We Have a Leader

The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.
-Zechariah 14:9

We have the one who leads us and guides us in the way that we should go. Many times men look to the government for leadership, when they need to look to the Lord. He is the only one that can lead the nations into righteousness and justice and He is the only one that can bring hope and change to the lives of millions of people.

As Jesus opened up the scroll of Isaiah He read these words out of Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of true leadership and servanthood, let us today, look to Jesus to be our leader.

Our Eyes are Upon You

O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
-2 Chronicles 20:12

This story illustrates for us the great opportunity that we have in completely trusting in and depending upon the Lord. The King was going up against an army that was much bigger than what he had, his resources did not match up and humanly speaking he did not stand a chance. But what he did was turn to the Lord and he said our eyes are upon you, not the huge army, not the insurmountable circumstances but upon the Lord who is greater than our problems. God is greater than anything we can face and today is a good day to put our eyes upon the Lord and trust him with our lives. For the king in our story he was victorious and the Lord gave him rest all around from his enemies. He was willing to give it all to God. Are you willing?

Promises and promises

...I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
-Isaiah 41:9c-10

The Lord’s promises are so comforting and sure that we have nothing to fear or be concerned about. Even if we are faithless He remains faithful.

In these verses we see several promises that were given to Israel by the Lord which apply to our lives today. Our part is to trust in the Lord, to believe in His word and have faith in those promises regardless of our circumstances. I love that His word says, “I am your God.” When He is our God we can take hold of those beautiful and precious promises. As He says He will help us because we need help, He will strengthen us because we need strength and He will hold us up because we need support.

We Will Not Fear

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea...
-Psalm 46:1-2

In the current times that we live in there are many difficulties that we are facing. Every moment there seems to be one crisis or another and we are presented with the fact that this world and its system are failing rapidly and are on a downward spiral spinning out of control. Our financial system is broken; our political process is confusing and discouraging. Things are not going to get any better either as we are approaching the day of the Lord. Aside from all of this we have a God in whom we can find safety and security. He not only has the future in His hands but He also is able to help in the present, the here and the now. Because God is our strength, we will not fear. The world is passing away but those who trust in the Lord will live forever. No matter what happens God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. Today we can say “therefore we will not fear” only because of God and the promises He gives us and that makes all the difference in the world.

Time is Short

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
-Titus 2:13

We are to be looking for the rapture of the church as perilous times are here. One cannot help but wonder how close we really are to the return of Jesus Christ. The stage is being set as world events are rapidly moving in the direction of the end. As believers we have the blessed hope in our Lord and Savior Jesus, as we have not been appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation. These truly are difficult times but, they also are exciting because of the hope.
Let us be looking for Jesus to come very soon.

The Lord is for us

the majestic Lord will be for us
Isaiah 33:21

God’s love for us is so amazing we can barely comprehend it. He is always reaching out and pouring His grace upon us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins Christ died for the ungodly.
We were not the ones that went looking for him, He is the one that first loved us. Many times we forget that the Lord is on our side and He himself desires to be with us as He has loved us with an everlasting love.
Since God is for us who can be against us? The fact that the Lord here in Isaiah is called a majestic Lord means that He truly is worthy and He is for us. For this reason I thank Him and I gladly serve Him.

God is very Gracious

He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry
Isaiah 30:19

God is very gracious and kind to us even when we turn away from him. He delights in showing mercy and forgiveness. Many times as people struggle with the flesh they wonder what is going to happen to them and what the consequences will be. But all the while God is waiting for them and He will be very gracious the moment they cry to him, the moment they admit that they are not where they need to be. As Isaiah states when God hears your cry, He will answer you and then you will hear His voice and He will be very gracious to you. The graciousness is found in Jesus Christ the one who gave His life for us.

Walking in the Light

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light…
-1 John 1:7a

As we live our lives in honest evaluation of the truth, it requires transparency while being real and there is an essence of revival that takes place in our lives.

Love is to be without hypocrisy and should not be fake or manufactured. Real love comes from Jesus and as we live out our christianity in Him we will experience freedom and fellowship. This requires confession of sin, admitting your faults and being humble enough to realize that you might be wrong. One thing is for sure, Jesus is always right, Jesus is truth and Jesus is the light.
All we have to do is have Him work in our life and then allow Him to work through our lives.

Hating Evil

the fear of the Lord is to hate evil
-Proverbs 8:13

When we learn to love and respect our Lord, He places within our heart a holy hatred for evil. This does not mean that we hate people who do evil, it means that we hate the evil itself. As we get to know God we become less tempted by evil because our desires change. God gives us his desires which end up being things that are pleasing in His sight. That is why the Psalmist said if you delight yourself in the Lord He will give you the desires of your heart. Sin, which is another word for evil destroys peoples lives, it wreaks havoc and always causes problems. When we learn to fear the Lord we have a tendency to stay away from sin and instead we walk with the Lord.

