Thursday, December
18, 2014, 6:47 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read Psalm 17
(NASB).
Testing Our Hearts
A
Prayer of David.
Hear
a just cause, O Lord, give heed to my cry;
Give
ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips.
Let
my judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let
Your eyes look with equity.
You
have tried my heart;
You
have visited me by night;
You
have tested me and You find nothing;
I
have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
As
for the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips
I
have kept from the paths of the violent.
My
steps have held fast to Your paths.
My
feet have not slipped.
As we enter into our times of fellowship with our Lord each
day, in his word and in prayer, we should examine our own hearts before God,
confessing any wrongs we have committed. Then we can enter into our times of
communion with him with clear consciences and with purity of mind and heart, eager
to hear from him, and ready to obey him fully.
Yet, if we are doing wrong, and we are holding on to that
wrong, and we are running after other gods, and yet we think that God is still
pleased with us and that he will hear us, and that he will join in communion
with us, then we should think again. “For those who eat and drink without
discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves” (1 Co.
11:29).
Now, I know this verse is in reference to the literal taking
of symbols in communion, and yet I believe there are spiritual parallels
between this symbolic remembrance of our Lord in the taking of the bread and
the juice to our daily times of communion with him in prayer and in his word.
What I mean is, the mere taking of symbols is not what
constitutes genuine communion (fellowship; intimacy) with our Lord Jesus. When
Jesus had his last supper with his disciples, he was not so concerned about the
proper etiquette of the physical taking of these symbols, but rather he was
concerned about what was in people’s hearts and how what was intended behind
these symbols was to be applied to their lives. For instance, drinking the cup
he drank is about us dying with him to sin and to self, and eating the bread,
his body, is about us taking in his word and applying it to our lives and about
our participation within the body of Christ in doing the parts God has assigned
us to do and be.
Yet, we cannot enter into that time of fellowship with him
if we are following after false gods and if we are ignoring his commands. When
we participate in our times of communion (fellowship) with him each day we are
participating with him in his life and in his death. Yet, “You cannot drink the
cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the
Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s
jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Co. 10:21-22). So, we must examine our
hearts.
The Apple of Your Eye
I
have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
Incline
Your ear to me, hear my speech.
Wondrously
show Your lovingkindness,
O
Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand
From
those who rise up against them.
Keep
me as the apple of the eye;
Hide
me in the shadow of Your wings
From
the wicked who despoil me,
My
deadly enemies who surround me.
They
have closed their unfeeling heart,
With
their mouth they speak proudly.
They
have now surrounded us in our steps;
They
set their eyes to cast us down to the ground.
He
is like a lion that is eager to tear,
And
as a young lion lurking in hiding places.
When we have clear consciences, and purity of heart and
mind, we will also have confidence to come before the throne of grace to bring
our requests before God and to find help in our time of need.
We all have enemies – not people we should regard as
enemies, i.e. we should not act as enemies to others, but those who act as
enemies to us. They may just dislike us because of where we live, how much in
the way of wealth or possessions we have, our status in the world, the color of
skin we wear, and/or how fortunate we may seem in talent, intelligence or
whatever. They may just dislike our personalities, too. Not everyone will like
us no matter who we are.
And, yet, if we are truly following Jesus Christ in
obedience and surrender to his will for our lives, many will hate us for our
stand for Christ and for his word, even many who call themselves Christians.
And, they should hate us for many of the same reasons that they hated Jesus.
Jesus was hated because he told the world the truth about their sin. He
preached the true unadulterated gospel. Many who had been following him
deserted him, never to return, because they found his teachings to be harder
than what they wanted to obey. And, many will desert us, too, because what we
stand on will make them uncomfortable, probably because they have bought into
the lie that says that Christianity is to be fun and entertaining and that we
should not say what makes people uncomfortable.
And, yet, though friend and foe alike desert us, reject us,
persecute us and cast us aside, we can find comfort in knowing that we are
precious and valuable to God, honored in his sight, and that he will watch over
us, keep us safe from the enemy of our souls, who is out to destroy us, and
that he will bring us all the comfort, healing, encouragement, hope, strength,
power and endurance we need to keep moving forward and to keep fighting off
these evil attacks of our true enemy, Satan. All glory to God!
Arise, O Lord
Arise,
O Lord, confront him, bring him low;
Deliver
my soul from the wicked with Your sword,
From
men with Your hand, O Lord,
From
men of the world, whose portion is in this life,
And
whose belly You fill with Your treasure;
They
are satisfied with children,
And
leave their abundance to their babes.
As
for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I
will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.
God has a day in mind when he will judge the people of this
earth and all those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. It is hard to
stand back and watch all the evil that is going on in the world, and to see how
it is growing more and more evil as the days go by. We cry out to God to
intervene on the behalf of the innocent who are being maligned by those more
powerful than them. We cry out to God for our unsaved family members and for
the revival of his church, and for him to rescue his church out of the grasp of
the evil one who has deceived them with lie upon lie. It is hard to watch as
things go from bad to worse with seemingly no end in sight. We may even grow
impatient with God, at times, and wonder why he is allowing all this to take
place and why he doesn’t intervene.
Yet, he is not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. His slowness means the salvation of human souls.
Praise God! His timing is perfect! One day he will judge and then maybe we will
wish we had not been so anxious for him to do so. But, when he brings judgment,
I believe his adulterous church will be revived and that many will be saved,
and in that hope I rest, believing that God has all things under his control
and that he will work all things out for the good of those who love him and who
have been called according to his purpose.
For Our Nation /
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting.
Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently
calling
You to follow Him in
all ways.
Trust Him with your
life today.
Make Him your Lord and
your Savior.
Turn from your sin.
Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of
your sin;
Cleanse your heart,
made new within.
Men betraying: Our
trust fraying.
On our knees to God
we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us
answers
That are only found in
Him.
God is sovereign over
all things.
Nothing from His mind
escaping.
He has all things
under His command,
And will work all for
good.
Jesus Christ is gently
calling
You to follow Him in
all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re
believing
In our Lord, and
interceding
For our nation and its
people
To obey their God
today.
He is our hope for our
future.
For our wounds He
offers suture.
He is all we need for
this life.
Trust Him with your
life today.
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