Hope in Relationship..Craig Denison Ministrie

 Hope in Relationship

Craig Denison Ministrie

Weekly Overview:

We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of his desire for all those who would believe in him. As we dive deeply into the riches of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer this week, may your heart be awakened and your life be transformed by the riches of God’s love.

Scripture:“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”>John 17:3

Devotional:

In John 17:3, Jesus states one of the most important and direct truths in all of his High Priestly Prayer. Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is knowing God intimately—not just knowing about God, knowing of God, or knowing others who know God, but truly knowing him yourself.

To be clear, consistently meeting with God directly is not a prerequisite for salvation. I can confidently say that I was saved as a young child, but it took years for me to discover the wealth of relationship available to me through Jesus. I went to church, heard about God, served him, and tried to live according to biblical principles, but I didn’t really know the God I was spending so many hours devoted to. I hadn’t really received his love for me. I hadn’t experienced the peace and joy of his presence. I hadn’t felt him speak to me or guide me directly. I wasn’t experiencing the abundant life that only comes from personal, intimate relationship with my Father.

The truth is that God longs to be known by you. Jesus didn’t die for the sole purpose of getting you to heaven. He sacrificed his life that you might truly live while here on earth. You are created to intimately know the God who formed you, saved you, and sustains you. And you will never find lasting peace until your life becomes wrapped up in the reality of his nearness and love.

The hope for all of humanity rests in relationship with the “only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [he] sent.” Nothing in your life will be set right or brought in line with the power of Christ’s death until you know the living God. You will not experience transformation and freedom from the depravity that surrounds you until you’ve counted “everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [your] Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

How deeply do you know your heavenly Father? How real is he in your life? What are you still using to fill the void that can only be satisfied in intimate relationship with Jesus? Come before your Father and surrender your past, present, and future. Ask him to guide you into a deeper revelation of his reality, nearness, and love.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” As you enter into guided prayer, spend time getting to know in greater depths the “steadfast love, justice, and righteousness” of your God.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of knowing your heavenly Father intimately.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”>John 17:3

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” >Jeremiah 9:23-24

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” >Proverbs 8:17

2. Ask God to make the reality of his presence and nearness known to you in these moments.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” >Jeremiah 29:13

3. Spend time getting to know the person of Jesus. While you may not be able to see him with your physical eyes, he will open the eyes of your heart to see him and know him. If you give him the chance, he will make his nearness known to you.

“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” >Ephesians 1:18

As believers, we must learn to live by faith. It’s through faith in the truth of God’s word, that he is real and that he loves us, that we begin to experience the Christianity Jesus died to give us. Religion apart from relationship leads to spiritual mediocrity. Christ came to set us free from the bonds of the law. He came to usher in a new covenant of grace and intimacy with God rather than a religion of merely rules and regulations. May you grow daily in your pursuit of knowing the reality and love of your heavenly Father and Jesus whom he sent.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 1

 What Are You Living For?

By Greg Laurie

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need - Matthew 6:33

There are many things you can seek to live for in life. You can live for a lot of things. You can live for your physical appearance. You can live for a successful career. You can live for pleasure. But here is what Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).

With those words, Jesus gave us the secret to living a worry-free life: Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life. Among a number of options, put God in the number one position.

Here is what your goal should be: to honor God in everything you do. Here is what you need to ask yourself: “As I’m doing this thing, what is my goal?” If your goal is just to make money no matter what it takes, you have the wrong goal. Your goal should be to honor God, give honest work, and have personal integrity and a good testimony in the workplace.

When the day is done, you want to have a good name and a good reputation. Proverbs 22:1 says, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold” (nlt).

Seek first the kingdom of God. If you want a life free of worry, anxiety, and fear, then put God’s kingdom before everything else. Seek Him first, and He will take care of you.

Heavenly Father, help us to seek you and your kingdom above all things. It's so easy for us to give into fears and anxieties, especially when our gaze is downward, instead of upward toward you. We know that you take care of all of our needs, help us live in the joy and hope of that precious promise. May our lives be a reflection of you, may they point others to your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A Prayer to Remember His Thoughts toward Me..Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer to Remember His Thoughts toward Me

By Victoria Riollano

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you." - Psalm 139:17-18

I remember the day I saw my husband for the first time.