Worship Together

I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord.
-Psalm 122

There is something intimate about getting together with other believers to worship the Lord, to be edified and to be encouraged. David was glad to go worship God with the people of God. He loved to celebrate God's goodness and grace together with those who call upon the name of the Lord. He had said that the house of the Lord was the place to give thanks unto the Lord.

We know that we can give thanks to the Lord any time, any place and anywhere. But what a blessing to go to His house, the place where the saints gather together and lift up the name of Jesus.

Psalm 134:2 "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD."

He will deliver me

Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death.
Romans 7:24

As Christians, we experience a battle against the flesh and the spirit. Often times we find ourselves exhausted, weary and worn out while fighting the battle. As we look to the Lord Jesus, we discover that victory is available to us. It is then that we find the strength to defeat the flesh and walk in the spirit, resulting in peace and rest.

His Will not Ours

everyone did what was right in his own eyes
Judges 21:25

Israel as a nation really got off track because they were not following the Lord. This is very dangerous; to do what you think is right, in the process you move away from the foundation of truth and righteousness.
For the nation of Israel they ended up divided, confused, disillusioned, they struggled with devastating circumstances and attacks from their enemies. They cried out to God and He helped them every time but, they did not continue to serve Him.
What we need to do is learn from the examples we have been given and do what is right in the Lords eyes. Jesus surrendered His will to the will of the Father as He prayed "not my will but yours be done." As we surrender our will to the will of the Father, God will bless us and our lives will be on the right path instead of the wrong path.

Spiritual Success

for then you will make your way prosperous
Joshua 1:8c

God gave Joshua instructions on how to become spiritually successful and to complete the mission that he had given him. Joshua’s mission was to lead the children of Israel to go in and take possession of the land. God gave him promises that he would be with him wherever he went and that no man would be able to stand against him all of his life. All he had to do was be a strong and courageous leader who meditated on the word of God.
After reading the book of Joshua we see that God gave them the land, Joshua had success in leading them just like God said He would. For us today, we can be successful spiritually as we listen to the Lord, as we follow His instructions and as we have confidence in His promises.

Trusting in the Promise

...the scarlet cord...
Joshua 2:21

Israel was going to take the city of Jericho and in the process destroy the inhabitants of the land. Rahab who was a harlot or better known as a sinful woman encountered the men of God and she asked for kindness and deliverance from the Lord. She entered into an oath and was told that the token of the promise would be to bind a scarlet cord to the window and they would know that she had faith. Rahab trusted in the promise and because of that she was saved not only her, but her family as well. This is a picture of how God takes sinners, people that have done things they should not do, people that are not so righteous and he delivers them from their sin and saves them. The scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus that was shed for us upon the cross of calvary and when we apply that to the window of our hearts we too are saved. Rahab had faith and that is what saved her, she trusted in the promise and for that she was delivered and set free.

1 John 5:20- And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life.

Choosing Today

today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God.
Deuteronomy 27:17

God established a covenant with his people and they agreed to that comitment. The comitment was that they would be obedient to the Lord and the Lord would bless them.
Each day we all have the opportunity to choose the Lord, to walk with Him and to be holy. Today even if you have gotten off track and turned away you can come back to Him, you can be forgiven and start fresh. All of this, is because of what Jesus did upon the cross. We should not dwell on the past and we should not worry about tomorrow but today we can choose Him and He will bless us.

Be Open to What God is Doing

to be ready for every good work
Titus 3:1b

When we place ourself underneath the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and remain ready to serve Him divine appointments happen often. In other words when we are open to what the Lord is doing we see Him working and setting things up so that we can be used by Him.

Paul on his missionary journeys saw this time and time again. God used him and he took every opportunity to preach the gospel. In Acts 14:9 "This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed..."
Paul recognized this divine appointment because he was ready for every good work. The result-the man was healed, others saw what happened and they glorified God.

Let us be ready today and be open to God working and we will see divine appointments orchestrated by God and He will glorify Himself.

Declared Not Guilty

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident
-Galatians 3:11

Paul wrote in Galatians about justification-believers are declared not guilty. This did not happen because of the law but because of what Jesus did for us. Titus 3:7 "that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." The grace of God came through Jesus Christ and it is through His grace that we are made right with God. Today we can thank God that we do not have to keep the law, that we are not required by law to make a sacrifice to get rid of our guilt and our sins. Instead as we have faith in Jesus we are declared not guilty, we stand before him innocent and set free. What a glorious and wonderful promise and an opportunity for us to rejoice in Him.

