“I AM PRAYING FOR THEM!”

John 17:6-9                                          (ESV)

“6 "I have manifested YOUR name to the people whom YOU gave ME out of the world. YOURS they were, and YOU gave them to ME, and they have kept YOUR WORD.

7 Now they know that everything that YOU have given ME is from YOU.

8 For I have given them the WORDS that YOU gave ME, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from YOU; and they have believed that YOU sent ME.

9 “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM”. I am not praying for the world but for those whom YOU have given ME, for they are YOURS.”

Listening to a devotional recently given by a man of GOD who I deeply respect, the SPIRIT spoke to me when John 17:9 was read, “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM”.  I AM NOT PRAYING FOR THE WORLD but for those whom YOU have given ME, for they are YOURS.”  This is from the High Priestly Prayer that JESUS prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36) just before HIS arrest.  

The phrase that jolted me was JESUS, the ONE WHO spoke the worlds into existence (Colossians 1:16), the SON of the living GOD, prays just before HE was headed to Calvary, “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM”!!  JESUS was about to face brutality indescribable, yet HE said “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM” right before HIS persecution and crucifixion.  Now I am not royalty or of noble bloodlines, yet THE KING OF GLORY took time out of HIS HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER to pray for me at what had to be a very dark hour for HIM?  What was HE thinking???

In John 17:6 JESUS prayed “I have manifested YOUR name to the people whom YOU gave ME OUT OF THE WORLD. YOURS they were, and YOU gave them to ME, and they have kept YOUR WORD”.  HE loved us so much that HE knew that the only way for us to spend eternity with HIM was to offer HIMSELF as THE PERFECT SACRIFICE on Calvary.  We were called OUT OF THE WORLD to reflect HIS LIGHT, not to act just like the world!  

To have our EYES opened to SEE that JESUS prayed for us just before HIS torment and crucifixion just blows my mind!  And to further realize that HE STILL intercedes for us (Romans 8:34) should let us all know that HE is interested in us.  JESUS says “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM” for a reason, for us to know that we are not alone in our service for HIS KINGDOM!  We have THE CREATOR saying “I AM PRAYING FOR THEM”!!!

“BUT GOD!”

Genesis 50:19-21                                       (ESV)

“19 But Joseph said to them, "DO NOT FEAR, FOR AM I IN THE PLACE OF GOD?

20 As for you, YOU MEANT EVIL against me, “BUT GOD” meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

21 So DO NOT FEAR; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”

When we encounter difficulties in life, our natural reaction is to withdraw and reconsider our chosen path.  After all, nobody wants to go through the pain of turmoil, especially if they can avoid it.  

In Genesis 37, Joseph was sent to his older brothers by his father to see how they were getting along watching after their fathers sheep.  His obedience would soon cause doubt as to the its wisdom. Scripture tells us that the brothers of Joseph hated him, chiefly because his father loved him so much.  Of course, Joseph was thrown into a well, then sold into slavery by his brothers, and eventually wound up giving them grain when a famine struck their homeland.  

GOD has a Plan for our lives.  HIS Plan for Joseph was for him to provide “for you and your little ones”, as well as for “many people”!  But HIS Plan also involved Joseph being sold into slavery, being wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife, and all kinds of difficulties, all for the glory of GOD!  The “BUT GOD” factor was never seen by Joseph’s brothers, Potiphar’s wife, or even Pharaoh!  Joseph had FAITH that GOD would accomplish HIS Plan and he was CONVINCED that GOD would deliver on that Plan!

When we experience trials and tribulations, we must keep in mind that GOD IS IN CONTROL, even in what we see as bad times!  Not just sometimes, but ALL OF THE TIME!  The data bank for ALMIGHTY GOD is infinite.  HE has NO LIMITATIONS, including human minds or intellect.  Why do we try to limit HIS abilities to what we THINK HE can accomplish?  The brothers of Joseph, Potiphar’s wife, the inmates of the prison where Joseph was kept, they ALL thought their confines would stop him!  “BUT GOD” had a Plan!

Remember, “BUT GOD” is the premier, absolute POWER and HE has the last word.  Nothing is final until “BUT GOD” says that it is!!

“I WILL HOPE IN HIM!”

Lamentations 3:22-24                           (ESV)

“22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; HIS mercies never come to an end; 

23 they are new every morning; great is YOUR faithfulness. 

24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore “I WILL HOPE IN HIM”."”

