The Holy Spirit
[John the baptist said] "I baptize you with water. But that
person who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
-- Mark 1:8 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus has the power and authority to send the Spirit and make us new.
John could talk about the Holy Spirit and operate by the power and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as well as promise the coming of the
Holy Spirit. However, he could not baptize in the Holy Spirit. It
wasn't part of his baptism. Only Jesus can make us new by the power of
the Holy Spirit. We each one need to seriously consider whether we have
let him make us truly new.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Father in heaven, thank you for the gift and power of the Holy Spirit
that is at work in your children. Thank you for sending this Spirit
into our lives, Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit, I pray that you will mold me
and make me into the person I need to be to properly share the grace of
God with others. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Friday, January 6, 2012
TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT
VERSE:
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe
suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy
Spirit.
-- 1 Thessalonians 1:6
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Thessalonians+1:6
THOUGHT:
We find it so easy to let our circumstances determine our moods.
Paul reminds this group of new Christians under attack that their
new life in Christ had brought them joy despite the outwardly harsh
circumstances they were facing. Their joy was not the fleeting,
circumstance-determined veneer. Instead, they had welcomed the
powerful message of salvation with joy! This joy was not dependent
upon their circumstances. It was rooted in their Savior's example,
in his abiding presence through the Holy Spirit, and the salvation
available through Jesus.
PRAYER:
Dear heavenly Father, please make my joy immune to outward
circumstances and please empower that joy by your Holy Spirit.
Please bless me as I seek to conform my life and attitude to the
example of my Savior. Please help me become a better example of
spiritual joy to those around me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe
suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy
Spirit.
-- 1 Thessalonians 1:6
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Thessalonians+1:6
THOUGHT:
We find it so easy to let our circumstances determine our moods.
Paul reminds this group of new Christians under attack that their
new life in Christ had brought them joy despite the outwardly harsh
circumstances they were facing. Their joy was not the fleeting,
circumstance-determined veneer. Instead, they had welcomed the
powerful message of salvation with joy! This joy was not dependent
upon their circumstances. It was rooted in their Savior's example,
in his abiding presence through the Holy Spirit, and the salvation
available through Jesus.
PRAYER:
Dear heavenly Father, please make my joy immune to outward
circumstances and please empower that joy by your Holy Spirit.
Please bless me as I seek to conform my life and attitude to the
example of my Savior. Please help me become a better example of
spiritual joy to those around me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
SpiritFire!
Power, Love, & Self-discipline
VERSE:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us
power, love and self–discipline.
-- 2 Timothy 1:7 tniv
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Timothy+1:7+tniv
THOUGHT:
As Paul faced the challenges of imprisonment and impending
death, he reminded Timothy not to be ashamed of the message of
Jesus or of his messenger, Paul. The Spirit of God lives in us, and
the Spirit brings us power, love, and self-discipline. We shouldn't
be timid! The presence and power of God live within us through his
Spirit.
PRAYER:
Father, forgive me for the times I have been timid about my
faith. I recognize that in those moments when I was timid, I wasn't
depending upon your Spirit to strengthen me and give me boldness to
say the things I need to say in the ways I need to say them. Please
fill me with your Spirit so that I can be a person of character and
compassion, demonstrating power, love, and self-discipline in my
life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
VERSE:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us
power, love and self–discipline.
-- 2 Timothy 1:7 tniv
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Timothy+1:7+tniv
THOUGHT:
As Paul faced the challenges of imprisonment and impending
death, he reminded Timothy not to be ashamed of the message of
Jesus or of his messenger, Paul. The Spirit of God lives in us, and
the Spirit brings us power, love, and self-discipline. We shouldn't
be timid! The presence and power of God live within us through his
Spirit.
PRAYER:
Father, forgive me for the times I have been timid about my
faith. I recognize that in those moments when I was timid, I wasn't
depending upon your Spirit to strengthen me and give me boldness to
say the things I need to say in the ways I need to say them. Please
fill me with your Spirit so that I can be a person of character and
compassion, demonstrating power, love, and self-discipline in my
life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
DAILY WISDOM from HEARTLIGHT
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more...and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:16-17, King James Version
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:16-17, King James Version
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
WORSHIP
And he pitched his tent having Bethel on the west and Ai
on the east: and there he builded an altar.
Genesis 12:8
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ge+12:8&sr=1
Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what
you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God,
give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God
and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If
you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot,
as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a
spiritual thing for your self, it has to be given back to Him that He
may make it a blessing to others.
Bethel is the symbol of communion with God; Ai is the symbol of the
world. Abraham pitched his tent between the two. The measure of the
worth of our public activity for God is the private profound
communion we have with Him. Rush is wrong every time, there is always
plenty of time to worship God. Quiet days with God may be a snare. We
have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with
God, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not
three stages in spiritual life - worship, waiting and work. Some of
us go in jumps like spiritual frogs, we jump from worship to waiting,
and from waiting to work. God's idea is that the three should go
together. They were always together in the life of Our Lord. He was
unhasting and unresting. It is a discipline, we cannot get into it
all at once.
And he pitched his tent having Bethel on the west and Ai
on the east: and there he builded an altar.
Genesis 12:8
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ge+12:8&sr=1
Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what
you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God,
give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God
and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If
you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot,
as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a
spiritual thing for your self, it has to be given back to Him that He
may make it a blessing to others.
Bethel is the symbol of communion with God; Ai is the symbol of the
world. Abraham pitched his tent between the two. The measure of the
worth of our public activity for God is the private profound
communion we have with Him. Rush is wrong every time, there is always
plenty of time to worship God. Quiet days with God may be a snare. We
have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with
God, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not
three stages in spiritual life - worship, waiting and work. Some of
us go in jumps like spiritual frogs, we jump from worship to waiting,
and from waiting to work. God's idea is that the three should go
together. They were always together in the life of Our Lord. He was
unhasting and unresting. It is a discipline, we cannot get into it
all at once.
Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
MORNING:
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness."
-- Genesis 1:4
Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness,
"Let there be light." We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it
than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is
said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more
precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal
natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our
eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold
sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the
Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as he propounds
it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has
many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy,
holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus
good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the
place where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us
more of it, and more of thyself, the true light.
No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is
necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them,
let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with
deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must
be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of
darkness to those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should
by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our
distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action,
in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the
precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the
Lord made upon the world's first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our light
throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men.
EVENING:
"And God saw the light."
-- Genesis 1:4
This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's
dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the
Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"-he looked at it with
complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it "was good." If
the Lord has given you light, dear reader, he looks on that light with
peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to him as his own handiwork,
but because it is like himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to
the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that
work of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure
which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the
light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our
seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to
think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of
God's people-but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am
still safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are
his." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and
mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your heart,
for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul
cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye. You may have sunk low
in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any longing
towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in his finished work,
God sees the "light." He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in
you. "I, the Lord, do keep it." This is a precious thought to those
who, after anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own
powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will
one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the fulness of
glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness."
-- Genesis 1:4
Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness,
"Let there be light." We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it
than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is
said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more
precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal
natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our
eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold
sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the
Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as he propounds
it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has
many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy,
holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus
good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the
place where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us
more of it, and more of thyself, the true light.
No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is
necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them,
let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with
deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must
be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of
darkness to those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should
by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our
distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action,
in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the
precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the
Lord made upon the world's first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our light
throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men.
EVENING:
"And God saw the light."
-- Genesis 1:4
This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's
dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the
Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"-he looked at it with
complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it "was good." If
the Lord has given you light, dear reader, he looks on that light with
peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to him as his own handiwork,
but because it is like himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to
the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that
work of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure
which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the
light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our
seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to
think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of
God's people-but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am
still safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are
his." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and
mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your heart,
for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul
cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye. You may have sunk low
in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any longing
towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in his finished work,
God sees the "light." He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in
you. "I, the Lord, do keep it." This is a precious thought to those
who, after anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own
powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will
one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the fulness of
glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.
WHAT JESUS DID!
A Life in Service
John wore clothes made from camel's hair. John had a leather
belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. This is
what John told the people: "There is a person coming later
who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to kneel down
and untie his shoes."
-- Mark 1:6-7 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
John's whole life was defined by his service to God and to God's Son.
His clothing, his food, and his tasks were all defined by his mission
-- to prepare the way for the Lord. How could he live his whole life
for someone else? He defined himself as unworthy to even be the servant
or slave of this someone else, this coming one who is so much greater
than he. Jesus comes to us and asks us in our day to let him define our
lives as well. That's what it means to call Jesus Lord -- we see
ourselves as unworthy to be his servants and slaves; yet, because of
his grace, we are called his brothers and sisters. For such blessings,
we offer him our lives in service to him and his kingdom.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Gracious Father, thank you for being so gracious to me. Please accept
my life in service to you as my thanks and praise. In Jesus' name.
Amen.