Completing God's Work

So Moses finished the work.
-Exodus 40:33c

God had given detailed instructions to Moses for the building of the tabernacle. This was also called the place where God would meet with his people "the tent of meeting." After Moses did what he was commanded to do the glory of the Lord filled the temple and it was a sign that God was pleased and his presence went with the people.

When we follow the instructions that the Lord gives us we will catch a glimpse of His glory and He will lead us with His presence as well. God knows exactly what He is doing and we can count on him leading the way.

Staying Close to His Presence

but His servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
-Exodus 33:11b

As Moses was communing with God, speaking to Him at the tabernacle of God, Joshua was right there with him. The tabernacle was the place where God would meet with his people. It was the place of his presence and the place of fellowship. This is also the place where the people worshipped the Lord.
Joshua a true servant of the Lord stayed close to the tabernacle as God was preparing him for the future.
This shows us that if we stay close to the presence of God we will be ready for whatever comes in the future, and a true servant, loves to stay close to God.
James 4:8 says draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Mary also chose the best part and she sat at the feet of Jesus.
When we stay close, we get to speak with the Lord and He will speak to us.

The Bread of God

Then the Lord said to Moses, behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you...-Exodus 16:4

God took the children of Israel out of Egypt and slavery, He gave them freedom. Although, free they were in the wilderness, with no place to get food for more than a million people and so the people cried out to God. Their cries were really complaints and doubts against the Lord. God provided for them in spite of their complaints and He rained bread from heaven. This was a true miracle and that bread continued for forty years.

God is still in the business of raining down bread from heaven and taking care of his people. All we have to do is trust him and not complain against him and we will see as the children of Israel did, the glory of the Lord.

Today, Jesus is the bread of life that came down from heaven to give life to those that have faith in him.

The Meaning of Life

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments.
-Ecclesiastes 12:6

Solomon searched for the meaning and the purpose of life. He had set his heart to search and to know through wisdom, pleasure, hard work and even marriage and rejoicing in the rewards of your own labor. He discovered that it was all a vain and empty search and as he calls it a “grasping after the wind.” He realized that life without God is meaningless and serves no real purpose. In fact not only was it meaningless but it left him hopeless, empty, and cynical. He discovered that the true meaning of life is found in a relationship with the Lord. When we know God and serve God we discover what Solomon and countless others have been trying to find. To fear God is know Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.
Jesus is the one that gives us complete total satisfaction along with real purpose, this is what we are looking for.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

...but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.
-John 4:14

When we come to Jesus and drink we find a satisfaction and a completeness that cannot be found anywhere else. If we drink from the well water of the world we will thirst again and again. We will always have to come to draw the water that is only temporary and does not last.

Many people are searching for something in life that would satisfy the soul and they come up short, they find an emptiness that cannot be filled. However, when we come to Christ and accept his invitation to drink of the water of the Spirit, not only do we find total and complete satisfaction but also our lives will be overflowing with the Spirit of God.
All we have to do is come to Jesus by faith and he will fill us up.

God Really is in Control

Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
-Ecclesiastes 7:13

When we think about the work of God our perspective usually changes. The reason is because we realize that He is in charge and nothing escapes His notice. No matter what we might be experiencing in our lives He knows about it and He is allowing it to happen. When Jacob wrestled with God he said, "I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved." Although he was injured as his hip was out of joint he finally realized that in all things God is really in control of all things including our lives.
Have you considered how God is working in your life?

Passover Lamb

...when they killed the Passover lamb...
Mark 14:12b

Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Him who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus.

He took our sins and He nailed them to the cross and He rose from the dead and gives us the hope of eternal life. Since we are all sinners in need of a Savior, the fact that Jesus is the Passover Lamb is an occasion to rejoice and give glory to God.

For we were once lost and without hope, but now we have the hope of eternal life. Let us look to Jesus since He is the author and finisher of our faith. Knowing that we have truly received forgiveness and set free.

A Great High Priest

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens
-Hebrews 11:14a

Jesus is not just a high priest but the great high priest and He was made like us and sympathizes with our weknesess.

He himself experienced temptation and He identifies with our humanity. He was not only the son of God but the son of man.

The priest is the one who ministers to God and to the people and he offers sacrifices for their sins. Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins and totally removed them. This is why He is so great a high priest and therefore, giving us acess to him at all times.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

“Walking by Faith”

...,so Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to Him.
-Genesis 12:4

God spoke to Abram and gave him a set of promises along with some instructions. These included for Abram to leave home and go to another location. Abram obeyed God’s word and he walked by faith. He did not argue, and he did not question what God instructed him to do.