Within moments, I had the biggest crush of my life. It would be fair to say that I thought about him a lot. I wondered what he was doing, thought about his freckles, memorized the tone of his voice, and even wondered how our future children could look. Like any teenage girl, I found myself spending hours thinking of my newfound love. Yet, as much as he was a thought on my mind, these thoughts were minuscule compared to God’s thoughts about me. They couldn’t compare to what Psalm 139:18 describes.

The Bible says that the Lord has more thoughts about us than the grains of sand. The truth is that our minds cannot fathom this vast number. Scientists believe that this number alone is at least a billion to the billionth power! Yes, God’s thoughts about us are no comparison to what we could ever think about a human being. This should cause us to stop and simply be in awe. What marvelous love that the same God who put the stars in the sky would have such intimate thoughts about us individually.

In Psalms 139, the author says it like this,

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:2-4)

My prayer today is that you would know that you serve a God who cares about us. He is mindful of what concerns us, what delights us, our future, and all we have been through. Not only is this the case for us, but for all of His creation. This is an aspect of God that we cannot take for granted or lightly. It reminds us that He is with us and a part of our daily experience. In this we can rest and know that the God of the universe has His loving eyes on us.

May you be comforted by the God who sees all and knows all.

Let’s pray.

Lord, I cannot fathom your love for me. God, I am an imperfect human. Yet, you love me. You think of me. You know me more than I know myself. You watch over me with great intentions. You have amazing plans for me and think of me more than the grains of the sea. Lord, I thank you for loving me when it was hard for me to love myself. I praise you for being a God who is big enough to put the stars in the sky but intimate enough to know my name. I surrender my life to you completely for I know that you have my best interest in mind. Lord, help me to receive this truth and remember your great love toward me in difficult moments. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hidden in Hearts, Lives Changed..Emma Danzey

 Hidden in Hearts, Lives Changed

By Emma Danzey

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Hidden Your Word in My Heart
Have you ever had a treasured memory of a person or any experience before? You might often reflect and ponder about it. You likely think fondly of this person or moment and the reminder impacts your life still today. We tend to replay memories within our minds, sometimes helpful and sometimes hurtful. There is something that we can put within our thoughts which will always be helpful to us. The Bible is a gift of treasures to us from God Himself. When we spend time learning and memorizing Scripture, we will have stored up beautiful treasures within our hearts. There is a lot competing for our hearts, but when Jesus is our first priority, everything else will be in its proper place. There is great joy in knowing Him and growing in the love of Him and His Word.      

When Mary gave birth to Jesus our Savior, it says in Luke 2:19, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” As she looked upon her Savior and worshiped God, she pondered the things that she learned and experienced with Him. We, too, have been invited to hide God's word in our hearts. This means that we learn the Scriptures and the gospel by memorizing them and knowing them. It means that we are thinking about them and treasuring the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

Have you been thinking about a certain Bible verse this week or concept in which you are learning about God? Are you savoring the sweet moments of worship You have recently had with the Lord? We are invited to treasure our Savior. We can take great delight in Him and find joy in knowing Him. As we actively hide His Word within our hearts, we will begin to think about Him more and remember what He has said to us, and then naturally be more able to apply what He has said to our daily lives. 

That I Might Not Sin against You
The other part of this verse is intriguing. It says, “That I might not sin against You.” When we are seeking the Lord and His Word, we are going to learn about His holiness and our sinfulness. We will be humbled to learn how imperfect and in need of a Savior we are in life. By hiding God’s words in our hearts, we are able to withstand sin. When we spend time being filled up by the Holy Spirit and pondering the ways of God, we will be more prone to follow him and honor Him. This is not out of guilt or shame, but it will stem out of a deep love for Christ. When we truly know Jesus, we understand that there is nothing greater than Him. We will put Him in His rightful place in our hearts, and we will seek to glorify Him in all areas of our lives. Yes, we will fail, but knowing His love and His Word will convict us, redirect us, and help us to receive the grace and forgiveness that He has given to us through His sacrifice on the cross. 

Have you felt bogged down by habitual sins? Try getting into the Bible regularly. We can combat the work of the enemy in our lives by fighting the spiritual fight with the Spirit and the Bible. We are all sinners and will make mistakes, but knowing God and treasuring Him above all will help us to follow Him in our lives. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Intersecting Faith and Life:
How have you been hiding God’s Word and gospel message within your heart? How has knowing His love for you and His Scriptures helped you combat sin in your life? Keep thinking of creative ways to treasure the Bible in Your heart and avoid sinning against God.

Further Reading:

• Matthew 13:44
• 2 Corinthians 4:7
• Colossians 2:2-3