God gives to each of us what it is that we can handle, no more…no less. That is both for our blessings, abilities and trials. He expects us to use them all appropriately and bring Him glory through all of them good & bad, amazing and trying, blessing and curse. Lord, grant me the strength to bring You glory through all that You ordain to me.
We are called to be ready at every moment for Jesus to return. That means we need to be following Him every second of the day. No lapse in focus, no chasing sin for a second, no selfishness…always pursuing Jesus. I need help to do that!
What a horrific passage to read for the 100th time…never seeing myself so clearly described before. I didn’t see it at the time, but my pride was in full bloom years ago as I had these prideful motivations while in full time ministry. Lord, help me to serve others well…would all that I do for Your kingdom bring You alone glory!
How awesome to see Gods persistence in bringing people into His feast…all are invited, yet each person gets to choose if they will participate. Even better Jesus provides us all the proper clothing for the feast, we are to put on Christ and be recognized as His. Shockingly, some will reject His covering and demand to wear their own efforts…only to be tossed out.
Lord, clothe me in your salvation and help me to depend on You alone for my entrance into Your kingdom.
What a promise! Jesus calls us to go to Him, accept His yoke and learn from Him…our response: rest for our soul. Not just relaxation, but our entire self- head, heart, bones and body will experience REST… Lord, I need that today!
Strengthen me to:
-go to You in prayer.
-accept Your guidance, direction and presence.
-learn Your way, see Your fingerprints around me.
I don’t know why it is comforting to know that the trials we face were expected, but Jesus knew that His disciples would get put in some pretty uncomfortable spots…yet in the midst of all of that, He reminds them (and us) that the Spirit will guide AND the hard moments will be a testimony to the watching world. Lord, thank You for Your presence and guidance even through trial.
It’s incredible that Jesus looks at our actions and perfectly knows what motivates us and drives us. Hebrews 4 talks about the Word of God doing the same thing. Lord, help me not to hide these things from myself, because You already know.
What a great illustration of Gods character. He compares God to a human father and reminds us that if fathers give good gifts God is able to do way better. He has none of the weakness or constraints of human fathers, knows perfectly what we actually need and Loves us perfectly!
On repeat in the sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us that why we do things is maybe more important than what we do. He knows if we do good things because we want others to see or if we want to please the Lord. Hebrews 4 tells us that “…the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Lord, help me to recognize the motives in my heart and submit them all to You!
This is a simple statement, but a powerful one. Jesus sits down and the disciples went to Him…seeking Him…ready to listen to Him…wanting to understand Him. They intentionally placed themselves in His presence and humbled themselves into submission to His teaching. Lord, help me to be ready to submit to You in every way.
Jesus powerful words to the disciples are not “follow Me, and work hard to be fishers of men”…but rather “follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”. That is a big difference! How easy it is to fall into the trap of self motivated change, working hard to do the right things, and all the while feeling like a fisherman in a disguise as an evangelist.
Lord, allow me to be surrendered to You in every way so that You can transform me. You must do the work to make me into the person perfectly suited for Your calling on my life. Help me to see when I am trying on my own and hand that over to you.
What a gracious God to intentionally place these 5 women into the lineage of Jesus the Messiah! God uses all of our own messy story to ultimately highlight His own grace and mercy. Only God can take our jacked up lives and turn them into a beautiful tapestry woven together into a masterpiece…just like He does in the genealogy of Christ by highlighting these women. Lord, help me to trust that you continue to be at work in my life and in the lives of my children…
As Daniel is watching this world drama unfold, unimaginable power is on display by their vast armies and wide sweeping conquests. Yet several times in this chapter God puts a bit of reality into the conversation reminding Daniel and the reader, that only He is in charge and has appointed all of these things.
The reminder for me is that God has appointed times for my life as well, not only for kings, but for His servants. God is sovereign and cares about every detail of life. Lord, give me the strength to trust you with every large or small detail of my life!
What a powerful prayer that Daniel is confessing for the whole nation. Then he asks God to act, not for the people but for Gods own great compassion. What a great reminder of the Gospel! We are saved by His work, grace, mercy and compassion…literally nothing of our own efforts!!!
It’s interesting that this is included in Gods revelation to us because, it is really hard to understand. Even Daniel gets a personal interpretation but he was still confused in the end. However, I find it interesting that God sends an angel to provide some insight…enough understanding to make it valuable for Daniel and for us. Lord, help me to trust that You will do the same for me, even when things are hard to comprehend…I want to trust in You!
Amidst the chaos Jesus is ushered in forever. That is such a relief that we know He is in control and we can trust Him!
Daniel lived in a way that made him stand out from all his peers. His life exemplified his faith and the power of his God. His trust in God in every avenue was unique and obvious to everyone around him. Lord, although I am not interested in the persecution side, I pray that people would recognize You in all of my actions!
Daniel had no imagination that this was his own ability, but consistently pointed to God! In the end God was praised and received the glory, not Daniel. This seems like a one off situation, and it is unique, but all of the gifts that God provides work the same way and should be treated as such. Lord, help me to reveal your glory as I use the gifts you have given me.
What a fascinating reminder of how intimately involved with our lives God actually is. I often take credit for my success yet this passage clearly points out Gods role in the success of Daniel and his friends. Lord, thank you for providing me the ability to do my work and ministry…please help me to keep You as a fixture of empowerment rather than claiming victory for myself…You alone have granted me any favor I experience. What a blessing from Your hand!!!
The end of this long confusing section of Ezekiel ends by naming the city “The LORD is there”…God with His people! What a contrast to the beginning of the book where they are in exile, separated from God because of their own decisions. What a mighty God who has a plan to restore relationship with us even when we actively run from Him.
