Read Zechariah 14:6-21
It breaks my heart to think that all those who practice evil and sin and those who revel in it and call these wicked things ‘good’ have no idea what really lays ahead for them. They have believed the lie that they will never be called to account for their lives. As I think of the coming judgment of the Lord, it breaks my heart to think that these people will face the wrath of God Almighty. I wonder, if they really knew what was coming up, would it scare the hell out of them? Would they repent and turn if they could see the Lord’s anger? Would they cease their lifestyle and choices if they knew what God had in store for them?
When the Lord God returns to judge the world, there will be great distress and carnage. God will fight against the nations that fight against His people. He will punish them and gain victory over them. Zechariah reveals horrid scenes of the Lord’s punishment upon those who fight against His people - their flesh will rot while they are still alive and their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will putrefy in their mouths. Their animals will suffer a similar fate. It’s horrid.
On that day there will be one King, the Lord Himself, and He will be King over the whole earth. He will rule upon His throne in Jerusalem. Living water will flow out of Jerusalem, presumably flowing to bless the other nations and peoples that survive the judgment. Amazingly, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned here in this “perfect kingdom”. Those who survive the day of judgment will go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
When Jesus walked around the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) He picked up on this imagery of living water flowing outwards. We read:-
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
This statement by Jesus means that each person has a choice to make. They can stand under the wrath of God or they can turn to Jesus in faith and receive the streams of living water that He spoke of and of which Zechariah prophesied. You can only be in one of two camps. Either you are under the wrath of God, or you are under the blessing of God. No single person is in neutral territory!
Where do you stand with God? Where will you be on the day of judgment?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the work of outreach that is happening through Extreme. Each 3rd Saturday of the month people gather and bring their children to our Extreme outreach and hear the Bible taught and are encouraged to put their faith in Jesus. Pray that we would see many families come to Christ through this.
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life as they continue to seek to win disciples across the nation in our universities. Pray that God would be pouring out His Holy Spirit upon the universities and bringing transformation to many students. Pray that these new believers would be quickly integrated into local churches and utilised for further kingdom work.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Wednesday November 7, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 16:13-16
Aussies love to party, don’t they? Any excuse is a good excuse to party! In fact I think we love it too much! When I see hoards of drunk teenagers destroying homes and lives of others and when I see the violence created by excessive alcohol consumption I wonder if we party too much.
Imagine if God commanded the nation of Australia to party! Yet that’s exactly what’s happening in the Feast of Booths. God is telling the nation of Israel to party, to celebrate, to rejoice and to be glad. But it’s not to be a binge party or drug party or anything sinful like that. This is a week long celebration in gratitude to God for His gracious and loving provision. This is to be a thanksgiving party in which God remains the centre of attention.
The feast is fascinating in that Israel is told, or more correctly commanded, to rejoice during the feast. No where else does this occur during the feasts. People laugh and rejoice when Bobby McFerrin sings his hit song ‘Don’t worry, Be Happy’ but when God commands His people to rejoice, there’s an indignation and backing off. Some people actually get their knickers in a knot at this command and list all the possible reasons for not rejoicing.
In the New Testament we are also told, or more correctly, commanded, to rejoice. In Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 we are commanded to ‘Rejoice in the Lord’. In the second occurrence Paul says ‘Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS’. Of course we rejoice in the good times. Of course we rejoice when life is going the way we have planned. Of course we rejoice when we are well off. But God says rejoice ALWAYS!!
How can that be possible? How can God command such things? How can a grieving widow rejoice? How can a believing man who just lost his job rejoice? How can a poor person rejoice? The key is to understand that joy (the root word of rejoice) is not equal to happiness. Happiness is an emotion built on and founded on external things. When life goes well we are happy. When things go the way we planned we are happy. When they don’t, we are not happy. Joy is not equal to happiness. Joy is an immovable confidence in God, knowing that all is in His control and that He is at work to bring about His purposes no matter what circumstance my life is presently in. I can rejoice when life is good, bad or somewhere in between!
