March 25, 2010

Please enjoy today's devotional from the Book of Psalms. Our Mark devotional will resume tomorrow.

Ps 148:13-14 "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart."

There is a people close to the heart of the Lord! Psalm 148:13-14 is a celebration of the Lord’s faithful provision for this people that He loves. Verse 14 passionately proclaims Israel as the people that have captured a special place in His heart. From earliest times the Lord set apart the children of Abraham to be a people who enjoyed a special revelation of God in their midst! Out of all the nations, the Lord found a man named Abram, and led him upon a discovery of God that would prepare the world for a restoration of intimacy with our creator.

Given a new name in the midst of a deep mystical encounter with God, Abram, now Abraham was set apart because of his faith to become the father of all those who would believe. God made Himself known to Abraham and then to the proceeding generations, as a means of unveiling his love for the people that he has created. In the Garden of Eden intimacy with God was forfeited by man’s willful sin and yet the love of God compelled Him to prepare a means of restoration. Throughout the next 4,000 years God pursued a people that He could call His own. He raised up the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to become a nation through which He could demonstrate His intimate affection and through which He could display the nature of this relationship with all mankind. The nation of Israel was born out of 400 years of slavery as God raised up a new generation of followers through which He could display His glory.

Birthed in a miraculous climate of global confrontation and supernatural manifestation, the people of Israel followed the Lord into the land of promise. Their hearts were tested, and their faith matured as they learned how to walk with God in a level of partnership and purpose that the world had never seen. Since that time the purpose of God has continued to expand throughout the generations as the purpose of God through Christ has been made known and all men have been invited to share this life of intimacy. And yet there is still a people close to the Lord’s heart. God is not a respecter of persons but still the scriptures tell us that Israel is precious in His sight. Now separated from God by their unbelief, Paul tells us that this people have experienced a temporary hardening of heart for the sake of the rest of mankind being given a window of time through which to enter into a grace relationship with God. But Israel is not replaced in God’s affections! He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and this “peculiar” people is still precious in His sight.

Paul shared the Lord’s heart in this way with such passion that he declared in Rom 11:25-26 “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved,” The nation of Israel s still in the plan of God and we are reminded to cry out for her salvation. Let your heart be open to the purpose of God in the land of promise and cry out for the spirit of revival to sweep from north to south, east to west throughout all of Israel that the glory of God may be revealed. Let the words of the Lord through Isaiah stir your heart today as you pray: Isa 62:6-7 “You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

Mark 5:6-8 - March 21, 2010

Mark 5:6-8 “When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8 For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

Have you ever considered the fact that men question the true identity of Jesus Christ and yet there is testimony after testimony in the pages of scripture that even the demons recognized Jesus both for His position as God’s Son and for the fact that He has complete, unquestioned authority over them? You never see the demons arguing, nor fighting against Him in their responses to Him. In almost all cases where the story is told not simply a reference to a particular deliverance the story includes Jesus silencing the demons because they knew who He was!

It is such a wondrous thing to see the power and authority of the life of Jesus. He did not struggle against and barely overcome the challenge of demonic opposition. He boldly and confidently took authority over every unclean spirit. And when His own disciples failed to set the captive free in Mark 9 still Jesus exercised complete authority over the demons that bound the boy.

This passage in Mark 5 exalts the glory and authority of Jesus in a powerful way. Men had attempted every known solution to either help or restrain this demonized man. He lived amongst the caves near this town and filled men’s hearts with fear. I am certain that people avoided him and possibly even ran from him whenever he came near and yet to Jesus he was an opportunity to bring praise to God. To Jesus he was a man in need of rescue. I believe that in the same way that Jesus knew ahead of time that Lazarus was going to die and that He would go and raise him from the dead, Jesus knew that this man was waiting on the other side of the sea of Galilee and it was Christ’s intention from the start to bring this day of deliverance for a captive life! It was mercy that compelled Jesus to cross the waters that day. When Jesus calmed the storm on the way across the sea as they were headed to Gadarene Jesus spoke with confidence to the winds. He had already seen the other side!!! He knew that a great victory for God was waiting there and no storm was going to stop Him!

The demonized man does not attack Christ. He does not run away from Him. The authority of Christ was is so complete that the demons binding this man come cowering at His feet like a dog that is fearful of its master! There is no defiance in his voice, only cries for mercy. “Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” He knew with absolute certainty who Jesus was and the measure of His power! “Son of the Most High God!” There is no higher power but Jesus! The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor 5:10 “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Even the demons know of this seat and tremble with fear. Do you have the same revelation of Christ that they possess? Let the knowledge of Christ’s matchless power and glory move you to live differently. Live in the light of who He is and the day of judgment that is awaiting you! Live worthy of the price He paid for you!