Saturday, July 30, 2016

Meditation on John 4:1-42

Meditation on John 4:1-42

LORD Jesus, you know what it is to feel weary as a human being.  To stop and sit down thirsty.   Help me today to see that you understand when I am tired.  Enable me to feel that you have empathy when I am worn out.  Come to me now and renew my strength.

Lord Jesus, help me to see you are the gift of God come to refresh and give living water to my soul.   Let me experience this life giving spiritual water.  Help me not focus on the physical needs I have but on the spiritual necessity of having fellowship with YOU.  Come now to me and help me feel your presence and power.

Lord Jesus, let me now hide my shortcomings and immorality from YOU.  YOU know me in and out.  Every action, thought, word, and feeling has occurred in front of YOU.  Help me now.  Guard my heart from evil intentions.

Lord Jesus, make of me a one who will provide true worship in passion, integrity, truth, and Spirit.  Fill me Holy Spirit and open up a new level of vision that I may be led into a new level of admiration, awe, and praise.  Lord, teach me to worship.

LORD Jesus, help me more and more see that YOU are the Messiah.

Lord, help me value small things less and big things more.

Grant me the boldness this day to share my encounter with YOU with others.

Help me find nourishment in doing YOUR will.  Let this be more vital to me than the physical food I eat.  Lord change my feelings and outlook on priorities so that doing YOUR will is the most vital thing for me each day.  Let me hunger and thirst to do YOUR will on earth as it is done in heaven.

Put me into white fields of harvest.  Lead me to people ready to become disciples.  Help me reap where others have sown.  Give a great harvest to us now.  Bring many to be your disciples.  Convert the children raised in Christian homes to become true disciples.  Lord, help us now.

Lord Jesus come to me today as YOU came to the Samaritan woman and encounter me in my daily doings that I might see YOU and be changed by YOU.   Amen

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Meditation on Psalm 24 & 25

Meditation on Psalm 24 & 29
LORD, God of Israel and Creator of the whole earth.
Fill me with the righteousness of the Messiah. Help me come before YOU with bold confidence because of HIS victory over my sin.
Give me the blessing of YOUR righteousness and give me a hunger and thirst for YOU.
KING of Glory come now! Come in final judgment! Come in final restoration! Come now in revival! Be strong and mighty now and come battle for YOUR people Let us praise YOU this day!
LORD, YOUR character is without flaw. YOU are good and full of grace. YOU Are Love. Open the eyes of our heart that we may take joy in YOUR slender, greatness, purity, and strength.
LORD, all creation depends on your voice for life. Without YOUR word of power all would cease to be. Now all-powerful KING and LORD, give to us YOUR strength this day or we will cease to be.
LORD, give to us strength and peace this day. Remember we are but dust and very frail. Lead us Good Shepherd through this travail. Amen

Friday, July 22, 2016

Meditation on Psalm 40 & 54

Meditation on Psalm 40 & 54

Lord, I try to wait with patience in my desperation. I need you to hear my cry weak as it is. Draw me out of the destruction that seems to be coming on every side and dragging me underneath waves of grief.
Set my feet on a solid rock. Be my solid rock. Help me know some security in an ever-changing world.
Put a song in my heart and mouth. Let me praise you in the dark. May other see your work in me and trust YOU. Help me trust YOU.
Give me your blessing Good Father of Eternity. Let me not trust in myself but in YOU. Keep me from the lie of self-reliance or reliance on any aspect of creation. Let my trust be in YOU. Multiply my vision of your deeds and wisdom. Let me be in awe of YOU.
Messiah Jesus, YOU submitted to the plan of salvation help me submit to the plan for my life.
Help me to find the story of your deliverance, faithfulness, salvation, steadfast love and speak it to my heart and to the world. LORD, great is your faithfulness, help me see your faithfulness, and then proclaim your faithfulness.
My one hope is in YOU. Do not restrain your mercy but now preserve me in your committed love for me. I see more and more my evils and iniquities. My heart fails in light of my failures.
Crush now the dark lord's plots to kill, steal, and destroy your plan for my life and him who delights to bring me hurt. Demonstrate your great power to save and deliver. Place me under YOUR blood and the true confession of the gospel of peace. Show in me, and my family, your power to save.
LORD, you are great, good, full of grace, ever with me in my grief, and using my grief for ultimate good. Help me seek you. Give me joy in my sorrow. I am poor and without strength. Take thought of me. Be my help and do not delay to come now to me and mine.
All powerful and compassionate ultimate and supreme true Creator and Redeemer hear the deep cries of my soul and heart. Give ear to the great needs of this day.
Destroy the ruthless dark spiritual forces that seek to bring destruction and death delighting in bringing harm. Save your covenant children from their own foolishness.
Be our helper and upholder today living and true LORD of light and life. Overturn the plans of the unbelief and foolishness. Allow your faithfulness to put an end to these plans and establish your good will on earth as in heaven.
Thank you for hearing my cry. Thank you for being always good. Let my eyes see your triumph over the present evil. Act now in ways beyond my imagination to turn back the darkness and shine the light in abundant waves. Shine us now! Shine us now! Awaken us now! Act now! We need YOU! I need YOU!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies they never come to an end,
They are new every morning, new every morning, great is thy faithfulness oh Lord, Great is your faithfulness. Amen

Friday, July 15, 2016

Meditation on Psalm 31

Meditation on Psalm 31

Good, great, and merciful living and true maker of all the universe and Redeemer of the fallen world and Savior of the chosen believers, let me find refuge in you and protection.  Save me from my own insanity and the insanity of others.  

