October 22, 2011

EKG Devotional Day 22

I was never a Rolling Stones fan, but I do remember their song "(I can't get no) Satisfaction." Its lyrics are nearly without rival in capturing the emptiness of humankind. This song - in its day - echoed the prevailing sentiments of a generation.

Has anything really changed over the years, through? We will see the many futile attempts people make - and we make - to find statisfaction. Bigger houses, better jobs, more money, faster cars, classier clothes, more outrageous and expensive thrills. These are all part of the quest to fid satisfaction in life. We may call it fulfillment, happiness, or status , but we're all seeking to find meaning and purpose.

Satisfaction.

The miracle of the kingdom, though, is that when Jesus told us to pursue righteousness, to set our hearts on Him and His kingdom, He was actually offering us the only satisfaction life can give. In pursuing His kingdom, we discover that all the things we once considered worthy goals take a backseat to knowing God and experiencing the freedom that comes from His rule in our lies.

So do you want satisfaction? Then you want the kingdom because nothing else satisfies...though we try and we try and we try and we try.

The week read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7 in The Gospel of Matthew. How does Jesus' radical plan for finding satisfaction in life compare with what society says? How does it compare with your experiences?

October 21, 2011

EKG Devotional Day 20

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."  Matthew 4:1-11

After Jesus had fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness - a reminder of the forty years Israel spent in the wilderess (Deuteronomy 8:2-3) - Satan came to Him. (This is typical, Satan always approaches us when he thinks we're at our weakest,) The first temptation struck hard at Jesus' immediate needs: lonliness, hunger, and credibility.

All alone out here, Jesus? What kind of father leaves his son all by himself in the middle of nowhere  with nothing to eat?

Hungry, Jesus? Surely for a miracle worker like You, these little loaf-sized stones are only bread in disguise.

You're the Son of God, Jesus? I might believe it myself if you'd prove it to me.

Jesus responded by quoting from Deuteronmoy 8:3: "He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers alone had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live by bread alone but on every world that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Jesus knew what Israel had failed to comprehend - that we, God's people, can rely on the Father for our every need. But we have to put first things first.

Jesus first desire was unquestioned obedience to the Father's plan for His life. Thus He would do nothing - absolutely nothing - that would compromise their relationship. This "first things first" reality is what Jesus would later teach His disciples, telling them to "seek first the kingdom" and trust our spiritual needs, God takes care of our physical needs without even having to think about them.

When does temptation come to you? When you are hungry, lonely, afraid? Reflect on your temptations and the events and emotions surrounding those times. Ask God to help you through such difficulties in the future so that you can put first thisng first and focus on the kingdom.



October 20, 2011

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29

Jesus' message was not like anything these early disciples had ever heard. Everyone was amazed at the depth of his understanding and the authority with which He taught. Never had anyone taught with His methods or His message. His promise that God's rule and reign would be ushered in through His own ministry. A passion for His righteousness would penetrate their very lives, and they in turn would spread the news of this kingdom,, becoming fishers of men.

The Master was not merely inviting them to become recipients of the kingdom. He was empowering them to become agents of the kingdom, giving them the joy of encouraging others to experience this blessing, now and forever.

Yes, even to this very day, God promises blessing - not to the strong, the powerful, and the mighty but to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, who are gentle, who hunger for his righteousness, who are merciful and who ar gentle, who hunger for His righteousness, who are merciful and who are gentle, who hunger for His righteousness, who are merciful and pure in heart, and who seek peace even when it's returned as persecution.

And how does God bless them?

He declares, "The kingdom of heaven is theirs."

They hall be comforted, the shall inherit the earth, enjoying the kingdom benefits even on this side of heaven. They shall be satisfied in their quest for righteousness. They shall be shown the indescribable mercy the sons and daughters of God. They will not always be spared the sting of suffering, but they will receive the eternal reward of their Father. They enjoy the blessing of God, a constant relationship with the King of glory.

Does your heart swell with gratitude at God's forgiveness and blessings in your life? Express your love to God by sharing His love with someone who has not yet experienced the gift of salvation. God will thank you.

October 19, 2011

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  Jeremiah 31:33-34

Not only was Israel set to receive a new heart, but God also promised, "I will place My Spirit within you." God's Spirit would enable them "to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances." Ezexiel 36:27

The promises of God's covenant had been based on Israel's obedience to His Word. But their struggle to obey the law demonstrated that the human heart is wicked. In our own strength we cannot keep God's law. We need our hearts rest, restored, and revived. We need God's life inside of us, His eternal Holy Spirit. There's no other way to live the kingdom life. Kingdom people don't pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. They submit to God and give God's power a clear, obedient path. Jeremiah described that path in the above Scripture.

We are the recipients of this new covenant. These prophetic Scriptures were a sign that a new age was dawning, a time when God would "pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground (and) pour out My Spirit on your descendants and My blessing on your offspring." (Isa. 44:3) It foretold of a coming One who would have "My Spirit on Him" (Isa. 42:1) and would epower the people of His kingdom to obey His Word and experience His full blessing. The world was preparing for Jesus. The kingdom was coming in force!

