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DAY 30 OCTOBER 12, 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 11:17-37
We left off yesterday morning with Jesus delaying His journey to Jerusalem two days after He had received word that His friend Lazarus was deathly ill. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Martha, the sister who had on earlier occasions been so busy serving that she missed out on sitting in the presence of God, now in the midst of great pain and sorrow dropped everything and sought out Jesus, "the one that is needed" (reference Luke 10:42). She expressed her disappointment in His delay, while at the same time exhibited great faith, believing that Jesus was who He said He was and that He had the power to prevent her brother's death. "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You" (John 11:21-22).
Beloved, how those questioning words of Martha, that were later repeated by Mary (v.32), resonate with so many of us who have prayed and waited on God to bring an answer only to have watched our hopes and dreams die right before our eyes because we didn't get the answer that we prayed for. How many of us have agonized over why God would allow us to face death (death of a loved one, death of a dream, death of a relationship) when we know that He holds the power of life in His hands? God's delays are never meant to bring disappointment, rather they are meant to develop in us a greater faith. The Lord's question to Martha cuts deep into our hearts: "Do you believe this?" Do we truly believe that God is who He says He is? Do we believe He has the power to do what He says He can do? Do we believe that He is "the resurrection and the life"? Martha affirmed her belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but her faith in His ability to meet her personal needs was being greatly tested. Everyone who professes to believe in Christ will be faced with a great trial of faith at some point in their journey, because God desires for His children to have an indestructible faith - in Him!
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
When Martha told Mary that Jesus had arrived and was calling for her, she went to Him and fell at His feet, as she had been known to do (reference Luke 10:39; John 12:3). "The Teacher has come and is calling for you" (v.28b). The Lord always delighted in Mary's devotion and worship; when He saw her weeping He was overcome with grief. He was deeply moved by her tears, and it is here that the tenderness and love of God was revealed on a deep and personal level. "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible is also the most powerful verse in the Bible. With these two words the power and passion of God collides and touches us on a deeply personal level and preaches a silent sermon that affects our hearts like nothing else ever could. In this moment our great High Priest becomes our sympathetic friend and our hearts connect with Him on a new and profoundly deeper level. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isaiah 53:3a). The God who revealed His glory to Moses on the mountain of the Lord has condescended to reach down and touch us in a personal way, and has shown us He is a God who sympathizes with us in every way (reference Hebrews 4:15). "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness..." (Exodus 34:6).
Beloved, how great is His love towards us (reference Psalm 117:2a). That gaping hole in your heartbroken chest that no one else can see, those wounds that won't wear off no matter how often you plead, those scars that are a constant reminder of your humiliation and shame, and the terrible thorn that pricks and offers no hope of ever going away - Jesus sees and feels and wears all of your pain, your guilt, and your shame as a garment of flesh that has become His conquering king's robe for all eternity. Every wound, every scar, every thorn, and every heartbreak are not meant for you to wear as a badge of shame, instead they are your medal of honor as you move up of the ranks of faith. God has counted you worthy of advancing to the next level and has trusted you with the deepest place of anguish in His heart so you too can sympathize and feel His heart as He weeps over the pain of others. He has given us these painful gifts, not as a reminder of the circumstances we have faced, but as a reminder to always look to His compassionate face and trust in His constant love and endless grace. Every tear that you have shed He has shared with you!
Jesus came to conquer death and give His life for the world. He accomplished this work through great suffering, trial, and pain. He proved through the power of the resurrection that death has no hold on Him, and that He has total power over death and the grave. Jesus is the life and He offers us that life; and if we are willing to believe in Him we will never have to fear death (reference Romans 10:9). Jesus wants to put to death all our doubts, our fears, and our concerns for this life and build in us a perfect faith so we can experience the fullness of His resurrection life. The choice to believe is left up to us. Are you willing to wait on the Lord to accomplish His greater purpose in your life, and in the lives of others He is using your circumstance to bless and touch? Will you trust Him to accomplish the work He intends, or will you choose to solve your own problems and find your own answers in the world rather than in His Word? Will you run from the problem because it is too much to bear, too big to solve, too much to handle, or will you run to Him believing in His promises that there is glory and a promotion waiting for you if you will trust Him to lead you through this difficulty to the promise land other side? We have so much to gain if we are simply willing to believe. This morning confess where you have wavered in your faith because you have grown weary of the wait, and ask the Lord to do whatever it takes to make you strong in Him again. Tomorrow we will see that there are blessings and good things in store for those who are willing to believe and wait! "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).
"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) "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14) "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 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 Ephesians 1:19-21
The Lord wants His disciples to rely on the promises of His Word. When He asks us, "Do you believe?" He is offering us an invitation to experience His mighty power through our faith. There is no greater power than that displayed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God alone can raise the dead - no one else holds that power. If He has the power to raise the dead, then surely He has to power to accomplish whatever He wants to in our life. God allows us to face death so we will find faith. When our faith rests on the solid rock foundation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ we find that nothing can shake us or move us or cause us to fear!
Jesus has been given all authority above all rule and power (reference Colossians 2:15). It is His desire that we relinquish all control to Him; after all, we hold no power or authority or any claim on our own life - everything rests in His sovereign hands. When we receive His gift of grace by faith we share in all the power of His resurrection. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead becomes effective in our lives the moment we believe. This is an extraordinary and dynamic energy that is appropriated through the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. The Spirit of divine might was given to us as a result of Christ's death and resurrection. All His power was made available to believers that we might share in the wealth of His glorious kingdom of power. "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6-7).
Every day we are faced with circumstances that will cause us to question the power that God has deposited in our lives. It is the enemy's greatest desire to rob us of our spiritual power in Christ Jesus and get the fight out of us. The devil accomplishes this by tempting us to doubt God's promises and causing us to despair and become discouraged when we are faced with difficulties and challenges outside our human strength and ability. It is here that we must become intentional about putting on our spiritual armor (reference Ephesians 6:13-18) so we can "stand against the devil's schemes" clothed in all of God's resurrection power that He has deposited within us through His Holy Spirit. We have been given God's power because we cannot live our new spiritual life clothed in human power. Believer, this power has raised us from death to life! We have been born again and have been given eternal life! "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). The only one standing in our way of our victory today is ourselves. The greatest battlefield we will face in this spiritual war that rages against our soul is in the mind. We need to put on our helmet of salvation and settle it once and for all that we have been saved and delivered and filled with power to stand against every opposing force that comes against us. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). Today, don't be surprised when you are challenged in your faith, maybe even before you walk out that door - and it may be yourself that is blocking the way. Remember the battles that we face are not "flesh and blood" battles, we are fighting a spiritual war that requires weapons of spiritual power (reference 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Spend a little longer in your prayer closet and make sure every piece of your spiritual armor is secure. Then walk the path before you without fear because you are clothed with resurrection power. Trust that whatever may come against you today, to try to rob you of your faith, God is using instead to build your faith firmer still. Let us pray unceasingly for the Church to awaken to this blessed reminder that we have been raised from death to life by the One who has been given all authority and power in heaven and on earth! May we begin to walk in His power and make disciples of all nations to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!
"...and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21)
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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 24
Our conquering Savior is seated on the throne in heaven and is interceding on our behalf. He shares in all of our sufferings, our sorrows, and our pains. He feels every bit of our heartache, because He has walked in our shoes, worn our flesh, and bore all our sin and shame. He conquered our greatest enemy - death; and He has crushed every foe that has stood as an obstacle in the path of our receiving new life in Him. Because we have believed in Him we are now clothed in the mighty power of His resurrection, and we have been given all that we need to live a life of victory. "No weapon forged against you will prevail and you will refute every tongue that accuses you" (Isaiah 54:17). We are not powerless; on the contrary, all the power of God, who raises the dead, is at our disposal. May we use this abundant wealth for the advancement of the kingdom of God and not waste our resources warring in the flesh and caving into carnal desires. There is a very real spiritual battle that is waging war against our faith, and in order to be victorious we must first conquer our flesh. May we suit up in our spiritual armor each day and stand firm in our faith. God will put to death everything in our life that is not of Him and resurrect in us a powerful and abundant life that will bring Him glory. Let us pray and ask the Lord to remove all our doubt and fear, so that we can honor Him with perfect faith; and become faithful stewards of the riches of His mighty power that He has entrusted to us to serve Him and honor Him every day! To God alone belongs all glory, honor and praise! May He be glorified in the trust and obedience of His followers each and every day!
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is He, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty - He is the King of glory."
(Psalm 24)
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