Living in a country where each man and woman has a vote, makes it hard for us to understand the true concept of sovereignty. We tend to think that each of us has the ultimate say in most everything we do, but that is not true. We might cast a vote on Election Day, but beyond that one vote all else is God’s will. He is truly sovereign, and we can see this very clearly in His selection of those He calls, as opposed to those we elect. Let’s explore His Sovereignty today.
This morning we are reading, and considering, the words that Jesus spoke regarding praying for more people to work in God's fields, and the great commission of taking the gospel abroad. I believe that the church would do well to take this seriously, but as individuals we should pray for these things as well; especially as we are called to them ourselves… Perhaps we will find that we are praying “Lord send me.”
I was reading Lamentations 3 today, and there was one verse, Lamentations 3:22, that captured me; it reads: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail." This verse made me take pause, and to think about God’s great love for each of us and how, despite our unworthiness, He found it worthwhile to send His Son Jesus to die for us. I thought of all the sinners I pass each day and how their worthiness of forgiveness, prayer, and salvation is no different than mine was when I too was lost in sin, and walked each day in their shoes.
Our scripture reading this morning is from Matthew 7 and leads us into our study. It speaks of judging others; seeking God's Word and will; then doing the things that He has asked of us. Praying within God’s will is more than simply speaking words, because it is not just giving lip service through speech and fancy oration, and calling it a prayer. If we pray from our heart, and within the will of God then He will recognize what we say as prayer, reward them, make our prophecy true, and before Him on judgement day, Jesus will acknowledge us, and not say "I never knew you, depart from me". Are we prepared to yield ourselves to the will of God? Let’s begin our journey towards true prayer.
As I read my devotional this morning and concluded by reading James 2, it became clear to me that the compassion of Jesus plays a major part in translating our faith into action, or as it states in the bible… works. It leads us to not only ask God to come to someone's aid in prayer, but softens our hearts, prompting us to exhibit that selfsame mercy by helping them as well. Do we demonstrate the compassion off Christ in our everyday lives?
Have you ever been on a flight and after takeoff the pilot came on the intercom to say something like "welcome to flight 1974 to Boston. We should have a smooth flight and our trip will be 30 minutes shorter than planned due to having the jet stream at our backs. So relax and enjoy the flight"? Traveling in God's will is much like that; we are carried along with little to no effort because we are walking within the very breath of His will for us.
The subject of my devotional reading this morning was spiritual compassion, and the scriptural reference used to lead into this topic was Psalm 112:4. This Psalm begins by speaking about the characteristics of a man that fears the Lord and upholds His commandments. The psalmist lists things like prosperity, righteousness and fearlessness, and then builds to the apex of the message which is compassion. At this point the Psalm goes on to define a "good man" and each illustration given centers on compassion. Compassion is the true message of Psalm 112, and goes hand in hand with righteousness.
Trust and obey... What a message regarding prayer! We have noticed certain themes throughout our study of praying... trust, obedience, compassion, persistence, and consecration, among them. We learned that these are the tools of prayer. Then, as we exercised them in praying, we witnessed divinity, and received its products which are a flourishing of faith, holiness, righteousness, relationship, power, wisdom, understanding but most of all... a dispensations of grace and mercy; all of which culminate in our salvation, and an eternal existence with God. We have found that as we were taught to use these tools in our prayers we received the Lord’s peace, and the other products of His divine nature.
I love the Bible verse we will contemplate in Philippians this morning, It leads us into the promise of eternity in a wonderful way. But before we speak of it, we must first remind ourselves to concentrate on seeking Jesus more every day. Coupled with the idea of obedience and the increase in faith it brings, we should strive to live our lives just as verse 12 speaks...
This morning we study "Compassionate Prayer" as it was taught in Matthew 9:36. I thought to myself that this was a very appropriate topic, since this is Missions Month at many churches. Beyond delivering the gospel, there are situations at home, and around the world, where we can physically provide aid to others, or pray for them through a situation; but there are quite a few others that are beyond our ability to resolve, and we must depend on a miracle, and entering into "Compassionate Prayer", is our only course of action.
I was reading and contemplating the words of Pastor E. M. Bounds this morning, and as I read his devotional message regarding the close relationship between faith and prayer, I drifted into thought on the subject. I thought about all the times my faith had been strengthened as I prayed and slipped into deep conversation with Him as His Spirit gave me remembrance of His Word. I contemplated the scripture that He revealed to me on those occasions, I recalled how my faith was bolstered as I had prayed in it, and how my prayers fed on my faith, and my faith was nourished by my prayers. Asking in prayer prompts us to seek, and seeking prompts us all the more in our asking.
I was reading and studying Psalm 107 this morning. It reminded me of the state of the world today. I have written on this subject before... Men not recognizing the miracles and mercies of God for what they are. We, as a people, failing to praise Him for His loving kindness, especially in the face of incredible devastation. Let’s look today at how we should praise God in all things, and without end. In this psalm the psalmist begins with a call to prayer by saying... “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Then he goes on to give examples of God's provisions that occur every day and are worthy of our praising Him. Do we do this? Do we praise him in the storms?
In the church today many feel that there is but one calling and that is to become a pastor, or in another form, a missionary. Today let's contemplate that thought process and ask ourselves if we have received a calling, and determine what it truly is.
This morning I have been studying John 14 and reading a devotional that was based on John 14:14. I have always loved this verse and that Jesus says he will do anything for us... After all, who wouldn’t love a verse that promises us everything? And, all we have to do is keep his commandments… Whoops, wait a minute! How can we, with all our human frailty, be expected to do that? Is He asking the impossible of us? At first blush it appears that He is, but as Paul Harvey used to say… "Now for the rest of the story."
Compassion for others should be in the heart of every Christian; it is one of the central characteristics of Christianity. It is a deep caring for others that is at the very heart of what Jesus described in the Sermon on the Mount, and has come to be known to us as the golden rule....