My prayer list has a statement on it that I sometimes gloss over, “Do you want to live a life without hope”?  The emphasis might be placed on the word HOPE in this statement, but HOPE isn’t worth anything if it is misplaced!  We can HOPE that we won’t get sick and die, but sooner or later (if the LORD tarries HIS return), we will ALL die!  We can HOPE that our offspring are successful and prosperous, but in reality they make decisions that they alone are responsible for.  

“I WILL HOPE IN HIM” (the LORD) is a sentence where HOPE is overshadowed by the ONE in WHOM our HOPE is placed!  The LORD (GOD) is all encompassing.  HE is everything for every possible situation.  “HIS mercies never come to an end.”  “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases”, so what more is there that is needed to survive?  When our EYES are opened to fully grasp HIS Providence, HIS LOVE, and HIS guidance to the least of us, we can begin to understand that GOD is there all along, not just when we cry out to HIM.  

In Genesis, Abraham didn’t have the history of everything GOD had performed like we have, yet he “never wavered” in his Belief that GOD would do exactly what HE promised!  Abraham had a HOPE, and an ASSURANCE, that the PROMISE he had from GOD was going to happen, no matter how much doubt the enemy tried to cloud his mind with.  Genesis 15:6 says “And he (Abraham) BELIEVED the LORD, and HE counted it to him as righteousness”.  

When GOD gives us a PROMISE, we can rest assured that it WILL HAPPEN!  One translation of the BIBLE says “The smallest of them will become a family.  The weakest of them will become a might nation.  At the right time I, YAHWEH, WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN QUICKLY”!!!  

My faith doesn’t make me better than others, nor does it mean that I am holier than them.  What it does mean is that “I WILL HOPE IN HIM”, THE CREATOR and SUSTAINER of life, and what HE has said, l know HE WILL DO!!!

“THE BREATH OF LIFE!”

Genesis 2:7                                     (ESV)

“7 then the LORD GOD FORMED THE MAN OF DUST from the ground and breathed into his nostrils “THE BREATH OF LIFE”, and the man became a living creature.“

A few weeks ago I was admitted to the hospital with breathing difficulties.  Doctors had performed a heart cath on me earlier that week and everything looked wonderful.   A few medication changes and after a couple of days I was released to go home. The feeling of not being able to BREATHE though is something I don’t think I will ever forget!  The DISTRESS was concerning to put it mildly!

Many are familiar with the Scripture that states “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for YOU ARE DUST, AND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN” in Genesis 3:19.  So this mortality is created by GOD, not by the acts of a ma and woman.  Unless, and until, we have “THE BREATH OF LIFE” blown into our nostrils, we are not going to live.  One of these days we will breathe our last and we SHALL RETURN TO DUST!  

“THE BREATH OF LIFE” is taken for granted by most of us.   When I was hospitalized, I never thought I was going to die, but looking back, our life is a vapor (James 4:14 KJV) and we don’t get to decide when our life will end.  Isaiah 42:5 plainly states “Thus says GOD, the LORD, WHO created the heavens and stretched them out, WHO spread out the earth and what comes from it, WHO gives BREATH TO THE PEOPLE ON IT and Spirit to those who walk in it” and it doesn’t say how many breaths we are allowed?  

Not being able to control “THE BREATH OF LIFE” is a stressful feeling.  But we need to realize that we are not in control of anything, much less our own breathing!  The LORD GOD gives us “THE BREATH OF LIFE” as long as HE wills, and no person knows how long that will last!!!

“FOLLOW ME!”

Mark 10:17-22                                  (ESV)

“17 And as HE (JESUS) was setting out on HIS journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked HIM, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18 And JESUS said to him, "Why do you call ME good? No one is good except GOD alone.

19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"

20 And he said to HIM, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth."

21 And JESUS, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, “FOLLOW ME”."

22 Disheartened by the saying, HE WENT AWAY SORROWFUL, FOR HE HAD GREAT POSSESSIONS.”

There are many lessons that can be learned from this passage of Scripture.  One is that you can’t value possessions more than you LOVE the LORD!  I have never been blessed with great wealth, but I have been blessed with Blessings far beyond what money can buy.  The “Rich Young Man” loves his wealth more than he desired a relationship with JESUS, so his decision was to accept earthly blessings rather than eternal, Heavenly Blessings, which we know was not the wisest of moves!

But the thing that is gripping my heart today is that JESUS told this “Rich Young Man” that he needed to “FOLLOW ME”, and he went away sorrowful!  While it is true that he had great wealth, my feelings are that the “Rich Young Man” was accustomed to getting his own way, and he wasn’t prepared to “FOLLOW ME”, especially when this man was basically a pauper.  Why would he subject himself to such a lowly lifestyle when he was used to calling the shots in his life?  If anyone should be leading, it should be him???

For the longest, calling the shots was something that I excelled in.  Taking the reigns and LEADING was something that seemed almost natural for me.  When I woke up from a seventeen day coma, I realized that I had not been “in charge” of even breathing!  If I was not making things happen, then who was?  For the longest, a machine was breathing for me and I was “just along for the ride”!  Then I awoke to being in a severe “fog” for about three weeks, which got better, but still “slower” than usual for many months.  

Nowhere in Scripture have I found for us to forge ahead and GOD will bail us out when we get in a bind!  Instead I find Scriptures saying “BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD” and “WAIT ON THE LORD” and “YOU HAVE ONLY TO BE SILENT”!  You can’t “FOLLOW ME” when you are two steps ahead of GOD.  Whether you are a poor as a church mouse or a “Rich Young Man”, you MUST “FOLLOW ME”, allowing JESUS to LEAD the way!  

“I WILL HOPE IN HIM!”

Lamentations 3:22-24                           (ESV)

“22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; HIS mercies never come to an end; 

23 they are new every morning; great is YOUR faithfulness. 

24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore “I WILL HOPE IN HIM”."”

My prayer list has a statement on it that I sometimes gloss over, “Do you want to live a life without hope”?  The emphasis might be placed on the word HOPE in this statement, but HOPE isn’t worth anything if it is misplaced!  We can HOPE that we won’t get sick and die, but sooner or later (if the LORD tarries HIS return), we will ALL die!  We can HOPE that our offspring are successful and prosperous, but in reality they make decisions that they alone are responsible for.  

“I WILL HOPE IN HIM” (the LORD) is a sentence where HOPE is overshadowed by the ONE in WHOM our HOPE is placed!  The LORD (GOD) is all encompassing.  HE is everything for every possible situation.  “HIS mercies never come to an end.”  “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases”, so what more is there that is needed to survive?  When our EYES are opened to fully grasp HIS Providence, HIS LOVE, and HIS guidance to the least of us, we can begin to understand that GOD is there all along, not just when we cry out to HIM.  

In Genesis, Abraham didn’t have the history of everything GOD had performed like we have, yet he “never wavered” in his Belief that GOD would do exactly what HE promised!  Abraham had a HOPE, and an ASSURANCE, that the PROMISE he had from GOD was going to happen, no matter how much doubt the enemy tried to cloud his mind with.  Genesis 15:6 says “And he (Abraham) BELIEVED the LORD, and HE counted it to him as righteousness”.  

When GOD gives us a PROMISE, we can rest assured that it WILL HAPPEN!  One translation of the BIBLE says “The smallest of them will become a family.  The weakest of them will become a might nation.  At the right time I, YAHWEH, WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN QUICKLY”!!!  

My faith doesn’t make me better than others, nor does it mean that I am holier than them.  What it does mean is that “I WILL HOPE IN HIM”, THE CREATOR and SUSTAINER of life, and what HE has said, l know HE WILL DO!!!

“THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!”

John 8:12                                        (ESV)

“Again JESUS spoke to them, saying, " I AM “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”. Whoever follows ME will NOT WALK IM DARKNESS, but will have the LIGHT of life.”

How many people would walk into a strange room in the middle of the night without turning on the light to identify possible obstructions?  Having large feet, such obstructions have a way of finding my feet, regardless of my carefulness.  The wisest thing for me to do is to turn the light on so I can see those obstructions!   

In life, we have the opportunity to have “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” illuminate our paths.  Sure, we can try to navigate our way through the obstructions in life, but HIS SPIRIT is available to guide and protect us if we will submit to HIS leadership.  Having the CREATOR as our tour guide is a wonderful experience.  But, just like turning the light on in a dark room, we have to submit to HIM to reap the benefits of “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”!  

Knowing “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” on a personal basis it makes me wonder how people world reject HIS offer to help them?  All HE wants to do is help us, but some CHOOSE to stumble through the darkness trying to figure things out all on our own.  On January 08, 1978 I was tired of the struggle and cried out to JESUS to take control of my life.  Now I continue to find myself trying to take over and do what I THINK is best, but HE guides me EVEN when I am battling HIM to go another way.  