Thank God for the presence of His Holy Spirit in your life today. Pray for His ongoing guidance to help you to obey His Word and experience His blessings.

October 18, 2011

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  Ezekiel 36:26

When God brings restoration, He doesn't stopwith the cleansing pat. He doesn't just remove our sins; He also heals and reives. He performs radical surgery on us, enabling His people to live in obedience to His Word. He gives us a "new heart" removing our "heart of stne" and giving us a "heart of flesh" - a heart that's alive and healthy and thriving.

The heart is not just one individual part of a person's makeup. It repesents our total personality. We use the term heart to refer to our mind, will and emotions. In the Bible it stands for the seat of our personality.

Jesus, you may remember, called the scribes and pharisees "'hypocrites'" because they honored Him with their lips "'but their heart is far from Me'" (Matthew 15:7-8 quoting Isaiah 29:13). These men, unrivaled in their obsession with ceremonial purty, were greatly offended. Christ's disciples, too, appeared somewhat shcoked by His implication. Didn't Jesus know that these mn had every appearance of holiness and uprightness? Yes, but Jesus kne more.He knew their evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies." (Matt. 15:19) and al the rest, and He knew from where these secret sins came. "From the heart" come the things that define a person. Our hearts tell us who we really are.

Israel's heart had become fossilized, like a stone, unfeeling and unresponsive. But God promised to do for them what they could not do or themselves. He would give hem a heart of flesh, a heat He could mold and move and fashion, a heart that cold hear Hi Word and react in obedience.

Will you pray this prayer that the Psalmist prayed?

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalms 139: 23-24

October 17, 2011

EKG Devotionals Day 16

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols."  Ezekiel 36:25

It's not enough for you to be rescued from your sins, to be pulled from harm's way and returned to safety. You must also be removed.

The promise of restoration comes hand in hand with amoral and spiritual change of heart. So God told His people Israel that they must be purified from the filthy buildup caused by their rebellion and idolatry. Ezekiel used the terminology of sprinkling with clean water, a reference to a temple reitual that symbolized spiritual uncleanness from the people. But this cleansing is much more that a "lick and a promise" you give yourself.

God's demands for holiness and purity have not changed since Ezekiel spoke these words. If you desire restoration today in your life and church, you must also allow the Father to cleanse you from your filthiness.

Study after study has indicated that the lifestyles chosen by many believers are much more like the world that like the Kingdom of God. Compromise with sin and worldly values has significantly dimished the impact of the witness of the Kingdom. It seems the Church today is in desparate need of this cleansing of heart and mind. The formula has never changed - never will, you must turn from your wickedness in true humility and allow God's Word to purify you. Just as Jesus asked the Father to sanctify the disciples with the truth of His Word (John 17:17), you too must seek the deep cleansing of God - if you are serious about being a Kingdom person.

October 16, 2011

Amy Biehl died a violent death in 1993. She was a 26-year-old Fulbright scholar who had gone to South Africa to help register black voters for their first free election. But even though she was seeking to help the people of South Africa, as she was driving one day, she was dragged out of her car, stabbed and beaten to death by a mob which was committed to violence in order to overthrow of the apartheid government. Soon afterward, Amy’s parents, Linda and Peter Biehl, quit their jobs and moved from their Orange County, California home to South Africa — not to seek revenge, but to start a foundation in Amy’s name. Today, two of her killers work for the foundation. They call Mrs. Biehl “Makhulu,” or grandmother, because of the way she treats them. She says, “Forgiving is looking at ourselves and saying, ‘I don’t want to go through life feeling hateful and vengeful, because that’s not going to do me any good.’ We took Amy’s lead. We did what we felt she would want.”

That is the picture of reconciliation. It not only forgives, it reaches out to restore. It pays back good for evil. It is following the heart and character of God. I am so grateful that God made the sacrifice to reconcile me to himself in spite of all that I have done, and now I want to follow Jesus and offer that same reconciliation to others — even those who may have harmed me.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT:

Repentance

Restitution

Redemption

Regeneration

Today, another great benefit of your salvation - Reconciliation

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  Romans 5:9-11

Paul is using a form of argument called a fortiori, or “how much more.” It basically works like this: If the greater thing is true, then the lesser thing is of necessity also true. If God has done the harder thing, then surely He will do the easier task. – EXAMPLES - verse 9: “Since we have now…how much more shall we be…” And verse 10: “For if when we were…how much more…” Even verse 11 employs something similar: “Not only…we also.”

Since God did the more difficult task of justifying weak, wayward and wicked sinners, then to rescue us from wrath is relatively effortless. We could say it this way: If God has already done the difficult, can we not trust Him to do the comparatively simple thing of completing the task?

TWO GREAT THOUGHTS – “WHAT WE HAVE” – “WHAT WE CAN HAVE” CHRISTIAN GROWTH AND CHURCH GROWTH MEANS DYNAMIC TENSION.

