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DAY 25 OCTOBER 7, 2015 _____________________________________________________________
"I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST;
IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME;
AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH
I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD,
WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME."
(Galatians 2:20)
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RAISE UP THE STANDARD!
"To Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious Presence without fault and with great joy - to the Only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24)
Morning Devotion: Feasting in His Presence - Read John 10:14-16
Our Shepherd wanted His sheep to know how dearly He loves us that He repeated His affections once again: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own" (John 10:14). A good shepherd is one who knows his sheep, and because he knows his sheep, he knows how best to care for them. When we know someone really well we know their likes, their dislikes, their fears, their personalities, and their habits (both good and bad). Because we know them so well we know how to relate to them, meet their needs, and minister to them. Our Father knows us better than anyone, because He created us. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." (Jeremiah 1:5a). Because He is so intimately connected with us He knows exactly how to care for us, to meet our needs, and to lead us in the direction that will accomplish His intended purpose for our lives. How dearly our good shepherd wants us to know Him; there is no greater knowledge than the knowledge of God. The depths of our affection and devotion toward God are expressed in the same way He shows His love to us - with deepening intimacy. He desires a deep connection with each one of His children. When we allow God to work in our lives we learn how much He cares for us and loves us, and our trust and love for Him develops as we grow in deepening intimacy with Him. The more we grow in the knowledge of our Lord and in our understanding of how He cares for His people, the better we know how to relate to Him and express our love and devotion for Him and long for that deep intimate, abiding relationship He desires with each one of His sheep. May we give our loving shepherd what He desires most of all - all of us!
A shepherd does not call his sheep randomly; he calls only those who are his own. "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3b). This should humble us and comfort us as His followers to know that we are secure in Christ, and that He will faithfully bring all His sheep into the fold at the appointed time. "For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" (Romans 22:29). There is only One Shepherd, and only one flock - made up of believing Jews and Gentiles. "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd" (v. 16). Jesus came into the world to die for the sheep so we could be united as one with Him and the Father. The Lord's original covenant with Abraham was not just for the nation of Israel - His blessing would extend to the whole world (reference Genesis 12:1-3). "...Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one" (John 11:51b, 52). His plan and His purpose will prevail and cannot be thwarted by man or Satan (Proverbs 19:21). "Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand...This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27).
Our good Shepherd laid down His life for the sins of the world. "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God" (1 John 4:14-15). Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross to embrace the world, but only those who hear His voice and receive His offer of salvation will be included in His flock. Today, that field is ripe for the harvest (reference John 4:35), and He is looking for workers who are willing to go out and gather the sheep into the fold (reference Luke 10:2). What a privilege it is to be called children of God and to be counted as one of the sheep of His flock. May we not waste our gifts and calling, but be faithful stewards and ministers of the gospel of grace and obediently and willingly go out into the world and "make disciples" of all nations (reference Matthew 28:19-20). May we be that faithful remnant who will "build up the old waste places" and "raise up the foundations of many generations" and rebuild the spiritual wall around this nation (Isaiah 58:12), that God's "kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
Heavenly Father,
We praise Your holy name.
We "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever." (Psalm 107:1) Lord, "Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead me and guide me." (Psalm 31:3) Thank You for "always lead[ing] us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us [You]
spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of [Christ]." (2 Corinthians 2:14) Help Your children to daily draw near to You
so that we may find all our refreshment from You
as we drink deeply from the living water of Your Word.
Revive us through Your powerful Word.
Set our hearts aflame in our prayer closets as
we draw close to the light of Your presence.
May those who see us know that we have been with You;
may our countenance reflect Your peace and joy.
And may the words we speak and the deeds we do
provide a sweet aroma of Your goodness and love wherever You lead us
so that many will be drawn into Your intoxicating presence. Lord You are our good Shepherd and faithful guide;
All glory, honor and praise belong to You,
for You "...guide me with Your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." (Psalm 73:2) In Jesus' wonderful Name. Amen.
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REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD!
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)
Afternoon Devotion: Filled with His Power - Read Ephesians 2:11-19
God called Abram, a Gentile, out of his own country and people to be set apart and to become the father of a new nation through which the Lord would use to bless the whole world (reference Genesis 12:2-3). "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6). The Lord revealed Himself through the Jews, giving them His Word, and through them He gave the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ (reference Romans 9:4-5); through whom He would reconcile them to one another and to Himself. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility" (Ephesians 2:14-16).
The dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, and God and sinful man, was torn down by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Just as the individual believer experiences a new birth in Christ the moment they are saved, Christ's redemptive work on the cross also gave birth to a new "man" - the body of Christ made up of believing Jews and Gentiles - and the Church was formed (reference Galatians 3:26-29); with Jesus Christ as our cornerstone and foundation we are being built together to become a "holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:7). How glorious and wonderful the works of God! Even before He laid the foundation of the world our Sovereign God laid the foundation for His Church, setting in motion His plan to bring His salvation to the whole earth by separating out the Jews as His chosen nation, so they would radiate God's light to the Gentiles, who in turn would be united with the Jews, erasing all lines of separation, and establishing a new, holy nation. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people of God, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).
May we never forget what we have been saved from and Who we have been delivered to. As we pray for the lost sheep today let us remember how desperate our lives once were when we were far from God and His goodness. How hopeless our condition was without Christ. Let us praise God that we have been brought home and brought near to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us honor our good Shepherd with our prayers for the lost and ask Him to give us the privilege of winning many souls to Christ and leading a triumphal procession of scattered sheep back into the fold. Jesus is our support in this endeavor. It is the heart of the Father to see His children safely home. May He plant within us a deep resolve to know Him and to make Him known. Let us pray that we would be bold witnesses of His truth in a world that is starving for truth. May we feast from the wealth of His banqueting table each day so we will be full of Christ and overflowing with His love to share with the world. "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
"For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -
the same Lord is Lord of all
and richly blesses all who call on Him, for,
'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(Romans 10:12-13)
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RESTORE PRAISE! "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever, Amen!" (Revelation 7:12) Evening Devotion: Focused on His Praise - Read Psalm 23:3
God is in the building program. His work is all about creating, building, reconciliation and restoration. His atoning work on the cross brought us new life through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is "making all things new," and in Christ we can have a new beginning. As we continue our reading of Psalm 23 this evening, we find our ever-faithful and good Shepherd continuing His work in our life by "restoring [our] souls" and "guiding [us] in paths of righteousness." He revives our hearts through His Word and leads us to deeper levels of intimacy so we can experience the blessings of His righteousness in our lives (Matthew 5:6) "...for His name's sake." He is a good and faithful shepherd who will not leave us in our sin and suffering. His nature is tender, gentle, kind and loving. He gathers the lambs in His arms, He reconciles the poor wanderer and restores them to Himself . "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way" (Psalm 25:9).
As we humbly follow our loving Shepherd we will experience His faithfulness in guiding us to new levels of growth and spiritual prosperity. May we be willing participants in His kingdom building program, realizing that there are many hungry souls just waiting in the fields for a fresh Word from God which we have been entrusted to offer them. "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul" (Psalm 19:7). Tonight, let us continue in our prayers for strong families and an awakened Bride, so that the Body of Christ can be strengthened and unified to accomplish the work He has prepared us for, and continues to refresh us, to do. May we see a revival of righteousness and holiness in the coming months ahead as we continue to pray and walk in obedience to grow in the knowledge of Christ and to share His goodness with the world! May His wonderful Name be made glorious throughout the earth!
"Praise the LORD!
Oh, give thanks to the LORD,
for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known." (Psalm 106:1, 8)
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