Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving a perfect example for your children and making your expectations clear to us. You have shown us the ways of righteousness and inspired us to know the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Not only this, but you have enabled us to move towards your Holiness: to do these things and greater things in glory to your name by being with us and leading us by your righteous and loving right hand.
Please continue to help transform us: to grow in the Holy Spirit and decrease in the flesh with the daily renewing of our minds. Help us to reflect your light to the world brighter and brighter so that all the people will fear, love and praise your name and be converted. Take our reigns: empower and wield us to yield good fruit abundantly, way beyond our expectations and imaginations.
Please help us to be the best servants possible. All glory and praise to your perfect name Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Thursday 30 November 2017
Jesus our Model
John 14:12 ...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also...
What Would Jesus Do? May seem cliche and over-used, however it is not without its merits: as Christians we should walk in the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that was in our Lord. This means behaving like Christ would. The Bible teaches all about godly behaviour: to do good and hate evil.
John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
It almost goes without saying that I do not mean to develop false piety or messianic delusions: Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, we are not. From birth to death, he lived entirely without sin: we have not. Jesus is honest and humble: never thinking nor claiming to be something that he is not.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
I struggle to summarise Jesus' behaviour in one word, but several come to mind: love, sacrifice, obedience, righteousness, humility, forgiveness, faithfulness... saying this, perhaps there is a word: perfection. This is what the Holy Spirit in believers is guiding us towards, being completely perfect, as he was and increasing in all of these attributes and decreasing in our sinful behaviours.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
If the Son of God is perfection personified in the flesh, we are but imperfection personified in the flesh. For us to be completely perfect we must give up our own ways and adopt God's ways, letting His Holy Spirit grow within us and in turn letting our sinful flesh shrink and wither away.
John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Thank God this is not by our own strength, this is not us who does the works but the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. All the glory belongs to Him, all we have to do is yield to God and get out of the way. D.L. Moody said ""I" is the center of S-I-N. It is the medium through which Satan acts. And so the worst enemy you have to overcome, after all, is yourself."
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
When you become an instrument of the Holy Spirit and are wielded by God you are acting as the light of the world, and what an honour to share in such a glorious title as our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world and the light of life who dispels the darkness of this world. Keep reading the Holy Bible and learn about the many ways to let the glory of God shine through you.
Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
What Would Jesus Do? May seem cliche and over-used, however it is not without its merits: as Christians we should walk in the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that was in our Lord. This means behaving like Christ would. The Bible teaches all about godly behaviour: to do good and hate evil.
John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
It almost goes without saying that I do not mean to develop false piety or messianic delusions: Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, we are not. From birth to death, he lived entirely without sin: we have not. Jesus is honest and humble: never thinking nor claiming to be something that he is not.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
I struggle to summarise Jesus' behaviour in one word, but several come to mind: love, sacrifice, obedience, righteousness, humility, forgiveness, faithfulness... saying this, perhaps there is a word: perfection. This is what the Holy Spirit in believers is guiding us towards, being completely perfect, as he was and increasing in all of these attributes and decreasing in our sinful behaviours.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
If the Son of God is perfection personified in the flesh, we are but imperfection personified in the flesh. For us to be completely perfect we must give up our own ways and adopt God's ways, letting His Holy Spirit grow within us and in turn letting our sinful flesh shrink and wither away.
John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Thank God this is not by our own strength, this is not us who does the works but the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. All the glory belongs to Him, all we have to do is yield to God and get out of the way. D.L. Moody said ""I" is the center of S-I-N. It is the medium through which Satan acts. And so the worst enemy you have to overcome, after all, is yourself."
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
When you become an instrument of the Holy Spirit and are wielded by God you are acting as the light of the world, and what an honour to share in such a glorious title as our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world and the light of life who dispels the darkness of this world. Keep reading the Holy Bible and learn about the many ways to let the glory of God shine through you.
Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Prayer for Leaders
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for our leaders, those doing good or evil in your sight. We know that all things you do work for the good of those who believe. We thank you that in countries where Christians are free we can enjoy minimal persecution in the practice of our faith, and we thank you that in countries where Christians suffer hardship on account of their faith that you are doing great things to strengthen them and bring glory to you.
We pray for our leaders, that sin and wrongdoing can be cleansed from them and they can become great examples, from King David to King Nebuchadnezzar, but especially like you the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Please bless the deeds of those serving you, and for those who you will harden: work miracles to free believers from their tyranny and show the land that you are the Lord.