Throughout the bible Abraham is called the father of faith because he believed God. The work of faith is to believe God and then to do what he says to do.

Paul the Apostle said the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight". In other words, we go by what God says not by what we can see, as the promises of God are all the evidence we need. Today we can walk by faith and as God told Abram there will be great blessings that follow.

Set Free from the Law

Free from the law of sin and death.
-Romans 8:2b

As we attempt to live our lives for Jesus there are times we fall into the trap of living under the law. When we find ourselves in this place we become frustrated, confused and worn out. The reason is we are trying to live the Christian life in our own strength and not in the strength of the Lord.

This passage in Romans gives us a promise that leads to freedom. When we take the promise to heart we can relax and enjoy serving the Lord.

I am reminded of a song that we used to sing when I first became a Christian that goes like this, "I am so glad that Jesus set me free signing glory, hallelujah, Jesus set me free!" Paul also said in Romans 6:20- "but now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life."

So today let us remember we are made free and we are no longer under the law but under grace, what a relief!

Love Endures all Things

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
-1 Corinthians 13:7

When we read about the true biblical application of love we are convicted because we know that we fall short. Meaning that true love is a high standard and we need to learn to work on walking in love.

When I read the phrase love endures all things I realize that I have a long way to go. To endure something means to hold up and to persevere under trials. Love is not circumstantial but it is eternal and God has given us his love.
Let us love one another as he loves us and gave himself for us.

Generosity is Good

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.
Proverbs 22:9

The bible has a lot to say about riches and money. The core issue however, regarding riches and money is really the heart. When we have a heart that is devoted to God, opportunities to give to others will be evident. We should therefore, give generously and not grudgingly.

Jesus gave his life for us and we in turn should give ourselves to Him. The best part is the promise that is given to those who are generous, and that is that they will be blessed.

Serving with Love

...but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13b

When it comes to serving the Lord the most important element is Love. We serve the Lord because He first laid down His life for us. Jesus is the example of being a true servant and as followers of Jesus we are to be true servants.
Love is to be the motivation for our service to the Lord. We are commanded to love one another and without love we are just making noise thus accomplishing nothing. The love that we have comes from God as God is love. Paul said in Ephesians that we are to walk in love as Christ loved us, therefore, as Christians let us serve the Lord because we love Him and let us serve others with the same love.

Giving and Serving

...which is your reasonable service.
-Romans 12:1-c

Paul urged the church at Rome to give themselves to the Lord fully and completely. This was the most reasonable thing that they could do and therefore what we should do today. In light of what Jesus has done for us it makes the most sense, to say yes to Jesus and no to the world. Once we do this, the most natural thing for us to do to is to serve the Lord. We make ourselves available to Him and then we do what He tells us to do.
As Paul further said in Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them...
So we need to start by surrendering our life to the Lord, making ourselves available to serve Him and then we use the gifts that He has given us, all for His glory.

Resolve to let the Spirit Lead

...Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
-Zechariah 4:6c

Given that we have begun a New Year, is a good time for us to resolve that we will allow GOD to lead our lives by His Spirit and not by our flesh. God is the one that is doing the work in our lives and as Jesus said “...apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5. As the Lord spoke to Zechariah that the temple would be built not by their strength or power, but it would be by God’s power, he also told him that the work He started He would complete.

God has started a work in each of us and He promises to complete that work. In order for the Spirit to work we must be willing to live by faith, by believing His promises and not by trusting our best efforts or by our works. This year, I challenge you to resolve to allow God to continue the work in you that He has begun and therefore be glorified through our lives.

Entering Into the Holiest Place

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus...
-Hebrews 10:19

Because of what Jesus did upon the cross- sacrificed his life, we can enter into his presence any time. Through his blood we are forgiven, we are clean and we are made holy and righteous, if we believe. We do not have to do anything except have faith and then we can boldly enter into the holiest place.
What is the holiest place? It is where God meets with his people. As we enter and find ourselves in the presence of the King, we know that we can draw near to God because of what Jesus has done for us.

Hebrews 10:22a, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Hebrews 10:23a, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.

Where Does the Lord Reside?

Heaven is My throne, And earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of my rest.
-Isaiah 66:1

Solomon in preparing to build a temple, that is a house for the Lord, recognized that God cannot be contained or placed in a box. 1 Kings 8:2727 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!"

Yet God, is not too big to dwell with us in the person of Jesus. Immanuel which means God with us purposed through Christ to dwell with his people and to save them from their sins. John 1:14 speaks of the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. Further along in John’s gospel we are told that the spirit of truth the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us. God is not too big to be near us and even to be in us who believe. Although the heaven of heavens cannot contain God he chooses to dwell in our hearts and the results- peace and rest.

May God bless you with himself today.