Thursday, May 09,
2013, 7:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:
He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers
There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low:
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be
still,
In all of life's ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and
strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.
Though sometimes he leads through
waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough
and steep,
See his footprints all the way.
Soon he's coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds
unknown;
I shall reign with him on high.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Zechariah 4 (NIV):
Then
the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened
from sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?”
I
answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps
on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees by it,
one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
I
asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
He
answered, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No,
my lord,” I replied.
So
he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor
by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before
Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to
shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”
Then
the word of the Lord came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the
foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know
that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.
“Who
dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that
range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in
the hand of Zerubbabel?”
Then
I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of
the lampstand?”
Again
I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that
pour out golden oil?”
He
replied, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No,
my lord,” I said.
So
he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the
earth.”
Our Salvation
In Zechariah 3 we have a picture of our salvation. Joshua, a
symbol of Jesus Christ as our high priest, stood before the angel of the Lord,
and Satan stood there to accuse him. He also stood there as our representative,
taking upon him our sins. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins
removed our “filthy garments” (our sins), and provided the way for us to have “new
garments,” i.e. to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness. When we are clothed
with Christ and his righteousness, we become kingdom priests to serve our Lord
day and night. If we walk in obedience to Jesus Christ and we keep his
commands, then we will be the Lord’s servants, and we will be used of him to
bring others to faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Spiritual Walk
As we grow in Christ, and we live to serve him and to be his
witnesses throughout the earth, Satan will accuse us, too, and we will face
opposition, rejection and obstacles along the way. Yet, we should not let that
discourage us, because Jesus has overcome all this. After all, it is not in our
own strength or power that we are able to accomplish anything for God’s kingdom
anyway, so we should not sweat it or allow fear to overtake us when we come up
against “mountains” or we face much opposition, because God has it all worked
out.
“What are you, O mighty mountain? Before
Christ you will become level ground!”
Nothing overtakes God/Jesus by surprise. No matter what we
are going through, God knew in advance that this would take place, he allowed
it, and he will bring good out of it. We just have to trust him, and we have to
rest in Him and allow His Spirit to work in and through all our circumstances –
all opposition of the enemy against what God has assigned us to do. If it is
the Lord’s work, he will complete it according to his plans and purposes. Our
job is just to obey, to trust, and to rest in our Lord to fulfill his purposes
in and through our lives.
Small Things
To each of us God has assigned a task. He has given each of
us a part in his body to fulfill. Yet, God does not evaluate us in the same
manner in which man evaluates. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God
looks on the heart. Man judges by statistics, appearance, performance, what he
esteems as valuable or worthwhile, and what is pleasing to mankind. So, what
mankind may lift up, praise, honor and value may not be the same as what God
raises up, esteems, values and honors. So, what we are doing in the body of
Christ as God has assigned us each our tasks might seem small and insignificant
to mankind, and we may even be despised and rejected of man, as was/is Jesus
Christ. Yet, we should not allow man’s opinions, oppositions and/or evaluations
of us to discourage and/or to dishearten us, because if we walk in the Spirit
and we obey what God has given us to do, it is Jesus Christ who will complete
it in us and through us, and it will not be us doing it anyway.
Two Olive Trees &
Branches
The two olive trees symbolize the priestly and royal offices
in God’s eternal kingdom. The two olive branches were represented here by
Zerubbabel and Joshua, who represented these offices of king and priest, as
well as they represented Jesus Christ, our King and Priest. Yet, we, the body
of Christ, too, are kingdom priests to serve the Lord, and we will reign with
Christ in his earthly kingdom. We are anointed of the Spirit of God to serve
the Lord of all the earth, and we are the ones who have been given the task to
take the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world, making
disciples (followers of Christ) of all nations, baptizing them and teaching
them to obey Christ’s commandments (see Mt. 28:19-20). The Spirit of God
enabled Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry, and the Spirit of God within us
will enable us to do all that God has assigned us to do, too, even despite
mountains (obstacles) and opposition of our enemy. Amen!
God’ supply of love, mercy, kindness, strength, wisdom,
power, understanding, perseverance, faithfulness, steadfastness, and the light
of his truth and the fullness of his Spirit within us is unending. It will be a
continuous supply for all we need to live for our Lord and to serve him every
day, no matter what comes our way, or no matter what darts Satan may throw at
us. We can keep going, because he will never leave us or forsake us, and
nothing can separate us from his love – no hardship, famine, sword, rejections,
persecutions, obstacles or mountains.
“What are you, O mighty mountain? Before
Christ you will become level ground!”
Nothing Can Separate
Us / An Original Work / March 28, 2013
Based off Romans 8:28-39
Nothing can separate
us
From Christ’s love now
within us:
Not trouble, hardship,
nor famine,
Nor danger, nor sword.
No, in all of these
things
We are more than
conquerors!
For your sake we face
hardship.
We are sheep to be
slaughtered.
I am convinced that
death,
Nor life, nor anything
else
Will separate us from
The love of God now in
Christ.
What, then, shall we
say to this?
God for us: who
against us?
He who did not spare
His Son
But gave Him for us
all –
How will He not, with
Him,
Graciously give us all
things?
Who brings a charge
against us?
God justifies His
chosen.
Who is He that
condemns?
Christ Jesus; died,
rose again.
He’s at the right hand
of God,
Interceding for us.
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