Hope in Relationship..Craig Denison Ministries

 Hope in Relationship

Craig Denison Ministries

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

Devoted to God..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Devoted to God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 62:1-2

Having been saved by faith in Christ, we express our love and gratitude through devotion to Him. Regular Bible study and prayer will be an integral part of our daily lives. In addition, our commitment to the Lord will be revealed through a passion to obey, a spirit of humility, and a servant's heart.

1. Obedience. David sought to obey God all his life. As a shepherd boy, he faithfully tended the animals in his father's fields. While king, he set aside his desire to build the temple and let Solomon lead the effort, as God had commanded. Although David lived imperfectly, his desire was to do what the Lord asked. We see from Jesus' words in John 14:15 that obedience should be our high priority as well: He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
2. Humility. After David killed Goliath, the crowds shouted praise about the young man. However, he did not become prideful. Instead, he remained in King Saul's service and waited for God to make him the ruler of Israel. Even as king, he remained humble. He knew that what had been accomplished was because of the Lord's actions and not his own (2 Sam. 7:18).
3. Service. Whether David was a lowly shepherd or a mighty king, his goal was to obey God and serve Him.

This man after God's own heart was devoted to his Lord. He sought to know Him and longed to carry out His will. David's actions reflected His humble attitude of servanthood and his longing to please his heavenly Father. Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus.

Slow Growth Is Strong Growth..Ashley Moore

 Slow Growth Is Strong Growth 

By Ashley Moore 

“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:8, ESV

My firstborn son is named Cypress as a nod to a verse we pray and declare over his life. We desire that he will be like the tree described in Jeremiah 17:8, rooted deeply and securely near the Water Source and always bearing fruit all the days of his life. But if you know anything about trees, you know that the strongest trees grow the slowest. And some trees take years before they are mature enough to bear fruit. 

• Have you ever had to endure longer than you wanted to see substantial growth in your life?
• Are you still battling your short temper even though you've been working on self-control for years?
• Did you make a decision to live healthier, but after months of commitment, you still haven't seen your desired results?
• Are you anxious to tackle your next goal, but feel sidelined by your current season of life?

Whatever the case, may I encourage you today that slow growth is good growth because slow growth is strong growth. 

Strong Roots Require Time to Grow Deep 
God desires that we bear fruit. John 15:8 says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” But just like a tree, before we can ever think about bearing fruit for God’s glory, we have to ensure we are tapped into a steady water supply. As Christians, we must be rooted in Scripture, attuned to the Spirit, and follow the commands of God. He is our living water. But much like other areas of growth, growing these deep relational roots in Jesus Christ takes time. But once roots are established, we can go on to grow into a strong, mature, fruit-bearing tree!

Cultivating Character Takes Time
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). But if you are anything like me, my flesh often arrives quicker to the scene than my fruit if you know what I mean. Our flesh is another word picture from Scripture to describe our sinful nature. Our fleshly reactions are often in direct opposition to the fruit God wants to bear in our lives. 

However, as we partner with God to do the long and often tedious work of growth, His Spirit will bear the fruit He desires in our lives. Many times growth will look like repeatedly showing up to read God’s Word, meeting with Christian community, and practicing other spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, and discipling others as the Spirit leads. Nothing novel about the process, but when repeated over time yields much fruit by cultivating character in us!

My prayer for my son is also my prayer for you, believer. Especially, if you have grown weary with slow growth. May you stick close to the Living Water Source, and bear much fruit for His glory.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Is there a fruit of the Spirit that you specifically struggle with in your life? Do a quick Google search for a Bible Study you can do on that character trait. Ask God to help you cultivate that fruit in your life. Pray that He will give you the strength to endure the growing process, especially when it’s slow.

What Are You Living For?..Greg Laurie

 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 for the Brokenhearted..Jessica Van Roekel

 A Prayer for the Brokenhearted

By Jessica Van Roekel

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” - Psalm 34:18, ESV

You could hear her heart breaking. She tried to muffle her sobs, but her body shook. What she longed for had never been granted. Every day she prayed. Every month she hoped. Every year she begged. But her womb remained empty. Her arms ached to hold a tiny bundle of joy, but all she held was a broken heart.

One year on her annual visit to the temple, Hannah’s wordless prayers caught the attention of Eli, the priest. He accused her of drunkenness, but when he discovered the reason for her anguish, he told her a child would be born to her. She had a son and fulfilled her promise to give him back to the Lord. God would be near her then as he was before.

Has a broken heart ever rendered you without a voice? Have you ever been so broken you had nothing but silence to give? In those moments it is easy to despair. Loneliness fools us into thinking we’re the only one who has ever had a broken heart. But God draws near and brings us hope.

Hope is to trust, to wait for, and to endure. Our circumstances attempt to distract us into thinking hope is a change in circumstances. It’s easy to think that if our circumstances change, then hope will return. But we find our hope in the personhood of God. He is everything we could ever hope for, and he promises us his presence.

Joseph was separated from his coat of many colors and his father’s love by his jealous older brothers. He was sold as a slave, ran a household, thrown into prison where he ran that too, and finally was put in charge as second in command to Pharoah. What did he hope? In being remembered by a fellow prisoner for interpreting a dream? In his dad sending out a search and rescue team? No, his hope was in God alone.

Three times in Genesis 39 it is written “God was with him.” It doesn’t say Joseph turned his back on God or that he tried to fix his problems or that he hoped in a change in circumstances. God was with him even in his broken heart. Later in Genesis 45, we get a glimpse into the depths of his broken heart when we read how his sobs reverberated beyond the walls of the room. Through it all, Joseph remained faithful to God and God drew near to comfort him with his presence.

The disciples were another group of people who knew a broken heart. They watched Jesus die a horrific, painful death on the cross. They saw him struggle to push himself up the roughhewn log to gasp a breath only to sink down again bearing the weight of his body through nail pierced hands. They witnessed the world turned dark as night and felt the earth shake. They heard him commit his life to his father and their hearts shattered. Their hopes and dreams of an earthly kingdom lay broken at the base of the cross.

When Jesus rose from the dead three days later to defeat death, they remembered his promise to always be with them. In John 14, Jesus promised a Comforter to teach them and to be near them. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came, and thousands of people surrendered their lives to his Lordship. The disciples never again doubted Jesus’ presence in their lives.

He is our Comforter today. It is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that we can know God’s comforting presence when our hearts lay shattered at our feet. We can know the power of God’s presence just like Hannah, Joseph, and the Disciples knew the nearness of God in their most devastating moments. God is near the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. We do not have to remain broken but can hold our broken heart out as an offering to the One who was broken on our behalf. He draws near us and brings us comfort.

Let’s pray:

Holy God,
My heart is so broken I don’t know that it can ever be made whole again. The pain makes me feel so alone and I don’t know if I can face one more day. I know you hear my cries, even if it feels like you don’t. Draw near me and let me feel your presence. Help me look beyond my broken heart and look for you. I’m grateful you are with me and for your promise to never leave or forsake me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen