Friday, May 23, 2014

THE CROWN OF THORNS

AWAKE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS:

Awake to righteousness, and sin not. – 1 Corinthians 15:34

When your alarm clock goes off tomorrow morning, don't just wake up to another day. Do what the Word says to do and "awake to righteousness!" Reawaken yourself to the glorious fact that you've been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and given right-standing with Almighty God.

Why? Because tomorrow--and every other day of your life on this earth-- Satan is going to try to convince you that you don't have any right to the things of God. He's going to try to bring you into bondage again to sin in order to control your life. But he won't be able to do it if you'll reawaken yourself every day to who you really are in Jesus.

Here's a prayerful confession to help that revelation come alive in you:
"Father, I confess anew Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior today. Lord, You are the head of my life. I completely yield myself to You. My will is now Your will. My plans are now Your plans.
"As a new creation in Christ Jesus, I accept the gift of righteousness and all that gift includes: health, prosperity, peace, joy and life abundant. I put aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets me. I now look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.
"According to Your Word, I can now reign in this life as a king. The power of sin and death in my life has been overcome. No longer am I ruled by the forces of evil but by the God above all gods. I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.
"I determine today to walk conscious of my right-standing with You, Lord, and with every step to draw closer and closer to You. Thank You for the gift of righteousness. Because of that gift, I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.
"In Jesus' Name. Amen!"

PACE YOURSELF


Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. —Mark 6:31

Not long ago I developed a physical problem. My left shoulder and arm were aching, I had a painful rash on my forearm and thumb, and I struggled daily with fatigue. When I finally went to the doctor, I learned that I had a case of shingles. The doctor put me on antiviral medication and said it would take several weeks for the disease to run its course.

Because of this illness, I had to force myself into a new routine. A short nap in the morning and one in the afternoon were necessary to give me the strength to be productive. Until I recovered, I had to learn to pace myself.

At one point when Jesus sent His representatives out to teach in His name, they were so excited with all they were doing that they neglected to take time to eat and rest properly. When they returned, Christ told them: “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

Everyone needs rest, and if we go too long without it, we will suffer physically and emotionally. We also will be unable to carry out our responsibilities as well as we should. Is the Lord encouraging you to “come aside . . . and rest a while”? Sometimes a few more rest stops with Him may be necessary.

I come aside from the world of strife,
With its burdens, trials, and the cares of life
To a beautiful, quiet, restful place
Where I commune with my Jesus face to face.
To avoid a breakdown, take a break for rest and prayer.

YOU CAN’T KEEP A MAN WITH GOD’S FAVOR DOWN

PROVERBS 24:16 …though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…

There are many times where the lowest points in your life are actually launching pads to God’s greatest promotion in your life. It was so for Joseph in the Bible!

If Joseph had not been betrayed by his brothers, he would not have been sold as a slave. If he had not been sold as a slave, he would not have been in Potiphar’s house. If he was not in Potiphar’s house, he would not have been thrown into an Egyptian prison meant specifically for the king’s prisoners. If he was not in that specific prison, he would not have interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s officers. If he had not interpreted their dreams, he would not have been summoned to interpret Pharaoh’s dream two years later. If he had not interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh would not have promoted Joseph to become his prime minister over the entire Egyptian empire!

God’s presence with Joseph and His unmerited favor caused Joseph to be promoted from the pit to the palace, from the dunghill to Capitol Hill, from the outhouse to the White House. So stop looking at your circumstances and stop allowing them to discourage you. The same Lord who was with Joseph is with you right now. You cannot fail! You can expect to see success beyond your present circumstances because of His unmerited favor!

SAFETY IS NOT FOUND IN THE ABSENCE OF DANGER BUT IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

Even while David was seized by his enemies, the Philistines, he wrote this: When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4).

David knew that no matter what his circumstances looked like -- whether his life was in great danger or not -- his safety depended on God. It is no surprise, then, that David wrote in Psalm 27:1-3: The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

When you feel afraid of what other people can do to you, remember that God has ultimate control over your life. However, it is important to note that in order to expect God's protection, you must be in God's presence. Notice that Psalm 91:1-2 says, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." In order to be rest in God's shadow, you must be in His presence -- and that means spending time with God, reading His Word, and praying.

Whether the people coming against you are terrorists or just your neighbor, remember that it is God you protects you: The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6).

The principle that safety is found in God is summarized by Psalm 4:8, which says, I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. You may be in dangerous circumstances, but safety is found not in the absence of danger but in the presence of God.

WHAT HAPPENED TO DEMAS? 

'...Demas has forsaken me...' 2 Timothy 4:10 NKJV

Paul writes one of the saddest verses in Scripture: 'Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.' The runner has stumbled. The lights have gone out in the life of a believer. Why? (1) Did he resent his minority status as a Christian? It's been said that there wasn't just one, but two Martin Luthers in church history. And they both received the same revelation of justification by faith as the way to salvation. But the first wrote it down and hid it in a monastery wall because he feared the authorities. The second nailed it to the door of Wittenberg All Saints Church and started the Reformation. Christ promised that our message would be a powerful one, but not always a popular one: 'Do not fear, little flock...' (Luke 12:32 NKJV) Wear your minority status as a badge of honour! (2) Was he cut down by the doctrinal sword? We have the message people need to hear, but don't always want to listen to. Even some Christians don't want to hear it. 'Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said,
"This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" ...From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.' (John 6:60;66 NKJV) You say, 'But if we're too strict with people we'll lose them.' If we're legalistic we will, but if we're Scriptural, we'll build men and women of God, who shine like lights in a dark world. Jesus said, 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.' (John8:32 NKJV) Sometimes, before the truth sets people free, it puts them through the wringer! But we must preach it nonetheless.

