It's Not Just One and Done

# 292 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers. Last time we talked about the role of fasting and moving mountains. A man had approached the disciples and asked them to cast the demon out of his boy. But they couldn't do it, and Jesus reminded them that they needed to fast and pray in order to tackle such a big mountain. The disciples were perplexed. Had they not just gone out and healed people of their diseases and cast out demons….why couldn’t they do it for this father and his boy? And the answer is your spiritual victories of yesterday are not going to give you victories over your mountains of today. You can’t dwell on your past laurels.   Oh, they should remind you of the power of God and what He can do when it is released in your life. But in the matter of spiritual disciplines, you don’t just give to the poor once and expect that to carry over for the rest of your life. You don’t engage in private prayer once and think you’re finished. You don’t just fast once for victory and then forget about it.   These are disciplines. They need to become a regular part of your spiritual life.   Far too often, we Christians try these spiritual disciplines for a little while and if we don’t get our desired results, we throw in the towel. Or we may decide that we can manage our mountains in our own strength. We decide to co-exist with them……..or we decide the fights over, friend….that is rebellion.   The children of Israel were denied entrance into the promised land because they didn’t believe God would help them conquer the giants of the land, and God called their refusal, “rebellion.” (Numbers 14:9)  Got a mountain that needs to be removed? Don’t throw in the towel. Keep at it.   If you’ve ever tried to bust down a concrete wall  with a sledgehammer, you know full well that it doesn’t come down with the first lick.  You gotta hit it repeatedly. Wham! Wham Wham! And pretty soon some chips begin to fly. Wham! Wham! Wham! Pretty soon a hairline crack will show up! Wham Wham! Wham! And eventually that whole wall, that whole mountain will come tumbling down!   That’s the way it is with these spiritual disciplines. Don’t give up folks. Get started and keep at it, until you get the breakthrough. Use the tools God has given you! Purpose in your heart to practice the discipline of fasting. Praying with your body, in order to call God into your situation. Father, forgive me for those times I weary, grant me a persistent attitude against the mountains in my life.

Mountain Moving Advice From Jesus

# 291 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers. Today, I want to continue to speak about moving mountains through fasting. Specifically looking at the account of the demon possessed boy in Mt 17:14-21, “ And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,  15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  16 "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."  18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out? "  20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  21 "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Look at this boy. He’s a mess! He is described here as one who experienced many seizures. He was subject to periods of crazy behavior. As we read on we see that this behavior was under control of  the demon that was residing in him.   Demons are under the control of the devil, and the devil is a murderer, and he was trying to kill this young boy by causing him to leap into fires and jumping into water. In  Mark’s account we find additional information, the boy was unable to speak, and was subject to convulsions, and evidently was unable to eat properly as he was described as wasting away.    So this family has been dealing with a suicidal child, with epileptic like symptoms, and an eating disorder. Not only that, but I tell you what. You jump into fires often enough and you are going to bear some scars.   This was the life of this father. Pulling his son out of the water and administering CPR, or taking him down to the burn center, or the eating disorder clinic, or another round with the plastic surgeons.  This was a huge mountain. A mountain that was removed by Jesus and He then passes along mountain removing advice to us. This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting.  It’s not about demanding that He fix the things in your life that are mountains. It’s about allowing Him to release His power through you as you believe His word concerning fasting. Work with Jesus ! Believe His words! Allow Him to remove the mountain or give you the strength to conquer it! Father thank You for the spiritual tool of fasting. Release Your power into lives that need it today.

