COME

 

COME, SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND RECEIVE FROM HIM...

There are so many legitimate demands we face each day—bills to pay, children to raise, clients to please, bosses' expectations to meet, deadlines to chase and assignments to complete.

We have all been there before—we put in extra hours, extra effort (these things are good)—but we also wind up worried, stressed and troubled about many things.

Beloved, what if there is one thing you can do that will give you good success in all you need to achieve each day, and cause you to enjoy an ongoing supply of peace, power and abundance?

Today I want to encourage you: make this one thing your number one priority so you can experience God's fullness in your life.
Rest and receive from Jesus.

"Pastor, rest? Don't you know that I have to do something, or else nothing will happen?"

Well, rest is not inactivity. It is Holy Spirit-directed activity. I'm all for diligence. Being great in what we do brings glory to our Lord Jesus.

What I'm talking about here is inward rest. It is about first receiving from Jesus His peace, His grace and His wisdom.

It is about letting the Holy Spirit in us lead us to do the right things at the right time, with the most amazing God-kind of results.

Let us take a look at the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary, from the Bible:

One day, Jesus visited their home, and Martha immediately got busy serving Him. Mary, on the other hand, sat at Jesus' feet to listen to Him teach.

After a while, Martha got angry and said to Jesus, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me" (Luke 10:40).

Based on Middle Eastern culture, when you have guests over at your home, you ought to prepare to look after their needs. So Martha wasn't doing anything wrong; in fact, in the natural she was doing what was right.

Yet Jesus' response to Martha's complaint was this: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41–42).

Our Lord gently rebuked Martha and defended Mary.

Notice Jesus didn't rebuke Martha for her service. He showed her how she was "worried and troubled about many things." And He told her that "one thing is needed"—sitting at His feet and listening to His words.

Is it practical to just be occupied with Jesus? Absolutely. We find out later that Mary was able to do the right thing at the right time, and anointed Jesus in preparation for His burial (see John 12:3–8).

When you rest, Jesus will cause you to receive His inexhaustible grace, wisdom and supply.

Beloved, you don't have to feel like you have to go through each day struggling and striving to please God so He can make things work in your favor.

Catch this revelation—God is already pleased with you, because God is pleased with His Son, Jesus (see Matthew 3:17). You can rest. The work is finished. Jesus has provided everything you'll ever need!

God wants to reveal His goodness to you. He wants to bless you in ways greater than you can ever imagine.

If you’re dealing with a financial struggle,
• If you’re in need of healing in your body,
• If you’re struggling in your marriage,
• If your child is going down the wrong path,
• If you aren’t sure what decision to make for your future...
Do the one thing that’s necessary—rest in the Lord’s presence and receive from Him!

The Lord is your provision, your healing, your restoration and your wisdom. When you look to Him, He will be everything you need.

Beloved, I am so grateful for you today. Your prayers and generous support are so important to our ministry. Because of your faithfulness, we are boldly preaching the gospel of grace to millions around the world.

Remember, whatever you need in your life today, look to Jesus. It’s not about your limitations; it’s about His love. It’s not about your goodness; it’s about His grace.

Jesus has provided everything you need. All you have to “do” is rest and receive from Him.

JESUS YOUR HIGH PRIEST INTERCEDES FOR YOU :

… He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. - Hebrews 7:25

The verse says that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. Once, I used to think that this meant that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand today, praying all the time for us, waiting and hoping that the Father will do something for us.

But that is not true. Look at what Jesus prayed when He stood before Lazarus’ tomb. He declared, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” (John 11:41) He prayed these words even before Lazarus came forth from his tomb alive. Jesus knew that what He said would come to pass because the Father always hears Him. (John 11:42)

So what does “Jesus always lives to make intercession for us” mean?

Because Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), we get a picture of what happens when we pray when we understand what the high priest in the Old Testament did with the burnt offering of a bird. (Leviticus 1:14–17)

The birds brought to the high priest are a picture of our prayers “flying” to the Lord Jesus because we pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. Now, just as the high priest removes the bird’s feathers after killing it, Jesus removes all that is superfluous and unclean from our prayers, such as unbelief and self-centeredness.

