Hebrews 6:7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
Your life is like a field, bearing crops for the Lord’s use. We plant the seed of the Word of God. Then our lives yield the Fruit of the Spirit. This is what the Lord desires of us.
There are many factors that affect our fruitfulness. Just like growing plants in the physical, our spiritual fruit require care. There are a lot of things that can destroy the crop if left unchecked.
Prayerlessness is one of the things that can devastate a spiritual harvest. However, spending time with the Lord in a wilderness setting – alone and undisturbed – will bring forth a bountiful harvest.
Spending time in the presence of God is like spring showers on dry, thirsty ground. It will provide the nutrients needed to bear an abundant harvest of righteousness. Always remember that the fruit cannot be forced, they must be grown. It takes the daily presence of God to change our lives into what we should be.
Take the opportunity given to you this day to spend quality time in the presence of the Lord. Let His grace permeate the good soil of your heart. Let the seed of the Word germinate and take root in you. Be the kind of farmland that produces a bumper crop for your King.
Tags: Bible, Christian, crops, devotion, disciple, encouragement, farm, field, fruit, fruit of the Spirit, harvest, Holy Spirit, holy worship, prayer, prayerlessness, presence of the lord, righteousness, spiritual
Matthew 26:45-46
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
I always stand in awe of how determined Christ was to accomplish the work He was called to do. After His time in the presence of the Father we see no hesitancy or fear. He has set His face toward the path ahead.
I realize that, unlike us, He had no sin nature. However, it is clear that He keenly felt the sting of His mortality. I believe that He also understood clearly the pain that He would have to endure. It was these realizations that brought Him to His knees in the garden.
What I really need to grab hold of is the understanding that it is only in the presence of God that I can receive the strength and determination that it takes to move forward in my life. All of my will power and good intentions will never bring me to my destiny in the Lord. I need help from beyond myself.
Seeking intimacy with the Lord is time well spent. Use this peaceful moment that you have been given to get into that place of safety in God. In that way – just like Jesus – you may leave your time in the wilderness physically drained, but you will be spiritually strong.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christ, Christian, destiny, devotion, encouragement, endurance, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, intimacy, Jesus Christ, mortality, path, prepare, presence of the lord, strength
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
This is one of the most simple yet profound prayers in the Bible. It is during these times of struggle that we dispense with the “religious protocol” of prayer. We forget about the intricate prayer charts or King James English. Our goal is to get right to the heart of the prayer – HELP!!!
It was no different for Jesus. He wasted no time on introductions. However, there is one difference between His prayer and many of ours. This is seen in His attitude. Rather than trying to convince the Father to work out His plan in an easier way, our Lord immediately bowed His knee to the revealed will of God.
This is the example we need to follow. How often do we try to convince God to do things our way? Instead, our goal should be to learn the kind of submission that brings us right into the center of God’s will for us.
Are there things that God wants you to do that you are having a hard time yielding to? Take this time to follow Christ’s lead. Surrender your whole life to God. Submit yourself by saying, in your own way, “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Make this time today your garden of Gethsemane with the Lord.
Tags: attitude, Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, garden, garden of prayer, Gethsemane, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Jesus Christ, prayer, presence of the lord, submission, yielding
Matthew 26:36-38
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
This is the time in Jesus’ life that leads up to His betrayal and arrest. He knew that the cross was before Him. He came to earth knowing that He was to die for the sins of all people.
When it comes down to the hard choices, knowing your path and walking it out can be very different. Now that the hour was at hand, the Lord needed the strength to see it through. In order to receive what He needed from the Father, Jesus did what He always knew would bring Him an answer. He spent time with God the Father in a private place, far away from any distractions.
This was not to be a time for crowds of people. He even left most of His disciples at the entrance to the garden. The only ones to stay with Him were Peter, James, and John. He would spend the night agonizing over what was ahead.
Let this today be your garden of prayer. God is waiting for you to cry out to Him. Only the Lord can give you the strength you need for the road ahead. Whether you know the dangers or not, let the peace of God rule in you this day. Find your rest in His presence.
Tags: Bible, choices, Christ, Christian, cross, devotion, distractions, encouragement, faith, garden, garden of prayer, Gethsemane, God's will, Jesus Christ, overcoming, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, problems, solitude, strength, trust
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?
There are times that we need to test our walk with the Lord. To do that it is best to be alone and quiet. In this age of cell phones, MP3, and DVD players it is hard to have any quiet time at all. I even feel that many people – without Christ – “plug in” for the purpose of not hearing their own heart.
Many people are afraid to examine their inner man. It is probably because they are afraid of what they will find. Please realize that it is a healthy thing to take a long hard look at yourself. You need to see how you measure up to Christ, His calling, how far you have come and the direction in which you are headed.
Re-evaluation is at the heart of a holy walk. It means we are willing to take the occasional course correction when God gets our attention.
Take the time needed today to get a long glimpse of what is going on in your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and insight. Examine your life, dreams and goals in His presence. Then purpose to make the corrections that God offers you. You will be glad that you did.
Tags: Bible, Christian, course correction, devotion, encouragement, examine, faith, heart, holy, Holy Spirit, prepare, presence of the lord, quiet, quiet time, self examination, soul, test, trial
Psalm 24:3-6
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
These are the real mountain-climbers. Those who desire to ascend to the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place. Are you one of those who want to stand in this place of power where few have ever been?
