email, and when you finish your time of devotion you will probably have several other emails to read and respond to. How blessed we are to live in a time where we can remain in close contact with others, however, we must be careful to not allow our interest in information or our desire to share information with others to keep us so busy that we miss out on precious time that we could be spending with our Lord.
Of all the strings of text we get bombarded with today, the most important text we should be reading is the Word of God. It is here that we receive His wisdom. It is important, more than ever, that our focus be on Jesus Christ, our reigning King (and Who is soon to come again!), As we look to the new year and consider our resolutions for reading more or furthering our education, may we be ever mindful that our greatest education is received through our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, with our text book being the Word of God.
For these next 12 days, may we be committed to spending more time with a hard copy of God's Word - the Holy Bible - and slow down to allow the Lord to guide our hands, eyes, and hearts as He takes us on a journey through the pages of His Word. "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9).
Dinner: The Sovereignty of God - a Matter of Wisdom - Focus on Daniel 1:8-20
"To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding
of all kinds of literature and learning."
(Daniel 1:17a)
Daniel knew what it was like to live in a time of national upheaval. His nation had been attacked and destroyed, and he, and his friends, had been dragged off to captivity, to live in a pagan nation where no one worshiped the Lord God. In the face of impossible circumstances, Daniel, and his three friends, chose to take a stand for righteousness. They could have easily lost hope and given in to the challenges before them, conforming to the pattern of their present world, however, they chose to not compromise their faith, and, instead, took a bold stand.
When the world around you is adamantly opposed to all that you believe in, the temptation to fade into the background and not draw attention to yourself is a path most are likely to take. Being a lone lamb in a den of hungry lions is not the best time to be making noise, however, the Scripture's exhort us to be ready to give the reason for what we believe (reference 1 Peter 3:15).
There are many Christians working and living in places where they are faced with the same challenges as Daniel and his friends. We live in the day of political correctness and tolerance, and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to speak out against this rising tide for fear of being knocked down by a wave of criticism and contempt. It is important to remain firmly rooted in the Word of God, daily being filled with His wisdom and knowledge, so we will be adequately prepared to speak the Truth in love when we are given the opportunity (by God) to do so.
Daniel, and his friends, were rewarded by God and were given knowledge and understanding, even "...ten times better..." than all the others, in the whole kingdom (v.20). When we are faithful to study and meditate on God's Word we will be given all the wisdom, knowledge, and strength we need to stand - remembering that we are only standing against man - we have God on our side (and inside!). "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4).
As we come to the end of our day let us pray for believers everywhere to awaken to the reality of the day we are living in and the necessity to commit to a life of prayer and intense study of God's Word. The days are growing more challenging, and the love of most is growing cold. It is critical for believers to be firmly rooted in the Word, being filled with the wisdom and power of God, and willing to take a bold stand for Truth and righteousness so that the message of salvation will continue to be shared.
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
(Romans 11:33)
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A Word of Encouragement
"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding,
in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
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