John wore clothes made from camel's hair. John had a leather
belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. This is
what John told the people: "There is a person coming later
who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to kneel down
and untie his shoes."
-- Mark 1:6-7 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
John's whole life was defined by his service to God and to God's Son.
His clothing, his food, and his tasks were all defined by his mission
-- to prepare the way for the Lord. How could he live his whole life
for someone else? He defined himself as unworthy to even be the servant
or slave of this someone else, this coming one who is so much greater
than he. Jesus comes to us and asks us in our day to let him define our
lives as well. That's what it means to call Jesus Lord -- we see
ourselves as unworthy to be his servants and slaves; yet, because of
his grace, we are called his brothers and sisters. For such blessings,
we offer him our lives in service to him and his kingdom.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Gracious Father, thank you for being so gracious to me. Please accept
my life in service to you as my thanks and praise. In Jesus' name.
Amen.
TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT
VERSE:
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
-- 2 Peter 1:5-7
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Peter+1:5-7&translation=kjv
THOUGHT:
Sometimes we get so frightened by the thought of "works-won"
salvation that we forget that love and grace ultimately call us to
action, and not just reflection. Action means effort. That's
exactly what Peter is calling us to make -- "every effort." Peter
explains why this effort is important in the next few verses. "If
we possess these qualities in increasing measure," they help us be
productive in our knowledge of Jesus! Let's be productive! As we
make "every effort," we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is the
power at work producing the fruit that makes effectiveness
possible! (cf. Galatians 5:22-25)
PRAYER:
Mold me and make me, Father, more perfectly conformed to your
will and more perfectly consistent with your character. I do not
pray this for my glory, but so that you can more effectively use me
to share your blessings and grace with those around me. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
-- 2 Peter 1:5-7
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Peter+1:5-7&translation=kjv
THOUGHT:
Sometimes we get so frightened by the thought of "works-won"
salvation that we forget that love and grace ultimately call us to
action, and not just reflection. Action means effort. That's
exactly what Peter is calling us to make -- "every effort." Peter
explains why this effort is important in the next few verses. "If
we possess these qualities in increasing measure," they help us be
productive in our knowledge of Jesus! Let's be productive! As we
make "every effort," we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is the
power at work producing the fruit that makes effectiveness
possible! (cf. Galatians 5:22-25)
PRAYER:
Mold me and make me, Father, more perfectly conformed to your
will and more perfectly consistent with your character. I do not
pray this for my glory, but so that you can more effectively use me
to share your blessings and grace with those around me. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.
SpiritFire!
Grace Even in the Asking
VERSE:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts
knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for
God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
-- Romans 8:26-27 tniv
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+8:26-27+tniv
THOUGHT:
How do we ask for the Holy Spirit? How do we pray when we don't
know what to say? Paul tells the followers of Jesus in Rome that
the Holy Spirit helps intercede for us, even to the point of
articulating to God what we can't put into words! Not only that,
but when we point our hearts and requests and thanksgivings to God,
the Holy Spirit cleans up our prayers and makes them in line with
the will of God! Even in asking for the Spirit to be at work in our
lives, the Holy Spirit goes to work for us in and through our
prayers!
PRAYER:
Precious God, Almighty Father, words cannot express the depth of
my appreciation for your gift of the Holy Spirit. Even when I don't
know how to pray or what to say, I know the Spirit is there with
me, sharing my heart with you in ways that are pleasing to you!
Thank you for this grace and the Gift that makes it possible. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
VERSE:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts
knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for
God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
-- Romans 8:26-27 tniv
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+8:26-27+tniv
THOUGHT:
How do we ask for the Holy Spirit? How do we pray when we don't
know what to say? Paul tells the followers of Jesus in Rome that
the Holy Spirit helps intercede for us, even to the point of
articulating to God what we can't put into words! Not only that,
but when we point our hearts and requests and thanksgivings to God,
the Holy Spirit cleans up our prayers and makes them in line with
the will of God! Even in asking for the Spirit to be at work in our
lives, the Holy Spirit goes to work for us in and through our
prayers!
PRAYER:
Precious God, Almighty Father, words cannot express the depth of
my appreciation for your gift of the Holy Spirit. Even when I don't
know how to pray or what to say, I know the Spirit is there with
me, sharing my heart with you in ways that are pleasing to you!
