Devotions - Knowing God
A shadow on the land attempted to devour the light….it darkened everything in its path. It swallowed up all goodness that stood before it. In its wake beauty became emptiness. No fulfillment, no joy, no hope was found in its midst. The shadow haunted humanity. It threatened the lives of the people it stalked. It threatened to steal from them, to rob them and ultimately to kill them. The shadow stood the test of time…it spanned the ages. Looking through the lens of time it could be seen throughout history. Its plan never changed. Death was its goal. Darkness desires darkness. Darkness abhors light and beauty. The shadow wanted to squeeze the very life out of everything it came into contact with. Its plan seemed to be working.
Shining in the distance a light beckoned on the horizon, a light of such purity and beauty. It was a light of hope. It was a light that warmed the spirit and the soul. It was a light that could be trusted. It was a light of majesty, a light that ruled over all powers and forces. The light was sovereign. Its power could be felt in the way that it pierced the darkness, like a pin poking a hole in a balloon, letting out all the air that gave the balloon its form and existence. The love and grace that emanated from the light brought comfort to the weary. It brought hope to the hopeless and strength to the weak. Its strength could be felt as it pushed back the shadow and the darkness shrunk back. It beckoned humanity to follow its course and walk on, in life, abundantly.
The battle is a timeless one. The battle of light and darkness, the battle of hope vs. despair, the battle of life and death…. It’s a battle that rages on multi-dimensions. The human psyche being caught up in its wake as surely as night and day exchange places in the unfolding of time.
Perspective: to see from the heart of God, to see through the eyes of the creator of these powerful forces…to understand the purposes…to rest in the plan and the love of the Master. This is the calling of the disciple….to discipline oneself to walk in faith, virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. (2 Peter 1:3-10) To practice these things is to move toward the divine nature of God and protect us from falling into the wake of the shadow.
May God’s Spirit within you, shine His glorious light into your heart & mind today, enabling you to walk in peace and confidence, by the power of His grace and for His glory.
Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. (Isaiah 60:20 (English Standard Version))
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When reminded of past sins know that Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is your path to forgiveness.
Old memories come back to haunt. Sins of the past bring pain. In that place remorse fills the conscience. Sadness wants to creep into the heart. Hopelessness lurks at the doorway desiring entrance to the soul.
In times like these we see the cross…we see our loving Savior beaten, persecuted, hated…why? Because He bore our sin and iniquity…He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
In that exchange lies the reason that we give over everything to Him. God has forgiven us. Oh what a precious gift! Our hearts are filled with such gratitude that we, in humble submission, lay down our lives for Him, allowing Him to take full control. His blood has cleansed. We are forgiven. In that truth we can rejoice, knowing that as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgression from us. (Psalm 103:12)
But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped Psalm 130:4 (Amplified Bible)
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Acts 10:43
..for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28 (English Standard Version)
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When persecuted and treated unfairly know that Messiah is humble.
In humility we're to count others as more significant than ourselves. We’re to look to the interest of others, not to our own. When God came to earth He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:3-8)
When we feel like we’re being treated unfairly we need to look to Yeshua/Jesus. In humility He accepted unjust treatment and continued to lay down His life for His friends. We too, need to go the extra mile and strive to be a blessing to those whose paths cross our own, despite their own failings and shortcomings.
We’re to love unconditionally and in humility desire to see things from other’s perspective, knowing that as we do this God will reward us with grace, which is power reserved for the humble. He will then exalt us as He exalted Christ in His supreme humility.
In our humility and resulting exaltation God’s perfect will will be done in our situation. We can rest assured that He will vindicate any wrongs done to us and turn all sorrow to joy. Messiah is our example. Oh what a wondrous work can be accomplished through humility. Oh Lord, that we may follow you in this way and see the resultant victory.
Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! Phil. 2:5-8 (Amplified Bible)
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Prayerful Meditations on the Names of God