What we need to do is develop an attitude of gratitude that learns to praise God in any and every situation. We need to learn to look to God, to trust God and to know Him intimately in good and bad times. That alone will lead to joy. If nothing else, you can and should always be praising God that nothing, absolutely nothing in this life or the next can take away the salvation you have in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that this Sonday at your local church there will be an overflowing of thanks to the Lord for what He has done for you in Christ Jesus. Pray that an attitude of gratitude would be upon all who are present. Pray that the Lord would be glorified and exalted by the praises of your congregation.
¥ Pray that there would be provision for the believers in Vietnam who are currently in jail for their faith. Pray that the other prisoners would see Christ in these men and women of faith and that they would come to Christ in repentance and faith.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Aussies love to party, don’t they? Any excuse is a good excuse to party! In fact I think we love it too much! When I see hoards of drunk teenagers destroying homes and lives of others and when I see the violence created by excessive alcohol consumption I wonder if we party too much.
Imagine if God commanded the nation of Australia to party! Yet that’s exactly what’s happening in the Feast of Booths. God is telling the nation of Israel to party, to celebrate, to rejoice and to be glad. But it’s not to be a binge party or drug party or anything sinful like that. This is a week long celebration in gratitude to God for His gracious and loving provision. This is to be a thanksgiving party in which God remains the centre of attention.
The feast is fascinating in that Israel is told, or more correctly commanded, to rejoice during the feast. No where else does this occur during the feasts. People laugh and rejoice when Bobby McFerrin sings his hit song ‘Don’t worry, Be Happy’ but when God commands His people to rejoice, there’s an indignation and backing off. Some people actually get their knickers in a knot at this command and list all the possible reasons for not rejoicing.
In the New Testament we are also told, or more correctly, commanded, to rejoice. In Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 we are commanded to ‘Rejoice in the Lord’. In the second occurrence Paul says ‘Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS’. Of course we rejoice in the good times. Of course we rejoice when life is going the way we have planned. Of course we rejoice when we are well off. But God says rejoice ALWAYS!!
How can that be possible? How can God command such things? How can a grieving widow rejoice? How can a believing man who just lost his job rejoice? How can a poor person rejoice? The key is to understand that joy (the root word of rejoice) is not equal to happiness. Happiness is an emotion built on and founded on external things. When life goes well we are happy. When things go the way we planned we are happy. When they don’t, we are not happy. Joy is not equal to happiness. Joy is an immovable confidence in God, knowing that all is in His control and that He is at work to bring about His purposes no matter what circumstance my life is presently in. I can rejoice when life is good, bad or somewhere in between!
What we need to do is develop an attitude of gratitude that learns to praise God in any and every situation. We need to learn to look to God, to trust God and to know Him intimately in good and bad times. That alone will lead to joy. If nothing else, you can and should always be praising God that nothing, absolutely nothing in this life or the next can take away the salvation you have in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that this Sonday at your local church there will be an overflowing of thanks to the Lord for what He has done for you in Christ Jesus. Pray that an attitude of gratitude would be upon all who are present. Pray that the Lord would be glorified and exalted by the praises of your congregation.
¥ Pray that there would be provision for the believers in Vietnam who are currently in jail for their faith. Pray that the other prisoners would see Christ in these men and women of faith and that they would come to Christ in repentance and faith.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Tuesday November 6, 2012
Read Leviticus 23:42-44
Aussies love to go out bush. Every Christmas and Easter letterboxes are filled with catalogues from outdoor and camping shops catering for the thousands upon thousands who love to get out for the weekend and enjoy the Great Outdoors. It’s so popular that a show ‘The Great Outdoors’ has aired for many years now.
But the Israelite's weren’t too keen on going bush. They didn’t have a love of the outdoors and going into the wild as we do. They preferred much more civilised houses and homes. But even so, they were told, or more correctly commanded, to camp out in booths for the week in memory of the way that God led His people through the wilderness for 40 years and provided daily for their needs.
