Archive for July, 2010

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HE IS OUR HELP

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Day 139

“The Lord is my helper”
Hebrews 13:6

Have you ever heard the phrase, “you sleep in the bed you make?” Or “heaven helps those who help themselves?” These are common sayings, but what is the meaning? If you fail or do something wrong, tough, you did it, suffer the consequences and live with it. If you don’t help yourself, no one will. Maybe God will help you if you help yourself. In other words, you are on your own.

Unfortunately, many Christians believe these statements. But these are not true, and, in fact, come right out of the pit of hell. Why? Because these statements not only totally misrepresent your Father in heaven, it actually lays charges at His door that He doesn’t care, will not help you and you can rot in your own pit. Think about it. If you believe any part of these to be true, you’ll see God as a distant judge Who condemns you. And it is the furthest from truth you can get.

Our Father is a helper to His children, even when you create your own problems. He understands human frailty and failings. His love covers a multitude of sins and He paid the ultimate price to redeem us from our fallen state. Do you think His arm is so short that He cannot save you? Or help you? Doesn’t the word declare what is impossible for us is possible with Him? Yes, His love covers every aspect our life. No matter what trouble you are in, even that which you made, He is ready to help you if you call Him.

“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is
thinking about me right now, You are my helper
and my savior. Do not delay, O my God.”
Psalm 40: 17

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GOD’S WISDOM

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Day 138

“Wisdom calls aloud in the streets”
Proverbs 1:20

Wisdom is not some hidden treasure that we have to dig up. It isn’t hidden from us and it isn’t the province of one master that we need to consult. God has given us wisdom. In fact, our verse today tells us that it cries out in the streets for us looking for someone to instruct. This is the nature of our Father – to equip us with wisdom.

There is another person spoken of here. It is the ‘simple ones’ and ‘fools.’ These are those who refuse instruction. They fight the facts. They refuse direction. In other words, they don’t pay attention and ignore advice, instruction and correction. They hate knowledge, hoping ignorance will excuse them. Lest we reject these as applying to us as His children, we need to weigh how often we don’t listen, take advice, hear instruction or receive correction. If you ever raised children, you know the folly of youth! Sometimes we’re the same with the Lord.

He is a good Father who has given us good gifts. Wisdom is one of the most precious gifts because it will keep our walk in righteousness. If we heed His wisdom, we will not falter or fail in His ways. What father wants to see his children stumble and fall? How much more so for our heavenly Father who desires we prosper in His ways.

“But all who listen to Me will live in peace
and safety, unafraid of harm.”
Proverbs 1:33

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GOD’S WAY

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Day 137

“And you shall remember all the way which the Lord
your God has led you in the wilderness these
forty years, that He might humble you”
Deuteronomy 8:2-3

God led His people through a wilderness. Needless to say, the wilderness was a very dry place and not pleasing for comfort. After freeing them of 400 years bondage, you think He would directly take them to their new land. but, He didn’t. And for good reasons, as this scripture further enlightens us. He was testing them to know what was in their hearts.

Wait a minute! God didn’t know what was in their hearts? Far from it. In fact, He not only knew, He wanted them to know. They needed to see themselves and know how corrupt their natures were. And thousands of years later, it’s the same today. God sets us free with His salvation. He takes us out of Egypt, the world. But, there is still the need for Egypt, the world, to be taken out of our hearts. And until we see ourselves for who we really are, we cannot be humble.

This is God’s love for us. Christ said, “Without Me, you can do nothing” [John 15:5b]. He loves us so deeply that He must take us through the wilderness for us to see what is in our hearts. When we come to that place where we can cry out with Isaiah, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips” [Isaiah 6:5], then, and only then, can we lean wholly on Him for our sufficiency.

“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives
by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord”
Deuteronomy 8:3b

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GOD’S LOVE NEVER FAILS

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Day 136

“Love rejoices in the truth”
1 Corinthians 13:6

God and His love never fails. If there is any one truth we can be absolutely certain about, it is that God will not and cannot fail in His faithfulness and love for us. All of God’s actions are out of and founded on His own infallible nature. He cannot do anything against Himself. This has significant meaning to us.

God has set His love on us. We are objects of His mercy. We have become His children and we are under His care. And because we are His precious children, He exerts great love and care towards us in a way that will not fail. He will bring the best out of us. Regardless of our flesh, failings, and sin, God will turn us and bring it to good. In spite of our attitudes, emotions, not taking counsel with him, and permitting ourselves to be in the earth, He will draw us out with His love, grace and mercy. He will lift us up on high and bring forth that eternal destination He put within us.

God delights in us. He finds joy in His labor of love toward us. He gave up His Son’s life for us so we would be His. He will mold us in His ways. Paul declared that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” [Philippians 1:6]. Yes, He is working in you right now to bring you onto glory.

“Those He justified, He also glorified”
Romans 8:30

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THE THREE TABERNACLES

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Day 135

“And look that thou make them after their pattern,
which was shewed thee in the mount”
Exodus 26:40

God gave Moses the blueprints to build a tabernacle. He cautioned him to build exactly according to the plan showed him. There was a good reason for this. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was an exact representation of the heavenlies. There was an order to be followed to show the people how to approach and have fellowship with God.

Years later another tabernacle was built by David. This tabernacle, although resembling the first, was different. It offered more immediate access to the presence of God. And the praise in David’s tabernacle was always spontaneous and from the heart. It was a tabernacle that reflected the desire of the Lord to dwell with His people.

And then a third tabernacle came. Christ tabernacled among us and then gave us the Holy Spirit, who now dwells in us. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit. So, from a time when man could only approach the door of the tabernacle and offer a sacrifice to this day with full access to Him, God has fulfilled His desire to dwell in us – “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men” [Revelation 21:3]. John said he saw no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple [21:22]. He has prepared a place for us so we can dwell with Him now.

“Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit”
1 Corinthians 6:20

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SEEING GOD

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Day 134
“Having his eyes open”
Numbers 24:4

Balaam’s career was somewhat checkered. It seems he tried to use God to his own selfish purposes, but always ended up doing what God had instructed him. Interestingly, the scriptures give accounts of others doing the same. Jonah was assigned a mission, but ran away. God dramatically delivered him right back to where he had to go and after fulfilling his mission successfully, he sat under a tree depressed and complaining.

Esther wasn’t interested in putting herself on line with the King to save her people. Elijah ran away after carrying out a major mission for God. Joshua got his men killed because he didn’t take counsel with God. Moses killed a man and later in life struck a rock in anger. Two disciples wanted to call fire down from heaven. Peter denied knowing Christ three times. The list goes on and on.

The acts of these men and women varied in depth. But everyone had their eyes opened to see their God. He didn’t strike out in anger, punish them or reject them. Instead, God met them in patience, tenderness and love. He took time to reason with them. He led them to His way.

“The Lord redeemeth the soul of His
servants; and none of them that
trust in Him shall be desolate”
Psalm 34:22

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LOVE IN RIGHT ORDER

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Day 133

“I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me!”
Song of Solomon 7:10

Understanding Christ’s love for us and the church is not always easy for us. We are imperfect and very self-centered in our ways. It makes it hard for us to grasp the depth of sacrificial love. The marriage union, ordained by God for us, is a reflection of that. If a husband and wife live in the highest order of love, they will be completely fulfilled. This is a love that is fully given to each other based on Christ’s love for us.

Our Father wants us to understand that love. He wants to set love in right order within us. We often are filled with self-love, a one-sided love with the emphasis on me and what’s mine. There is possessiveness to this love. The bride in Song of Solomon shows this when she says, “My beloved is mine and I am his” [2:16]. The Bridegroom withdrew from her because of this and it brought a change – a purification of her love.

The next time she speaks, she says, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” [6:3]. Her emphasis changed from ‘my’ to ‘I’ indicating a different understanding. Yet, there was still mixture and even though she was more conscious of Him as a Giver than of His gifts, and what she could be to Him, there still was a selfishness. But, she stood the test of love and it brought her to a higher order, a right order where she said, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” [7:10]. It’s the love we need to walk in – a living love to others, always giving of itself.

“Love seeketh not her own”
1 Corinthians 13:5

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Forgiveness

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Day 132

“How blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered!”
Psalm 32:1

It’s amazing to see the mind set of the world. Sin and unrighteousness is not an issue and the philosophy is ‘as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone’ it is acceptable. It is even not unusual today to see the person who commits great offenses being treated as a ‘victim.’ And repentance; forget it, there hardly is even worldly sorrow expressed.

How radical Christianity is! We are called to be mourners. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn” [Matthew 5:4]. Simply put, it means the person who mourns over their sins will be happy – happy are those who mourn. Actually, the word carries far greater depth than just ‘happy.’ ‘Blessed’ speaks of God doing something to and for man. Because we humbly recognize our sinfulness, God gives us joy and rest.

God is holy and the more mature we become in our walk with Him, the more we see our own sinfulness. Holiness does that – the light becomes powerful and we see ourselves for who we really are. We mourn over our corruption, the continuous sins we commit against our Holy God, the many offenses, and the wretchedness of our flesh. But, contrary to the world, mourning, through repentance and faith, leads to happiness and eternal comfort. We have One who represents us in the heavenly court declaring us forgiven and covered by His Blood, making us righteous in Him!

“Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance”
Psalm 32:7

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HE IS EXALTED

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Day 131

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him,
and given Him a name which is above every name”
Philippians 2:9

Christ humbled Himself for us and because He did, The Father exalted Him. Jesus repeatedly told us that if we humble ourselves, we shall be exalted. He has gone before us as our Elder Brother and is the First among many to be exalted – bringing many sons to glory.

There is a difference in Christ’s exaltation. His exaltation is above everything. He was exalted in a glorious manner, and He, “took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne” [Revelation 5:7]. God the Father gave Him the government and the plan for the history of the world and the church. He is now King of the church and He is the Alpha and Omega. Christ has completed His resurrection, ascension and coronation.

We too will be exalted and brought to glory. He controls the universe and rules over all things. It is He who declared that not one of us will be lost. We are in His hands, the One who has triumphed over all our enemies, even though we do not see it now. Everything will be brought into subjection to Him. Every knee will bow to Him. And there is a day we shall be at His side sharing in His ruling and kingdom.

“Lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world”
Matthew 28:20b

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GOD’S UNFAILING GENEROSITY

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Day 130

“Every good and perfect gift is from above”
James 1:17

Who are we to receive such good and perfect gifts from God? He loves us and gave Himself for us [Galatians 2:20]. He is a God who gives Himself to sinners. He gave us opportunity for a new birth. He made the way by taking our sins and placing them on His own Son to pay the penalty. He removed condemnation from us.

God then equipped us to live our lives in Him until the day of coming face to face to Him. He gave us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. He equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness. He forgave us our sins, past, present and future. He placed a seal on us so we will not be lost.

And after the great gift of eternal life, He gave us a family to live in, the church, the community of the redeemed. Here He is our great Shepherd, priest and king. We dwell in His pasture and He feeds and cares for us. He plants His footsteps in the storms of our lives, calming the winds and seas. He comes to us in our hour of need comforting us with His presence by spreading a table before us in the presence of our enemies. He fills our cup to overflowing.

“Goodness and Mercy have followed me
all the days of my life”
Psalm 23:6

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