Look at verse 9: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

STATEMENT #1: “We Have Been Justified By His Blood,” V. 9

At conversion our sins are forgiven, and all charges against us are dropped. This is a legal term from the world of law ----- in God's eyes justification is "just as if I've never sinned."

Don’t miss the fact that we are saved by “His blood.” As the song says, “there is power in the blood” not in pop psychology or in other blather baptized in the waters of Christian words. Why is the blood of Jesus so important?

• There is no forgiveness without blood. Hebrews 9:22: “…Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

• The blood satisfies the Holy claims of God. Exodus 12:13: “…when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

• The blood redeems the believer. 1 Peter 1:18-19: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

• The blood cleanses us from sin. 1 John 1:7: “…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

The blood of Jesus justifies us. That’s conviction #1. Here’s what that means:

Significance #1: We shall be saved from God’s wrath. God’s righteous wrath was unleashed on Jesus, who died as our substitute, in our place. The word “wrath” means “an inner, deep resentment that seethes and smolders.”

The word for saved means, “to deliver or preserve a person from extraordinary danger or destruction.” Loved ones, Jesus intercepted and absorbed the wrath of God for you on the cross, where all of God’s fury was poured out.

A man died and was transported to the pearly gates. He was met by an angel who said, “All you have to do is perform one task correctly and you’ll be granted entrance into heaven. It’s really pretty easy. All you have to do is spell ‘love.’”

The man sighed in relief and quickly answered: “L-O-V-E.” The angel then asked the man if he could watch the gate for a few minutes because he had a couple errands to run. The man immediately agreed. As he awaited the angel’s return, he saw another man walk up the pearly gates. He recognized him as someone he couldn’t stand when he was alive. In fact, he had incredible conflict with him for many years. Seeing who was manning the gates, the man became noticeablyanxious. The gatekeeper said, “Don’t worry, all you have to do is perform one task correctly and you’ll get in.” The man breathed a sigh of relief and said, “What do I have to do?” To which his enemy said, “Spell ‘chrysanthemum.’”

Aren’t you glad that there’s no human gatekeeper to God’s kingdom? Flawed people cannot judge whether someone makes it or not. The task that needs to be performed has already been completed by Christ. It’s through His blood that we have entrance. We are justified by Jesus through faith, and we’re saved from wrath because we’ve been declared righteous.

Verse 10 gives us the next pair of truths: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

STATEMENT #2: “We Are Reconciled By His Death”, V. 10

Before we come to Christ, the Bible says that we are at war with God. The word “enemy” was often used to describe bitter military foes and meant “hated, odious and hostile.” In our context, it would be like the U.S. and North Korea. Amazingly, Jesus now refers to us not as foes, but as friends in John 15:15: “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I made known to you.” If God did all that He did for us when we were enemies, what will He do for us now that we are friends?

Significance #2: We are saved by His life.
 HOW?

BY THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION - Since a dead Savior can redeem us, don’t you think a living Savior can keep us? Christ not only gave His life for us, He gave His life to us

BY THE PATTERN OF HIS LIFE

BY THE POWER OF HIS PRESENCE

BY THE POWER OF HIS PRAYERS – “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.”

This passage helps us see that there are three dimensions to our deliverance: past, present and future.

1) Justification

2) Sanctification

3) Glorification

First, we are justified by His blood and saved from His wrath.

Second, we are reconciled by His death and saved by His life.

Thirdly, verse 11 teaches that we have received reconciliation and therefore we rejoice in God:

STATEMENT #3: “We Have Received Reconciliation,” V. 11

Would you notice that reconciliation must be received in order for it to be activated in one’s life? God initiates reconciliation with His enemies and we are recipients only when we receive what He offers. John 1:12: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Jesus said it this way in John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Perhaps you’ve been trusting in other methods but I’m here to tell you that if you’re in the wrong vehicle you’ll go to the wrong place.

Statement #3: We rejoice in God. The Greek word joy means “to exult and rejoice jubilantly, or to be thrilled.” Notice that we are to be thrilled with God Himself. This could be translated this way: “glorying in God.” Psalm 35:9: “Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.”

ARE YOU REJOICING IN YOUR FAITH?

IF YOU AREN’T REJOICING IN RECONCILIATION – CONSIDER:

1) You have been justified by His blood and we shall be saved from God’s wrath.

2) You are reconciled by His death and we are saved by His life.

3) You have received reconciliation and we rejoice in God.

MAYBE YOU AREN’T REJOICING IN RECONCILIATION BECAUSE YOU DON’T REMEMBER THE ALIENATION AND ISOLATION AND SEPARATION CAUSED BY SIN…….

(PRODIGAL SON STORY ILLUSTRATES RECONCILIATION)

The son was hoping to get hired as a servant but got much more:
RELATIONSHIP - Father

RING – Authority To Do Business

ROBE – Righteousness

SANDALS – Son Not Slave

PARTY – Celebrate Return

You got all of that and more when you were reconciled with God through the blood of Christ!