Removed or Conquered

# 290 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers. Today, I want to continue to speak about moving mountains through fasting. You should know by now that God wants His people to be mountain movers! These mountains are to be taken figuratively not literally, and in that sense they mean obstacles. It's not that God cannot literally move mountains, of course He can, the extreme examples used by Jesus in the Gospels are given to us so that we may see, that literal mountain moving, and any other even lesser obstacles that need to be removed are not too difficult for God. Do you have mountains in your life right now? You know, those hindrances that seemingly won't budge? Those things that ever loom in your life. You can’t help thinking about them, worrying about them, and even though you may forget about them for a time as you get occupied with other things, when you look up, …..there they are again. They are like Mt. Ranier in Seattle, never far from sight. Sometimes it’s not just Mt Ranier, sometimes it’s the who stinking range. It’s not just Mt Ranier….it’s seems like the Himalayas.  These obstacles or mountains do nothing but take up space and time in your life that could better be spent on kingdom matters. That’s what the devil does with the mountains in your life. He puts them there to keep you preoccupied with fruitless distractions, but, ENTER GOD!  The Great Remover of Mountains.  God uses the mountains in your life for His glory, and He is more than able to remove them if that’s His will, or  more than able to conquer them in His name for His glory.   When Jesus came upon a blind man, His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" You see this blindness was a mountain in this man’s life.  3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (Jn 9:2,3)   God was glorified as the mountain of blindness was removed from the man.  Still another time, a man brought his demon possessed son to the disciples. His boy often fell into the fire and into the water. Jesus cast out the demon and set the boy and his father free. Afterwards he told his disciples that this kind of demon only comes out by prayer and fasting. Just think of the mountain this demon possessed boy presented to his father through the years. Look what He told His disciples to do to remove that mountain. He told them to pray and fast. It is praying and fasting that invites the power of God into the situation. Invite Him into yours. When the power of God is unleashed there are two possible results for you and your mountain. It will either be removed or conquered. Either way, to the glory of God, it will no longer be an obstacle in your life.

Fasting To Move Mountains

# 289 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers. Today, I want to begin to speak about moving mountains through fasting. You should know by now that God wants His people to be mountain movers! Jesus said in Mr 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. In Josh 14:12, we read of the request of 85 year old Caleb, "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said." 85 years old and still desiring to conquer mountains in the name of the Lord! Mountain conquering is for the old and young alike! In Isa 40:4, we read, “Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; And in Zec 4:6,7 we read, “So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 7 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" Mountains cannot be removed without the help of God. It is not by our might or power but by the power of the Holy Spirit, and when we fast God releases His reward (His power) into the situation. The windows of heaven are opened and grace comes down like rain. When we fast, our body shouts to our situation with the words found in Zechariah, “Grace, grace to it! Father, I pray for those facing mountains today. Release Your grace into their situation.

Make Feeding Your Soul A Priority

# 288 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers.  In fasting, our soul’s cry trumps the cry of our belly. Fasting is a way of agreeing with God that our inner man is more important than our outer man. And our inner man is fed when we abstain from physical food for the right reasons.   Recall the Creation account. The body is nothing but dirt, but the soul has value beyond measure because God breathed into the dirt (Adam) and he became a living soul!  So our souls are of much more value than our bodies. Yet our refusal to fast and consequently feed our soul is a testimony about what our true priorities are.   The question for you and I is this. Are we willing to give up sensual gratification for the need and benefit of our souls and the furthering of the kingdom of God for His glory?   Have you ever skipped lunch in order to meet a deadline at work? Why did you do that? You did it because the deadline was more important to you than food itself.   Have you ever skipped a meal while maintaining a bedside vigil by a loved one? Why did you do that? Because that person meant more to you than food itself.   Or have you ever skipped eating for 12 hours in order to have a medical test or procedure done? Why? Because your health was more important to you than food itself!   In light of what God says about fasting, and in light of what He has done for us, and in light of His promised reward, why in the world are we so reluctant to give up food for just a small window of time for Him?    Is He less precious than a business deal, or a loved one, or our health? If so, we have our priorities way out of line.   Believe this promise of Jesus found in Mt 6:18 concerning your fast, “your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Fast! Discipline yourself to abstain from satisfying your flesh for a set time in order to achieve a greater spiritual goal. Believe that God will reward those who fast properly!   How bad do you want His promised reward? How bad do you want His intervention in your crisis? Do you want it enough to give up dinner? So often, our idea of praying is making demands on God to get us out of our messes, and we never even bother to seek His rewards. Rewards that are promised when we give to the poor properly, when we pray properly, and when we fast properly.   Seek the rewards, don't wait for the messes, but if they come........fast! Father, help me to readjust the spiritual priorities in my life.

