His Love Pursues Us..Craig Denison Ministries

 

His Love Pursues Us

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The greatest of all aspects of the Christian life is love. Love is to be at the foundation of all we do, all we are, and all we hold on to. If we focus on love and allow the Holy Spirit to strip everything else away, what will be left is a life of blessed simplicity rooted in face-to-face relationship with our heavenly Father. As we spend time this week looking at the simplicity of love, I pray that all the weighty, frivolous things of the world that rob you of an abundant life fall away in light of the glorious goodness of God’s unconditional and wholly available love for you.

Scripture:“We love because he first loved us.”  1 John 4:19

Devotional:           

The fact that we are pursued by the Creator of the universe is an unfathomable truth perfectly illustrating the amazing love our heavenly Father has for us. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Those of us who have believed in and accepted the free gift of salvation have been lifted out of the world’s foundation of works-based living and ushered into a new standard of grace. By grace alone we have wonderful, restored relationship with the God who passionately pursues us in every season of life. And by grace alone our lives are now based on the unconditional love of our good Father.

1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” All that God does is love because it is his very nature. Every word of Scripture was authored because he loves us. Every good thing we have in life is only available to us because he loves us. The fact that you and I have air in our lungs is a miraculous demonstration of God’s overwhelming faithfulness. The fact that we can enter into such a depth of relationship with a perfect, holy God reveals his heart to pursue us.

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.” This passage in Revelation is God’s word to the lukewarm church in Laodicea. God doesn’t just knock on the doors of hearts already filled with passion for him. He doesn’t just knock on the doors of the lost. He knocks on the doors of the hearts that are in desperate need of inner revival through his tangible, powerful love. He knocks on the doors of the hearts whose flame has been squelched by the cares and stresses of this world that he might come and reignite passionate communion between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.

The God of heaven and earth is passionately pursuing you right now. No matter how close you are to him, he is knocking on the door of your heart, asking to come in and meet with you once again. He’s not knocking just to fix you. He’s not knocking just to make you do something for him. He simply wants to meet with you. He simply wants to love you.

How you respond to the passionate pursuit of God is totally up to you. There is grace for you today to seek the face of your heavenly Father. There is grace to open up your heart and accept the wonderful gift of encountering God’s presence. There is grace to know and experience the depths of God’s love for you. The question before you is simply this: will you choose today to let God love you?

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the heart of your heavenly Father to pursue you in love.

“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

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  1 John 4:10

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  Jeremiah 31:3

2. Open up your heart to your loving Father. Ask him to reveal his nearness and love. Ask him to reveal his presence that you might spend time truly meeting with him today.

“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

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”  Deuteronomy 4:29

3. Take time to simply let God love you. Open up the places of your heart that are broken, wounded, and cause you pain. Confess any sins that are holding you back from walking in the fullness of relationship available to you. Don’t move on from God’s presence until you feel he has done the work he desires to do today.

Taking time to sit in the presence of God and simply receive his love is foundational to every other aspect of Christianity. All of eternity is simply about being with our Creator. It’s all about allowing God to love us and giving him our hearts in return. May Ephesians 3:14-19 stir your heart to truly seek a revelatory knowledge of God’s love for you:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Extended Reading: John 15

Prayer: Our Time Saver..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Prayer: Our Time Saver

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 143:5-12

What do you think about when you wake up? Are your thoughts instantly focused on the day ahead, or are they centered on the Lord? Although most of us have busy lives that consume much of our time and attention, the most important and time-saving part of each day is that spent in quiet solitude with God.

Yet many believers feel so rushed that they don't think there's time for the Lord. They immediately jump onto the treadmill of life and then wonder why they're so frustrated, confused, and dissatisfied. Even if their desire is to follow God, they don't know where He's going since they haven't stopped to get directions for the day. There's also a disconnect because they've ignored their relationship with Him. No one can have intimacy with Christ without daily communication.

Perhaps the problem is our own human logic. We think spending time reading the Bible and praying each morning will result in having less time and lower productivity. However, when we seek Christ's direction and wisdom for the day and invite Him to control our lives, He'll accomplish more through us than we can do by ourselves. He'll give us wisdom for good decisions, increase our strength and energy, and free us from time-wasting anxiety.

