‘I AM WHO I AM’ :
EXODUS 3:14 - AND GOD SAID TO MOSES, “I AM WHO I AM.”…
Whatever your challenge is today, whether it is physical, emotional, financial or marital, the great I Am declares to you: “I am to you what you need Me to be.”
Do you need healing? He says, “I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus15:26) And as you believe Me, you will see your healing manifest thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Are you groping in the dark, not knowing what to do? He says, “I am the light of the world. (John 8:12) When you walk in Me, you will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Are you looking for a way out of a bad situation? He says, “I am your deliverer. I will reach down from on high, take hold of your hand and draw you out of the deep waters.” (Psalm 18:2, 16)
Are you wondering if there is more to life than merely existing from day to day? He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25) I came to give you life. And where there is life, there cannot be death. You will have life and life more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Are you fearful of what is ahead of you? He says, “I am the good shepherd (John 10:11), who leads you to pastures of tender, green grass and waters of rest. You will not suffer lack.” (Psalm 23:1–3)
Are you confused by the opinions and reports of man? He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:11) I have the final word in your life. The doctors do not have the final word. The experts do not have the final word. I have the first word and the last word in your situation.”
My friend, do not be fearful of the problems you face. The great I Am declares to you, “Fear not! For I am to you what you need Me to be!”
JESUS, TEACHER AND SAVIOR :
Mark 4:2, "And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,"
The Greek word used here for "doctrine" means "teaching" and occurs a total of 30 times in the New Testament. The four gospels refer to Jesus teaching 43 times and preaching 19 times, and six verses refer to Him preaching and teaching in the same verse. This would indicate that Jesus spent twice as much time teaching as He did preaching. Jesus' teaching is the basic building block of making disciples and a stumbling block to the religious.
Why is it that a person who is seeking so hard to please God can be rejected, while a person who has not sought God at all can come into a righteous relationship with Him? This is an important question and its answer is one of the most profound doctrines in scripture. The answer is faith and its object.
The Jews were zealous for the things of God, but their faith was in themselves. They were trusting that they could earn God's favor by their acts of righteousness. On the other hand, the Gentiles had no holiness to trust in. So, when they heard the Gospel message that Jesus paid our debt for us, they readily accepted His "gift" of salvation, while the religious Jews could not abandon their trust in themselves for salvation.
The same problem exists today. Millions of church people are trying to live holy lives, but they do not have a true faith in Jesus as their Savior. If they were to stand before God and He was to ask them what they had done to deserve salvation, they would immediately start recounting all their acts of holiness such as church attendance, giving receipts, etc. Regardless of how good our actions are compared to others, they always come short of the perfect standard of God. The only response to this kind of question that would grant us entrance to heaven is to say, "my only claim to salvation is faith in Jesus as my Savior." Let Him be the object of your faith today. He is all you need.
EXODUS 3:14 - AND GOD SAID TO MOSES, “I AM WHO I AM.”…
Whatever your challenge is today, whether it is physical, emotional, financial or marital, the great I Am declares to you: “I am to you what you need Me to be.”
Do you need healing? He says, “I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus15:26) And as you believe Me, you will see your healing manifest thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Are you groping in the dark, not knowing what to do? He says, “I am the light of the world. (John 8:12) When you walk in Me, you will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Are you looking for a way out of a bad situation? He says, “I am your deliverer. I will reach down from on high, take hold of your hand and draw you out of the deep waters.” (Psalm 18:2, 16)
Are you wondering if there is more to life than merely existing from day to day? He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25) I came to give you life. And where there is life, there cannot be death. You will have life and life more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Are you fearful of what is ahead of you? He says, “I am the good shepherd (John 10:11), who leads you to pastures of tender, green grass and waters of rest. You will not suffer lack.” (Psalm 23:1–3)
Are you confused by the opinions and reports of man? He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:11) I have the final word in your life. The doctors do not have the final word. The experts do not have the final word. I have the first word and the last word in your situation.”
My friend, do not be fearful of the problems you face. The great I Am declares to you, “Fear not! For I am to you what you need Me to be!”