The Feast of Booths, or Ingathering lasted from the 15th day to the 21st day of Tishri which corresponds to our September-October. During this feast the people were to live in simple booths made from branches and cloth and they were to rejoice in the goodness of God and in His daily provision. They recalled and experienced to some degree what it meant for that initial generation to spend 40 years in the wilderness, marching towards the Promised Land.
On the first day of the feast each Israelite was to take fruit from the trees, palm fronds, leafy branches, and poplars (23:39–40a). Although not explicitly stated in the text, we should assume that the branches from these trees would be used for the making of their wooden booths. The booths were a simple, three sided shelter. Throughout the history of Israel we see that they also waved the branches of palm, myrtle, willow and citron towards the four corners of the earth acknowledging that God is the Sovereign Lord of all the earth. They would also recite the Hallel (as in Hallelujah) Psalms (Ps 113-118) as they spent the week in their booths.
How often do you and I rejoice in the Lord’s provision? How often do we take time to think about God and the way that He has blessed us and provided for us? How often do we take the time to rejoice in God? Let me encourage you to make time to praise and thank God for His provision each and every single day. Develop an attitude of gratitude for what God has given you. Learn to count your blessings each and every single day.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for Straight Talk Australia and use them powerfully to bring the light of Christ to many students. Pray for open doors in various schools around the country. Pray that God would uphold and strengthen Jim and Faye in this vital ministry.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would bless their work and provide for their daily needs.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Aussies love to go out bush. Every Christmas and Easter letterboxes are filled with catalogues from outdoor and camping shops catering for the thousands upon thousands who love to get out for the weekend and enjoy the Great Outdoors. It’s so popular that a show ‘The Great Outdoors’ has aired for many years now.
But the Israelite's weren’t too keen on going bush. They didn’t have a love of the outdoors and going into the wild as we do. They preferred much more civilised houses and homes. But even so, they were told, or more correctly commanded, to camp out in booths for the week in memory of the way that God led His people through the wilderness for 40 years and provided daily for their needs.
The Feast of Booths, or Ingathering lasted from the 15th day to the 21st day of Tishri which corresponds to our September-October. During this feast the people were to live in simple booths made from branches and cloth and they were to rejoice in the goodness of God and in His daily provision. They recalled and experienced to some degree what it meant for that initial generation to spend 40 years in the wilderness, marching towards the Promised Land.
On the first day of the feast each Israelite was to take fruit from the trees, palm fronds, leafy branches, and poplars (23:39–40a). Although not explicitly stated in the text, we should assume that the branches from these trees would be used for the making of their wooden booths. The booths were a simple, three sided shelter. Throughout the history of Israel we see that they also waved the branches of palm, myrtle, willow and citron towards the four corners of the earth acknowledging that God is the Sovereign Lord of all the earth. They would also recite the Hallel (as in Hallelujah) Psalms (Ps 113-118) as they spent the week in their booths.
How often do you and I rejoice in the Lord’s provision? How often do we take time to think about God and the way that He has blessed us and provided for us? How often do we take the time to rejoice in God? Let me encourage you to make time to praise and thank God for His provision each and every single day. Develop an attitude of gratitude for what God has given you. Learn to count your blessings each and every single day.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for Straight Talk Australia and use them powerfully to bring the light of Christ to many students. Pray for open doors in various schools around the country. Pray that God would uphold and strengthen Jim and Faye in this vital ministry.
¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would bless their work and provide for their daily needs.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Monday November 5, 2012
Weekly Challenge
At every meal you have this week, resolve to praise God and thank God for all His blessings and provisions. Try to praise God before every single meal this week.
Read Leviticus 23-34-36
Each year we look forward to Christmas. It’s not always in anticipation of celebrating Messiah’s birth either. The world stops at Christmas time and starts to celebrate. This celebrating and rejoicing has much in common with the Feast of Booths.
