Lord I will praise you
In the morning when I rise
And the evening when I sleep
I will worship you with music
And sing your praises.
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You thrill me Lord
You excite me with your deeds
And exhilarate me with your presence
I will praise you in church
I will worship you at home
And declare you are my God.
Scripture
It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed.
Observation
The time will come, says the Lord, when He will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar and plant it on Israel’s highest mountain. It will grow tall and strong, and birds will shelter in it.
All the trees will know that it is the Lord who pulls trees down and makes trees grow, who kills one tree and raises another to life.
Application
This parable is about the church, the Kingdom of God. It started off as a cutting (or perhaps a mustard seed), is planted on top of Israel’s mountain and becomes a mighty tree that even shelters the birds of the air.
God’s kingdom is huge with members in every nation, It is God who is establishing it and causing it to grow. It exists by the grace of God and for His glory.
And whenever any part of that church steps away from God’s grace, He will strike it down.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for bringing me into the tree of your kingdom. Amen.
Scripture
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Observation
We have the Spirit of God dwelling in us and therefore have no obligation to give in to sin. If we live by the flesh we will die, but if we crucify our flesh by the power of the Spirit we will live.
The Spirit confirms we are children of God. We are no longer slaves but fully adopted children, and God’s Spirit enables us to call God “Abba, Father.”
Being God’s children by adoption means we inherit with Christ everything of God’s glory. This implies we share also in Christ’s suffering.
Application
it is an awesome privilege to be bearers of God’s Spirit. Not only does the Holy Spirit equip us to be servants of God, He assures us that we are children of God not slaves.
We are adopted into God’s family- truly sons and daughters of he King of Kings.
This means that we are heirs with Christ to the entire creation- both what is seen and what is unseen. We get a share in the infinite glory of God!
Prayer
Lord, like a peasant summoned to live in the palace, I can scarcely comprehend what you intend for me. Thank you for this incalculable grace. Amen.
Scripture
It was the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.
Observation
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, Isaiah sees the Lord. He is high on a throne with a robe whose train fills the whole building. Mighty seraphim surround the throne and cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. The whole earth is full of His glory!”
The voices shake the Temple and smoke fills it.
Isaiah is filled with dread for he knows he is a sinful man and he should die in the presence of the Lord. A seraph takes a burning coal from the altar and touches it to Isaiah’s lips saying it has now removed his guilt.
The Lord then asks who will be His messenger to the people of Israel. Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me.”
Application
What an awesome revelation this must have been for Isaiah. But this vision is not for Isaiah’s pleasure or excitement. The Lord is looking for a man who will carry His message to His people.
God is holy; God is awesome; God is powerful; God is a sender.
God is looking for men and women who will take His message to a people group. Our response to this call must be like Isaiah’s, “Here I am. Send me.”
Prayer
Lord fill all your people with a willingness, a desire to go with your message. Amen.
Scripture
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Observation
All of creation is groaning, awaiting the new creation- the new heavens and the new earth.
Believers also groan, looking for an end to sin and suffering. We look forward to receiving our full inheritance as children of God.
In the meantime, we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. When we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes with groans that cannot be expressed in words.
Application
Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to direct our praying.
The world is such a broken place, people are so caught in sin, that it is hard to know how to pray for people, situations or nations. But the Holy Spirit can show us exactly how to pray. Listening to the Spirit is essential to effective prayer.
This ministry of intercession is part of the gift of tongues. When we pray in the Spirit, we are allowing the Spirit of God to direct and form the words we use. Our words, incomprehensible to us, become a part of the groaning of the Spirit.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, teach me how to listen to you in my prayer times and to let you direct the words I use. Amen.
Scripture
“No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel.”
Observation
It is the Jewish feast of Pentecost and all the believers are together. Suddenly there is a sound like a mighty wind-storm, and something that looks like tongues of fire appears ad settles on each one.
Everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit and they begin peaking in tongues. Onlookers from around the world are amazed at the noise and the fact that they can hear the believers praising God in their own native languages.
Some mock them as being drunk, but Peter refutes this . This is the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all people.
Application
The Holy Spirit is the birth right of all born again believers. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the power that makes evangelism, and all ministry, possible.