YOU, eternal, infinite, and unchanging Spirit of strength are the one stability in this world of change and chaos.  The only protection I can have is your watching over me and keeping me from ultimate harm.  

Show me the path to go and lead me through my life.  You have saved me from the schemes of the dark lord of rebellion and been my refuge in the darkest times.  Into YOUR hand I commit my spirit for YOU have paid for my sins on the cross and been faithful in YOUR commitment to me even when I have failed to keep my commitment to YOU.  

Save us from our idols.  Help us see the insanity of making anything our ultimate concern but YOU.  

Let me fully depend on YOU and YOU alone for the needs of my life.  See the distress and affliction of my heart.  Defeat the schemes of the enemy of my soul and allow me to have the freedom to serve you with joy. 

Pour out YOUR unconditional favor and abundant mercy on me, for I am in distress and grief.  My life is filled with sorrow and sighing.  My abilities fail me.  I am wasting away.  Renew and revive me.  Give me new strength.  

Destroy the plots of the world, the flesh, and devil.  May your redemptive plan be fulfilled in my life.  

Living LORD, YOU are the ultimate concern of my life.  May this be ever increasingly true.  My times are in your hands.  Let me live the rest of the days you have planned for me well.    Shine your face upon me and save me in YOUR faithful Love, as you have promised.  I call upon YOU!  Hear my voice!  Save me!  Use me!  Make my life count for YOUR glory and kingdom.  

LORD my God, you are abundant in goodness and grace.  Let me see that all the spiritual blessings of heaven are mine in YOU, LORD Jesus!  May YOU LORD take joy in saving me and coming to help me.  Forgive me my sins and let me be faithful to YOU.

LORD, allow your people to love YOU.  Preserve those who are full of faith in YOU.  Help us now LORD to be strong and of good courage as we trust YOU to come an revive us.  Amen




A time to be sad

2 Chronicles 6:29
whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house,
Psalm 31:10
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
Psalm 119:28
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!
East of Eden is filled with sorrow. Lord, you know that our losses become so great and our sadness over what we have lost becomes more than we could imagine that we could bear. Good and loving Lord, you have told us we will have sorrow in this life. YOU have sorrow over all that is out of order in this world. Because you suffer from the brokenness and immorality of this world, you have told us that we will have sorrow here.
Without your strength Lord, I know I would be crushed. Things are wildly out of control. Losses accumulate and seem like waves crashing upon be, dragging me out from the shore and under the water. So many sorrows and struggles. So much lost.
I stretch out my hands towards YOU and remember me in your compassion and grace. Help me now to seek you today. Provide for me new hope. Help me now. Amen

Sunday, July 3, 2016

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart[1]

The options

A.  A good man is forced to do evil
B.  An evil man is forced to do more evil
C.  An eEvil man is not restrained to do more evil

Significant passages:  Genesis 6:3-5; Romans 3:10-20; James 1:13,14; Romans 1:24; Exodus 4:21; 7:3; Isaiah 63:7; Romans 9:13-18  - Defend both God’s greatness and HIS goodness

Human beings always use free will to choose evil.

"The Midrash (ancient Jewish Commentary 2nd Century AD) provides an answer:
To which Rabbi Shimon b. Lakish replied: "Let the mouths of the heretics be stopped up ... when God warns a man once, twice, and even a third time, and he still does not repent, then does God close his heart against repentance so that He should exact vengeance from him for his sins. Thus it was with the wicked Pharaoh. Since God sent five times to him and he took no notice, God then said: 'You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart; well, I will add to your uncleanness.'" (Midrash Rabbah, Exodus 13:3)

Blood:

And the magicians of Egypt did likewise with their enchantments, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, nor did he listen to them, as the Lord had said. And Pharaoh turned and went to his house, nor did he set his heart to this. (Exodus 7:22-23)

Frogs:

But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and listened not to them, as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:11)

Lice:

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he listened not to them, as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:15)

Swarms of flies:

And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. (Exodus 8:28)

Cattle:

And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the people of Israel dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. (Exodus 9:7)
THE SHIFT
After the first five plagues, we note a subtle yet essential shift in language.

Boils:

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he listened not to them; as the Lord had spoken to Moses. (Exodus 9:12)

Hail:

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked..." And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more and hardened his heart,3 he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, nor would he let the people of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. (Exodus 9:27,34-35)
And the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him. (Exodus 10:1)

Locusts:

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the People of Israel go. (Exodus 10:20)

Darkness:

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. (Exodus 10:27)

Death of Firstborn:

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them, and I will be honored over Pharaoh, and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord." And they did so. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" (Exodus 14:4-5)"

Conclusion: God’s judgment on Pharaoh for hardening his heart was the hardening of his heart.

We should be careful not to harden our own hearts towards God.

"(8) Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness," [Psalm 95:8 NASB]

"(8) DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME,AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS," [Hebrews 3:8 NASB]