The final feast mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, as it’s sometimes called. It’s a harvest festival also called the Feast of the Ingathering. It’s referred to in Hebrew as z’man simkhateinu - the season of our rejoicing. Seven days of continual rejoicing are followed by an 8th day solemn assembly.
The Feast of Booths became the culmination of the Biblical calendar because of its position at the end of the year and the final feast in much the same way that Christmas has become the culmination of the year for many westerners (though many don’t celebrate the birth of Messiah, they still celebrate and look forward to this time of year). By the time King Solomon ascended to the throne the Feast of Booths had simply become known as The Feast. See 1 Kings 8:2, 65.
As a harvest festival where crops were gathered in, it’s understandable that this festival reminds people of God’s wonderful provision for their lives and prophetically points forward to the end time harvest where God will gather in the people and provide eternally for them. Stay tuned for more throughout the week.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be leading and guiding the leadership in your congregation. Pray for the Session, the Committee of Management and other groups or committees that lead. Pray for each one specifically.
¥ Pray that God would make fellowship in your church this week so rich and so powerful that others are drawn into Christ and non believers willingly confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
At every meal you have this week, resolve to praise God and thank God for all His blessings and provisions. Try to praise God before every single meal this week.
Read Leviticus 23-34-36
Each year we look forward to Christmas. It’s not always in anticipation of celebrating Messiah’s birth either. The world stops at Christmas time and starts to celebrate. This celebrating and rejoicing has much in common with the Feast of Booths.
The final feast mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, as it’s sometimes called. It’s a harvest festival also called the Feast of the Ingathering. It’s referred to in Hebrew as z’man simkhateinu - the season of our rejoicing. Seven days of continual rejoicing are followed by an 8th day solemn assembly.
The Feast of Booths became the culmination of the Biblical calendar because of its position at the end of the year and the final feast in much the same way that Christmas has become the culmination of the year for many westerners (though many don’t celebrate the birth of Messiah, they still celebrate and look forward to this time of year). By the time King Solomon ascended to the throne the Feast of Booths had simply become known as The Feast. See 1 Kings 8:2, 65.
As a harvest festival where crops were gathered in, it’s understandable that this festival reminds people of God’s wonderful provision for their lives and prophetically points forward to the end time harvest where God will gather in the people and provide eternally for them. Stay tuned for more throughout the week.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be leading and guiding the leadership in your congregation. Pray for the Session, the Committee of Management and other groups or committees that lead. Pray for each one specifically.
¥ Pray that God would make fellowship in your church this week so rich and so powerful that others are drawn into Christ and non believers willingly confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Saturday November 3, 2012
Read Hebrews 10:19-25
;
We’re losing respect in the western world at a large rate of knots. Women are not respected. Even though we’ve had a feminist revolution and a desperate grab at sexual equality, women are increasingly being portrayed as sex objects and meat to please men. Parents are not respected. Children are rebelling against parental authority at younger ages. The elderly are not respected. More and more we are seeing them attacked, robbed, beaten up and sometimes even sexually assaulted. God is not respected in any sense as more and more people seek to remove the name and Word of God from any public place. Respect is dying.
;
Yet when we look to the Old Testament people of God, we see that they had an incredible respect for God. They would not even pronounce the Hebrew name, Yahweh (given to Moses as the personal name of God in Exodus) but would say, ‘Adonai’ or ‘Lord’ as a respectful substitute. They stood in awe outside the temple not daring to enter into the sanctuary, let alone the inner sanctuary where God Himself dwelt.
;
Sometimes I wonder if the awe and wonder of Hebrews 10:19 is lost on us because our lack of respect. Older folk may know something of what it means to stand in the presence of a great person, a king or a queen but we’ve lost that sense of awe and respect. Jesus has made it possible for you and I to enter into the inner sanctuary where God dwells. We can venture into the Most Holy Place where only 1 man in Israel could enter into and only once per year after much sacrifice for sins. Jesus has made it possible for you and I to stand before the living God, our Creator, the one who made atoms and astronomical wonders. We can approach the God who resembles a towering inferno.
