The Tearing of the Veil..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Tearing of the Veil

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Living an unveiled lifestyle is the way in which we experience the fullness of what’s available to us in our restored relationship with God. It’s a powerful lifestyle of faith, direct encounters with our heavenly Father, and life transformation. It’s when we live our lives in light of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus that we begin to experience all his death was purposed to bring us. God longs for his children to walk in intimacy with him directly connected to his wellspring of love for us. May you experience a more tangible, loving, and powerful connection with your heavenly Father this week.

Scripture:“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”>Matthew 27:51

Devotional:

Matthew 27:45-54 says,

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,  and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

At the death of Jesus, God turned what was the world’s greatest tragedy into our greatest triumph. With every crack of the whip, the bonds that entangled you and me to the sin and darkness of this world became a little looser. And with Jesus’ final breath the earth shook and the rocks split under the magnitude of the power of Christ’s sacrifice. Only God could take the greatest injustice and turn it into the world’s greatest good. Only God could take death and produce abundant life for all.

Out of everything that resulted from Jesus’ final breath, none was more important than God’s tearing of the veil. The veil that signified the necessary separation between God and man was ripped in two from top to bottom, from God down to us. The great chasm over which no man could cross was now covered by a bridge created by God’s wrath poured out on Jesus. The tearing of the veil represents the very purpose for Jesus’ death: that God could now once again have restored communion with his people. No matter how many or how horrendous our sins might be, Jesus’ death gained victory over it all.

Just as the saints who had fallen asleep were raised at Jesus’ death, you and I have been raised to newness of life. We are caught up in the glory of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. God has made unveiled, face-to-face relationship with him available to us once again.

If God would pay the price of Jesus’ death to have restored relationship with us, encountering him face-to-face must be the absolute best way for us to live. If God considers restored relationship with you worth the death of his only and blameless Son, he must place his highest value on total communion with you.

Maybe the concept of having real, tangible encounters with your heavenly Father is new to you. Maybe he feels distant. Maybe you come in and out of his presence day-to-day. Wherever you are in relation to God, know that nothing can separate you from him any longer. The death of Jesus was more powerful than any sin, lie, or belief. His death paid the entirety of your debt. There is nothing left to pay. Seek out a revelation of what it looks like to encounter your heavenly Father unveiled in prayer. May the Holy Spirit guide you into a lifestyle of continual, face-to-face, unveiled encounters with the living God.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the chasm that separated you from God as the result of sin. Reflecting on your status prior to salvation will give you a greater appreciation for what Jesus has done for you.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” >Romans 5:12

“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” >Isaiah 59:1-2

2. Now meditate on the power of Jesus’ sacrifice. With his death on the cross, Jesus carried you across the great chasm that separated you from your heavenly Father.

“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” >Hebrews 9:12

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”>Matthew 27:51

3. Worship Jesus for the newness of life available to you through him. Give him thanks and praise for his love. Allow your affections to be stirred up toward him by the truth of Scripture.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” >Romans 8:38-39

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” >John 3:16

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” >2 Peter 3:9

Never doubt the grace of your heavenly Father toward you. Jesus has paid the price for every sin you will ever commit. He bore the weight of all of our sins on the cross. God poured out the entirety of his wrath over our sin on Jesus. All that’s left for you to do is live out the abundant life to which you have been called. Enjoy God and glorify him in response to his great love. May you be a child of God overcome by the goodness of your Father in heaven.

Extended Reading: Matthew 27

Wait Just a Little While Longer..SHALA W. GRAHAM

 Wait Just a Little While Longer

SHALA W. GRAHAM

“For all must carry their own loads.” Galatians 6:5‬ (NRSV‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Whenever someone bench presses, it’s always essential to have a spotter. No one wants to be crushed under a barbell! A spotter is primarily there to protect the lifter when the weight is too much.

Alternating between lifter and spotter, my husband and I worked on bench pressing as much as possible. Eventually, I soared past my last personal record (PR) and was moving on to set a new record.

Lying on the bench, I did a quick test push to feel how heavy this weight was. Yup, that’s heavy! But I didn’t want to psych myself out. I knew I could do it, so I started my next lift. It was slower than the last one. My face squinched, and I grunted as I pushed the weight up. As I was almost to the top, I suddenly felt the weight lifted and placed back in the rack.

“Yo! Why did you lift the bar? I was almost to the top!”

My husband, not used to this world of pushing for personal records, was trying to be helpful. He didn’t like seeing me struggle, and he wanted to protect me from harm. While I usually appreciate that, I coached him in his role as a spotter to first encourage me to finish strong, then help me in an emergency.

“Instead of jumping in to help when you see me struggling, cheer me on. ‘Keep pushing! You got this! UP, UP, UP!’”

He took the direction well and immediately went in on the words of confidence. On my next try, he spotted me as I successfully benched a new PR!

Sometimes we handicap the growth of those we love when we step in too soon to help. The Apostle Paul teaches a similar lesson in his letter to the Galatians.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads.” (Galatians 6:2-5, NRSV, emphasis added)

There is a difference between helping someone carry a burden and a load. A burden is more than what the person should carry on their own. A load is just the right amount of responsibility.

Though I love being a happy helper, sometimes I’m guilty of not having good boundaries. It’s easy to mistake a load for a burden.

We step in too soon with our children in their homework or relationships instead of giving them room to figure things out and develop wisdom and healthy independence.

We step in too soon with our co-workers, doing work for them instead of guiding them and pushing them to excel.

And occasionally, we need to wait a little longer when our friends are experiencing difficulties. Instead of being an encourager or “spotter,” we try to fix their problems when we should trust God to move or teach them as He sees fit.

Sometimes, because of stubbornness, learning the hard way is the only way people will learn, so we have to discern when to wait and when to step in. God does something miraculous, even in the struggle, to develop His children in ways that will glorify Him. So let’s trust Him.

Father, sometimes it is hard to watch people wrestle through their challenges when we can easily and quickly fix those problems ourselves. Give us the discernment to know when our best role is to prevent disaster or simply speak encouragement to strengthen someone for their trial while we wait on Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Servant's Rewards..Dr. Charles Stanley

 A Servant's Rewards

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 6:10

In His grace, God freely gives salvation to those who believe in Jesus. We cannot earn this gift, nor do we deserve it. Our Father does notice our good works, though. And He promises to reward us according to what we have done for Him.

True service occurs when we allow the Lord to work through us for His glory and honor. True ministry occurs when divine resources meet human need through loving channels.

Revelation 22:12 encourages us, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Whether large or small, all service done in Jesus' name will be blessed. We must be careful, though, that our actions are for Christ's glory. If motives are self-serving, the only benefit we receive is the praise (if any) that we hear from people in this life. And we know that men's approval is not satisfying or lasting.

While some rewards will be given in heaven, other blessings can be experienced now. For example, we know great joy when we allow God to bless others through us. And there is deep satisfaction in realizing that we are pleasing Christ. In addition, there's a profound sense of fulfillment when we lead a person to Jesus and teach him how to walk by faith.

Serving others is both a great benefit and a responsibility for Christians. We should prayerfully consider our motives to make sure that our goal is to glorify Christ. Only then will we receive God's full blessings--rewards given not only in eternity but on earth as well.

God’s Hope for the Grieving..By DiAne Gates

 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.’ And so, they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.” ( John 6:12-13 NAS)

God’s Hope for the Grieving
By DiAne Gates

A number of years ago I was rereading the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. And in the middle of my grief, His words jumped off the page.

Jesus fed a multitude after He blessed and broke five loaves and two fishes. He also gave His disciples 12 baskets to collect the leftovers so nothing would be wasted.

I’m sure you’re thinking, what has this got to do with my grief? But if our Lord Jesus instructed his disciples to scoop up crumbs of bread and stinky fish—might He want you to gather the crumbs and stinky emotions of your overwhelming grief and bring them to Him also?

God doesn’t waste anything—especially grief!

After the loss of a loved one, crumbs of shattered lives lay scattered around us. And we just don’t have the ability to look beyond our pain—but Jesus does.

How can God ever use anything as dark and ugly as what I’m going through? Which way do I turn? Where do I go? My life is over.

No, your life isn’t over… it’s going to be different. And we don’t like change. But Jesus scoops up the cracked pieces of your life, if you’ll let Him, and places them back on His potter’s wheel where He repairs, integrates, and reshapes each one of us into new vessels. By the power of His love, the warmth of His hands, and the pain we’ve experienced, He changes pride into humility, anger into hope, and rampant sorrow into comfort and love.

Then He certifies everyone He’s repaired. “… comforting us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” ( 1 Corinthians 1:4 NAS)

Now it’s your choice—His light or your darkness. His comfort or your anger. His love and mercy or your doubt and fear. His peace or your pain. Of course, you will miss whoever you lost. And you will have moments of deep sorrow, but God is continually in the process of bringing good out of your debilitating loss—if you’ll let Him.

God will transform your life. He will turn you into a conduit of His mercy and grace so you can pour out the comfort you’ve received on others about to enter this dismal journey. And the example of your peace will shine the light of His grace and glory into their long, dark tunnel through grief.

A Prayer to Trust God for Provision..By Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer to Trust God for Provision

By Victoria Riollano

“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.’” - Gen. 16:13

My son was five years old. Yet, he was growing fast. Clothes that fit him at the start of the school year were now tight, uncomfortable, and far too short for his growing legs only two months later. As I got him ready for the bus stop, I quietly prayed “Lord, please provide for my son, we need help.” I can recall that aching feeling of knowing my child was in need but not having the means to provide it. I didn’t whisper a word to anyone out of shame and continued my day. Later that day, while leaving my son’s bus stop after school, I heard a neighbor calling my name. “Victoria, Victoria, I have something for you.” As she approached me, she handed me three oversized paper bags bursting with clothes. Barely able to carry it all she exclaimed, “I am so sorry I have been meaning to give this to you for weeks.” Needless to say, my eyes filled with tears. Before I had even prayed the prayer earlier that morning, God had already provided the need. He had already put the need in my neighbor’s heart to bless me. Not only was my son blessed but he had enough clothes to last him for many more growth spurts. The Lord had provided.