Then, just as the high priest offers the bird as a burnt sacrifice, a sweet aroma to the Lord, Jesus our High Priest adds His perfection, beauty, excellence and fragrance, which the Father so delights in, to our prayers. That is how He presents our prayers to the Father. That is how He lives to make intercession for you.

My friend, you don’t have to run to a church leader to get him to pray “more powerfully” for you. You can pray yourself. Then, take advantage of Jesus’ intercession for you and say, “Lord Jesus, I don’t know what else to say… please intercede for me.” And when Jesus gives His personal touch to your prayer, you can be sure that it will be answered!

Thought For The Day:

Jesus removes all that is superfluous and unclean from our prayers, and adds His perfection, beauty, excellence and fragrance to them!

Trust believes God’s promises will come to pass even when circumstances look impossible. Trust says, “My God specializes in making the impossible, possible!”

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. - Hebrews 11:3

God uses words to create. He used His Word to "frame" the worlds. Just look in the first chapter of Genesis and count how many times you see the phrase, "God said." "God said, Let there be light: and there was light.... God said, Let there be a firmament.... God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together.... God said, Let the earth bring forth...."

God doesn't do anything without saying it first. That's His MO, His mode of operation. And, if you're smart, you'll use that mode of operation too. You'll take His words and speak them out until they take on form and substance and become a reality in your life.

TARES AMONG THE WHEAT :

Matthew 13:25, "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."

Satan has secretly infiltrated the Church with some of his followers for the purpose of hindering the influence of the Church. This has been a more effective strategy than direct opposition.

These tares that are spoken of refer to the Old World variety of darnel, which is poisonous. Virtually all grains are almost indistinguishable from tares when they send up the first blade from the ground. By the time the tares become distinguishable, they are so well rooted that, if growing in close proximity to a productive grain, uprooting the tares would also mean uprooting the productive grain. Therefore, verse 30 admonishes us to let both grow together until the harvest. The grains of the tares are long and black in contrast to the wheat, and are easily recognizable at harvest time. Many will profess Christianity, but "by their fruits ye shall know them."

There will be those who are deceived and unaware that they are not born again, who will remain among the Church. Jesus warns us against trying to root them out especially since it is not always possible to discern other people's hearts. In an effort to destroy these tares, we might offend one of Christ's "little ones" and cause his or her profession of faith to waver.

It is important, though, for our own personal benefit that we be aware that the children of the Wicked One are placed among the true believers. Our best defense is to preach the Word of God without watering it down. False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!

GOD CAN DO IT AGAIN

Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." —Isa 35:4, NLT

Haman, the villain in the story of Esther, hated the Jews and sought to exterminate them. He succeeded in getting a decree issued to annihilate all the Jews in one day.

But God used Queen Esther and Mordecai, both Jews, to turn the tables on Haman and save their people.

Haman was hanged, while a counter-decree was given that allowed the Jews to defend themselves and destroy their enemies in one day. And so, God turned what had begun as an evil day for the Jews into many good days. He turned their mourning into rejoicing and gave them victory over their enemies.

God can do the same for you today. He can turn the tables on your enemies and turn your sadness into joy! Simply rest in Jesus’ finished work at the cross, which has set you above every evil assault the devil attempts to throw at you, and watch your evil day turn into days of rejoicing

GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES :

John 11:40 - Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

God, who parted the Red Sea, rained manna from heaven, caused the walls of Jericho to fall, shut the lions’ mouths, healed the sick, raised the dead and calmed the sea, still performs miracles today.

However, some Christians doubt that God wants to work a miracle for them today. They believe that there were miracles when Jesus walked the earth, but they think that the day of miracles is over. And they talk about how everything will be perfect one day in the sweet by and by. But God wants us to know that He is still the God of miracles today.

Martha was like one of those Christians. She wondered if Jesus could perform a miracle when her brother Lazarus died. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. So she thought that Jesus was four days too late. That is why she said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) And even when Jesus said that Lazarus would rise again, she said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24)

Martha believed that Jesus could perform miracles in the past and would do the same in the future, but she did not believe that He could give her a miracle when she needed it right then. You see, Martha was someone who lived wishing that the past could be changed and believing that the future would be better. But she did not believe that the “I Am” was there to meet her present need.

Today, God stands at the point of your need. What miracle do you need from Him? Believe that He is still the same miracle-working God today. Believe that you will see the glory of God. Believe and you will see your miracle!

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