Thank you for this grace and the Gift that makes it possible. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
DAILY WISDOM from HEARTLIGHT
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth
his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1, King James Version
his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1, King James Version
QUOTEMEAL from HEARTLIGHT
The real danger of legalism is that it produces a sense of
attainment that short-circuits our call to live the life of Yes
thorugh Christ. Self-achievement brings a false sense of
assurance that somehow we can live a pure life in our own
ability. This attitude ultimately leads us to cut ourselves off
from the heart of God and, in turn, to deny our true identity in
Christ.
-- David Edwards
attainment that short-circuits our call to live the life of Yes
thorugh Christ. Self-achievement brings a false sense of
assurance that somehow we can live a pure life in our own
ability. This attitude ultimately leads us to cut ourselves off
from the heart of God and, in turn, to deny our true identity in
Christ.
-- David Edwards
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
THE AFTERWARDS OF THE LIFE OF POWER
Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou
shalt follow Me afterwards.
John 13:36
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+13:36&sr=1
"And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me." Three
years before, Jesus had said - "Follow Me," and Peter had followed
easily, the fascination of Jesus was upon him, he did not need the
Holy Spirit to help him to do it. Then he came to the place where he
denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit,
and now Jesus says again - "Follow Me." There is no figure in front
now saving the Lord Jesus Christ. The first "Follow Me" had nothing
mystical in it, it was an external following; now it is a following
in internal martyrdom (cf. John 21:18).
Between these times Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, he
had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there
was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in
his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation
from the risen Lord. "He breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost." No matter what changes God has wrought in
you, never rely upon them, build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.
All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power
to carry them out. When we have come to the end of ourselves, not in
imagination but really, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost" - the idea is that of invasion. There is
only one lodestar in the life now, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou
shalt follow Me afterwards.
John 13:36
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+13:36&sr=1
"And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me." Three
years before, Jesus had said - "Follow Me," and Peter had followed
easily, the fascination of Jesus was upon him, he did not need the
Holy Spirit to help him to do it. Then he came to the place where he
denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit,
and now Jesus says again - "Follow Me." There is no figure in front
now saving the Lord Jesus Christ. The first "Follow Me" had nothing
mystical in it, it was an external following; now it is a following
in internal martyrdom (cf. John 21:18).
Between these times Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, he
had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there
was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in
his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation
from the risen Lord. "He breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost." No matter what changes God has wrought in
you, never rely upon them, build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.
All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power
to carry them out. When we have come to the end of ourselves, not in
imagination but really, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost" - the idea is that of invasion. There is
only one lodestar in the life now, the Lord Jesus Christ.
HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine
Restoration, by Bill Brant
It was horrific! They were ripped from their dwellings, forced to
travel for months, held as slaves for 70 years, everything about "home"
was remembered and some had never seen the places they were told about.
Their names were changed, they were expected to eat different foods and
told to assimilate into their new surroundings or else!
Then one day, they were allowed to go "home." Just under 50,000 who
made the four months' journey wanted to reclaim what they had left.
The story of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity is found in
the first six chapters of Ezra. Those chapters talk about how those
returning exiles went to great lengths to restore their place of
worship, the Temple; to restore their religious practices, festivals
and sacrifices, to restore their relationship to Jehovah God. Ezra, the
writer, tells about the almost insurmountable obstacles that cluttered
their way and how their determination conquered those barriers. They
wanted restoration with God. Being separated from Him by distance, by
culture, even by kingly command did not quench that need to be once
again close to their God.
And God Almighty has always wanted restoration with his creation. From
the time man introduced sin into the world and God asked "where are
you?" (Genesis 3:8-11) to the image of Jesus standing at a door
knocking, waiting to be let in (Revelation 3:20), God has made it
possible for man and woman to be "pure and Holy" again in His sight.
Like the Israelites of old, we too can find ourselves ripped from our
homes, forced to go places we don't want and become slaves to our
emotions and desires. BUT we can go "home" anytime we choose
restoration with our Father.
As 2012 begins, maybe this is your time to seek God again. I'd like to
help; email me at bbrant@heraldoftruth.org or join our blog discussion
at www.hopeforlife.org.
(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)
Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.
You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.
It was horrific! They were ripped from their dwellings, forced to
travel for months, held as slaves for 70 years, everything about "home"
was remembered and some had never seen the places they were told about.
Their names were changed, they were expected to eat different foods and
told to assimilate into their new surroundings or else!
Then one day, they were allowed to go "home." Just under 50,000 who
made the four months' journey wanted to reclaim what they had left.
