Saturday
Friday
Friendship - July 10, 2009
Due to Pastor Dan's travel throughout Tanzania and the lack of internet connection because of that, you will be able to enjoy the devotionals of our guest writers for a few more days.
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Quote by: Walter Winchell
In 1 Samuel 18, the Bible gives us a description of a friendship between Jonathon and David. The Bible says, “After David had finished talking with King Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day forward Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathon took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt." NIV
Jonathon was next in line to be the King of Israel as the son of the current king, Saul. However, the prophet Samuel had anointed David, son of Jesse as the next in line to be king over Israel. Despite this, David and Jonathon were able to forge a friendship that went beyond even the natural boundaries and allegiances that Jonathon should have had to his father. Jonathon gave up his seemingly natural rights to be next in line to rule the kingdom. The story of friendship between Jonathan and David is quite remarkable and gives us insight into being a faithful friend. Sometimes as friends, we don’t know exactly how to be a good friend to one another. Jonathon however, showed remarkable love and friendship for David.
1 Samuel 19
- King Saul instructed Jonathon and all the attendants to kill David but because Jonathon was very fond of David, he warned David to go into hiding while Jonathon intervened for him before King Saul.
1 Samuel 20
-In David’s fragile emotional state while running for his life, Jonathon showed great compassion to him as he proved his friendship to David. King Saul continued to try to kill David, but at this point refused to tell Jonathon his plans because Saul realized that Jonathon’s friendship was strong towards David. Jonathon refused to do wrong to David despite his father’s intent to harm David.
Time after time, Jonathon proved his love and devotion to David. After Saul and Jonathon were killed in battle, David was lamenting for Saul and Jonathon. David sang, “How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathon, my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful….” Jonathon and David had a strong friendship as brothers that were proven through many acts of devotion, brotherly love and commitment.
What kind of qualities do you look for in a friend? Brotherly love? Compassion? Kindness? Ability to listen in times of stress? Ability to help intervene in times of trouble? Good listener?
Today strive to be a good friend to people around you. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances and troubles, press into showing Christ’s love to those around you as a faithful friend.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up"
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Quote by: Walter Winchell
In 1 Samuel 18, the Bible gives us a description of a friendship between Jonathon and David. The Bible says, “After David had finished talking with King Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day forward Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathon took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt." NIV
Jonathon was next in line to be the King of Israel as the son of the current king, Saul. However, the prophet Samuel had anointed David, son of Jesse as the next in line to be king over Israel. Despite this, David and Jonathon were able to forge a friendship that went beyond even the natural boundaries and allegiances that Jonathon should have had to his father. Jonathon gave up his seemingly natural rights to be next in line to rule the kingdom. The story of friendship between Jonathan and David is quite remarkable and gives us insight into being a faithful friend. Sometimes as friends, we don’t know exactly how to be a good friend to one another. Jonathon however, showed remarkable love and friendship for David.
1 Samuel 19
- King Saul instructed Jonathon and all the attendants to kill David but because Jonathon was very fond of David, he warned David to go into hiding while Jonathon intervened for him before King Saul.
1 Samuel 20
-In David’s fragile emotional state while running for his life, Jonathon showed great compassion to him as he proved his friendship to David. King Saul continued to try to kill David, but at this point refused to tell Jonathon his plans because Saul realized that Jonathon’s friendship was strong towards David. Jonathon refused to do wrong to David despite his father’s intent to harm David.
Time after time, Jonathon proved his love and devotion to David. After Saul and Jonathon were killed in battle, David was lamenting for Saul and Jonathon. David sang, “How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathon, my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful….” Jonathon and David had a strong friendship as brothers that were proven through many acts of devotion, brotherly love and commitment.
What kind of qualities do you look for in a friend? Brotherly love? Compassion? Kindness? Ability to listen in times of stress? Ability to help intervene in times of trouble? Good listener?
Today strive to be a good friend to people around you. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances and troubles, press into showing Christ’s love to those around you as a faithful friend.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up"
Thursday
A Thankful Heart - July 9, 2009
Today's Devotional is written by one of our guest writers.
Please enjoy!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV
Have you ever been to a really good restaurant? Imagine you enjoyed an evening with extraordinary food and excellent service, accompanied by good company – everything just as perfect as expected. But how often did you go up to your waiter/waitress in the end and say “Thank You” for the good service or went into the kitchen to shake the hand of the chef? Probably not too often. On the other side though, how long does it take you to complain if not everything is a 100% perfect? Studies verify that people tend to
share their negative experiences 7 times as often as their positive experiences, simply because they expect perfectionism
as the standard.
Aren't we often times doing the exact same thing with God? How easy is it to complain as soon as things are going in a different direction than we expect and it seems as if we lost control over our life! Do we value the presence of God enough? Even in times without major challenges, we rarely take enough time to thank God for all the good things he has done for us, for our daily provision, for his hand upon us, his faithfulness and unfailing love. In those situations, where we face trials of many kinds, giving thanks sometimes even seems to be impossible. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”NIV
Life circumstances hold many challenges for us, we can either embrace them as a chance to grow or we can choose to complain. But does complaining change the situation in any way? The only result of complaining is that our heart turns away from being thankful towards God. We start thinking about how unfair our circumstances are instead of seeing God in the current situation. The Psalms are full of thanksgiving. If we look at those scriptures and the life of David, we get a real good example of how a thankful heart should look like. Regardless of his circumstances, David eventually always chooses
to praise God.
As I was reading my Bible one day, God was reminding me of the power that is being released through thanksgiving. I decided that I would start looking for things I could be thankful for in situations I would usually start to complain. As I began doing that, I realized how difficult it was for me in the beginning. Over time though, my whole thinking began to change and I even recognized a shift in how I view situations and a difference in my character as I chose to praise the Lord in situations where I used to make room for the enemy to come in and poison my thoughts. From time to time it still seems to be very hard to overcome initial feelings and enter into the “Thanksgiving” mode. But God is so faithful and rewards us with his presence as we give him praise – particularly in situations where the enemy tries to pull us away from the Lord and to rob our peace. We are to proclaim the scriptures over our lives and as children of the most high God we have the legal right to claim his word over our situations. If we do that continually, he is faithful to work everything for our good. 1 Cor. 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Lord, help me to develop a heart full of thanksgiving. I choose to praise you in every circumstance, giving thanks for all that you have done for me. I want to thank you for the good things in my life instead of complaining about the situations where my own expectations aren't met. You are faithful, oh God to work everything for the good. Thank you for victory through your Son Jesus Christ! Amen
Please enjoy!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV
Have you ever been to a really good restaurant? Imagine you enjoyed an evening with extraordinary food and excellent service, accompanied by good company – everything just as perfect as expected. But how often did you go up to your waiter/waitress in the end and say “Thank You” for the good service or went into the kitchen to shake the hand of the chef? Probably not too often. On the other side though, how long does it take you to complain if not everything is a 100% perfect? Studies verify that people tend to
share their negative experiences 7 times as often as their positive experiences, simply because they expect perfectionism
as the standard.
Aren't we often times doing the exact same thing with God? How easy is it to complain as soon as things are going in a different direction than we expect and it seems as if we lost control over our life! Do we value the presence of God enough? Even in times without major challenges, we rarely take enough time to thank God for all the good things he has done for us, for our daily provision, for his hand upon us, his faithfulness and unfailing love. In those situations, where we face trials of many kinds, giving thanks sometimes even seems to be impossible. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”NIV
Life circumstances hold many challenges for us, we can either embrace them as a chance to grow or we can choose to complain. But does complaining change the situation in any way? The only result of complaining is that our heart turns away from being thankful towards God. We start thinking about how unfair our circumstances are instead of seeing God in the current situation. The Psalms are full of thanksgiving. If we look at those scriptures and the life of David, we get a real good example of how a thankful heart should look like. Regardless of his circumstances, David eventually always chooses
to praise God.
As I was reading my Bible one day, God was reminding me of the power that is being released through thanksgiving. I decided that I would start looking for things I could be thankful for in situations I would usually start to complain. As I began doing that, I realized how difficult it was for me in the beginning. Over time though, my whole thinking began to change and I even recognized a shift in how I view situations and a difference in my character as I chose to praise the Lord in situations where I used to make room for the enemy to come in and poison my thoughts. From time to time it still seems to be very hard to overcome initial feelings and enter into the “Thanksgiving” mode. But God is so faithful and rewards us with his presence as we give him praise – particularly in situations where the enemy tries to pull us away from the Lord and to rob our peace. We are to proclaim the scriptures over our lives and as children of the most high God we have the legal right to claim his word over our situations. If we do that continually, he is faithful to work everything for our good. 1 Cor. 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Lord, help me to develop a heart full of thanksgiving. I choose to praise you in every circumstance, giving thanks for all that you have done for me. I want to thank you for the good things in my life instead of complaining about the situations where my own expectations aren't met. You are faithful, oh God to work everything for the good. Thank you for victory through your Son Jesus Christ! Amen
Wednesday
Psalm 68:11 - July 8, 2009
Ps 68:11 "The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it." NIV
This passage reflects the prophetic nature of God and the means of accomplishing His purposes that He has ordained in the earth! From the very beginning of time God spoke and His purpose came for as the earth was created and man was placed in dominion over it. God entrusted man with His very image and endowed him with authority and power to rule over God’s creation as a steward of the garden of God. It was not the work of man’s flesh that provided this stewardship but the words of his mouth that was the means of stewarding this creation. When God created the animals to fill the earth He commissioned Adam to speak to each animal, naming them on God’s behalf. It was not until Adam sinned and the earth came under a curse that Adam had to labor by the sweat of his brow to bring forth fruit from the earth. Until that time all things simply responded to the command of God to be fruitful and multiply.
In this the age of the church as we walk with our Lord on this journey of restoring His dominion into ever setting where it was previously forfeited by Adam’s disobedience God is at work to restore through the Body of Christ as we grow to maturity and Christ likeness. God has placed a prophetic spirit upon then church and given her the spirit of faith with a commission to listen to God’s voice and to speak what He is saying. Jesus described the role of the Holy Spirit’s ministry and taught us in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit “will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears.” God the Father speaks forth into His purposes in the same way that He did from the beginning. The Holy Spirit then communicates those words into the lives of God’s people and we become the voice of God in releasing those purposes into the earth. The prophetic spirit is at work to awaken faith in the lives of all those who will listen and through this faith God now releases many spokesmen to partner with Him in His creative work of restoration. In every setting where He can find a man or woman of faith who will agree with His word and His promises He begins to speak forth His will. Man places his heart into agreement with what God has spoken and through the exercising of his faith speaks forth those purposes. Paul identifies this principle in II Co. 4:13 as he says, “It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.”
It is vital that we understand the means through which God is accomplishing His mission in the earth. Through the power of His implanted word in the hearts of His servants God is raising up a many membered voice, a great company of spokesmen who will agree with what He is speaking forth instead aligning their hearts with the broken conditions that their eyes behold. Faith looks beyond the visible to the invisible, beyond the temporal to the eternal and agrees with the heavenly realms where God’s kingdom already is manifest. Through faith we speak God’s purpose forth and the same creative power that was released in the creation of the earth is loosed into the situations where God commands us to speak. Through this means the kingdom of God is proclaimed and the seeds of life are implanted and begin to grow. We must see that which is not as if it was and speak to the potential that is found in the kingdom of God. It is time to call forth the long awaited promises of God and to place our feet on the ground of His purposes with a resolute faith. Through this means the faith of one becomes the faith of many and the principles of kingdom multiplication are set in motion to expand God’s dominion in every setting where this obedient faith is found.
This passage reflects the prophetic nature of God and the means of accomplishing His purposes that He has ordained in the earth! From the very beginning of time God spoke and His purpose came for as the earth was created and man was placed in dominion over it. God entrusted man with His very image and endowed him with authority and power to rule over God’s creation as a steward of the garden of God. It was not the work of man’s flesh that provided this stewardship but the words of his mouth that was the means of stewarding this creation. When God created the animals to fill the earth He commissioned Adam to speak to each animal, naming them on God’s behalf. It was not until Adam sinned and the earth came under a curse that Adam had to labor by the sweat of his brow to bring forth fruit from the earth. Until that time all things simply responded to the command of God to be fruitful and multiply.