Moments like this lead me back to His Word. He assures us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He reminds us that He owns it all and that He has limitless resources. He tells us that if we would ask for anything according to His will, we shall receive it. He even knows our thoughts and inner desires. What marvelous love is this! 

In Genesis, we see a story of a mother who also found herself in need. Hagar, a woman, who was pregnant and was being mistreated by those who should have been protecting her, was hurting, and decided to run away. It was here that God met her. He spoke life into her situation and vision of who her son would become. In this moment she says these words, You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” God saw her pain; He saw her situation. He saw her need and He saw her future! In this moment, she was reminded that she was not alone and that God would provide for every need.

Today, may we be reminded that we have a God who sees us. He hears our cries for help, even the silent ones. He knows what those we care for are in need of, and it is His good pleasure to show us His goodness. May you be encouraged to seek the Lord and know that He answers.

Let’s pray:

Lord, I thank you for noticing my need. You prepare blessings for me before I even get a chance to ask. You place my name in the hearts of many and use others to bless me when hard times come. God, I thank you that I can trust you. I praise you for the provision and help in my time of need. Help me to never take you for granted or forget that you see me. Be with me and guide me closer to you in every situation. Help me to have peace and rest knowing that you care for your creation and that I am your beloved child. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Grace in Prayer..By Rev. Kyle Norman

 Grace in Prayer

By Rev. Kyle Norman

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26)

When my wife was initially diagnosed with cancer, we immediately called our Bishop. We sat in the living room as my wife spoke of her pain, the cancer diagnosis, and her upcoming journey through chemotherapy. The Bishop listened gracefully and patiently. The only question he asked her was about her prayer life. In raw honesty, she told him that she had been unable to pray since she had been given her diagnosis. She deeply wanted to pray, the words, however, just didn’t come.

The Bishop responded beautifully. Instead of instructing her in a technique, or exhorting her to “try harder,” he handed some prayer beads to my wife and said, “It’s ok if words don’t come. Simply rub your fingers over these beads. It will be enough.” For the length of her chemo journey, and for a long time afterward, this is exactly what she did.

What I hadn’t realized during the Bishop’s visit was how much I would struggle with my own prayers during this time. Each evening I would sit in my office and attempt to close my day with prayer. Although this has been my habit for years, it seemed as if everything had changed. Even though I attempted to use a liturgy, with words written down, the words still wouldn’t come; I felt hollow and empty. Every ounce of my spiritual energy had been used to get through the day. Each evening, I would tuck myself in bed thinking that my time of prayer had been a waste; After all, I did nothing, I said nothing, I prayed nothing. 

Have you ever felt anything like that? Have you ever found yourself struggling with your prayer life, feeling as if you are trying to pray through a great cosmic wall? The feeling that our prayers are hollow and pointless can be frustrating and disheartening. Our prayerlessness seems irredeemable and, in these moments, it’s hard not to condemn ourselves.

The Apostle Paul knew about these experiences. He himself struggled with frustration in prayer. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells of a time when he felt afflicted, burdened by a torment that would not go away. Although he prayed for the thorn in his flesh to disappear, it remained. How disheartening.

Yet amid this experience, the words of Jesus came ringing clear “My Grace is sufficient for you, my power is shown in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace. Grace is not reserved for the perfect and put together; it is designed for the needy. It reaches down to those who feel low, burdened, and overwhelmed.

There is no shame in claiming grace. Claiming God’s grace is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith. It is a bold and radical act of trust. We reach out to the one who sits with us, who incarnates himself in the very depths of our hurts and struggles. When we feel we cannot pray, our heavenly Father extends grace over us. 

When all we can do is just sit before God, running our fingers over our Bibles, or our prayer beads, it’s enough. Our time before the Lord is never a waste. After all, Jesus knows what it is like to weep in the night. He is recognising the agonizing cry of “Abba Father!” and “my God, My God why?” He is a man familiar with sorrows, and so in response to ours, he meets us where we are, not where we feel we should be.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Our spiritual lives are never static, and so neither are our prayers. Yes, there are times when we are drawn into great intimacy, where we feel caught up in God’s blessing and grace. Then, there are the times when that blissful connection is less apparent. There are times when we find ourselves suffering the fallenness of life. These times are not comments on our spiritual ability or state before God. They just are part of the life we live. The good news is that grace surrounds in these moments. Grace surrounds us in every moment and so grace surrounds us in every type of prayer.

Are you struggling in prayer today? What might it look like for you to claim grace? Instead of trying to push through your own silence, perhaps all that is needed is to strip away the vestiges of performance or earning and engage in the simple of actions. Just sit. Hold your bible, close your eyes, and sit with the one who sits with you. No matter what your prayers feel like, you are not alone. Jesus is with you, and he surrounds you with grace.

Further Reading:

• Romans 8:18-30
• Hebrews 4:14-16