Why would a “dirt dumb country boy” think he would know better than “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”?  Obviously, I am not as brilliant as JESUS.  So why do I constantly try to make my plans come to happen?  Doing what we think is best will only lead to trouble.  Proverbs 16:25 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death!”  Unless we follow “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”, we are doomed to not achieving what GOD has planned for our lives.  

“GIVE GRACE!”

Ephesians 4:26-32                               (ESV)

“26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE DEVIL.

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

29 LET NO CORRUPTING TALK COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may “GIVE GRACE” to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, by WHOM you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32 BE KIND to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as GOD in CHRIST forgave you.”

How many times have I needed to heed the Scriptures above in my life? “LET NO CORRUPTING TALK COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS” should have been emblazoned on my tongue as I would commonly use sarcasm and down-right insults to get a laugh out of people.  Amazingly, one of the things GOD took from me when the Brain Hemorrhage struck was THE DESIRE to belittle people just because I wanted to.  The ability to think of such things is still there, but I don’t have the heart to do that any longer.  

When Scripture states “do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD”, it reminds me of a horse being reigned in, causing it to change direction or pace, obeying what the rider desires.  We are to obey what our RIDER (HOLY SPIRIT) wishes for our lives!  JESUS prayed in John 17:23 “I (JESUS) in them and YOU (GOD) in ME, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that YOU sent ME and loved them even as YOU loved ME.”  

We are commanded to “GIVE GRACE” to others!  It is not a suggestion, nor is it optional in our lives!  To GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE DEVIL means exactly what it says, NO OPPORTUNITY!  “The enemy” wants to disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 12:14), hiding his agenda from us.  JESUS came for the explicit purpose to “GIVE GRACE” to we whom the FATHER has CHOSEN (Ephesians 1:4) before the foundation of the world!  

Having people entertained by our conversations is not a bad thing, but we need to always remember to “GIVE GRACE” to those who hear first!  When we elect to give the devil an opportunity to get a opening, he will usually take it as a stronghold and cause division, maybe even STRIFE!  We must ALWAYS remember to “GIVE GRACE” and allow JESUS to be made manifest in our conversations and our lives!!!

“FURNACE OF AFFLICTION!”

Isaiah 48:9-11                                  (ESV)
“9 "For MY name's sake I defer MY anger; for the sake of MY praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I HAVE REFINED YOU, but not as silver; I have tried you in “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION”.
11 For MY own sake, for MY own sake, I do it, for how should MY name be profaned? MY glory I will not give to another.”




“THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” are the focal words of this devotional, but “For MY name’s sake I defer MY anger” could be used as well!  GOD is speaking to/through Isaiah in this passage and HE is very plain that HE restrains HIS anger “for the sake of MY praise”!

We have nothing except our lives to offer HIM, yet we spend our time and efforts trying to build a retirement or to amass wealth when we are not guaranteed our next breath!  GOD is rather straightforward when HE says in verses ten and eleven “Behold, I HAVE REFINED YOU, but not as silver; I have tried you in “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION”.  For MY own sake, for MY own sake, I do it, for how should MY name be profaned? MY glory I will not give to another.”   We seem to have lost sight of our mission of being left on earth after HE CHOSE us?  We claim to be Believers that JESUS is our Savior, yet we are not SEPARATED from the rest of “this world”?

John 13:35 states “By this all people will know that you are MY disciples, if you have love for one another."  Yet how much LOVE do we have when we allow others to enter eternal damnation with little or no sorrow on our part?  “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” is used by GOD to REFINE us to bring HIM Glory.  We seem to always think that GOD is angry with us when the way is uncomfortable, but in reality HE may be directing our paths to Glorify HIS Kingdom?

Since I have been CHOSEN by ALMIGHTY GOD from the foundation of the world, HIS wrath will not be directed to me.  HIS wrath for me was paid in full by JESUS on Calvary.  “For MY name's sake I defer MY anger” is talking about those who have yet to have their EYES opened, to listen to HIS SPIRIT gently calling to them.  “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” we face on earth cannot compare to “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” that awaits those who reject JESUS as LORD!  Please consider the consequences and CHOOSE wisely which “FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” you will be subjected to??

“NO EYE HAS SEEN!”

1 Corinthians 2:9-10                           (ESV)

“9 But, as it is written, "What “NO EYE HAS SEEN”, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM"- 

10 these things GOD has revealed to us through the SPIRIT. For the SPIRIT searches everything, even the depths of GOD.”

When a person leaves “this world” a huge void is frequently left amongst their loved ones.  I say frequently because of personal experience.  Two women who I loved Immensely departed earth with similar feelings.  My younger sister left in December 1996 and she did so with an assurance that almost shook me to my core.   When speaking about going to Heaven, she said the first Person she wanted to see was JESUS!  I grieved because I couldn’t do anything to help her remain here?!?

In July 2007 I experienced a “massive brain hemorrhage”.  Being even more Brain Damaged in the following months, I was literally unable to process it seven months later when my doctor told my mom she had cancer.  But she looked at me and said “You’re not putting a drop of that poison in me”!  Twenty-two days later she abandoned her earthly body and entered into her eternal reward.  I rejoiced because she was relieved her suffering and was SET FREE for eternity!  

While it is true that I was 11 years older when my mom died than my little sister, knowing that both been CHOSEN by GOD to spend eternity with HIM makes me wonder why I ever grieved for her?  They have both gone to a place that “”NO EYE HAS SEEN”, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagine” prepared for them by JESUS!  Why would I want them here with me???

The Apostle Peter writes about Paul in 2 Peter 3:16 where he states “There are some things in them (Scriptures) that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable TWIST TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION, as they do the other Scriptures.”  Not everyone can SEE the things of Heaven.  But “NO EYE HAS SEEN” the majesty, the perfection, the complete awesomeness that awaits we who also have been CHOSEN!  Songs have been written, stories have been told, dreams have been dreamed, but “NO EYE HAS SEEN” what HE has prepared for us!  Why don’t we focus on that instead of the separation from those who remain???

“I WILL BOAST!”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10                             (ESV)

“7 SO TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED.

8 Three times I pleaded with the LORD about this, that it should leave me.

9 But HE said to me, "MY grace is sufficient for you, for MY power is made PERFECT IN WEAKNESS." Therefore “I WILL BOAST” all the more gladly of MY WEAKNESSES, so that the power of CHRIST may rest upon me.

10 For the sake of CHRIST, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

BOASTing is something that we all do to some degree.  Personally, I usually am found BOASTing about my grandkids, and sometimes about my children.  Bragging (or BOASTing) about my grandchildren is something that I find pleasing and fulfilling, for they are, well GRAND!  

The Apostle Paul was writing about allowing himself to become CONCEITED, thinking more of himself than he ought!  We can be guilty of this without our knowledge, being totally unaware of our PRIDE.  Remembering my younger days, I was CRUSHED by the actions of a person that I totally loved and respected.  The hurt of being “rejected” by someone who I thought the world of was almost devastating.  It took me years to SEE that GOD was using the actions of others to move me where HE could use me for HIS Glory (Genesis 50:20)!

Using MY WEAKNESSES to Glorify HIS NAME is something that I have a difficult time accepting.  BOASTing about my weaknesses is certainly not something that I would ever try to do.  But Paul readily admitted that “I WILL BOAST” all the more gladly of MY WEAKNESSES, so that the power of CHRIST may rest upon me.  That seems to be a drastic measure to contemplate, but having “the power of CHRIST” rest upon you is something that we can never match, nor fabricate!!!

Just as I love BOASTing about my grandchildren, I should be glad to have MY WEAKNESSES exposed to Glorify CHRIST.  YES, I am WEAK, but CHRIST is merciful and gracious and HE chose me to exhibit HIS love!  Therefore “I WILL BOAST” about JESUS living in me and HIS LOVE!  While I do absolutely love my grandchildren, “I WILL BOAST” that JESUS CHRIST loves me and has forgiven me!!!

“LISTENING???”

Since a lot of churches are doing since “Social Distancing”, which has been strongly encouraged by our government, our fellowship has a Sunday message by the pastor with a few songs to get us through the week posted on Social Media.  This weeks message had one verse that really stood out for me.  It was Mark 1:35 which says “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, HE (JESUS) departed and went out to a desolate place, and there HE prayed”.  

While ruminating over this verse my mind could not get past the fact that GOD IN THE FLESH (JESUS) evidently yearned to be alone with GOD so much that HE got up early in the morning and departed to a desolate place and prayed.  Scripture doesn’t say that HE sang choruses or hymns, it doesn’t say that HE played the favorite instruments of the time, only that HE PRAYED!  Why can’t we SEE that GOD chiefly wants our attention, and after HE gets that, then HE will direct our praises!  

Our pastor also shared a story today about Mother Teresa being interviewed by Dan Rather.  The story goes like this.  “Dan Rather, CBS anchor, once asked Mother Teresa what she said during her prayers. She answered, "I listen." So Dan turned the question and asked, "Well then, what does God say?"  Mother Teresa smiled with confidence and answered, "He listens." For an instant, Dan didn't know what to say. "And if you don't understand that," Mother Teresa added, "I can't explain it to you.”

Exodus 14:14 is a verse that I often quote.  It states “The LORD will fight for you, and YOU HAVE ONLY TO BE SILENT."  We spend so much time and resources trying to present the perfect offering of praise to GOD, and all HE wants is for us to listen to HIM!  We might be more convinced that “the LORD will fight for us” if we would JUST BE SILENT?  

GOD has orchestrated events to allow us plenty of time to LISTEN to HIM.  We think we NEED to get back to work and get the economy roaring again.  But we may need to TRUST GOD for our provision and spend time LISTENING TO HIM???

“FEW ARE CHOSEN!”

Matthew 22:1-14                                                    (ESV)

“1 And again JESUS spoke to them in parables, saying,

2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,

3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

4 Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast."'

5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

7 THE KING WAS ANGRY, and he sent his troops and DESTROYED THOSE MURDERERS and BURNED THEIR CITY.

8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'

10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, BOTH BAD AND GOOD. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had NO WEDDING GARMENT.

12 And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And HE WAS SPEECHLESS.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

14 For many are called, but “FEW ARE CHOSEN”."

JESUS had a knack for using parables to get a point across to people, sometimes even HIS disciples!  HEARING HIS message and SEEING HIS point is a GIFT from GOD.  In John 12:40 the passage of Isaiah 6:10 is referred to which says “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; LEST THEY SEE with their eyes, AND HEAR with their ears, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS, and TURN AND BE HEALED." 

Not everyone has the UNDERSTANDING to accept the THINGS OF GOD.  The people that JESUS spoke of in Matthew 22:1-14 were some of such people.  As a matter of fact, JESUS says in verse seven “THE KING WAS ANGRY, and he sent his troops and DESTROYED THOSE MURDERERS and BURNED THEIR CITY”.  It appears that these people were so caught up in “doing their own thing” that they could not SEE, nor HEAR, nor UNDERSTAND what their invitation was all about.  Life was moving so fast for them that the WORD OF GOD wasn’t allowed the opportunity to take root and bring forth fruit! 

It is apparent that is the case in today’s society.  We are so engrossed with keeping up with the so-called “demands” of “this world” that we can’t allow GOD to grow us into that which Glorifies HIM.  JESUS warned us through this parable that would cost us one day.  The WRATH OF GOD will be unleashed on this world and HE will send HIS troops to “DESTROY THOSE MURDERERS and BURN THEIR CITY”.  

This “time of disengagement” from a tiny virus may have a purpose which is not easily SEEN, nor HEARD, nor UNDERSTOOD by those who refuse to do things BY THE BOOK, otherwise known as the HOLY BIBLE!  Before July 09, 2007 I was just as guilty as the next person, trying to do what I THOUGHT was best.  GOD used a Brain Hemorrhage to slow my life down and get me in a position to SEE, HEAR, and UNDERSTAND HIS Message.  

“Many are called, but “FEW ARE CHOSEN” is not a slogan for a branch of the military.  There are a very limited people who are CHOSEN to be used by GOD.  Are you one of those, or are you one of the many who will be BURNED IN THEIR CITY?  The “FEW ARE CHOSEN” are set aside by a HOLY GOD to be different.  Which group do you identify with???

“AN EVIL TIME?”

Amos 5:12-15                                          (ESV)

“12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. 

13 Therefore he who is prudent will KEEP SILENT in such a time, for it is “AN EVIL TIME”. 

14 SEEK GOOD, and NOT EVIL, THAT YOU MAY LIVE; and so the LORD, the GOD of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 

15 HATE EVIL, and LOVE GOOD, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the GOD of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

It can be hard to KEEP SILENT when you observe EVIL being evidenced by the actions of others.  “Spiritual Immaturity” is something that I have displayed over the course of my life, and admitting it is certainly not the most glamorous thing I have experienced.  But Spiritual Immaturity is rampant in “the church” today.  There are those who have been Believers for a number of years, yet they don’t act like they have been through the wilderness for more than a day!  It makes you appreciate the forty years that the Israelites wondered escaping Egypt???

GOD is telling me in the passage above that HE KNOWS me, “how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins”, yet HE wants to BLESS me and use me for HIS Glory.  Why would GOD use a sinner like me when others appear more worthy?  GOD typically uses the least (Deuteronomy 7:7) for HIS Glory, and I am qualified to be the least!!  Although we live in “AN EVIL TIME” we may need to KEEP SILENT and let GOD work in other people’s lives without our interference.  HE doesn’t require us to accomplish HIS Plan, HE uses us when HE chooses, not when we choose!  

Seeing others who still have growing to do does not indicate that they are beyond GOD’s ability to modify their behavior.  HE has a track record of using the LEAST to accomplish HIS Plan.  They might be in the Spiritual oven having their bread baked for HIM?  

1 Corinthians 7:17 states “Only let each person lead the life that the LORD has assigned to him, and to which GOD has called him. This is my rule in all the churches”.  Living in such “AN EVIL TIME” will reveal a lot about others, but chiefly it will reveal exactly where we are in our own Spiritual Maturity.  It is one thing to observe the actions of others, but when WE try changing their actions instead of praying that GOD change them, we risk becoming Pharisaical.  

FATHER, cause me to get the BEAM out of my own eye before trying to help get the splinter out of my brothers eye!!!

“AN EVIL TIME!”

Amos 5:12-15                                          (ESV)

“12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. 

13 Therefore he who is prudent will KEEP SILENT in such a time, for it is “AN EVIL TIME”. 

14 SEEK GOOD, and NOT EVIL, THAT YOU MAY LIVE; and so the LORD, the GOD of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 

15 HATE EVIL, and LOVE GOOD, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the GOD of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

It can be hard to KEEP SILENT when you observe EVIL being evidenced by the actions of others.  “Spiritual Immaturity” is something that I have displayed over the course of my life, and admitting it is certainly not the most glamorous thing I have experienced.  But Spiritual Immaturity is rampant in “the church” today.  There are those who have been Believers for a number of years, yet they don’t act like they have been through the wilderness for more than a day!  It makes you appreciate the forty years that the Israelites wondered escaping Egypt???

GOD is telling me in the passage above that HE KNOWS me, “how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins”, yet HE wants to BLESS me and use me for HIS Glory.  Why would GOD use a sinner like me when others appear more worthy?  GOD typically uses the least (Deuteronomy 7:7) for HIS Glory, and I am qualified to be the least!!  Although we live in “AN EVIL TIME” we may need to KEEP SILENT and let GOD work in other people’s lives without our interference.  HE doesn’t require us to accomplish HIS Plan, HE uses us when HE chooses, not when we choose!  

Seeing others who still have growing to do does not indicate that they are beyond GOD’s ability to modify their behavior.  HE has a track record of using the LEAST to accomplish HIS Plan.  They might be in the Spiritual oven having their bread baked for HIM?  

1 Corinthians 7:17 states “Only let each person lead the life that the LORD has assigned to him, and to which GOD has called him. This is my rule in all the churches”.  Living in such “AN EVIL TIME” will reveal a lot about others, but chiefly it will reveal exactly where we are in our own Spiritual Maturity.  It is one thing to observe the actions of others, but when WE try changing their actions instead of praying that GOD change them, we risk becoming Pharisaical.  

FATHER, cause me to get the BEAM out of my own eye before trying to help get the splinter out of my brothers eye!!!

“I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU!”

Ezekiel 36:27-32                                         (ESV)

“27 And “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU”, and cause you to walk in MY statutes and be careful to obey MY rules.

28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be MY people, and I will be your GOD.

29 And I WILL DELIVER YOU FROM ALL YOUR UNCLEANNESS. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.

30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.

31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and YOU WILL LOATHE YOURSELVES for your iniquities and your abominations.

32 IT IS NOT FOR YOUR SAKE that I will act, declares the LORD GOD; LET THAT BE KNOWN TO YOU.  BE ASHAMED and CONFOUNDED for your ways, O house of Israel.”

Most people can’t SEE how great the sacrifice paid on our behalf by JESUS on Calvary.  When JESUS said in Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with GOD all things are possible”, HE was removing ALL limitations on GOD, only we couldn’t SEE it adequately.  For the most part, we STILL can’t SEE what GOD is capable of, and that HIS limits are immeasurable.  

When GOD had Ezekiel write “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU”, HIS Words were foretelling what JESUS CHRIST would accomplish on the cross.  When I SEE myself compared to THE PERFECT SACRIFICE, in fact I do LOATH MYSELF!  Being ASHAMED and CONFOUNDED doesn’t even begin to describe the guilt I have for causing the death of JESUS.  HE had to cover my sin in order to DELIVER ME FROM ALL MY UNCLEANNESS!  I am so vile, yet HE IS SO PURE!  Yet “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU” was precisely what HE accomplished on Calvary!