'Demas...loved this...world.' 2 Timothy 4:10 NKJV

Again we ask, 'What happened to Demas?'

(1) Was he troubled by Paul's diminishing prestige? When Paul came to town, church growth exploded - and so did riots. In one town the new converts brought out pornographic books and arte facts of witchcraft and burned them in the town square. That didn't win Paul any points with the publishers and manufacturers! He had the social status of a person with leprosy at a health retreat. Who said the Christian life was supposed to be easy? Not Jesus: 'If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.' (John 15:18-19 NKJV) Attack is a sign of respect; it means you haven't been conquered. Indeed, the level of the attack that comes against you is an indicator of the level of God's blessing that awaits you beyond it.

(2) Did he resent Paul's growing ostracism by professing Christians? A man asked his friend, 'How's the world treating you?' He replied, 'The world treats me just fine, it's the saints who give me a hard time!' Sometimes the church supported Paul financially, other times he had to make tents to support himself. So how did he respond? '...I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.' (2 Corinthians 12:15 NKJV) The burning desire in Paul's life was '...to be well pleasing to [Christ].' (2 Corinthians 5:9 NKJV) Is that your desire, too?

JESUS WORE THE CROWN OF THORNS FOR YOU :

JOHN 19:2 - And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head…

If hard work is the formula for prosperity, then everyone who works hard should be prosperous. But this is certainly not the case. Many people who work very hard are still in lack!

I am not advocating laziness. What I am saying is that working hard by the sweat of your brow is not how God’s provision comes. In fact, if you have to work overtime all the time and are stressed out, you are probably operating under the curse.

What curse is that? It is this curse: “In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread…” (Genesis 3:19). And it refers to the stress, struggle and anxieties that come with working hard and yet producing little. Now, work itself is not a curse since God gave Adam work before the fall—Adam was to tend the garden of Eden. It was only after he sinned that the land was cursed and it brought forth thorns, and man had to toil to eat of it. (Genesis 3:17–18)

But praise God, Jesus wore the thorns on His head to show you that He has borne this curse for you and redeemed you from it. He wore the crown of thorns so that you can work stress-free and yet have the results. You don’t have to be worried and stressed out day and night like the people of the world just to get ahead in life. Your heavenly Father can get you there without the worries and stress. (Matthew6:31–33)

Beloved, every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus’ head, typified by the crown of thorns. He wore the crown of thorns for you so that you can have peace of mind. He wore the crown of thorns for you and took your curse so that you can wear the crown of glory and take His righteousness, and all the benefits of that righteousness!

Today, don’t labor and toil like the people of the world. Instead, expect to see the blessings of God come into your life without blood, sweat and tears because Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you!


IN EVERY SITUATION, THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO STORIES—THE STORY YOU SEE AND THE STORY GOD SEES.

Sometimes life seems to be taking us down a huge detour and everything looks like it's not going our way. In those situations, our life and our story seems to be a disaster.

This is exactly what happened to Joseph, whose story is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph's brothers jealously hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was wrongfully put in prison for raping Potifer's wife, when really he refused to compromise his integrity by sleeping with her. Then, Joseph helped get the chief cupbearer out of jail; however, when the cupbearer had an opportunity to return the favor and get Joseph out of jail, the man forgot about Joseph. Joseph ended up spending thirteen years in jail for something he didn't do.

At this point Joseph's story was going haywire, but God's story was right on track. That's because God had an amazing plan for Joseph's life; God was going to use Joseph to save Egypt and the surrounding lands for seven years of devastating famine. What looked to Joseph like a huge detour was really a great plan of God to provide food for countless people, including the very brothers that had sold Joseph into slavery.

At the end of this, Joseph realized that God had a bigger plan for his life, and after his brothers come to him for food, he tells them: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

All along, God's story was right on track.

This same principle is also true in the life of Jesus. To the disciples, it looked as those Jesus would be a great king who would rule Israel and return the nation to greatness. They hailed him as a great leader. So, when Jesus was being crucified, the story they saw looked like a major train wreck—this great leader whom they had followed for the past three years was suddenly dead. However, God's story was at its peak—God was in the process of connecting humanity to himself.

There's what you see and what God sees.

When your life seems to be a major disaster; know that God has bigger plans to use your life for great things. The story you see may not reflect the long-term story God has planned. Therefore, trust God, knowing that he works for good in all circumstances (Romans 8:28).

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :
“You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great.” (Psalm 18:35)

Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. The voice of love from the heaven above awakened me from dreams this morning. The maple leaves are dancing in the air; greeting the Lord in the song of wind. I treasure each day I live for it is the grace of God. I give thanks to the Lord for I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Let the unfailing love of God wrap me up like a cloak and dress me with the garments of salvation throughout my sojourn on this earth for I am Your chosen servant and wonderfully made child.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!
 



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