To climb a daunting hill requires persistence. Step by step, sometimes just plodding along, you get to the top. This “hill” of the Lord’s presence requires the same kind of consistency.
It is good to know that the access we need has already been granted through the blood of Jesus Christ. That is all the permission we need to enter His holy presence. The daily walk, however, is up to us. We can choose to spend time in His presence – a choice that will reap eternal benefits – or we can ignore it and live for ourselves.
Make that choice today. Spend the extra time that is necessary in the presence of the Lord. Ascend His holy hill in the power of His Spirit. Allow His holiness to draw you further upward than you have ever gone before.
Tags: access, Bible, Christ, Christian, climb, devotion, encouragement, glory, higher, holy hill, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Jesus Christ, mountain, mountaintop, path, presence of the lord, step by step
Jeremiah 12:5
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”
God calls us to do greater things with Him than we could have ever done without Him. We can go above and beyond our abilities, because of His strength working in us. In this section of Scripture, Jeremiah is complaining about why the wicked prosper. It was upsetting him to the point that it was affecting his work for God.
Sometimes we get distracted by the lack of commitment that we see in others. What God tells him applies to us as well. God’s reply to Jeremiah is that if you are turned aside that easily – just by looking at what others are doing (or not doing) – then you will really be thrown off when you see how high I’ve actually called you to go.
It’s like the person who says that their dream is to walk the Appalachian Trail, yet all the while they complain about the number of stairs leading to their front door. Take some time to refocus your sights on the high calling God has for you. And remember, if you let the small stuff get you down, you will never move on to the great things.
Take the time to refocus your thoughts in the presence of the Lord. Let His plan for you fill your vision. In this way you will not be distracted from completing the assignment God has for you.
Tags: above and beyond, Bible, Christian, commitment, complain, complaining, devotion, disciple, distractions, encouragement, God's faithfulness, God's will, greater things, higher, Holy Spirit, Jeremiah, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems, strength
Exodus 3:4-6
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Yesterday I posted about the “burning bush” experience that God wants us to have with Him. Today I want to take it a step further. The first thing I notice, is that God did not reveal Himself until He knew that He had Moses attention.
Sometimes I like to go out hiking or camping in the woods. While I’m there, I usually take the time to pray and seek the Lord. The reason I love to meet with God in the wilderness is that there are no distractions.
We live in a world where there’s a whirlwind of activity around us. We desperately need to take the time and get alone with God in a solitary place. Only then will God have the freedom to speak with us on the level He desires.
The next thing is that God instructs Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. God wants nothing to insulate Moses from His holiness. So often we want a buffer between us and God. We want the Pastor to pray for us and tell us what to do. The truth is that we need to see ourselves as holy – set apart for the exclusive use of God.
Take the time right now to bask in the holiness of the Lord. Begin to see yourself as set apart for His plan. Lay down your desires upon the altar of God. In that way you are opening the door for a “burning bush” of your own.
Tags: alone with God, attention, Bible, burning bush, camping, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, fellowship, glory, God's faithfulness, hiking, holiness, holy ground, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Moses, prayer, presence of the lord, set apart, wilderness
Exodus 3:1-3
Now Moses was tending the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”
This is a very familiar portion of the Word of God. Every Sunday School student knows about Moses and the burning bush. Here we see Moses going through the normal routine of an average day. Then, out of nowhere, God shows up and absolutely revolutionizes his life.
What may surprise you is that God desires us all to have “burning bush” experiences. We serve a God who always desires fellowship with his children. If you are listening, there will be times of deep intimacy between you and the Lord. These are times when you have a special moment with the Lord.
You also need to understand that these times are few and far between. However, they are times when the Spirit of God speaks to you so clearly that you can almost hear Him with your physical ears.
The important thing to remember is that we need to keep our eyes open for these times of special clarity in our walk with God. We cannot afford to miss them – they are life changing.
Spend some time, today, in quiet reverence before the Lord. Let Him know that you are willing to listen to His voice. Allow Him to share His heart with yours.
Tags: Bible, burning bush, Christian, clarity, devotion, distractions, encouragement, fellowship, glory, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, holy worship, intimacy, life changing, presence of the lord, reverence
Nehemiah 9:17
They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.
In this passage, Nehemiah is praying, and remembering why Israel is presently in captivity in a foreign land. Time and time again they refused to listen to the Lord’s leading. They took no time to think and meditate on the many miracles that God performed on their behalf. Instead they had a history of outright rebellion against God’s leadership.
But here is the amazing part – in all that time God remained forgiving, gracious, and compassionate. I’m so glad that our God is not bound to emotional outbursts the way we humans are. Instead of writing them off and giving up on them, God worked with Israel. He tried to draw them in by His love for them.
This is truly a God who is abounding in love. This verse literally says that God has an over abundance of love. That only stands to reason. God is love. God is infinite. Therefore, His love is infinite.
What a comforting thought – God has more than enough love for us. You can personalize that and say that God has more than enough love for you. He will never run out. No one can ever say that they have done so many things wrong that God doesn’t love them any more.
Bask in the warmth of that love today. Let God’s overabundance minister to your soul. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak words of encouragement to your inner man. Be refreshed by this love that passes all understanding.
Tags: abounding in love, Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, fellowship, God is love, God's love, Holy Spirit, inner man, love, loving God, miracles, Nehemiah, praise, presence of the lord, rebellion
The Spirit and the Word 