In this the age of the church as we walk with our Lord on this journey of restoring His dominion into ever setting where it was previously forfeited by Adam’s disobedience God is at work to restore through the Body of Christ as we grow to maturity and Christ likeness. God has placed a prophetic spirit upon then church and given her the spirit of faith with a commission to listen to God’s voice and to speak what He is saying. Jesus described the role of the Holy Spirit’s ministry and taught us in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit “will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears.” God the Father speaks forth into His purposes in the same way that He did from the beginning. The Holy Spirit then communicates those words into the lives of God’s people and we become the voice of God in releasing those purposes into the earth. The prophetic spirit is at work to awaken faith in the lives of all those who will listen and through this faith God now releases many spokesmen to partner with Him in His creative work of restoration. In every setting where He can find a man or woman of faith who will agree with His word and His promises He begins to speak forth His will. Man places his heart into agreement with what God has spoken and through the exercising of his faith speaks forth those purposes. Paul identifies this principle in II Co. 4:13 as he says, “It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.”
It is vital that we understand the means through which God is accomplishing His mission in the earth. Through the power of His implanted word in the hearts of His servants God is raising up a many membered voice, a great company of spokesmen who will agree with what He is speaking forth instead aligning their hearts with the broken conditions that their eyes behold. Faith looks beyond the visible to the invisible, beyond the temporal to the eternal and agrees with the heavenly realms where God’s kingdom already is manifest. Through faith we speak God’s purpose forth and the same creative power that was released in the creation of the earth is loosed into the situations where God commands us to speak. Through this means the kingdom of God is proclaimed and the seeds of life are implanted and begin to grow. We must see that which is not as if it was and speak to the potential that is found in the kingdom of God. It is time to call forth the long awaited promises of God and to place our feet on the ground of His purposes with a resolute faith. Through this means the faith of one becomes the faith of many and the principles of kingdom multiplication are set in motion to expand God’s dominion in every setting where this obedient faith is found.
Tuesday
Psalm 68:7-10 - July 7, 2009
Ps 68:7-10 "When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah 8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 9 You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. 10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor." NIV
It is the glory of God to turn barrenness into abundance! Do not focus on your circumstances. This is the greatest thief of our confidence. Our eyes must be fixed upon God and His promises that He has made concerning us. The promises that God declares over a person, a business, a church, a community or a nation are the first fruits of God going before us into the circumstances that He is directed us into. God spoke to His servant Joshua and told Him that wherever his feet walked God had given him that land. God leads us into our possessions before those possessions look like something that we could ever possess. When He sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land to bring back a report only two brought back a report of faith. All of the others brought back a report that was focused solely on the obstacles that had to be overcome and the problems became larger in their minds than the power of God to overcome those promises.
It is God’s delight to take that which appears as a wasteland or that which appears unconquerable and bring under the dominion of His kingdom and through that dominion to transform it into land that is producing an abundant harvest for His purposes. God went before the people of God again and again into situations of great need; deserts, wilderness, land inhabited by God’s enemies and in every situation His power shook those settings; abundant showers where there was desert, supernatural provision where there was lack, timely revelation that strategically provided wisdom to win the victory in time of need. All of these outpourings were the source of God’s intervention to release His abundance. In the midst of each season where His servants were growing weary and their faith was tested God sent timely refreshing to establish renewed confidence in the hearts of His children.
Whatever the need today we can know that if we are walking in accordance with the commands of God concerning us the answer from God’s heart is yes! Where God directs, He protects. Where He leads, He also provides. The apostle Paul built up the faith of the church in 2 Cor 1:20 by saying, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.” We do not have to live in fear that God will change His mind or is unable to perform what He has pronounced. The fulfillment of God’s promises is not dependent upon our perfection. Those men and women that God demonstrated His greatness through in all of the stories of the scriptures were made of flesh and bone just like us. Elijah was a passionate man, given to emotion. David was a man who fell to great sin and yet the testimony over his life was that he was a man after God’s own heart. Joseph was a proud and immature little brother whom God shaped through an extended season of trial on the pathway to fulfilling his ordained purpose and establishing him in all of the promises spoken over him. In many ways God chooses vessels who are just as much barren or desert land as the situations that He sends them in to and even as He transforms the setting He transforms the individual. Moses was transformed into the right man for the calling by responding TO the calling! In the same way do not look at your own inadequacies or the barrenness of your situation. Identify the promises of God that are His words into your situation and let them shape you and make you. Let them become the foundational seeds that establish faith in your heart that God can cause to blossom into the fullness of His purposes for both you and that situation that He desires to transform through your obedience.