John 17:23 says “I in them and YOU in ME, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that YOU sent ME and loved them even as you loved ME.”  Approximately 600 years before JESUS was born, the prophet Ezekiel wrote “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU”, and that is exactly what JESUS did through HIS life, death, and victorious resurrection!  Am I worthy?  Not hardly.  But I am CHOSEN by GOD to reflect HIS LOVE to a lost and dying world.  HIS mercy has no boundaries, and I am so grateful that HE CHOSE me to exhibit “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU” in my life!!!

“I CHOSE YOU!”

Ephesians 1:3-6                        (ESV)

“3 Blessed be the GOD and FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO has blessed us in CHRIST with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as HE CHOSE US in HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be HOLY and blameless before HIM. In love

5 HE predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through JESUS CHRIST, according to the purpose of HIS will,

6 to the praise of HIS glorious grace, with which HE has blessed us in the Beloved.”

John 15:16                                 (ESV)

“YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, but “I CHOSE YOU” and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the FATHER in MY name, HE may give it to you”.  

Did I CHOOSE GOD, or did HE choose me?  Ephesians 1:4 says “HE CHOSE US in HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be HOLY and blameless before HIM”.  1 Peter 2:9 says “But YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT of darkness into HIS marvelous light”.  Since GOD CHOSE me before the foundation of the world, I must have had nothing to do with being selected, for “HE CHOSE ME”!  

Why would HE CHOOSE ME, out of the multitudes of people HE has created?  Deuteronomy 7:6-7 explains it rather succinctly, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and CHOSE you, for you were the FEWEST of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt”.  

All I can say is that GOD must save the least to demonstrate that HE is a loving, gracious and forgiving GOD WHO CHOOSES to redeem the seemingly unredeemable.  The Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy, verse 15 of the first chapter, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners, OF WHOM I AM THE FOREMOST”.  

GOD CHOSE me, even though I am the least deserving, the greatest of sinners!  HE CHOSE me to display HIS love to others and to be used by HIM in whatever way HE deems best. HIS WORD says “I CHOSE YOU” to be a witness of MY love for others, because it took the LOVE of GOD to reach me in the depths of my sin!

“IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD TO CRUSH HIM!”

Isaiah 53:10                                                  (ESV)

“Yet “IT WAS THE WILL OF THE LORD TO CRUSH HIM”; HE has put HIM to grief; when HIS soul makes an offering for guilt, HE shall see HIS offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

Since GOD is Sovereign (and we KNOW HE is) HE must have (at least) given HIS approval for the COVID-19 virus to become the tragedy it has become.  There are those who say that a loving GOD would NEVER allow something so vile and destructive to mankind for HIS Glory, but you needn’t look any further than the cross at Calvary to quiet that view.  

The 24 hours just before the crucifixion of JESUS was carried out.  One commentary states “Scourging was not normally a form of execution, but it certainly was brutal enough to be fatal in many cases. A person certainly could be beaten to death by the scourge if that was desired. Its purpose was not only to cause great pain, but to humiliate as well. To scourge a man was to beat him worse than one would beat a stupid animal. It was belittling, debasing, and demeaning. It was considered such a degrading form of punishment that, according to the Porcian (248 B.C.) and Sempronian (123 B.C.) laws, Roman citizens were exempt from it.  It was, therefore, the punishment appropriate only for slaves and non-Romans, those who were viewed as the lesser elements in Roman society. To make it as humiliating as possible, scourging was carried out in public.”

GOD permitted HIS ONLY SON to be brutalized beyond what most men would have normally died from, to pay the price for the sins of an ungrateful world.  The sins that I commit everyday.  The sins that you commit everyday.  This just doesn’t make sense to me.  But Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds me that “For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts”.  Just because GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD!!!

The COVID-19 virus has killed just over 100,000 people as of the writing of this devotional.  One would say that GOD would NEVER allow such evil to exist.  Tell that to Joseph in Genesis 37.  However, we are set straight in Genesis 50:20 when Joseph tells his brothers who sold him into slavery “As for you, you meant evil against me, BUT GOD meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today”.  We don’t need to SEE ourselves higher than we are.  We are NOT GOD, regardless of what some think!  “IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD TO CRUSH HIM”, HIS SON, so we could spend eternity with HIM!  As for me, I do not have the capability to suggest what GOD would offer....either through MERCY or JUDGMENT!  All I know is “IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD TO CRUSH HIM” for my sake, and I am eternally grateful that HE did!!!