Deposits

On January 7, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 16        NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.

As you can tell, I am still hanging out in Ephesians. It is such a rich book that I sometimes hardly get past one verse before I have to stop and contemplate. When Paul stopped and considered all the great works of God’s hands, he fell to his knees and prayed. Undoubtedly, he praised God for all the glorious things He has done. That isn’t all though. Paul’s pastor’s heart shows here. All that awe and wonder turned into a prayer for the people Paul served. Paul prayed an intense prayer. This is my prayer for you today.

We cannot fathom the quantity of glory and resources God has. It boggles the imagination even trying. Take that imagination, that image, however you see it and try to picture God filling you with it. Imagine His might filling you, making you strong in your inner self. Paul asked for God’s Holy Spirit to flow into people and leave, within them, deposits of God’s glory and His ability. I cannot even imagine what resources Paul might have been thinking about but God’s wisdom, patience, insightfulness, and resilience might be some of the resources the Holy Spirit has for us.

The question is, what do we need? God has a resource for every need. I pray Paul’s prayer, that the Holy Spirit will fill you with every glorified resource you need for your life. I also pray that He gives you a new and bigger dream so that you need to pull on those resources more and more. May the God of Glory, the Son of Righteousness and the Spirit of Life shine on you today and leave deposits of their essence in your spirit. Amen.

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Glory and Joy

On December 21, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 2: 6 – 18           TPT

That night, in a field near Bethlehem, shepherds were watching over their flocks. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified! But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid, for I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere! For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. You will recognize him by this miraculous sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in the feeding trough!”

Then all at once in the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing:

“Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven!
For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”

When the choir of angels disappeared and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go! Let’s hurry and find this Word who is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us.” So they hurried off and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a feeding trough.

Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was astonished by what they were told.

The Christmas story never gets old. This was taken from the Passion Translation and shows a little more of the astonishment of the occasion. I am sure there are no words which could describe what people experienced during this time, though.

I want to leave you with a few thoughts. First, it is not an understatement to say that shepherds were regarded as lowly. They stayed out in the fields and smelled like their flocks. So, it is interesting that the host of angels should appear to such lowly folks. The reason is so that none of us can deny our own position in the kingdom. If God saw fit to appear to the lowliest of all people, then we are assured access as well.

Second, this good news, this miracle, is for all people. Those are important words and are still playing out. What began as an Israelite miracle, has transformed the entire world and continues to. This great savior is for all and what great news is that? Even as the shepherds heard the good news, foreign wise men began their trek, men who were not Israelites but you journeyed to offer expensive gifts to the king. Wow!

Third, the word the shepherds used regarding going to see this “miracle” was “rhema”. They said, let us go to Bethlehem and see this “living Word”. That is so amazing. You “Word” people should be shouting right now as I know my Jewish friends are. The shepherds heard what the angels were saying, that The Living Word of God had come in human form to save the world. Glory to God! I pray this fills your heart with great joy!

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Glory and Majesty

On November 25, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jude 1: 24 – 25

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.

To God be glory, majesty, dominion and authority. Amen. That is enough of a prayer on its own, a really great prayer in fact. Still, Jude paired it with other concepts. He gives us reasons to praise God and exalt Him because of the miracle of these gifts. Significantly, that we might be able to stand in His presence, in His glory, and though that would be enough, there is still more. Because of the great miracle of substitutionary redemption, we can stand in the Lord’s presence perfectly blameless. That’s amazing! Thank you, Jesus,!

So let us meditate on standing in the presence of our beloved savior and our Father seeing ourselves clean and pure, standing there with them in the fullness of joy. Lord, may your kingdom here on earth reflect the glory and majesty of your kingdom in the New Jerusalem and thank you for allowing us to be citizens therein. Amen!

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Steadfast

On October 27, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Samuel 15: 29                     NLT

And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!

This verse is an important verse for each of us to know and understand. Without it, much of the Bible loses its efficacy. However, with it, the Old Testament is as vibrant and life giving as the New Testament.

This verse tells that God does not lie. Truth be told, He cannot lie because whatever He says simply becomes. Whatever He speaks comes into being. Besides that, there is nothing which intimidates Him into lying. Why should He lie? He is God after all. This means that we can hold Him to whatever He says. Moreover, since He does not change His mind, whatever He has ever said is as viable as the moment it was spoken.

There is great power in this verse because it means you have an entire book of promises that are available to you. You may enter His throne room and put in your request according to the promise already given.

One other little thought – I think it interesting to see the Father called the Glory of Israel. I would argue that we are a part of the new Israel according to the redemption we received in Christ. So, He is our glory and that is a wonderful name and idea to wrap your head around.

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Enthroned

On June 1, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 102: 12 – 22

But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.

This is a large selection of text today, but hopefully it reveals a central truth and comfort. You might be interested to know that the title of today’s psalm is, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.” What a title! However, this segment of the psalm does not sound like it is written by a person in despair and that is the key lesson. From despair, we lift our heads and see God’s glory.

The author may have wondered, like many other saints, “Where is God?” In times of trouble, it may seem God has abandoned us. However, as the psalmist indicates, our God is still on the throne and He reigns. He will save Zion, and your town, and rain down upon it His compassion and favor. Though the author was afflicted and had grown weak, yet he says of God, “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” Then he tells us that this is recorded for a future generation, i.e. for us, that we might have courage and confidence in our time of need.