Please use all the leaders for your glory. All praise and glory to your sovereign name Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Thank you for our leaders, those doing good or evil in your sight. We know that all things you do work for the good of those who believe. We thank you that in countries where Christians are free we can enjoy minimal persecution in the practice of our faith, and we thank you that in countries where Christians suffer hardship on account of their faith that you are doing great things to strengthen them and bring glory to you.
We pray for our leaders, that sin and wrongdoing can be cleansed from them and they can become great examples, from King David to King Nebuchadnezzar, but especially like you the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Please bless the deeds of those serving you, and for those who you will harden: work miracles to free believers from their tyranny and show the land that you are the Lord.
Please use all the leaders for your glory. All praise and glory to your sovereign name Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Haters of Government
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil...
In a number of Western countries it has become increasingly common for people to have a disdain for the government and the leadership. Sometimes even treason and discord is viewed as a form of patriotism. This is not to say that as Christians we should have blind obedience to them, our loyalty is to God first, such as it was for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the face of persecution, or even our Lord Jesus Christ in the hand of Pontius Pilate and King Herod.
John 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above...
It is true that earthly nations are ruled by imperfect people, even in the days of ancient Israel we see how King David and Solomon - some of the great figures of the Old Testament - got some things horribly wrong. However despite this they were ordained by God, and He was always with them and Israel still prospered greatly under their leadership. We can read through the book of Psalms how heavy a toll this had on King David, where he is often ruthless in depreciating and humbling himself.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Ungodly leaders can be a curse on their nation, for example the hard heart of Pharaoh of ancient Egypt in the days of Moses brought much hardship to his people. However God used him to demonstrate his power against the wickedness of Pharaoh. Moses did not ask God to punish Pharaoh's household who raised him, at first he resisted God, saying the people would not believe him, that he was unable to speak etc, he only moved after God got angry with him in Ex. 4:14.
Exodus 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
God repeatedly petitioned and warned Pharaoh to change course and do right, showing all manner of signs to him. We could look at King Saul and how merciful and loyal David was to him, even when Saul sought to take his life. Or King Nebuchadnezzar, who despite persecuting God's people was given great prophetic signs by God through Daniel, he was punished with temporary madness - believing he was an animal - but he came to his senses and became a great story of conversion.
Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation
Though we are subject to the powers that be, God is no respecter of persons, and as such we should not treat them any less than we would anyone else. We should always be praying for them, forgiving them, showing them love and patience. If they stray from God we should take steps to warn them of the consequences and petition them to repent repeatedly, and even if God hardens their heart, it will all work for His glory. There will be no perfect kingdom until the millennial kingdom of Christ.
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
In a number of Western countries it has become increasingly common for people to have a disdain for the government and the leadership. Sometimes even treason and discord is viewed as a form of patriotism. This is not to say that as Christians we should have blind obedience to them, our loyalty is to God first, such as it was for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the face of persecution, or even our Lord Jesus Christ in the hand of Pontius Pilate and King Herod.
John 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above...
It is true that earthly nations are ruled by imperfect people, even in the days of ancient Israel we see how King David and Solomon - some of the great figures of the Old Testament - got some things horribly wrong. However despite this they were ordained by God, and He was always with them and Israel still prospered greatly under their leadership. We can read through the book of Psalms how heavy a toll this had on King David, where he is often ruthless in depreciating and humbling himself.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Ungodly leaders can be a curse on their nation, for example the hard heart of Pharaoh of ancient Egypt in the days of Moses brought much hardship to his people. However God used him to demonstrate his power against the wickedness of Pharaoh. Moses did not ask God to punish Pharaoh's household who raised him, at first he resisted God, saying the people would not believe him, that he was unable to speak etc, he only moved after God got angry with him in Ex. 4:14.
Exodus 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
God repeatedly petitioned and warned Pharaoh to change course and do right, showing all manner of signs to him. We could look at King Saul and how merciful and loyal David was to him, even when Saul sought to take his life. Or King Nebuchadnezzar, who despite persecuting God's people was given great prophetic signs by God through Daniel, he was punished with temporary madness - believing he was an animal - but he came to his senses and became a great story of conversion.
Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation
Though we are subject to the powers that be, God is no respecter of persons, and as such we should not treat them any less than we would anyone else. We should always be praying for them, forgiving them, showing them love and patience. If they stray from God we should take steps to warn them of the consequences and petition them to repent repeatedly, and even if God hardens their heart, it will all work for His glory. There will be no perfect kingdom until the millennial kingdom of Christ.
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
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