We all need a regular infilling, a “top up” of Holy Spirit power because it is so easy to take our attention away from the presence of God and focus on the things we can see.
The gift of tongues is the gateway gift to the other gifts. If we let Holy Spirit control our tongue, He has control of every part of us.
“All flesh”, every true follower of Jesus, has access to the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Call on Him today.
Prayer
Holy Spirit come. Come and fill me in the same way you filled those early disciples. Empower me, equip me, overflow in me. Amen.
Scripture
“I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to keep them safe from the evil one.”
Observation
This is part of Jesus’ prayer before He is arrested.
Jesus has revealed the Father to His disciples. His prayer is not for the world but for His followers. All who are Christ’s belong also to the Father.
During His time on earth, Jesus protected the disciples by the power of the Father’s name. The world hates them because they do not belong to the world. His prayer is not to have the disciples separated out of the world but for the Father to continue to protect them.
Application
The world is hostile to those who truly follow Jesus because we are not like the world. We don’t fit because Jesus has transformed our values and priorities.
When Jesus speaks of the world, He is not talking about individual unbelievers but about the powers and principalities, the spiritual forces that direct the culture in which we live.
Jesus sends us into this world not to be overcome it but to transform it one life at a time.
We are not to expect an easy ride through life. Nor should we expect to be isolated from the world with its antagonism, temptation and pressures.
Prayer
Lord help me to stand for you in the world, to overcome and not be overcome. Amen.
Scripture
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life.
Observation
We believe human testimony, but how must more should we believe God’s testimony. God has testified concerning His Son, and all who believe in Christ know that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe in the Son call God a liar.
God’s testimony is this: He has given us eternal life through His Son. Whoever has the Son has eternal life, but those who don’t know Jesus so not have eternal life.
Application
It is our relationship with Jesus that brings eternal life. Life is in the Son, and only if you are one with Him will you have eternal life.
Theology does not save.
Attending church does not save.
Bible knowledge does not save.
Good deeds do not save.
Being nice does not save.
There is only one Person, one Name, one Way to salvation- a right relationship with Christ,
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the gift of salvation in Christ. Amen.
Scripture
They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women and the brothers of Jesus.
Observation
The disciples, along with some of the women including Mary and Jesus’ brothers, spend their time seeking God in prayer.
During this time, on one occasion when 120 believers were together, Peter said that Judas’ treachery had been foretold, but now it was time to replace him. The selected person would have to be someone who had followed Jesus throughout His ministry. They proposed Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias and then prayerfully used lots to select Matthias.
Application
The disciples had been told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They used this time of waiting productively in prayer- not just any prayer but constant, united prayer.
They did not wait idly or disinterestedly. They waited prayerfully, seeking God and preparing their hearts for the day when the Holy Spirit would be given.
During this time Peter seems to have been listening to the Lord as he was reminded that they needed to fill the place of Judas. This was a big step, as previously it was Jesus who called the apostles.
When we spend time with the Lord in prayer, He will speak to us about the big and bold steps we need to take.
Prayer
Lord help me to pray more- more often, more passionately, more faithfully. Amen
Scripture
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”
Observation
Jesus loves us in the same way the Father loves Him. We must remain in His love. We do this by obeying Him in same way He obeys the Father.
As we live in Christ we will be filled with joy- abundant, overflowing joy.
We must love one another in the same way He has loved us. We must even lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
We are no longer slaves of Christ but friends. We aren’t compelled to obey Him, but we obey Him from love. His greatest commandment is to love one another.
Application
Love is the heart of all discipleship- love for God, love for our fellow Christian and love for our neighbour (regardless of whether they are born again).
The love that Jesus commands is sacrificial love. We must be ready to lay down our lives for others. This doesn’t just mean physically dying to save a life, although that may be necessary. It does mean placing the welfare, joy and needs of others as a higher priority than our own desires and plans. It means dying to my own ambitions and letting the service of God’s people become my highest goal.
In return, Jesus promises joy- overflowing, abundant joy. When we let go of our own selfishness and learn to put others first, we are living God’s best life and joy is the inevitable result.
Prayer
Father teach me how to love you and to love others. Amen.