;
Such an awe inspiring privilege has consequences and implications for our lives. Reread today’s passage and see if you can work out how this awesome privilege should change our lives. There are five implications - two relating to God and three relating to each other. See if you can find them in today’s passage.
;
Relating to God
1/.
;
2/.
;
Relating to Each Other
1/.
;
2/.
;
3/.
Now that you’ve found them, think about how you might be doing each one.
;
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
;
Adoration:
;
;
Confession:
;
;
Thanks:
;
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be leading and guiding the leadership in your congregation. Pray for the Session, the Committee of Management and other groups or committees that lead. Pray for each one specifically.
¥ Pray that God would make fellowship in your church this week so rich and so powerful that others are drawn into Christ and non believers willingly confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
;
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
;
2/.
;
3/.
;
;
;
;
;
We’re losing respect in the western world at a large rate of knots. Women are not respected. Even though we’ve had a feminist revolution and a desperate grab at sexual equality, women are increasingly being portrayed as sex objects and meat to please men. Parents are not respected. Children are rebelling against parental authority at younger ages. The elderly are not respected. More and more we are seeing them attacked, robbed, beaten up and sometimes even sexually assaulted. God is not respected in any sense as more and more people seek to remove the name and Word of God from any public place. Respect is dying.
;
Yet when we look to the Old Testament people of God, we see that they had an incredible respect for God. They would not even pronounce the Hebrew name, Yahweh (given to Moses as the personal name of God in Exodus) but would say, ‘Adonai’ or ‘Lord’ as a respectful substitute. They stood in awe outside the temple not daring to enter into the sanctuary, let alone the inner sanctuary where God Himself dwelt.
;
Sometimes I wonder if the awe and wonder of Hebrews 10:19 is lost on us because our lack of respect. Older folk may know something of what it means to stand in the presence of a great person, a king or a queen but we’ve lost that sense of awe and respect. Jesus has made it possible for you and I to enter into the inner sanctuary where God dwells. We can venture into the Most Holy Place where only 1 man in Israel could enter into and only once per year after much sacrifice for sins. Jesus has made it possible for you and I to stand before the living God, our Creator, the one who made atoms and astronomical wonders. We can approach the God who resembles a towering inferno.
;
Such an awe inspiring privilege has consequences and implications for our lives. Reread today’s passage and see if you can work out how this awesome privilege should change our lives. There are five implications - two relating to God and three relating to each other. See if you can find them in today’s passage.
;
Relating to God
1/.
;
2/.
;
Relating to Each Other
1/.
;
2/.
;
3/.
Now that you’ve found them, think about how you might be doing each one.
;
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
;
Adoration:
;
;
Confession:
;
;
Thanks:
;
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would be leading and guiding the leadership in your congregation. Pray for the Session, the Committee of Management and other groups or committees that lead. Pray for each one specifically.
¥ Pray that God would make fellowship in your church this week so rich and so powerful that others are drawn into Christ and non believers willingly confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
;
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
;
2/.
;
3/.
;
;
;
;
Friday, 2 November 2012
Friday November 2, 2012
Read Hebrews 10:12-18
GRACE is hard to wrap our puny minds around. It’s hard to deal with. It’s well illustrated by that American food company that produced what has been called the best tasting cake in history. But it proved to be a sales flop!! Why? Because the recipe only called for adding water and nothing else. People, it seems, want to be able to put in, to help out, to be active. Adding an egg or two and some milk and so on makes people feel better because they contributed something. We’re like that with GRACE. It’s hard to accept GRACE. We want to be able to put in, to help out and to contribute in some way, shape or form.
Yet it’s by GRACE that Jesus offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice. It’s by GRACE that God writes His Word, His law on our hearts. It’s by GRACE that God chooses to not remember our sins and to not punish us as we justly deserve. It’s by GRACE that God chooses to call us saints not sinners. It’s by GRACE that we are forgiven and need not offer any sacrifice for our sins.
