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DAY 24: Prune                                                                                    June 24, 2015

 
"For My house shall be called
 a house of prayer for all nations."
 (Isaiah 56:7b, NKJV)

MORNING DEVOTION - "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
 
Scripture Reading: Mark 11:12-14, 20-21
  
 
In the previous parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus identified that what we appear to be on the outside to the world does not matter as much as what is revealed on the inside of a person to God.  "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  As Jesus walked down the road from Bethany with His disciples, a fig tree whose foliage was in full bloom, caught His attention, because He was hungry.  A closer look revealed this tree was not what it had at first appeared to be. Although the abundance of leaves gave the appearance of it having life and vitality, the tree was found to be fruitless.  "Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit.  When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves..." (v.13). So Jesus cursed the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again" (v.14a).  Jesus was on His way to the temple in Jerusalem purposing to find fruit, the judgment He pronounced on the fig tree was an example of what was in store for His people if the temple was deceiving the people as this fruitless tree had done to Him with its' green leaves.
 
When John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus' earthly ministry he warned the Pharisees and Sadducees:  "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance...The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  I baptize you with water for repentance.  But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:8, 10-12).  Indeed, judgment was near, and Jesus' revealed His authority as Judge in the hearing of His disciples as He proclaimed punishment upon the unproductive fig tree.
 
Our lives should bear evidence to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that is taking place inside each one of us, as children of God.  "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last" (John 15:16).   This inner transformation is meant to produce the fruit of holiness (reference Romans 7:4).  Only by remaining in a close and intimate relationship with the Lord can this work be fully accomplished (reference John 15:4).  "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9a). By yielding our hearts and surrendering our schedules to spend intimate time with our Lord, in His Word and in prayer, we are able to draw from the Vine the life and power we need to do the work we have been called to do and to produce the fruit that will nourish this spiritually starved world.  Be encouraged that this dedicated season of prayer is not a labor in vain; on the contrary, it is a labor of love - the love of our heavenly Father being poured into and through our lives as we remain at His feet.  
 
Heavenly Father,  
Thank You that You are transforming Your
children into fruitful trees so we
 "will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the 
display of His splendor" (Isaiah 61:3b).
Help us to do our part by daily abiding in You 
so that You can have access to our hearts to do the work 
 You need to do to purify Your church and transform 
us into a useful vessel and fruitful tree that will 
quench the thirst, and feed the hungry souls 
of a dying world in desperate need of Your salvation.
 In Jesus' Name. Amen. 

It can be a painful process when we allow the Lord to get up close and personal with us.  But there is nothing more rewarding when we make it a priority to carve out the time each day to nurture our relationship with the Lord, and allow Him opportunity to do the necessary pruning in our lives to make us productive and fruitful for His greater kingdom purposes.  How much better it is to submit to His pruning shears now, than to suffer the ax of judgment later.  Pray for a willingness in the hearts of all believers to humble ourselves before the Lord, and allow Him to sift, shake, and prune us to fully become the prepared people He has called us to be so we can continue His ministry to the world.  "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30).
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AFTERNOON DEVOTION - "Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).
 

Scripture Reading: Mark 11:15-17
  
 
Jesus had come to the temple in Jerusalem not to pronounce a curse on it and destroy it, as He had the fig tree, but rather to purify it. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). As Jesus entered the outer court of the temple, "He found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money" (John 2:14).  The temple was divided into four courts, this outer court, known as "the court of the Gentiles," was the only place the Gentiles were allowed to worship and pray.  The merchants had turned this area meant for worship into a commercial center for making money. "Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves" (Mark 11:15).
 
The temple in Jerusalem was the central place for worship where thousands of pilgrims came each year to make their sacrifices to God, but the Sadducees, who oversaw the "business" of the temple, were preventing the Gentiles from being able to properly worship the Lord.   "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it 'a den of robbers' " (v.17).  Just as the fig tree was not fulfilling its proper role, so, also, was the temple in Jerusalem not functioning in the manner it was intended.  Worshipers were being prevented from praying, particularly because they were Gentiles, so Jesus wasted no time in applying His necessary reformation by driving out those who would cheat the people out of their proper worship, and then He revived the temple to its proper business as a "house of prayer for all nations."

In the heart of every community across this nation are houses of worship that are meant for all people to come and experience communion with God and fellowship with believers.  Sadly, however, even with the vast number of churches the majority of the people still remain on the outside.  The church was established to be a beacon of light and hope in our communities where the doors are always open to those who are hurting, helpless, hopeless, hungry and lost to come in and feel welcomed and have an opportunity to have a divine encounter with Jesus Christ and be saved.  It is vital that the children of God be awakened to become a people of prayer, so that the Church of God can be revived to our original appointment as "a house of prayer", so that we can receive the necessary power we desperately need in this hour to fulfill the purpose we were created for.  A fig tree without figs is just another tree; a church without prayer is just another building.  "A church without prayer is a church without God" - E.M. Bounds. 
 
   
Heavenly Father,
We are Your body, but we confess
that we are not functioning as a united, whole
and healthy body, because 
we have not sought You in prayer as we should.
 W
e have lost connection with the Head, 
which is Christ Jesus.  
We need Your help to restore this vital 
connection,
 for without it we have lost touch with Your heart,
and without Your heart we have lost our pulse 
as the Church.  
Revive us again, Father.  
Breathe 
Your holy life into us so that we can breathe
Your holiness into the world, that all may experience Your love
and salvation and come and worship You as You desire and deserve. 
 In Jesus' Name. Amen.
 
As Christ-followers we are the visible representation of Christ in the world, however we present a distorted view of our Lord when we allow ourselves to walk powerless in the world because we call ourselves His children but fail to seek Him in His Word and prayer every day. We are the Lord's ambassadors who are called to wear His armor and bear His Light in the world; however, everyday that we get up and attempt to put on our full armor without first seeking our Father in prayer, we are simply a people all dressed up with no place to go (reference Ephesians 6:10-18). Let us begin to pray for power to be restored in the church so that we can fulfill our intended purpose and impact our homes, communities, and nation for the glory of God. "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?  Show us Your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation" (Psalm 85:6-7).
 
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EVENING MEDITATION - "...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)  


Scripture Reading: Psalm 27
 
There is no better way to end our day, after the dog has been walked, the dishes have been done, the kids have been tucked in bed, then to go to that place of private solitude and sit in the presence of the Lord, and to bask in His beauty, soak in His love, and meditate on His majesty.  This Psalm of David is one of my favorite Psalms, for it is a beautiful prayer of faith.  As we meditate on these wonderful faith building words, let us reflect upon the truth that we are temple of God where His Holy Spirit dwells (reference 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).  This evening, let us let Christ enter in and have total access to purify our hearts.  Let us humble ourselves before His mighty and holy hand to knock down the walls of worldliness that we have erected, and overturn any sin in our heart that may be hindering us from becoming the mighty vessel of prayer He has created us to be, so that we will not be a withered and weary people, but a fragrant and fruitful Church for the glory of His name!

 

Heavenly Father,
"One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek Him in His temple.
Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!'
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD."
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
  


 

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"As is the business of tailors to make clothes
 and cobblers to make shoes,
so it is the business of Christians to pray."
- Martin Luther
 
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DEBTOR: Labor of Love 40 Days of Prayer
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