Glorious Relationship..... Craig Denison

 Glorious Relationship

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we have been afforded an opportunity to live an incredibly abundant life here on earth. Our God is nearer, more tangible, and has a greater ability to make his presence known than we’ve yet realized. He longs to make his children more in tune and aware of the depths of his love, guidance, empowerment, and nearness. He longs for our days here on earth to be marked by unveiled communion with him. As we look at what it is to live an abundant life here on earth, I pray that your heart will be awakened to the reality of God’s presence and affection in your life.

Scripture:“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

Devotional:

There is a wealth of glorious relationship available to us on earth that we have yet to fully experience. Jesus has made a way for us to have restored relationship with our heavenly Father again, not only in heaven, but right now. We have been washed clean by the blood of the pure and spotless Lamb so that the presence of the living God now resides with us. God is here, and he is ready for you and me to experience the fullness of life only found in continual communion with him.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” God is continually knocking on the doors of our hearts, ready and willing to come in and meet with us in every part of our lives. Each of us are created for intimacy, free from shame and rejection. We live unsatisfied until our hearts find their home with our loving and present Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the wealth of relationship available to you with God. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to have more consistent encounters with your heavenly Father.

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” - Isaiah 49:15

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

2. In what ways are you not experiencing the fullness of life available to you in God? Where do you need more encounters with God’s presence and love?

3. Take time to simply let God love you. Open the door of your heart to your heavenly Father, and let him come meet with you. Have faith that he will guide you into an encounter with himself today and give you exactly what you need. May you find refreshment and revitalization in the loving embrace of your Father.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” - James 4:8

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6

May the words of Jesus in John 15:4-6 fill you with a desire to stay in communion with your heavenly Father throughout everything you do today:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Extended Reading: Psalm 139

The Faith of Ordinary People..... by Jennifer Waddle

 The Faith of Ordinary People

by Jennifer Waddle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. Hebrews 11:31

I love how the Lord employed unlikely people to do extraordinary things. Often, the outcast was embraced, the sinner was chosen, and the “labeled” was marked by God for a divine purpose.

I find it interesting that the two Israelite spies, sent by Joshua to search out the land of Jericho, went specifically to the house of Rahab the harlot. While it made sense that they would lodge at a house located on the wall of Jericho—for strategic purposes, it doesn’t make sense that they chose to lodge with a harlot.

Against the commandments of God, a harlot would normally have been avoided at all cost. Yet, against all of our rationale, God chose Rahab to help His people, and eventually become part of the lineage of Jesus. (see Matthew 1:5)

What a beautiful testimony of God’s character! He truly sees past the physical and straight to the heart. God looks for those who will be faithful to Him, and often finds them in the most unlikely places.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…2 Chronicles 16:9

By faith, Rahab risked her own life to help the spies escape. It was her belief in the Lord that saved her and her whole family. Unlike the other inhabitants of Jericho, the miraculous things she had heard about God spurred her to action.

Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Joshua 2:8-11

In holy fear of the Lord, Rahab acted in faith. Instead of closing the door on the spies, she allowed her reverent fear of “God in heaven above and on earth beneath” to motivate her.

The lesson for us is to let a holy and reverent fear of the Lord motivate our service to Him; to remember what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. God does amazing things in the lives of ordinary people. All He looks for is faith in His Son Jesus—a faith that leads us to do great things for His glory. I don’t know about you, but I want that more than anything.

Words of Jesus Warn Us to Stay Alert in this World..... By Debbie McDaniel

 Words of Jesus Warn Us to Stay Alert in this World

By Debbie McDaniel

Reading through Mark chapter 13 again late last night, have read it over and over this past year, and it's seeming more real now. In it, Jesus reminds us that when we see certain signs that indicate we are in, or are entering into the end times, we don't have to be alarmed.