JESUS, TEACHER AND SAVIOR :
Mark 4:2, "And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,"
The Greek word used here for "doctrine" means "teaching" and occurs a total of 30 times in the New Testament. The four gospels refer to Jesus teaching 43 times and preaching 19 times, and six verses refer to Him preaching and teaching in the same verse. This would indicate that Jesus spent twice as much time teaching as He did preaching. Jesus' teaching is the basic building block of making disciples and a stumbling block to the religious.
Why is it that a person who is seeking so hard to please God can be rejected, while a person who has not sought God at all can come into a righteous relationship with Him? This is an important question and its answer is one of the most profound doctrines in scripture. The answer is faith and its object.
The Jews were zealous for the things of God, but their faith was in themselves. They were trusting that they could earn God's favor by their acts of righteousness. On the other hand, the Gentiles had no holiness to trust in. So, when they heard the Gospel message that Jesus paid our debt for us, they readily accepted His "gift" of salvation, while the religious Jews could not abandon their trust in themselves for salvation.
The same problem exists today. Millions of church people are trying to live holy lives, but they do not have a true faith in Jesus as their Savior. If they were to stand before God and He was to ask them what they had done to deserve salvation, they would immediately start recounting all their acts of holiness such as church attendance, giving receipts, etc. Regardless of how good our actions are compared to others, they always come short of the perfect standard of God. The only response to this kind of question that would grant us entrance to heaven is to say, "my only claim to salvation is faith in Jesus as my Savior." Let Him be the object of your faith today. He is all you need.
'I'M PRAYING FOR YOU' :
'I have prayed for you...' Luke 22:32 NKJV
When somebody says, 'I'm praying for you,' there is no greater expression of love! The tragedy of religion without power is that it leaves you ignorant of the incredible potential of prayer. Prayer moves God! And when God moves, people and situations change! Jesus told Peter, '...Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.' (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV) And God answered that prayer! In spite of his denial of Christ, Peter ended up leading one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in history, and two of the books in the Bible are named after him.
Only eternity will reveal the lives that have been salvaged and ministries restored through prayer. There is no distance in prayer. Through prayer you can project yourself into any situation, at any time, anywhere on earth, claiming the promise, '...Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.' (Mark 11:24 NIV) When the Philistines were about to annihilate Israel, Samuel said, '...I will intercede with the Lord for you.' (1 Samuel 7:5 NIV) And the result? '...The Lord thundered...against the Philistines...' (1 Samuel 7:10 NIV) Perhaps this is what the old-timers meant when they talked about 'praying up a storm'!
God comes by invitation. Your prayers open the door to Him. Any time you pray in Jesus' name, the Holy Spirit is authorised to go to work accomplishing things on your behalf that cannot be accomplished any other way. Remember that the next time someone says, 'I'm praying for you.'
NOT COUNTING
The last will be first, and the first last. —Matthew 20:16
The play Amadeus tells of a composer in the 18th century seeking to understand the mind of God. The devout Antonio Salieri has the earnest desire, but not the aptitude, to create immortal music. It infuriates him that God has instead lavished the greatest of musical genius ever known on the impish Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The play poses the same question as the book of Job, only inverted. The author of Job wonders why God would punish the most righteous man on the face of the earth; the author of Amadeus ponders why God would reward someone so undeserving.
Jesus’ parable of the workers and their grossly unfair paychecks confronts this scandal head-on. Some people who have been idly standing around are hired by a landowner at “the eleventh hour” (Matt. 20:6-7). The other workers, who have been serving him all day long, are shocked when each receives identical pay. What employer in his right mind would pay the same amount for one hour’s work as for 12!
Jesus’ story makes no economic sense, and that was His intent. He was giving us a parable about grace, which cannot be calculated like a day’s wages. God dispenses gifts, not wages.
Lord, I forget sometimes that my efforts cannot earn Your love or grace or forgiveness. You have lavished grace on me as a gift and not a wage. Thank You.
In the realm of grace, the word “deserve” does not apply.
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