As the creator of six different websites working totally on a volunteer basis without any support coming in at the present, I have decided to point all readers to two main websites from this point on. This will save time each day in posting the daily message and be easier to keep up with.
This ministry has been a real blessing and I intend to continue posting on the websites listed here along with several other sites that I have been asked to post my devotions on as well for single parents.
Please join me at one of the following websites!
"Daily Encouragement & Wisdom for You" at: www.dewforyou.blogspot.com
"Single Parents Daily" at: www.singleparentsdaily.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
"Have I Prayed "Yet"?"
Have You Prayed "Yet"?
Written by Robert E. Bailes
The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have recorded the events leading up to our Lord Jesus Christ's death and we find a combined testimony of Jesus prophesying the events to come. I believe Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples as gently as He could because it seems that they didn't see it coming, even in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray.
When Jesus went to pray alone He asked several of His disciples to go with Him and He asked them to wait for Him but each time that He came to check on them, they were asleep! It must have been a long, exhausting day and as I said before, the disciples certainly had no idea that the solders of the high priest were coming!
I believe that the disciples would have been on alert for sure had they known about the arrest of Jesus to come. I have an idea that Peter may have been more attentive to the attitude and mood of Jesus and what He was experiencing during the hours leading up to this time. In the eighteenth chapter of John it is recorded that Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave, who must have been reaching out to take hold of Jesus.
It's very likely that Peter was aiming to take off the man's arm at the shoulder and Jesus stopped his sword or perhaps Jesus raised His hand to stop Peter causing Peter to move one way or another. Either way, Peter missed the man's arm and he also missed his head! That would have been quite a mess and a story for the headlines in the Hard Rock Daily news in that day! Once again, Jesus portrays the power of God when He heals the ear of the man and saves Peter from imprisonment. Peter was a man of action and he was equipped to protect his Lord and Savior from possible danger on this day.
All of that is exciting to most of us guys but I want us to go back to the garden where Jesus took Peter, James and John, asking them to wait there and stay awake. I believe that the three disciples that Jesus chose to go with Him were fulfilling the purpose of watchmen while Jesus spent time talking with His father in prayer at this critical moment, before the judgement began. But the disciples had no idea! Jesus even told them that He was deeply grieved, even to death; remain here and keep awake. How could all three of them have fallen asleep? Jesus realized that there was no one; not even His own disciples, that he could depend on. It was time for His sacrifice and His Father in Heaven knew it must be done.
After Jesus told His disciples that He was deeply grieved, even unto death; He went a little further into the garden. The gospels tell us that He threw Himself down on the ground and prayed, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible, remove this cup from me, yet not what I want but what you want."
The keyword in this prayer is the word "yet". At this point in Jesus prayer when He said "yet"; all that Jesus had done before and all that He was going to do in the hours ahead were kept in perfect balance in the hand of God! Really, if you think about it, it is also when Jesus gave Himself up to His Father in Heaven to become our living sacrifice so that you and I could receive His matchless mercy and grace that brings us NEW Life in Christ!
Once again we find that Jesus has demonstrated the example to us in His most difficult hour! He didn't want to go through the physical pain and the separation from those He loved but he also knew that even more than all of that, He did not want to be separated from the love of His Heavenly Father and out of communion with Him! Jesus asked His Father to save Him from the crisis; the torture; the mocking; the abuse and alienation from those He loved; "yet" not my will, BUT thy will be done", Jesus said to His Father in Heaven.
Are we willing to pray for our wishes and desires but leave the final decision to God our Father?
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (KJV)
Let's look at Strong's Dictionary's definition of the word "nevertheless"used in this verse in the King James Version.
The Greek word for "nevertheless" is plēn
It is pronounced plane
The definiton is from G4119; moreover (besides), that is, albeit, save that, rather, yet: - but (rather), except, nevertheless, notwithstanding, save, than.
not what I want, but what you want"
The word "yet" is another way of saying this and meaning the same thing in a way that we can understand it beter, so I have one last thing to say.
Have we prayed, "yet"? . . . . ."yet not what I want ,but what you want Father"
Written by Robert E. Bailes
The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have recorded the events leading up to our Lord Jesus Christ's death and we find a combined testimony of Jesus prophesying the events to come. I believe Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples as gently as He could because it seems that they didn't see it coming, even in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray.
When Jesus went to pray alone He asked several of His disciples to go with Him and He asked them to wait for Him but each time that He came to check on them, they were asleep! It must have been a long, exhausting day and as I said before, the disciples certainly had no idea that the solders of the high priest were coming!
I believe that the disciples would have been on alert for sure had they known about the arrest of Jesus to come. I have an idea that Peter may have been more attentive to the attitude and mood of Jesus and what He was experiencing during the hours leading up to this time. In the eighteenth chapter of John it is recorded that Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave, who must have been reaching out to take hold of Jesus.
It's very likely that Peter was aiming to take off the man's arm at the shoulder and Jesus stopped his sword or perhaps Jesus raised His hand to stop Peter causing Peter to move one way or another. Either way, Peter missed the man's arm and he also missed his head! That would have been quite a mess and a story for the headlines in the Hard Rock Daily news in that day! Once again, Jesus portrays the power of God when He heals the ear of the man and saves Peter from imprisonment. Peter was a man of action and he was equipped to protect his Lord and Savior from possible danger on this day.
All of that is exciting to most of us guys but I want us to go back to the garden where Jesus took Peter, James and John, asking them to wait there and stay awake. I believe that the three disciples that Jesus chose to go with Him were fulfilling the purpose of watchmen while Jesus spent time talking with His father in prayer at this critical moment, before the judgement began. But the disciples had no idea! Jesus even told them that He was deeply grieved, even to death; remain here and keep awake. How could all three of them have fallen asleep? Jesus realized that there was no one; not even His own disciples, that he could depend on. It was time for His sacrifice and His Father in Heaven knew it must be done.
After Jesus told His disciples that He was deeply grieved, even unto death; He went a little further into the garden. The gospels tell us that He threw Himself down on the ground and prayed, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible, remove this cup from me, yet not what I want but what you want."
The keyword in this prayer is the word "yet". At this point in Jesus prayer when He said "yet"; all that Jesus had done before and all that He was going to do in the hours ahead were kept in perfect balance in the hand of God! Really, if you think about it, it is also when Jesus gave Himself up to His Father in Heaven to become our living sacrifice so that you and I could receive His matchless mercy and grace that brings us NEW Life in Christ!
Once again we find that Jesus has demonstrated the example to us in His most difficult hour! He didn't want to go through the physical pain and the separation from those He loved but he also knew that even more than all of that, He did not want to be separated from the love of His Heavenly Father and out of communion with Him! Jesus asked His Father to save Him from the crisis; the torture; the mocking; the abuse and alienation from those He loved; "yet" not my will, BUT thy will be done", Jesus said to His Father in Heaven.
Are we willing to pray for our wishes and desires but leave the final decision to God our Father?
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (KJV)
Let's look at Strong's Dictionary's definition of the word "nevertheless"used in this verse in the King James Version.
The Greek word for "nevertheless" is plēn
It is pronounced plane
The definiton is from G4119; moreover (besides), that is, albeit, save that, rather, yet: - but (rather), except, nevertheless, notwithstanding, save, than.
not what I want, but what you want"
The word "yet" is another way of saying this and meaning the same thing in a way that we can understand it beter, so I have one last thing to say.
Have we prayed, "yet"? . . . . ."yet not what I want ,but what you want Father"
Friday, September 25, 2009
"Fulfilling My Desires"
Written by Robert E. Bailes
What Do You Ask For?
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:4,5,7.
My daughter had a fundraiser this year and she was selling magazine subscriptions to get the money needed for bleachers, which we really needed at our new location.
There was one magazine that I really liked and it was reasonably priced. I thought I had done my part when I told her that I wanted this magazine the first night she came home with the catalog. I was satisfied, my daughter was happy because she had gotten her first three orders and all was good!
She received a reward for selling three before a certain date and I thought the selling was over for us. About two weeks later, to my surprise, she began to ask me to get another subscription because she needed three more sales to get another reward and she didn't want to be one of the few in her class that didn't get it.
She was going to get a fun day at school where she would be able to get out of some classes and watch a movie and play some. I knew it would be great but I really had no interest in buying more magazines. Every day when I was worn out and it was getting late, she would once again ask me to reconsider my decision. Each night I assured her that I wasn't planning on buying any more right now. What she didn't know was that each day I came a little closer to giving in and helping her, but I would always ask her if she was still checking with everyone she had on her list. She always emphatically said, "Yes"! She really was quite convincing and I trusted her to tell me the truth so I believed she was doing her best.
My hope was that she could find the right people and they would help her fill those last three orders. This went on for over a week and eventually the pleas came with moaning and begging as she expected me to pull her out of this fix she was in and give her what she wanted. Finally the last night had come and she still needed three sales to get the reward. I have to tell you that I have never heard a child in so much misery as this child was that night. I was aware of her need and I was fully aware that she was not going to let up until I helped her with it. She believed that I had the resources to some how make this happen for her and she was persistent in her pleading. Guess what, she was able to convince me of the importance her desire to the point that I stopped everything and helped her fill those orders, which even meant my own commitment to another purchase. See, she got what she wanted, but did she really need it that bad? Probably not, if you look at it from the viewpoint of an adult. But she is living and thinking from the level of a twelve year old and I can't expect her to understand my view. She got her wish and that's all that mattered!
Isn't this how we are sometimes with our Lord in prayer? Don't we moan and groan over something we want so we can enjoy the reward that we think will bring us true happiness? Then the day after we move on to the next thing that brings us fulfillment. I'm sure it is annoying to God sometimes when we beg Him for the things of this world that have so little value in His eyes!
My daughters reward for her sales wasn't of much value in my eyes but her happiness certainly meant the world to me!
Many times the things that we beg and plea for hold little value in the eyes of our Lord and He waits patiently to see if we are going to let it go, but eventually He let's us have it knowing how temporary the fulfillment will be and hoping that we will desire something that holds more everlasting value next time. There is a story told by Jesus that illustrates this in the beginning of chapter eighteen of Luke. Most of the time we just hear the first verse when people are teaching about prayer.
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
The story that follows talks about a widow who kept asking the judge to make justice of her adversary. She asked so many times that the judge, who didn't even fear God or care about her, finally gave in and did what she asked so that she would stop bothering him.
The judge didn't really have interest in doing what she wanted but went along with her wishes to be relieved of the nagging and pleading by the widow. I believe that Jesus chose to use a widow for this part for a specific reason. I believe that she represents the people in the world who once had a relationship by believing in Christ, represented as His bride, but later chose to chase after the pleasures and desires of this world rather than building a relationship with their Lord.
The church is referred to as the bride in the scriptures. The judge, who really doesn't care about her desire to be avenged, represents the people we look to in the world for our wants and desires. We may even pray for these things to happen, but actually we are expecting someone else to help make our desires become a physical reality. Yes, it is true that dependence on people to fulfill our wishes will alienate us from our Lord and that is exactly what satan wishes to do and actually is doing right now in the lives of most people you are in contact with each day. Satan causes us to desire the things that bring temporary fulfillment and pleasure.
Why do you think people are riding down the road in their brand new cars with frowns on their faces? Why do people have money to go on vacations, yet they seldom laugh or sing? What causes people to be so sad when they have all of their desires and more to come? What do you really think causes people to feel this way? Why do even children loose their excitement the day after Christmas when we have lavished them with gifts that we could only dream of having as a child?
Jesus was making a very important point here in this simple, yet profound story about the widow and the judge.
I want to learn and remember four things through the reading of this story.
First I want to remember to seek wisdom and discernment from God when I find myself wishing for something.
Secondly, I need to be sure that the desires of my heart are in check with God's will for my life and not something satan has sold me on, to boost my ego or create a higher image of myself.
The third thing to learn is when I find myself relying on someone else to fulfill all of my desires, whether material, physical or emotionally, I will find myself living as the widow searching for people to help me fulfill my wishes rather than God. This may lead me to my desires but I most certainly will join the many who appear to be blessed but find in their hearts emptiness and desire for something they do not have!
Our emptiness and desires can only be filled and satisfied by the eternal blessings that Jesus spoke of throughout the scriptures. That is the Living water that brings us a NEW Life in Christ!
The fourth thing I need to learn from this is that I am to maintain the attitude of a servant in Christ and then the desires of my heart will not become a struggle to fulfill each day. A servant gives and I cannot want more when I am busy giving! It is God who gives to us and I ought to be busy doing the same thing in this world. There are so many who need! Yes, they need the joy that comes with knowing Christ in a real relationship that fulfills every desire that the heart of man could ever want! That is the desire for true joy and peace within!
To finish, I wanted to ponder on these words written in the book of James and let us ask ourselves these questions today,
James 4:1-8 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (without discernment from God)
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not (not in God's will) , because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses (people who long for the desires of the world), know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusted to envy?
6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. (those who serve and give of themselves for the Lord on earth)
7 Submit yourselves (become servants) therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
What Do You Ask For?
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:4,5,7.
My daughter had a fundraiser this year and she was selling magazine subscriptions to get the money needed for bleachers, which we really needed at our new location.
There was one magazine that I really liked and it was reasonably priced. I thought I had done my part when I told her that I wanted this magazine the first night she came home with the catalog. I was satisfied, my daughter was happy because she had gotten her first three orders and all was good!
She received a reward for selling three before a certain date and I thought the selling was over for us. About two weeks later, to my surprise, she began to ask me to get another subscription because she needed three more sales to get another reward and she didn't want to be one of the few in her class that didn't get it.
She was going to get a fun day at school where she would be able to get out of some classes and watch a movie and play some. I knew it would be great but I really had no interest in buying more magazines. Every day when I was worn out and it was getting late, she would once again ask me to reconsider my decision. Each night I assured her that I wasn't planning on buying any more right now. What she didn't know was that each day I came a little closer to giving in and helping her, but I would always ask her if she was still checking with everyone she had on her list. She always emphatically said, "Yes"! She really was quite convincing and I trusted her to tell me the truth so I believed she was doing her best.
My hope was that she could find the right people and they would help her fill those last three orders. This went on for over a week and eventually the pleas came with moaning and begging as she expected me to pull her out of this fix she was in and give her what she wanted. Finally the last night had come and she still needed three sales to get the reward. I have to tell you that I have never heard a child in so much misery as this child was that night. I was aware of her need and I was fully aware that she was not going to let up until I helped her with it. She believed that I had the resources to some how make this happen for her and she was persistent in her pleading. Guess what, she was able to convince me of the importance her desire to the point that I stopped everything and helped her fill those orders, which even meant my own commitment to another purchase. See, she got what she wanted, but did she really need it that bad? Probably not, if you look at it from the viewpoint of an adult. But she is living and thinking from the level of a twelve year old and I can't expect her to understand my view. She got her wish and that's all that mattered!
Isn't this how we are sometimes with our Lord in prayer? Don't we moan and groan over something we want so we can enjoy the reward that we think will bring us true happiness? Then the day after we move on to the next thing that brings us fulfillment. I'm sure it is annoying to God sometimes when we beg Him for the things of this world that have so little value in His eyes!
My daughters reward for her sales wasn't of much value in my eyes but her happiness certainly meant the world to me!
Many times the things that we beg and plea for hold little value in the eyes of our Lord and He waits patiently to see if we are going to let it go, but eventually He let's us have it knowing how temporary the fulfillment will be and hoping that we will desire something that holds more everlasting value next time. There is a story told by Jesus that illustrates this in the beginning of chapter eighteen of Luke. Most of the time we just hear the first verse when people are teaching about prayer.
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
The story that follows talks about a widow who kept asking the judge to make justice of her adversary. She asked so many times that the judge, who didn't even fear God or care about her, finally gave in and did what she asked so that she would stop bothering him.
The judge didn't really have interest in doing what she wanted but went along with her wishes to be relieved of the nagging and pleading by the widow. I believe that Jesus chose to use a widow for this part for a specific reason. I believe that she represents the people in the world who once had a relationship by believing in Christ, represented as His bride, but later chose to chase after the pleasures and desires of this world rather than building a relationship with their Lord.
The church is referred to as the bride in the scriptures. The judge, who really doesn't care about her desire to be avenged, represents the people we look to in the world for our wants and desires. We may even pray for these things to happen, but actually we are expecting someone else to help make our desires become a physical reality. Yes, it is true that dependence on people to fulfill our wishes will alienate us from our Lord and that is exactly what satan wishes to do and actually is doing right now in the lives of most people you are in contact with each day. Satan causes us to desire the things that bring temporary fulfillment and pleasure.
Why do you think people are riding down the road in their brand new cars with frowns on their faces? Why do people have money to go on vacations, yet they seldom laugh or sing? What causes people to be so sad when they have all of their desires and more to come? What do you really think causes people to feel this way? Why do even children loose their excitement the day after Christmas when we have lavished them with gifts that we could only dream of having as a child?
Jesus was making a very important point here in this simple, yet profound story about the widow and the judge.
I want to learn and remember four things through the reading of this story.
First I want to remember to seek wisdom and discernment from God when I find myself wishing for something.
Secondly, I need to be sure that the desires of my heart are in check with God's will for my life and not something satan has sold me on, to boost my ego or create a higher image of myself.
The third thing to learn is when I find myself relying on someone else to fulfill all of my desires, whether material, physical or emotionally, I will find myself living as the widow searching for people to help me fulfill my wishes rather than God. This may lead me to my desires but I most certainly will join the many who appear to be blessed but find in their hearts emptiness and desire for something they do not have!
Our emptiness and desires can only be filled and satisfied by the eternal blessings that Jesus spoke of throughout the scriptures. That is the Living water that brings us a NEW Life in Christ!
The fourth thing I need to learn from this is that I am to maintain the attitude of a servant in Christ and then the desires of my heart will not become a struggle to fulfill each day. A servant gives and I cannot want more when I am busy giving! It is God who gives to us and I ought to be busy doing the same thing in this world. There are so many who need! Yes, they need the joy that comes with knowing Christ in a real relationship that fulfills every desire that the heart of man could ever want! That is the desire for true joy and peace within!
To finish, I wanted to ponder on these words written in the book of James and let us ask ourselves these questions today,
James 4:1-8 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (without discernment from God)
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not (not in God's will) , because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses (people who long for the desires of the world), know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusted to envy?
6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. (those who serve and give of themselves for the Lord on earth)
7 Submit yourselves (become servants) therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
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