It is the glory of God to turn barrenness into abundance! Do not focus on your circumstances. This is the greatest thief of our confidence. Our eyes must be fixed upon God and His promises that He has made concerning us. The promises that God declares over a person, a business, a church, a community or a nation are the first fruits of God going before us into the circumstances that He is directed us into. God spoke to His servant Joshua and told Him that wherever his feet walked God had given him that land. God leads us into our possessions before those possessions look like something that we could ever possess. When He sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land to bring back a report only two brought back a report of faith. All of the others brought back a report that was focused solely on the obstacles that had to be overcome and the problems became larger in their minds than the power of God to overcome those promises.
It is God’s delight to take that which appears as a wasteland or that which appears unconquerable and bring under the dominion of His kingdom and through that dominion to transform it into land that is producing an abundant harvest for His purposes. God went before the people of God again and again into situations of great need; deserts, wilderness, land inhabited by God’s enemies and in every situation His power shook those settings; abundant showers where there was desert, supernatural provision where there was lack, timely revelation that strategically provided wisdom to win the victory in time of need. All of these outpourings were the source of God’s intervention to release His abundance. In the midst of each season where His servants were growing weary and their faith was tested God sent timely refreshing to establish renewed confidence in the hearts of His children.
Whatever the need today we can know that if we are walking in accordance with the commands of God concerning us the answer from God’s heart is yes! Where God directs, He protects. Where He leads, He also provides. The apostle Paul built up the faith of the church in 2 Cor 1:20 by saying, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.” We do not have to live in fear that God will change His mind or is unable to perform what He has pronounced. The fulfillment of God’s promises is not dependent upon our perfection. Those men and women that God demonstrated His greatness through in all of the stories of the scriptures were made of flesh and bone just like us. Elijah was a passionate man, given to emotion. David was a man who fell to great sin and yet the testimony over his life was that he was a man after God’s own heart. Joseph was a proud and immature little brother whom God shaped through an extended season of trial on the pathway to fulfilling his ordained purpose and establishing him in all of the promises spoken over him. In many ways God chooses vessels who are just as much barren or desert land as the situations that He sends them in to and even as He transforms the setting He transforms the individual. Moses was transformed into the right man for the calling by responding TO the calling! In the same way do not look at your own inadequacies or the barrenness of your situation. Identify the promises of God that are His words into your situation and let them shape you and make you. Let them become the foundational seeds that establish faith in your heart that God can cause to blossom into the fullness of His purposes for both you and that situation that He desires to transform through your obedience.
Monday
Psalm 68:5-6 - July 6, 2009
Ps 68:5-6 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
This verse like few others clearly and simply identifies the nature of the God that we serve. At the very beginning of man God spoke over His son Adam and declared in Gen 2:18 "It is not good for the man to be alone.” The very foundation of our nature is relational and compassionate. Both of these attributes are shadowy expressions of the nature of God that He uses all the pages of scripture to reveal. When the Lord sees someone who is fatherless no matter whether they are young or old He extends His covering over that person and invests as a father to a child as one of the manifestations of His heart. When He finds a widow, one who is powerless to defend herself, God rises up and becomes her defense. When he finds the lonely person He exerts His will to surround them with a family. This is one of the foundational roles of the Body of Christ. And when He sees one who is bound in a prison of sin He offers mercy and delights to lead forth that bound one into a life of freedom. We must never be fearful that God will reject us. His word is clear that as long as we are humbly aware of our needs and reach to Him He delights in breaking the chains of bondage!
The relational aspect of God’s heart that is displayed in these verses is then contrasted with the life of the rebellious with startling clarity. Relationship, protection, and deliverance are the benefits of a life lived for God. But for the rebellious every day is like living under the scorching heat of an unrelenting sun. Even if their lives seemed blessed materially we must remember that it is the state of their soul that is scorched. In the Day of Judgment their own conscience will be their accuser as they stand before God. The very thoughts that have spoken to them repeatedly over the course of their lives, seeking to turn them from their rebellion and restore them to fellowship with God, will then flash before their eyes and they will know the truth of their condition.