It’s only when we experience that GRACE in our hearts that we will truly change and over come sin in our lives—be it the sin of self hatred or the sin of some addiction that has wrapped its tentacles around our heart. When we understand GRACE we come to realise and know that we can do nothing to free ourselves and to make ourselves acceptable to God. We realise and know deep in ourselves that in and of ourselves we are damnable in God’s presence. But we don’t dwell on the negative! We realise and accept and experience the truth of the gospel of GRACE. Jesus died and rose again for me, just as I am. Jesus suffered and died, accursed by God for me in my sinful state.
When we understand GRACE it’s understandable that we weep tears of agony at our sinfulness but also weep tears of joy at God’s love. When we experience GRACE we sing with joy in our hearts and dance with delight because some one has dared to love us. Someone has seen the rot, the darkness, the sinful core of my being and still loves me! Even more so, this someone has seen me to my core and loves me enough to do something about it. This someone hasn’t left me in my miserable state. He has conquered my heart. He has stolen my heart to himself. He has renewed me and made me perfect forever. He has done the impossible. If you’re not weeping tears of joy, please slap yourself into reality!!!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that the students and staff would be blessed with all the needed resources so that they can focus on learning, growing and reaching the world for Christ.
¥ Pray that the students who work in churches over the weekends would preach the Word powerfully and fearlessly. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully through the preached Word to grow the disciples and to bring many into the kingdom.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
GRACE is hard to wrap our puny minds around. It’s hard to deal with. It’s well illustrated by that American food company that produced what has been called the best tasting cake in history. But it proved to be a sales flop!! Why? Because the recipe only called for adding water and nothing else. People, it seems, want to be able to put in, to help out, to be active. Adding an egg or two and some milk and so on makes people feel better because they contributed something. We’re like that with GRACE. It’s hard to accept GRACE. We want to be able to put in, to help out and to contribute in some way, shape or form.
Yet it’s by GRACE that Jesus offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice. It’s by GRACE that God writes His Word, His law on our hearts. It’s by GRACE that God chooses to not remember our sins and to not punish us as we justly deserve. It’s by GRACE that God chooses to call us saints not sinners. It’s by GRACE that we are forgiven and need not offer any sacrifice for our sins.
It’s only when we experience that GRACE in our hearts that we will truly change and over come sin in our lives—be it the sin of self hatred or the sin of some addiction that has wrapped its tentacles around our heart. When we understand GRACE we come to realise and know that we can do nothing to free ourselves and to make ourselves acceptable to God. We realise and know deep in ourselves that in and of ourselves we are damnable in God’s presence. But we don’t dwell on the negative! We realise and accept and experience the truth of the gospel of GRACE. Jesus died and rose again for me, just as I am. Jesus suffered and died, accursed by God for me in my sinful state.
When we understand GRACE it’s understandable that we weep tears of agony at our sinfulness but also weep tears of joy at God’s love. When we experience GRACE we sing with joy in our hearts and dance with delight because some one has dared to love us. Someone has seen the rot, the darkness, the sinful core of my being and still loves me! Even more so, this someone has seen me to my core and loves me enough to do something about it. This someone hasn’t left me in my miserable state. He has conquered my heart. He has stolen my heart to himself. He has renewed me and made me perfect forever. He has done the impossible. If you’re not weeping tears of joy, please slap yourself into reality!!!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that the students and staff would be blessed with all the needed resources so that they can focus on learning, growing and reaching the world for Christ.
¥ Pray that the students who work in churches over the weekends would preach the Word powerfully and fearlessly. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully through the preached Word to grow the disciples and to bring many into the kingdom.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Thursday November 1, 2012
Read Hebrews 9:7-15
A lot of Christians find it easy to forgive others but it hard, if not virtually impossible to forgive themselves! Are you in that group? Do you berate yourself and beat yourself up over some past mistake or sin that you committed? Do you hate yourself? Some believers hate themselves so much that they cut themselves or destroy their bodies by unhealthy binging or causing themselves to vomit after eating.