Because He's told us ahead of time what to expect, we know from His Word, "such things must happen, but the end is still to come." Mark 13:7

He reminds us that we will know these are prophetic words coming to pass when we hear of "wars and rumors of wars," when we see certain events unfolding, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains." Mark 13:7-8

And also, in this one chapter where Jesus is telling us of all that's to come, signs of the end times, He says this over and over, 7 different times throughout these verses...

He warns us to stay aware.

His words are true are they are for now, right now, in this day and time, and throughout all future days until he comes again. May we be faithful, wise to listen, and may He help us to apply them to life:

- "Watch out that no one deceives you..." v. 5
- "You must be on your guard..." v. 9
- "So be on your guard, I have told you everything ahead of time." v. 23
- "Be on guard!" v. 33
- "Be alert!" v. 33
- "Therefore, keep watch..." v. 35
- "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" v. 36

As believers, we have hope in Christ, we know beyond a doubt He is at work in this world and He will come again.

Let's keep working while it is still day...

Praying for His mercy through the storms and floods, through the earthquakes, through the fires, may God draw many to Himself in these days. And may we be found living as light in a world that needs His great peace.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Many around us may be feeling worried and fearful in these days. Choose to trust and believe that God is working in our world, even behind the scenes where we can’t fully see. Ask Him for His Presence of peace to fill your life today, ask for His help in staying aware and alert. Pray that God will help us all, as believers, to be a light to others who need His hope in dark times.

Further Reading:
Mark 13
Matthew 24
John 14:2-7

A Prayer to Repent of Negative Thoughts and Words..... By Betsy de Cruz

 A Prayer to Repent of Negative Thoughts and Words

By Betsy de Cruz

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 

Our family’s trip to the beach was ruined before we even arrived. Our vacation day took a frustrating turn when we got lost searching for the pristine, white sand beach we’d envisioned. My fuming and complaining raised the temperature of the car several degrees during our long search. Two hours later, we ended up at a rocky, dirt-filled patch of seaside.

Rather than choosing to make the best of things and enjoy the water and time with my kids, I got into a funk and took the whole family down with me. 

My mouth got me in trouble. Have you noticed how negative thoughts affect what comes out of our mouths? In the same way, grumbling words poison our attitudes even further and alter the atmosphere around us.

If you also have days when your mind and your mouth bring you down, Psalm 19 offers a wise prayer. The words remind us God not only hears our words, He also knows our thoughts and the meditation of our hearts.

What have you been meditating on lately? If you’re like me, you often fall into the negativity trap. Instead of giving God thanks for everything good in your life, you ponder what is going wrong. 

What do you talk about? Maybe sometimes you also get stuck in a negative mindset that causes complaining and criticizing to come out of your mouth.

What if we make a choice today to shift our thoughts Godward? In Psalm 19, David recognizes God as our Rock and our Redeemer. God is also our Provider, our Promise Keeper, and our Heavenly Father. He is our Shepherd and our Guide.

This simple shift to turn our thoughts heavenward can help us cultivate gratitude and a more positive mindset. In any situation, we can choose optimism because we know God will come to our aid. We have heaven’s helper on our side. As we acknowledge God’s blessings, thankfulness grows in our hearts and affects our words as well.

What if we choose to speak only beneficial, affirming words today? May God use us to communicate a positive, hopeful attitude to those around us.

Let’s Pray:

Lord, forgive me for the times when I fail to see your lovingkindness and your ability to transform any situation. Forgive me for meditating on my problems rather than on your power. 

Father, help me repent from negative words and attitudes; give me the grace I need to meditate on your steadfast love and faithfulness instead. Bring verses and passages from your Word to my mind, so I can experience renewed thinking when I feel tempted to fall into a negative mindset. I pray you would transform my thought life with truth from Scripture. Today I praise you for your mighty power to do far more than I ask or imagine. 

I pray for wisdom. As you renew my thoughts, enable me to speak kind and helpful words. Show me also when I need to remain silent rather than speak. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.