This verse reaches to each one of us with comforting arms to assure us that with God as our source we will never be abandoned. We will never be alone. It is vital that we connect to this truth. God is not just compassionate to the widow and the fatherless. God cares about the lonely! God greatly desires that every person who would like to enjoy meaningful relationship can experience God’s love through friendship with other believers as a result of the body of Christ. Jesus has given us the church as the context for relational fulfillment. His prayer in John 17:20-21 “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one , Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” states the breadth of His desire as He states that all who believe are invited to enjoy relationship with one another. The Lord also affirms the depths of the love that we are invited to enjoy in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” The love working throughout the members of the body of Christ is intended to be of the same nature and measure of the love that Christ has for us! If we are feeling alone then it is time to seek out a functioning expression of the body of Christ in the region where we are called to live and then give our hearts to helping develop this kind of loving relationship within the local church. As we contribute the life flow of our hearts to that environment it grows stronger and is able to encompass more and more people for God’s glory!
Sunday
Psalm 67:3-7 - July 5, 2009
Ps 67:3-7 "May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him." NIV
Oh, how the earth longs for just government! It is man’s injustice towards his fellow man that is the source of so much of the division and conflict that is raging throughout the earth. As men corruptly pursue their own ends in the various nations of the earth heart after heart is filled with a longing for truly righteous and just leadership to arise in the nations. Instead of one nation rising up against another, the hearts of simple men and women are longing for a day when we may all enjoy peace and love in the context of mutual blessing. This is the cry of hearts throughout the whole earth. Man’s selfishness is at the center of division in families, communities and nations. The Apostle James diagnoses the problem clearly in James 4:1-3 when he says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get
on your pleasures.”
Psalm 67 gives us hope of a better day! There is a time coming when the Lord our God will rule the earth with justice and righteousness. The day is declared when the Lord will establish a righteous rule over all the earth in complete love in complete trustworthiness. Imagine leadership that can be truly trusted to not act with any seed of jealousy, self-promotion, greed or lust. Imagine a government that will bring forth abundant blessing for all. This is the hope of the millennial reign of Christ. This is the vision of a better day. Our hearts cry how long as we watch the nations decay into greater and greater chaos. But Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return. And so our hearts are destined to live in hope, in faith of a better day.
However, we are not without hope in this life as we await the Lord. There is great blessing promised to those who will live for the kingdom of God. For those who will fix their eyes on the heavenly kingdom of God and live with a whole heart for God’s purpose there is great promise, great reward. Jesus said in Matt 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” As God releases blessing on His obedient servants, the result is a testimony that goes throughout the earth to speak into the hearts of those who would listen to make known the goodness of God. As we praise God through the voice of an obedient life God’s blessing accompanies us and world discoverers the living God.
Oh, how the earth longs for just government! It is man’s injustice towards his fellow man that is the source of so much of the division and conflict that is raging throughout the earth. As men corruptly pursue their own ends in the various nations of the earth heart after heart is filled with a longing for truly righteous and just leadership to arise in the nations. Instead of one nation rising up against another, the hearts of simple men and women are longing for a day when we may all enjoy peace and love in the context of mutual blessing. This is the cry of hearts throughout the whole earth. Man’s selfishness is at the center of division in families, communities and nations. The Apostle James diagnoses the problem clearly in James 4:1-3 when he says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get
on your pleasures.”
Psalm 67 gives us hope of a better day! There is a time coming when the Lord our God will rule the earth with justice and righteousness. The day is declared when the Lord will establish a righteous rule over all the earth in complete love in complete trustworthiness. Imagine leadership that can be truly trusted to not act with any seed of jealousy, self-promotion, greed or lust. Imagine a government that will bring forth abundant blessing for all. This is the hope of the millennial reign of Christ. This is the vision of a better day. Our hearts cry how long as we watch the nations decay into greater and greater chaos. But Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return. And so our hearts are destined to live in hope, in faith of a better day.
However, we are not without hope in this life as we await the Lord. There is great blessing promised to those who will live for the kingdom of God. For those who will fix their eyes on the heavenly kingdom of God and live with a whole heart for God’s purpose there is great promise, great reward. Jesus said in Matt 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” As God releases blessing on His obedient servants, the result is a testimony that goes throughout the earth to speak into the hearts of those who would listen to make known the goodness of God. As we praise God through the voice of an obedient life God’s blessing accompanies us and world discoverers the living God.
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