TODAY, May 1, 2014, is the National Day of Prayer.
May we who believe in the mighty power of prayer bring the leaders of this planet and the great needs of our world before the One who has given us the privilege to pray for those in authority over us and who has assured us that His resurrection power resides within us, Romans 8:11.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Pray for Those in Authority
May 1
It is always a blessing to know that a person of great influence and power has come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it does not happen until after the trappings of power have fallen from him; perhaps because no man can “serve two masters,” Matthew 6:24, God and himself. Here are some of Napoleon's own words that evidence the delight he had after he had given his heart to the Savior.
NAPOLEON BECOMES A CHRISTIAN IN EXILE
"The Gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades everything that opposes its extension. Behold it upon this table, this book surpassing all others (here the Emperor solemnly placed his hand upon it). Never omit to read it, and every day with new pleasure. Nowhere is to be found such a series of beautiful ideas, and admirable moral maxims, which pass before us like the battalions of a celestial army...The soul can never go astray with this book for its guide..."
Napoleon continued:
"Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, a His will confounds me. Between Him and whoever else in the world there is no possible term of comparison; He is truly a Being by Himself. His ideas and His sentiments, the truth which He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things.
Truth should embrace the universe. Such is Christianity, the only religion which destroys sectional prejudices, the only one which proclaims the unity and the absolute brotherhood of the whole human family, the only one which is purely spiritual; in fine, the only one which assigns to all, without distinction, for a true country, the bosom of the Creator, God."
Napoleon concluded:
"Christ proved that He was the Son of the Eternal by His disregard of time. All His doctrines signify one only and the same thing-eternity. What a proof of the divinity of Christ! With an empire so absolute, He has but one single end - the spiritual melioration of individuals, the purity of the conscience, the union to that which is true, the holiness of the soul...
"Not only is our mind absorbed, it is controlled; and the soul can never go astray with this book for its guide. Once master of our spirit, the faithful Gospel loves us. God even is our Friend, our Father, and truly our God..."
The Word of God says of itself, "The entrance of Thy word gives light," Psalm 119:130, and it certainly appears that the Light of Christ flooded Napoleon's being when the great conqueror met the One who had conquered sin and death.
We can only wonder and imagine how amazing would have been the course upon which the world might have been set if Napoleon had arrived at his profound understanding of and love for Jesus Christ while great power was in his hands rather than when he had become an exile.
With this question before us, may we pray with great fervency for the leaders of our country and for the leaders of the world as Paul admonishes us to do in I Timothy 2:1, 2, "I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."
Lord Jesus, we bring those to whom You have entrusted great authority and power before You and ask that You touch their hearts and kindle within them a love for You and an understanding of Your truth. We ask that the Holy Spirit would course through their minds and hearts and spirits and bring them to a saving knowledge of You, O, Christ, not just for their own eternal well-being but that this world of ours might enjoy the peace and security that will come if the Prince of Peace controls the 'princes' who hold power. In Your name we ask, Jesus. Amen.
It is always a blessing to know that a person of great influence and power has come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it does not happen until after the trappings of power have fallen from him; perhaps because no man can “serve two masters,” Matthew 6:24, God and himself. Here are some of Napoleon's own words that evidence the delight he had after he had given his heart to the Savior.
NAPOLEON BECOMES A CHRISTIAN IN EXILE
"The Gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades everything that opposes its extension. Behold it upon this table, this book surpassing all others (here the Emperor solemnly placed his hand upon it). Never omit to read it, and every day with new pleasure. Nowhere is to be found such a series of beautiful ideas, and admirable moral maxims, which pass before us like the battalions of a celestial army...The soul can never go astray with this book for its guide..."
Napoleon continued:
"Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, a His will confounds me. Between Him and whoever else in the world there is no possible term of comparison; He is truly a Being by Himself. His ideas and His sentiments, the truth which He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things.
Truth should embrace the universe. Such is Christianity, the only religion which destroys sectional prejudices, the only one which proclaims the unity and the absolute brotherhood of the whole human family, the only one which is purely spiritual; in fine, the only one which assigns to all, without distinction, for a true country, the bosom of the Creator, God."
Napoleon concluded:
"Christ proved that He was the Son of the Eternal by His disregard of time. All His doctrines signify one only and the same thing-eternity. What a proof of the divinity of Christ! With an empire so absolute, He has but one single end - the spiritual melioration of individuals, the purity of the conscience, the union to that which is true, the holiness of the soul...
"Not only is our mind absorbed, it is controlled; and the soul can never go astray with this book for its guide. Once master of our spirit, the faithful Gospel loves us. God even is our Friend, our Father, and truly our God..."
The Word of God says of itself, "The entrance of Thy word gives light," Psalm 119:130, and it certainly appears that the Light of Christ flooded Napoleon's being when the great conqueror met the One who had conquered sin and death.
We can only wonder and imagine how amazing would have been the course upon which the world might have been set if Napoleon had arrived at his profound understanding of and love for Jesus Christ while great power was in his hands rather than when he had become an exile.
With this question before us, may we pray with great fervency for the leaders of our country and for the leaders of the world as Paul admonishes us to do in I Timothy 2:1, 2, "I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."