Wholeness and healing is found only in Jesus Christ. In the old system the High Priest would enter the inner room of the temple and seek forgiveness for the people of God. This was looking forward to the coming of Christ who is the true High Priest who alone can enter heaven (the true temple) on our behalf. He enters through His own blood, the blood of the perfect sacrifice, not the blood of goats and calves and lambs.
It is only the blood of the perfect ‘God-man’ that can clear and cleanse your conscience and put your mind at ease with perfect peace. Each one of us needs to come to that realisation that no matter how heinous or sinful our past deeds were, the blood of Christ has obtained for us eternal redemption. The sacrifices offered year after year could not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper but the blood of Christ could, and does!
Think of the Apostle Paul. Before he was a Christian he was a Christian-hating murderer. He was a violent man and a blasphemer. He dedicated his life to destroying the church, to wiping the name of Jesus off the face of the earth. Even so, he identified with and trusted in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. He was washed clean by Jesus. And rather than hating himself, rather than berating himself, rather than beating himself up, he wrote for us these freeing words.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Read the underlined bit again. Paul refused to judge himself. He refused to hate himself. He refused to condemn himself! He left that to God.
You too can be freed from self condemnation. Through the blood of Jesus you have permission to love yourself, to like yourself and to be at peace. You have permission to be happy. Jesus has redeemed you. He has freed you. Refuse to hate that which Jesus loves so preciously.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that the students and staff would be blessed with all the needed resources so that they can focus on learning, growing and reaching the world for Christ.
¥ Pray that the students who work in churches over the weekends would preach the Word powerfully and fearlessly. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully through the preached Word to grow the disciples and to bring many into the kingdom.
My Additional Prayer Points.
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2/.
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A lot of Christians find it easy to forgive others but it hard, if not virtually impossible to forgive themselves! Are you in that group? Do you berate yourself and beat yourself up over some past mistake or sin that you committed? Do you hate yourself? Some believers hate themselves so much that they cut themselves or destroy their bodies by unhealthy binging or causing themselves to vomit after eating.
Wholeness and healing is found only in Jesus Christ. In the old system the High Priest would enter the inner room of the temple and seek forgiveness for the people of God. This was looking forward to the coming of Christ who is the true High Priest who alone can enter heaven (the true temple) on our behalf. He enters through His own blood, the blood of the perfect sacrifice, not the blood of goats and calves and lambs.
It is only the blood of the perfect ‘God-man’ that can clear and cleanse your conscience and put your mind at ease with perfect peace. Each one of us needs to come to that realisation that no matter how heinous or sinful our past deeds were, the blood of Christ has obtained for us eternal redemption. The sacrifices offered year after year could not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper but the blood of Christ could, and does!
Think of the Apostle Paul. Before he was a Christian he was a Christian-hating murderer. He was a violent man and a blasphemer. He dedicated his life to destroying the church, to wiping the name of Jesus off the face of the earth. Even so, he identified with and trusted in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. He was washed clean by Jesus. And rather than hating himself, rather than berating himself, rather than beating himself up, he wrote for us these freeing words.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Read the underlined bit again. Paul refused to judge himself. He refused to hate himself. He refused to condemn himself! He left that to God.
You too can be freed from self condemnation. Through the blood of Jesus you have permission to love yourself, to like yourself and to be at peace. You have permission to be happy. Jesus has redeemed you. He has freed you. Refuse to hate that which Jesus loves so preciously.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would provide for the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that the students and staff would be blessed with all the needed resources so that they can focus on learning, growing and reaching the world for Christ.
¥ Pray that the students who work in churches over the weekends would preach the Word powerfully and fearlessly. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully through the preached Word to grow the disciples and to bring many into the kingdom.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
3/.
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