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Day Two: Marked by Love May 7, 2016
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"Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm,
sealed with this inscription:
"The Lord knows those who are His," and,
"Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord
must turn away from wickedness."
(2 Timothy 2:19)
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MORNING MEDITATION
THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS
"Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
This morning we begin our journey up the mountainside with our Lord Jesus, to sit at His feet these next few days as He sounds the trumpet and issues His highest call to those who would be called His disciples - the call to a life of holiness and virtue. Believer, we are God's chosen vessels in whom His Spirit dwells, and we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Corinthians 4:7). May we be willing to place ourselves as empty vessels before God, every day, in His Word and in prayer, to be filled with His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to dwell in believers, to be our ever-present occupant, and to make us into a beautiful and holy temple where our Savior and Lord can sit enthroned and reign in our lives (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Holy Spirit delights to manifest the glory of the Lord Jesus in our lives; to dress us in our wedding garments and clothe us in the beauty of Jesus Christ! This is what true blessedness is!
God's call to moral and ethical living cannot be realized in our own power. He holds up His standard, the person and character of Jesus Christ, to show us what He expects of us and what we can expect of Him. He set the bar high, not so it would be entirely out of our reach of possibility to achieve, but so we would learn to trust Him to do the impossible in and through our lives. As we yield ourselves to be led by the Spirit, He will show Himself mighty on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9). The Holy Spirit is given in power to deliver us from our fleshy, natural state; to work in us a new heart and a new spirit, so He can have a holy habitation in which to dwell and to do His holy sanctifying work within. God cares dearly for our inner life, and that is why He has made His home with us, for that is where His covenant of life and love will be fulfilled.
It is from within that true Christian character is revealed. Jesus taught a counter-cultural message of what true blessedness is. He began His sermon with the poor in spirit because humility is the root of every virtue. The foundation of all other graces is built on humility. One saint has declared that humility is the chief mark by which the followers of the meek and lowly Lamb of God are to be known. This must have affected the people greatly, who had been taught by the proud and self-sufficient religious leaders of their day an external righteousness that was dependent on strict adherence to rules and regulations. Jesus expressed that to be poor in the spirit meant we are to be empty of the world and all its wealth, to think lowly of ourselves and supremely of Christ, to loose our grasp on the world and depend entirely on Him, and to consider ourselves poor, and always in need of the riches of His grace, so that we remain continually at His door waiting on Him. We must become less, so He can become greater (John 3:30). We must remember that we are nothing, but Jesus is all in all. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10). This morning as we enter our prayer closets, let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the suffering God has allowed into our lives, which keeps us continually aware of our impoverished state without Him. He keeps us in His school of humility, so we will remain sensitive to the terrible condition of all the people around us in their helpless, hopeless, and lost state, and be able to pray for them with greater understanding and fervency, bringing comfort and healing to them, and leading them to the Source of all their need, Jesus Christ. "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21b). How happy and blessed are those who have yielded to the Spirit in humility, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
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AFTERNOON PRAYER
Click on the clay pot to listen to the afternoon prayer:
Prayer for holy life and holy love
"And now I will show you the most excellent way."
(1 Corinthians 13)
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EVENING DEVOTION
EVERYONE WHO CONFESSES THE NAME OF THE LORD
MUST TURN AWAY FROM WICKEDNESS
AND PURSUE...LOVE
The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE
(Galatians 5:22)
The work of the Holy Spirit within the lives of God's people is to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort other believers, and to convict the world of sin; but His primary work is for sanctifying believers, and making us more like Christ. It is the indwelling Spirit's work to produce Christian virtues in our life. "It is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63). Our True Vine's desire is that we produce fruit...much fruit...to the Father's glory (John 15:8). Spiritual fruit is a sign of spiritual life; fruit can only grow out of life. The flesh can produce nothing but dead works, but the Spirit enables us to produce life. Only the new nature of the Spirit can produce spiritual fruit, fruit that is not meant to be eaten for ourselves, rather it is meant to feed and nourish others.
We spend much of our Christian walk avoiding and dodging sin and vices, but we do not take the time we should to pursue virtuous things and to cultivate the Christian character. Let us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and "produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8). It is in the atmosphere of the Holy Spirit that fruit grows, but it must be cultivated through the Word, prayer, worship and fellowship. The first fruit of the Spirit mentioned is love, because all the other fruit grow out of love. Just as humility is the root of all other graces, love is the root of the tree from which all other fruit grows. The work of the Holy Spirit is to impart love. This evening let us pray for a renewed love in the hearts of God's people. Love for the Father and love for others. "For love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8b). It is easy to reach men for Christ when you love them. It is in the atmosphere of love that barriers are removed, the enemy is disarmed, and hearts are opened and receptive to the love of God. May the Holy Spirit kindle the flame of heavenly love within our cooled hearts and warm them to Christ again, so that His Holy Spirit which dwells within will dwell in power. "For Christ's love compels us..." (2 Corinthians 5:14a).
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INSCRIBE - Set Apart to the Lord A 10 Day Prayer Journey Waiting On God Copyright © 2016 Traci A. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.
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