Listen, Rejoice, Be Real!

Today's Reading: Acts 21

God is the Final Authority-

Acts 21:4 (ESV)4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 

Acts 21:11–12 (ESV)11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 

Be Filled and Trust Only in Me

Today's Reading: Exodus 17-20; Acts 3

Exodus 17:6–7 (ESV)6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

To See or Not to See

Today's Reading: Exodus 9-11; Luke 24

Exodus 9:34 (ESV)34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

Mercy Does

Today's Reading: Genesis 47-48, Psalms 10, Luke 19

Luke 19:2, 5-6
And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich...5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “ Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.

Forsake All

Today's Reading: Genesis 34-36, Luke 14

Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Personalize it method (Rick Warren's 40 Days in the Word):

Jeff, don't cast this message of humility off as simple.  I speak of life and death, heaven and hell.  This is salvation, this is life.  One who does not humble them self before me cannot follow me.  This one will be humbled at the end by being separated from me for eternity.  Jeff, I don't think you can understand how far this humility must go.  If you are not willing to cast down every preconception of who I am and what I am asking of you and every preconception of what it is to be my follower, then you are limiting yourself by limiting (grieving) my Spirit.  If you are not willing to release your position of supposed understanding and your position of how you balance your life, then I cannot (rather- I will not) lift you up.  If you are not prepared to give up all for my sake, then you are not yet humbled.  If you are not willing to choose me every time you wake, then you do not yet see the prize.  If you knew the prize, you would gladly pay the price...nothing could hold you back from complete and absolute surrender.  This is the humility of which I speak Jeff.

Jeff, this is the foundation upon which all of your life must be built (or rebuilt).  This is the starting point to achieving great things for my kingdom.  You must start with surrender of your will to mine in all things (i.e, your time, your money, your focus, your aspirations, your body, your mind, your emotions,...YOU!).

Open you heart Jeff and hear me...

Luke 14:26-28
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Luke 14:33
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

MacArthur Study Bible Note on Luke 14:28-

Only those willing to carefully assess the cost (vv. 28–32 ) and invest all they had in his kingdom were worthy to enter. This speaks of something far more than mere abandonment of one’s material possessions; it is an absolute, unconditional surrender.

Calvin's Commentaries-

It would be absurd to insist on a literal interpretation of the phrase, as if no man were a disciple of Christ, till he threw into the sea all that he possessed, divorced his wife, and bade farewell to his children.

Yet no man truly forsakes all that he possesses till he is prepared at every instant to leave all, gives himself free and unconstrained to the Lord, and, rising above every hindrance, pursues his calling.

From a sermon by John Piper on November 9, 1980 (speaking about what Jesus watched for while guests entered a dinner party)-

He looks for what they love. Jesus always watches until he knows where our treasure is. Because where your treasure is, is where your heart is, and Jesus wants the heart!No. He looks for what they love. Jesus always watches until he knows where our treasure is. Because where your treasure is, is where your heart is, and Jesus wants the heart!

Application:
Today I will look for how I can surrender everywhere I go
Today I will pray and ask that you reveal to me how surrender on the other side of every door I open
Today I will not presume that I know what you want me to do the next moment
Today I will not presume that my life is about gaining something for me
Today I will surrender what I perceive to be my rights in every situation
Today I will ask you for the filling and the empowering of your Holy Spirit to do these things that are impossible to me

Prayer:
Thank you Lord for loving me so.  Thank you Lord for speaking to me through your Word.  How amazing it is that you meet me here when I am faithful to come before you and seek you.  Please empower me this day to live surrendered to you as the branch on the vine.  Please show me how to humble myself and how to listen for your voice, for the guidance of your Holy Spirit.  

In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Soli Deo Gloria!
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Live Worthy, the price was great

Philippians 1:27
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Personalize it, Pray it method:
Jeff- Be certain that you conduct yourself in light of the message that you take forth for my name's sake.  Whether you are in public or private, let me see that you are standing firm and laboring together with your band of brothers for the active faith needed to spread my message to the unbelievers and to make disciples.  Be sure you do not allow your old nature to rule you and do not be double minded because that is not what I have called you to and does not further my message, but rather that lifestyle will damage the kingdom.

And more Jeff- I sent my only Son to die on a cross for your sake.  He suffered at the hand of His creation and He was separated from Me on the cross.  I had to turn my back to Him in order to buy your salvation.  I am the Holy God of all creation and I need do nothing but my good pleasure.  Yet, it pleases me to bring you into relationship with me and I made great sacrifice to accomplish that.  So tell me- what does a life "worthy" of my message of grace look like?  Do you suppose that I want you to be nice to people and to watch your language and to remember to tithe?  Do you think I want you to try to fit my message into your life?  Is it your life that you live?  How is it that you are breathing right now?  Who has provided every good thing and your actual existence?

Jeff- A manner of life worthy of the gospel of Christ is a life fully surrendered to me.  A life that considers all things secondary to Me.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

That is the life worthy of the gospel that I have called you to.  You need to partner with other godly men to truly attain this and to daily stand on top of this wall.

Pray it:
Lord please grant me faith to walk uprightly in the path that you lead me.  May I never allow double-mindedness or the flesh have rule over me again, but may I yield to your Holy Spirit according to 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 30:8
Do not now be stiff- necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

Lord please bond me together with the surrendered men around me that we may together strive for your gospel to make disciples and bring surrender to more hearts for your glory.

Lord thank you for the sacrifice you made in order to bring this gospel message.  Let me take seriously the gospel message in my life that I would daily surrender my comfort, my schedule, my ambitions, my plan, my being to your Lordship.

Application:
Today I am to consider the gospel message in everything I do so that I am certain to live worthy of the message of Christ, the message of grace by faith as a gift from God.

Today I am to invest in other men around me and partner with them for your glory.  I will be an encourager and I will strive to bring the band shoulder to shoulder walking in the path you give us.

Today I am to take every thought captive in order to not let false teaching or sin reign in me or in my brothers around me according to 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Prayer:
Lord let me apply this directive today.  Please empty me and fill me with your Spirit that you may reign in me.  Thank you Lord for the joy and satisfaction that you bring as I surrender to you and as I look with open eyes at my life.  Please fill me with boldness and resolve to stand firm as the price paid for the message you have given me is great.

Thank you Lord for choosing me for your service.  Please empower me and equip me to go and spread your gospel message as the striving of my life.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.