Eating Is Meant For Us Fasting Is Meant For God

# 287 – We are continuing a series on fasting. What does it mean to “fast?” Fasting is the deliberate abstaining from physical gratification in order to obtain a spiritual reward from the Father. It is a denial of the flesh in order to gain a response from the Spirit.  I like that latter definition because it doesn’t restrict fasting to mere food.   In fact, we shall see that there is even such a thing as sexual fasting, and by inference we can say that fasting is denial of anything that brings momentary pleasure to the flesh. Giving up TV, watching the Packers,  golf,  whatever your flesh would miss if it didn’t have it.   Personally, I would recommend starting with food simply because Jesus said, that “man does not live by bread alone” and fasting from food is a great way to drive that point home.    Let’s see if we can dig up some spiritual principles as related to fasting. In Zech 7:5,6 we find two rhetorical questions, questions with obvious answers. When you understand this, it will help you understand what is being said here by God through the prophet Zechariah.    “Say to all the people of the land and the priests. When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh for these seventy years was it for ME you fasted? (The obvious answer is “yes, God we fast for You!) .”And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? (The obvious answer is, “yes, we eat and drink for ourselves.”     You can’t eat for someone else other than yourself.  Now I don’t mean that I can’t clean up my wife's plate at the restaurant, I mean I can’t eat on her behalf. She does not benefit physically in any way at all based on what I eat.  She receives no nutrients from that cheese omelet I had this morning. I eat to satisfy my flesh, my belly, not hers “Do you not eat and drink for yourselves?   Eating and drinking is to satisfy our selves. But in fasting, we cease to eat in order to satisfy God. As eating is meant for us, fasting is meant for God. “Was it for Me you fasted?” It should be, if not, verily verily I say you have your reward.   Food satisfies, pleases, and energizes our bodies. Proper fasting satisfies and pleases God and it energizes Him on our behalf. This is His “reward” spoken of in Mt 6: 18. And when the disciples wanted to know why they couldn’t deliver a certain boy from a demon Jesus said in  Mr 9:29 "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." It is prayer and fasting that energizes God on our behalf, in order to enhance our spiritual performance and bring glory to Him. Father, let us fast, and let You be glorified.

You May Be Mocked, But Fast Anyway

# 286 – We are continuing a series on fasting. This spiritual discipline that is connected with promise of blessing from the Lord is widely neglected in the church today. We have this tendency to think that fasting was an Old Testament things for prophets with sackcloth’s over their bodies and ashes over their heads. As we pointed out last time, this is simply not true. Jesus point blank states that His followers WILL fast. (See Mt 6:17, and Mt 9:15) Many times in the Old Testament, fasting was quite public, this seems to fly in the face of our Lord's New Testament admonition to keep it between ourselves and God, but it seems that these public fasts were undertaken for the welfare of the people at large, rather than individuals. One thing you should know when fasting and that is people will mock what you are doing. They will try to convince you that what you are doing is silly. In Psalm 69:10-13 we read, “When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing I became a byword to them. I am the talk of the gate and the drunkards make songs about me.” Imagine that, people singing mocking songs about a a man desperately trying to hear from God. I wonder how the song went? I once knew a man from Judah, who tried to do without foodah. He thought it was neat, to give up his meat, but we think it's a lot of hooyah. But seriously the devil will use any means he can to discourage a fast, because he knows what a powerful tool it is. The uninformed think the spiritual disciplines of praying, giving to the poor, and fasting are silly...well, let me encourage you, purpose in your heart to practice them anyway, because each discipline mentioned in the sermon on the mount comes with a promised reward from God. Listen to how the psalmist answers his mockers. He says in v13, “But as for me, my prayer is to you O Lord.”  You see, he fasted with the right motivation. He fasted for God alone. He was saying, “Lord, this fast is for you, not for them. And by the way, we can say, according to this verse, that fasting is a form of praying.  In fact all three of these spiritual disciplines are forms of prayer. We pray with our hands through our acts of mercy giving to the poor. We pray with our lips by vocalizing our prayers, and we pray with our body when we deprive it for a season, asking God to act on our behalf with His promised reward. Father, help me to overcome the taunts and doubts that the evil one brings my way. Grant me the resolve to practice spiritual disciplines.