Are you too busy for the Lord? If so, you're denying yourself the blessing of an intimate relationship with Christ. When you make time for Him, He'll fill you with peace and joy, guide your decisions, grant you wisdom, empower you to obey, make you more productive, and comfort you with His love.

The Nature of God..Bible Pathways Ministries

 The Nature of God

By Bible Pathways Ministries

As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all- (Ecc. 11:5).

Often times, man believes he has a complete understanding of God. Some will even try to explain the nature of God to others. While it is not wrong to seek to know God, it is wrong to believe we have God all figured out. Why? Because the Scripture says that we don't have God figured out. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD (Isa. 55:8).

Ecclesiastes speaks on vanity. One definition of vanity is to have inflated pride in yourself. That could describe a person who might perceive that they have all the knowledge about God they need.

The problem itself is in that phrasing. Many might know a little “about” God. The desire of our heart should be to “know” God. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God (Eph. 3:19).

Many might be able to tell you facts about God. There are others who might know many biblical facts. They can tell of places where things happened. They can tell you when they happened and who was involved. They may even know why that thing transpired. These are excellent skills to have and, in the game of Bible trivia, will always get you picked first.

Are Bible facts all we need to build a relationship with Jesus? No! Knowledge of the Word of God is an awesome thing to have. We are all called to study the Bible. However, we are not called just to study, but to live as the Word directs our lives.

The Bible is the written account of God's interaction with mankind in times past, present and future. The Old Testament was directing us towards Jesus Christ. The New Testament reveals Jesus to the world. The redemptive plan of God is manifest in the life of Christ. Therefore, God reveals a portion of Himself in the identity of Jesus. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him (Matt. 11:27).

What part of God is revealed to mankind through Christ? The answer is, the part we needed the most. The part that tells us God had love for mankind. He had so much love for mankind that He sent His Son Jesus to die for man.

The plan of God was for man to spend all eternity with Him. When sin came into the world, that could no longer happen because sin could not be allowed to exist eternally. This is why Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden and the Tree of Life. Man needed the righteousness that only God could provide. This was done through the life of Christ.

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference( Rom. 3:22).

Thought for Today:

Lasting satisfaction comes not from earthly works but from doing the will of God.

A Prayer for Spiritual Awakening..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Spiritual Awakening

By Emma Danzey

Ezekiel 37:4-5 says, “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Spiritual awakening is something that Christians everywhere desire to see take place. Whether this be in our own neighborhoods or globally, we are going to ask the Lord to do again what He did in Ezekiel. For those who have no hope, who are dead in their sins, because of the power of Jesus, their dry bones can come to life. The breath of God will give them life. They can be reborn because of Christ.

Who have you been praying would receive the gift of salvation through Jesus? God has not given up on them. Today, as we pray for others, may it remind us of the people in our lives and around us each day who are in desperate need of our Savior. May it renew a passion within ourselves to be living life through the power of the Holy Spirit and not in our own human strength.

Ezekiel 37:4-5 says, “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Spiritual awakening is something that Christians everywhere desire to see take place. Whether this be in our own neighborhoods or globally, we are going to ask the Lord to do again what He did in Ezekiel. For those who have no hope, who are dead in their sins, because of the power of Jesus, their dry bones can come to life. The breath of God will give them life. They can be reborn because of Christ.

Who have you been praying would receive the gift of salvation through Jesus? God has not given up on them. Today, as we pray for others, may it remind us of the people in our lives and around us each day who are in desperate need of our Savior. May it renew a passion within ourselves to be living life through the power of the Holy Spirit and not in our own human strength.

Let's Pray:

Our Powerful God,
We call on Your name Jesus today. We ask that You would move boldly and that you would do a new thing in the hearts and lives around us. We pray for spiritual awakening to take place. As we look around at the dry bones in our societies and in our cities, we see people who have no idea who You are. We see people who have been hurt by the sins of others. We see people who are so thirsty for truth.

You say in John 4:14, “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is our prayer today that the nations and our towns would drink of the living water of You, Jesus. That they would be eternally satisfied in You. We pray that their spiritual dryness would be revived and refreshed by Who You are and what You have done on their behalves.

