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DAY 27 OCTOBER 9, 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 10:3-5; 25-27
Sheep are not driven like cattle, they are led. They are led by a shepherd who calls to them, and they obediently and willingly respond because they know their shepherds' voice. A single fold can hold several flocks of sheep for the night, and when the watchman opens the door and the shepherd calls to his sheep, they will respond and follow their shepherd because they recognize and know his voice. Sheep may wander off and get into trouble, but they will never follow a stranger, because they do not know his voice (reference John 10:5). "The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (vv. 3-4). Our good Shepherd has delivered us from sin and death and He will lead us to experience the blessed and abundant life of fellowship with Him and the Father if we follow Him. "My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). Sheep know the voice of their shepherd, and willingly follow where he leads them. We should know the voice of our shepherd; His is the voice of love, and He will never lead us astray. We learn to discern God's voice through His Word. This morning, and every morning, as we open up the Word of God, may we be still and listen to our shepherds' tender and loving voice as He leads, guides, and instructs us for the day. "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back" (Isaiah 50:4-5).
Our good Shepherd desires to captivate His sheep and lead us to experience deeper fellowship and union with Him as He has with the Father. He longs to get us all by ourselves so He can have us all to Himself; He desires our full and undivided attention and affection. His greatest priority for our lives is for deepening intimacy with Him - it is the blessed and happy state of the true follower of Jesus Christ. "Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My doors, waiting at My doorway" (Proverbs 8:34). We must become intentional about our pursuit of God. This requires more than setting aside the time each day to be alone with God in His Word and in prayer, it also requires discipline to remain still and to wait upon Him until we hear Him speak. We need to learn to cultivate the silence in which God can be heard. This can be very challenging in the time that we live in, when just turning off our cell phones can be a daily struggle. Our good shepherd is calling us to: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Will we listen to His still small voice in the midst of all the other voices vying for our attention today? There are so many wondrous things that we have missed or forfeited because we have been too busy or distracted to remain still long enough to hear our Shepherd's voice. How easily distracted we are. Beloved, the voice of the "Majestic Glory" will penetrate our hearts and profoundly impact our lives if we are willing to get alone with Him in the quiet and secret place and patiently wait for Him to speak (reference 2 Peter 1:17-18). "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (Isaiah 30:15). The Lord calls us to these special seasons of prayer and fasting and feasting to strengthen those whose hearts are fully yielded to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). He is always willing to share His heart with His children who long for deeper intimacy with the Father. May each step of this journey open our hearts to greater depths of God's love, increased revelation of His will, renewed fervor for His honor, and deeper love for the lost and needy. May we follow close to our Shepherd's heart each and every day. "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14).
Heavenly Father,
"I want to know Christ and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His
sufferings, becoming like Him in His death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the
resurrection from the dead."
(Philippians 3:10-11)
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20)
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed,
but will have sufficient courage so that now as always
Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
(Philippians 1:20-21)
Be glorified in my life Lord as I obediently follow
Your tender and loving voice each day.
In Jesus' 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 Matthew 16:21-28 (Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:22-27)
God calls us to the surrendered life. When we place ourselves in a position of submission before the Lord and obediently follow our Shepherd wherever He leads us, we become an instrument for His kingdom building program instead of a stumbling block that will hinder it. "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23). We discern the mind and will of God through the time we dedicate meditating on God's Word, spending intimate time with Him in prayer, learning to be still before Him, and listening to His voice. The building and advancing of God's kingdom is dependent upon the growth and maturity of God's children. Thankfully the Lord reveals Himself in degrees; He gives His followers only what we can handle at any given time. In our devotional reading this afternoon, we read that the disciples were entering into a new season of ministry with the Lord. Jesus disclosed to His closest companions what was about to happen next; He was tenderly preparing them for what to expect if they were to continue following Him. It can sometimes be difficult to know how to respond when we are entrusted with the secret things of God, especially if that revelation includes trials and suffering. As we grow in our faith it is important to recognize that our circumstances will not always change, in fact, they will probably get worse, but the growth and change in our response to our circumstances is what our Father is looking for. To be a true disciple of Jesus Christ we must willingly and obediently lay down our flesh and walk in the Spirit of holiness. "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
To lose ourselves in Christ is an act of the will; it is an act of devotion towards the Lord. Let us not confuse "denying self" with "self-denial"; the former is about being identified with Christ, the latter is solely giving something up for a good purpose. We are called to surrender to Christ in obedience to His will, and then daily count the cost as we "die to ourselves" and take up the cross and follow Him. When we take up the cross we are not being called to carry our burdens, on the contrary, we willingly lay down all thoughts of ourselves and concern for our circumstances, to carry the higher standard and banner of the cross of Christ that His kingdom purposes will prevail. As one saint has said, if we aren't willing to bear the cross we can't wear the crown! Jesus carried the heavy side of the cross for us, and comforts us with His words of love: "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). The trials and sufferings we may endure in this life are but "light affliction, which is but for a moment" (2 Corinthians 4:17); we have the hope of heaven to comfort us in our troubles knowing they are "working for us a fare more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." This afternoon, as we sit at the feet of our Shepherd, and open up His Word and enjoy a delightful conversation with our beloved Lord, may our hearts be filled with gratitude for the promised rest of our souls which we have found in Christ, and the satisfaction and assurance we have in Him as He continues to prepare our hearts for this new season that is in front of us.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
(Matthew 11:28-30)
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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 23:5
Our loving and ever-devoted Shepherd has called us to Himself to experience a full and abundantly fruitful life in Him. He is jealous for our attention and affection. Each day He spreads a sumptuous banqueting table before us and calls us to sit and feast with Him; so we can be nourished in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and find our satisfaction and fulfillment in Him alone. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows" (Psalm 23:5). The table of the Lord is always set and prepared with a bountiful feast of the riches of heaven to nourish our souls. How great is the love He has lavished upon us! May we come to His table each day and lean our head upon the chest of our Shepherd and feel His heartbeat, as we bask in the light His great love and listen to His tender voice telling us this is the way we should walk. Let us offer up a prayer of praise for the portion He has placed on our plate this day and the cup that we drink that will never run dry.
"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what it not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."
(Isaiah 55:1-2)
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