Lord Jesus, we bring those to whom You have entrusted great authority and power before You and ask that You touch their hearts and kindle within them a love for You and an understanding of Your truth. We ask that the Holy Spirit would course through their minds and hearts and spirits and bring them to a saving knowledge of You, O, Christ, not just for their own eternal well-being but that this world of ours might enjoy the peace and security that will come if the Prince of Peace controls the 'princes' who hold power. In Your name we ask, Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Your Experience
April 30
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is inside you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives within you.” Romans 8:9-11
There is power in Jesus and in His wondrous name to transform anyone, heal anyone, to save dying souls that are going to hell, to bring millions to the knowledge of salvation, to bring nations to their knees in repentance by asking for forgiveness for all manner of individual and national sin.
Believers, in the behalf of their countries may pray the wonderful prayer of II Chronicles 9:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Believers can also trust Jesus to change their families from unregenerate and rebellious children to people of faith and integrity. He can change a person’s professional life as the individual begins to appropriate the charge of Colossians 3:23; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord.”
He can redeem you from anything with which the enemy has bound you. He desires to make you whole in body, mind, spirit, finance, relationship. He wants the entirety of your being to reflect the glory of His holy name.
When you give your life to Jesus, you will discover that the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) no longer has any authority over you! You will find yourself to be “more than a conqueror,“ Romans 8:37, because of Christ's glory. You will know from your own experience that the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and that His power is greater than all the powers of darkness, just as we are told in Romans 8:9-11.
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is inside you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives within you.” Romans 8:9-11
There is power in Jesus and in His wondrous name to transform anyone, heal anyone, to save dying souls that are going to hell, to bring millions to the knowledge of salvation, to bring nations to their knees in repentance by asking for forgiveness for all manner of individual and national sin.
Believers, in the behalf of their countries may pray the wonderful prayer of II Chronicles 9:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Believers can also trust Jesus to change their families from unregenerate and rebellious children to people of faith and integrity. He can change a person’s professional life as the individual begins to appropriate the charge of Colossians 3:23; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord.”
He can redeem you from anything with which the enemy has bound you. He desires to make you whole in body, mind, spirit, finance, relationship. He wants the entirety of your being to reflect the glory of His holy name.
When you give your life to Jesus, you will discover that the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) no longer has any authority over you! You will find yourself to be “more than a conqueror,“ Romans 8:37, because of Christ's glory. You will know from your own experience that the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and that His power is greater than all the powers of darkness, just as we are told in Romans 8:9-11.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Some Sweet Tomorrow
April 29
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1. 2.
Not everyone who hears the Word will spend eternity in Heaven. In Matthew 13:4-7, Jesus makes this quite clear with a parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.”
This indicates that there are many things that can steal away the truth of God in the lives of those who hear it. Perhaps it will be overwhelmed when a man is beset with trial regarding his employment in a troubled economy, which is contradictory to all Christ stands for (see Matthew 6:25).
Perhaps it will be swallowed up by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (see I John 2:16) when a man cannot let go of the things he desires to own. When his perception of himself is rooted in the possessions he accrues, he cannot relinquish them in order to embrace the eternal treasure that was claimed for him at Calvary.
When anything other than Jesus becomes paramount in a believer’s life, his life is no longer on the path toward his eternal rest, his knowledge of truth is no longer leading him to the profit that has been promised to those who are “…faithful unto death…” that they might obtain “…a crown of life,” Revelation 2:10.
What can cause an individual to reject eternal reward for mere, fleeting temporal treasure? Paul states clearly in Hebrews 4:2 that this happens when the word is not mixed with faith. He states this truth even more bluntly in Hebrews 11:6 where he says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Only those who “diligently seek Him” can begin to fathom the great disparity between temporal and eternal treasure. Only those who truly love Jesus can let go of all the world promises to those who serve mammon today in exchange for the hope that is within of eternal treasure on some sweet tomorrow.
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1. 2.
Not everyone who hears the Word will spend eternity in Heaven. In Matthew 13:4-7, Jesus makes this quite clear with a parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.”
This indicates that there are many things that can steal away the truth of God in the lives of those who hear it. Perhaps it will be overwhelmed when a man is beset with trial regarding his employment in a troubled economy, which is contradictory to all Christ stands for (see Matthew 6:25).
Perhaps it will be swallowed up by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (see I John 2:16) when a man cannot let go of the things he desires to own. When his perception of himself is rooted in the possessions he accrues, he cannot relinquish them in order to embrace the eternal treasure that was claimed for him at Calvary.
When anything other than Jesus becomes paramount in a believer’s life, his life is no longer on the path toward his eternal rest, his knowledge of truth is no longer leading him to the profit that has been promised to those who are “…faithful unto death…” that they might obtain “…a crown of life,” Revelation 2:10.
What can cause an individual to reject eternal reward for mere, fleeting temporal treasure? Paul states clearly in Hebrews 4:2 that this happens when the word is not mixed with faith. He states this truth even more bluntly in Hebrews 11:6 where he says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Only those who “diligently seek Him” can begin to fathom the great disparity between temporal and eternal treasure. Only those who truly love Jesus can let go of all the world promises to those who serve mammon today in exchange for the hope that is within of eternal treasure on some sweet tomorrow.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Reminder: May 1: NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Please keep this event in mind and please participate if you are able. Whether you fast all day or fast one meal or don't fast at all ... simply pray ... please lift your heart and your prayers to the Lord in the behalf of YOUR nation on this crucial day of united prayer.
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