Jesus, we pray for spiritual awakening within our own hearts. In the places which we have become hardened to You, soften our hearts and open our eyes to You and Your gospel. Speak to us through Your Word. Guide us by Your Spirit to be ambassadors for You. We pray for creative ways to share the gospel and for open doors to love those around us. Keep us sensitive to Your Holy Spirit as we go through our days, knowing that You are working in our midst.

Show us Your power and Your glory. Help others to see the work of Your hand. May our messages of the gospel come across clearly and fall on open ears. Give those who are spiritually dead hope and revive their hearts in You. Help us as we share and provide opportunities for them to hear the hope that we have in You. God, we pray that our cities, our states, and our nations would know that You are the Lord. There is none like You.

Spiritual awakening begins with one person at a time. Remind us of the value of sharing Your message with one person. We pray for multiplication, but we pray for individuals who you celebrate. You tell us in Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Please give us the spiritual insight to see others as You do, not at numbers, but as creations of the Almighty who are made in His image. We praise You for the work You have already done and for the work you have yet to do. Thank you for allowing us to be part of it. Amen.

Speaking Life with Fruitful Words..Megan Evans

 Speaking Life with Fruitful Words 

 By Megan Evans

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” -- Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

If you were to record every word that you spoke for an entire day and then played it back to yourself, what message would you hear? Would you hear life-giving speech or words full of negativity, criticism, and gossip? I don’t know about you, but depending on the day, I might be glad I was the only one listening to that recap. We aren’t perfect, and it’s easy for words to slip out before we think, but this proverb reminds us that our words matter. 

Taking a quick inventory of our conversations not only points us to the power of the tongue but also to the fruit of its words. Who wants to eat rotten fruit all day? Yet without even realizing it, the words we say and hear can begin to negatively affect how we feel about ourselves, others, and even our world. Likewise, we may even be inadvertently shaping the thoughts of others. 

Careless and complacent words may seem irrelevant, but our words matter to God, to others, and even to ourselves. Instead of spoilage, we have the choice to speak with healthy and delicious words that leave behind the aroma of Christ every single day. And when we do, we will not only speak life into others but ourselves too. The Bible is God’s Living Word, and when we live out and speak its message, the world gets a taste of Jesus. As it says in Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” 

Our tongue is also an important part of our testimony, mission field, and ministry. In order to change the fruit that our words produce, we have to start by planting healthy seeds. When we feast upon God’s Word daily, we will receive essential nourishment for our body, mind, and soul, as well as delicious and healthy fruit we can offer to others. We’ve all spoken words that we wish we could take back, and it is here in God’s love and grace that we will find forgiveness for unloving words and fresh new mercies for our tongue. 

Do you find it hard to control what comes out of your mouth? Me too! Humans might be able to tame animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, yet James 3:8 reminds us that the tongue has yet to be mastered. This sounds a bit like a losing battle for us, so what do we do? Is there hope for the fruit of life-giving words over death? 

Thankfully, a Child of God never has to choose defeat or settle for less than God’s best. Yes, we will remain in a battle for control over our tongue for the rest of our lives. Yet, as we lean into the counsel and teaching of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to cultivate wise and winning words. Victory over any sin begins by asking God for help. 

When we surrender our life to Jesus, He becomes Lord over every area of our life--and this means He will lead us and show us how to speak, what to speak, and when to speak. Praise God!

Therefore, we can ask God then for awareness of words that are not pleasing to Him, and we can ask God to grow the fruit of His Holy Spirit in us instead. Daily, let’s begin feasting on the fruit of God’s Living Word. Let’s store up so much of this treasure that it begins to spill over and pour from our mouth. Today, let’s choose to speak words of life.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Take a moment and inventory your speech today. Are your words uplifting? Or is your speech opinionated and quick to criticize? If there are rotting words present, freedom awaits. Ask God to reveal the fruit of your speech today. Repent of any unkind words that were spoken, and apologize to anyone whom your words may have hurt. 

Begin sowing seeds of life-giving words instead. Here are three ideas to get you started:

1. Tell someone about a Bible verse that has made an impact on your heart recently. 
2. Turn a conversation away from gossip by interjecting complimentary words instead.
3. Look in the mirror and tell yourself one truth that God says about you—for starters, try reading Psalm 139:14.

Further Reading:
Ephesians 4:29
James 1:19
Luke 6:37
Psalm 19:14
Colossians 4:6