We are not abandoned, and God is not ignoring our plight. He attends to the prayer of the destitute, the needy. We will not ignore our cry for help. God will save us. He is with us and we will yet praise His name as we assemble to worship His name. His love surrounds and keeps us. He is Lord Protector and Father. Let us leave a testimony for a future generation too, that our Father lifted us and showed us His favor in our time of need.

Glory to God! Let the earth sing. Praises be to Yahweh; Father, Lord and Savior. Come Lord Jesus, show us your grace; shower us in your mercy and favor. Lift our heads that we might praise you with a joyful voice. Let the world see the beauty of your countenance as you touch and bless through your presence, your glorious, shining presence with your people. Amen.

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National Day of Prayer

On May 7, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Exodus 33: 18

“I pray You, show me Your glory!”

This is my prayer today. The theme for the National Day of Prayer is “Pray God’s glory across the earth.” Whomever chose the theme for this year must have had divine inspiration because it is the perfect prayer. It is curious that the National theme has a world-wide scope. This isn’t just about praying for our national leaders. It is about praying for God to show up across the whole world.

So, what is the glory of the Lord? You may have seen the term “Shekinah Glory” before. The Shekinah glory is the radiant presence of God. We have never needed His light and His presence more than today. His presence is His goodness. When Moses asked God to reveal His glory, God responded, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” God’s goodness and compassion are always in His presence and His presence is His glory. Isaiah wrote, “They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God.” In other words, the glory of the Lord reveals His majesty. One cannot be in the presence of the Lord, witness His glory and not be awed by His majesty.

God’s glory called to Moses from a burning bush which was not consumed by fire. His glory led the Israelites on their great exodus in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Ezekiel wrote, “The temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord,” (Ezekiel 10: 4). On the Mount of Transfiguration, the radiance of God’s glory was described as splendor (Luke 9: 29 – 35). On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 2 – 3) God’s glory appeared as tongues of fire. More recently, in 1906 at a little church on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, the building appeared to be on fire, but it turned out to be God’s glory. People actually called the fire department but one cannot quench this fire.

The idea I want to sow into you today is that God’s glory has dwelt on earth. People have, on many occasions, seen the Glory of God. In modern times, we may have lost touch with the exact nature of God’s glory, but it is nothing less than God’s manifesting presence in the earth. We need God, we need to see God. When Moses asked to see Yahweh’s glory, God answered, “Yes!” Never in our lifetimes have we needed God’s radiant presence more than we do today.

In my studies, I have discovered that God’s presence hearkens to a praying people. Do you want God to show up on planet earth? Prayer and praise are the forerunners of God. My heart cries out, “Father, I need you. Father! I need more of you.” Our world needs hungry hearts who will cry out to the Father with passion and determination, people who will meet at the foot of the cross and call upon the blood of Christ to redeem and rescue us. We need pray-ers desperately! We need leaders to turn their faces to God and ask for God’s wisdom even as each and every one of us does the same. We need a nation of people who will make prayer a priority. I pray, and I know that you do too, but this is a time for us all to increase. We need increase in our compassion, conviction and maybe the third word should be contrition. We need more than our morning prayers before we rush out the door or to our “work at home” computers. We need time of praying from the depth or our hearts and listening to the voice of the Lord. What is He saying to us? How is He leading us?

I hope that today you will put aside some of what you have planned and will make quiet time to call out to the Lord. Put your heart on your sleeve and let the Lord lead you by the heart. Let us all be united today and “Let us Pray.”

I have included links to all the scriptures I quoted today so that you can easily go and see them for yourself. Just click on the scripture cite and you will be teleported to that glory filled moment in time. Enjoy.

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Glory Land

On May 1, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 85:9

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.

Sorry if this seems redundant or is boring but I couldn’t resist this verse after yesterday’s Word of the Day. What struck me about this is that when we live in His saving grace, as we discussed yesterday, then God’s glory shines in our land.

If we take a more precise, modern-day language reading of the word “fear” we would render that phrase “revere Him.” We just don’t use the word fear in that context anymore. Therefore, the relationship is that God’s glory can dwell in the land when there are people who revere Him. His salvation is near, as we saw yesterday, to help in every situation while His glory leads us and shines upon us.

If you think there is nothing you can do about the current situation with coronavirus, think about this verse for a while. All of us can grow in our spiritual life. We can develop and grow during this crisis time and when we do, God’s glory will come to settle upon our land. Wherever you live, this is your personal moment when you can stand for your country. You can do more for your country than even its political leaders because your faith brings the help we all need. Diving into a deeper relationship with God, a reverential awe of who He is, brings salvation near.

I have been hearing about how some people are getting really bored being at home while others are experiencing increased anxiety from cabin fever. There is something we can offer to eliminate both of those problems. Pursue God with vigor. Study, pray, meditate and just chat with Him. Seeking God can easily fill a day and invigorate life. The end result is that as we do this as a body, God’s glory inhabits or land. That’s cool and I think it would be great for people who don’t know God to get to see His glory.

Jesus is close at hand to save those who love him, and he longs to make us, and our land, his dwelling place.

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