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Monday, January 5, 2009
Dear Faithful One,
We spend a lot of time watching the news, watching for good deals and bargains, watching the weather, watching for job opportunities, television watching, and even people watching. Most of our watching is centered on selfish pleasure and mindless pursuits, while at other times it is for information gathering or personal gain.
As Christians, our daily activity should include watching for divine appointments the Lord places in our path, watching for opportunities to share our faith, watching for opportunities to serve and to pray with or for others, and watching the times and seasons we are living in so we will be adequately prepared for the return of our Lord. Above all, we should be watching for opportunities to spend with our Lord throughout the day so we will have the peace, confidence, strength, and direction we need for every step in this walk of faith.
We can get so caught up in living in this present world, that we lose sight of how temporal it is and neglect the attention we should be giving to the necessary preparation of our future eternal home. Our Lord Jesus went on ahead to prepare a place for us, and while we await His return we are to be ready and watchful, faithfully being about our Heavenly Father's business, and sharing His message of love.
The Lord is our watchman who is faithful and true and guards His children with His unfailing love and protection. He neither slumbers nor sleeps as His eyes are continually upon His faithful ones. He is our assurance in whom we can put our trust. May we be ever alert and watchful, lest our devotion to Him be tempted in another direction. Keep watch, faithful one!
"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."
(Psalm 121)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all! (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Feasting on His Word and Remaining at His Feet,
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
Psalm 27:13-14
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Day Eleven: Revealing the WATCH of God
"Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain."
(Psalm 127:1b)
Breakfast: Eleven Pipers piping - Focus on Matthew 26:36-46
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
(Matthew 26:41)
"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...eleven pipers piping" The Lord selected twelve men to walk with Him and learn from Him during His time of ministry on the earth. He picked them from all walks of life - He wasn't looking at their abilities, rather their availability. Each one dropped what they were doing to follow the Master (reference Matthew 4:20, 22; 9:9).
These twelve apostles where handpicked by the Lord, but not all of them would remain committed to Him; even though they spent their time talking, walking, learning, and living closely with the Savior one would end up rejecting and betraying Him. "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil" (John 6:70). The Lord reaches out to all of us, but He leaves the decision up to us whether we will follow Him or not. He desires all to receive and follow Him, but He will not force us to walk in His will, that choice is ours to make.
Walking with the Lord requires a daily commitment and desire to meet with Him and learn from Him (reference Matthew 10:38). Even after all the ways He revealed Himself and provided for them, His followers could hardly stay awake when He needed them the most. "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Matthew 26:45). For many of us today, our commitment to God is hardly a contrast to these early disciples. Believers, today, are exhorted to be on guard, to watch, to be ready, and prepared, not only for His return, but daily against the temptations of the enemy who wants to keep us distracted and hinder our relationship with the Lord and our ability to further His kingdom. Today, may we ever aware of our level of commitment to our Savior and Lord and be willing to lay down all our personal pursuits to instead pick up His Word and follow where He leads.
"Be on your guard against men;
All men will hate you because of Me,
but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
(Matthew 10:17, 22)
Lunch: Finding Meaning...as a Watchman of God- Focus on Ecclesiastes 11:1-10
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman..
so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me.
...if you warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin,
he will surely live because he took warning,
and you will have saved yourself."
(Ezekiel 3:17, 21)
When we accepted the Lord's invitation to take this amazing journey of faith, called the Christian walk, we entered into a wondrous adventure where anything can be expected. The world we live in is unpredictable and uncertain, but a life lived closely aligned with the Lord is exciting and fulfilling.
The Teacher of Ecclesaisates tells us to take risks, "cast your bread upon the waters", and to be generous while we can, "for you do not know what disaster will come upon the land." We may not know when disaster, or difficulty will strike, but we should be prepared for it in any case. The Teacher exhorts us to "live life to the fullest" (v. 7-10). Jesus came that we might have life to the full, but we are to live that life wisely as we walk by faith each day, trusting in His Word and willing to share it while we have opportunity, and freedom, to do so.
In the Scriptures, watchmen were posted on the walls of the city to inform the leaders and the people of the progress of battle or to alert them of news being brought by a messenger. "How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion 'Your God reigns!' Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy" (Isaiah 52: 7-8). The watchmen stood guard, ready and watchful through the night, hopeful, that the morning would bring good news of victory and safety.
Today, believers are the Lord's watchmen, tasked with delivering the good news of His message of salvation...while we can. We are to daily be in His Word and persevering in prayer, available and ready to receive His news, good or bad, and run like a herald and deliver it to our brothers and sisters. We are called to build one another up in love, exhorting each other to remain faithful to the commands of God, and obedient to His will. The days we are living in are growing more evil, deception is lurking at every corner, we must be vigilant and prayer for believers everywhere to be rooted in the Truth of the Word of God, so we will be able to stand firm in these ever-increasing difficult days (reference Matthew 24:10-14). May we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts ready to respond to all that the Lord reveals to us. "See, I have told you ahead of time" (Matthew 24:25).
"To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
I appointed watchmen over you and said,
'Listen to the wound of the trumpet!'
But you said, 'We will not listen.'
(Jeremiah 6:10, 17)
Dinner: The Sovereignty of God - a Matter of His Watch - Focus on Daniel 11:31-45
" The day of your watchmen has come,
the day God visits you..."
(Micah 7:4)
Daniel's vision reveals a time in the future when great suffering will come upon the earth - a time known as the great Tribulation. We talked about the Antichrist yesterday, whose rule would include a seven year peace treaty with Israel that would be broken at midpoint and unleash this terrible time of tribulation. During this time of suffering, some will join the enemy and others will trust in the Lord. In times of difficulty the true condition of a person's heart is revealed.
The Lord has been faithful to send prophets (spiritual watchmen) who were to relay God's Word to warn the people and prepare them for the future, but history has shown the people would not listen. "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them" (Matthew 13:14-15). The Scriptures have provided us all that we need to prepare and be ready for His return, but even with all that the Word of God has to say regarding end times, many believers are still unaware of the signs that reveal the time and season we are living in and align with those Scriptures (reference Matthew 16:3).
Now is the appointed time to receive the message of Truth and to savor every morsel of His life-giving word. We must digest His Word, allow it to nourish us, and use the strength and power we are given to boldly share this message of the gospel of grace with a world slipping further and further into the depths of sin and depravity. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns" (Matthew 24:45-46).
May the Lord find us faithfully feasting on His Word, waiting patiently at His feet, and listening for His voice to tell us the way we should walk in these challenging days that are upon us. May He return to find us faithfully fulfilling His commission by bearing His light, speaking His Truth, and sharing His Word with the hungry, lost, and fallen world we are living in. Tonight, let us pray for the protection of believers everywhere to not turn an ear to the lies and deception of the day that are calling us to compromise the Truth of God's Word, but have boldness and courage to speak the Word that they have hidden in their hearts. May we be watchful and ready!
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know
when the owner of the house will come back -
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
(Mark 13:35-37) _____________________________________
A Word of Encouragement
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like
ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
At midnight the cry rang out:
'Here's the Bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!
The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet.
And the door was shut.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."
(Matthew 25:1-2, 4, 6, 10, 13) ________________________________________________
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