The story of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity is found in
the first six chapters of Ezra. Those chapters talk about how those
returning exiles went to great lengths to restore their place of
worship, the Temple; to restore their religious practices, festivals
and sacrifices, to restore their relationship to Jehovah God. Ezra, the
writer, tells about the almost insurmountable obstacles that cluttered
their way and how their determination conquered those barriers. They
wanted restoration with God. Being separated from Him by distance, by
culture, even by kingly command did not quench that need to be once
again close to their God.
And God Almighty has always wanted restoration with his creation. From
the time man introduced sin into the world and God asked "where are
you?" (Genesis 3:8-11) to the image of Jesus standing at a door
knocking, waiting to be let in (Revelation 3:20), God has made it
possible for man and woman to be "pure and Holy" again in His sight.
Like the Israelites of old, we too can find ourselves ripped from our
homes, forced to go places we don't want and become slaves to our
emotions and desires. BUT we can go "home" anytime we choose
restoration with our Father.
As 2012 begins, maybe this is your time to seek God again. I'd like to
help; email me at bbrant@heraldoftruth.org or join our blog discussion
at www.hopeforlife.org.
(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)
Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.
You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.
Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
MORNING:
"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ."
-- 2 Peter 3:18
"Grow in grace"-not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that
root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done.
Let faith increase in fulness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in
love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more
practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in
humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness.
As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward -having
nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with
Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to "grow in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour." He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus,
refuses to be blessed. To know him is "life eternal," and to advance in
the knowledge of him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long
to know more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet. Whoever hath sipped
this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet
it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but
whetted. If you know the love of Jesus-as the hart panteth for the
water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of his love. If
you do not desire to know him better, then you love him not, for love
always cries, "Nearer, nearer." Absence from Christ is hell; but the
presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content without an
increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of him in his
divine nature, in his human relationship, in his finished work, in his
death, in his resurrection, in his present glorious intercession, and
in his future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the
mystery of his wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect
apprehension of his love to us is one of the best tests of growth in
grace.
EVENING:
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
-- Genesis 42:8
This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with
the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic,
namely, our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly
perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of him. "His eyes
beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in his book all our
members were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we
had a being in the world we had a being in his heart. When we were
enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness, and our
wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed
him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his brethren well
beloved, and his bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook his
chosen, but always beheld them as objects of his infinite affection.
"The Lord knoweth them that are his," is as true of the prodigals who
are feeding swine as of the children who sit at the table.
But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance
grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him, and allowed him
no entrance to our love. We mistrusted him, and gave no credit to his
words. We rebelled against him, and paid him no loving homage. The Sun
of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see him. Heaven came
down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Let God be praised, those
days are over with us; yet even now it is but little that we know of
Jesus compared with what he knows of us. We have but begun to study
him, but he knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that
the ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a hopeless case
for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but he will confess
our names in the day of his appearing, and meanwhile will manifest
himself to us as he doth not unto the world.
"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ."
-- 2 Peter 3:18
"Grow in grace"-not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that
root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done.
Let faith increase in fulness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in
love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more
practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in
humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness.
As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward -having
nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with
Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to "grow in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour." He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus,
refuses to be blessed. To know him is "life eternal," and to advance in
the knowledge of him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long
to know more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet. Whoever hath sipped
this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet
it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but
whetted. If you know the love of Jesus-as the hart panteth for the
water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of his love. If
you do not desire to know him better, then you love him not, for love
always cries, "Nearer, nearer." Absence from Christ is hell; but the
presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content without an
increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of him in his
divine nature, in his human relationship, in his finished work, in his
death, in his resurrection, in his present glorious intercession, and
in his future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the
mystery of his wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect
apprehension of his love to us is one of the best tests of growth in
grace.
EVENING:
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
-- Genesis 42:8
This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with
the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic,
namely, our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly
perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of him. "His eyes
beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in his book all our
members were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we
had a being in the world we had a being in his heart. When we were
enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness, and our
wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed
him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his brethren well
beloved, and his bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook his
chosen, but always beheld them as objects of his infinite affection.
"The Lord knoweth them that are his," is as true of the prodigals who
are feeding swine as of the children who sit at the table.
But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance
grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him, and allowed him
no entrance to our love. We mistrusted him, and gave no credit to his
words. We rebelled against him, and paid him no loving homage. The Sun
of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see him. Heaven came
down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Let God be praised, those
days are over with us; yet even now it is but little that we know of
Jesus compared with what he knows of us. We have but begun to study
him, but he knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that
the ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a hopeless case
for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but he will confess
our names in the day of his appearing, and meanwhile will manifest
himself to us as he doth not unto the world.
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