Just Doing What Is Expected Of Us

# 285 – Today, we start a series on fasting. As we have already seen, fasting is a spiritual discipline that is expected of the followers of Christ. In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “when” you fast, and another time He told His disciples that they would fast in the period of time between His ascension and His glorious return. Let's start out by looking first at Jesus' instructions for a fast. He had just covered the other disciplines associated with His followers, namely praying and giving to the poor, and both of these were to be done secretly. That is, they are to be something between you and God. It is the same with fasting. Mt 6:16-18 says, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 "so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Now, it's nearly impossible to do all these things secretly. My family knows that I get up early, go into my office, close the door and pray. My banker and church financial secretary know what I give to the poor, and my wife and family have a sneaking suspicion that when I'm not at the supper table...I'm fasting. The point is, God does not want us to make a big show of it to others, as if these things make us “super-spiritual” compared to others. I've got news for you, doing something that is expected of you, (praying, giving to the poor, and fasting) does not make you super spiritual. However, after each one of these disciplines is mentioned by Jesus in the sermon on the mount, He says, “the Father will reward you.” Imagine that! The God of the universe who holds all things in His hands will impart blessing to His children when exercising these disciplines with the proper attitude! So....what are we waiting for? Father, how sweet and benevolent You are. Rewarding us for doing things that are expected of us! Thank You.

Fasting Part 1

# 284 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:34-39, “So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. 35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 Then he said to his lad, "Now run, find the arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, "Make haste, hurry, do not delay!" So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. (1 Sam 20:34-39) Jonathan carries on his conversation with David through the lad, even adding some extra words of warning to David, “make haste, hurry, do not delay.” I think of those who have been called to minister the gospel in the church today. The Lord speak to us through them, just as Jonathan spoke to David through the lad. These ministers of today ought to have the same sense of urgency as they bring the gospel to the masses. “Make haste, hurry, do not delay,” your soul is in grave danger without Jesus! Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now! Today is the day of your salvation! Something else that strikes me about Jonathan's actions at the table. He rose from the table in fierce anger and refused to eat the entire second day of the feast. The Bible has a word for refusing to eat....it's called fasting. Fasting is one of the greatest spiritual tools that the Lord has provided for His church, and in fact is one of the distinguishing marks of a follower of Christ. Jesus said to His followers in Mt 6:16, “when you fast,” Such a statement coupled with His remark that after He departed from this earth His disciples WILL fast, ((Mt 9:15) indicates to me that this discipline is expected of you and I. In the days ahead, I will be spending some time teaching on this powerful Christian discipline, praying it will have an impact on you and more importantly in God's kingdom.

Life Begins At Conception

# 283 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:30b-33, “ Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31 "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be killed? What has he done?" 33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. (1 Sam 20:30b-33) This so bizarre. In one breath Saul pleads with his son to think about his future and then in the next moment, in a fit of rage over what Saul perceives as a hopeless situation, he casts a spear at his own son, fully intent on killing him. This fit of rage was triggered by a great question from Jonathan. He simply wanted to know what David's crime was. Saul had no answer and his only response was to lash out at the one asking the question that went right to the heart. It's a question that right to lifers have been asking from the get-go, and it usually causes the same kind of reaction. Here's the question: “Name the crime of the unborn child. What has he or she done to deserve death? Did the unborn child engage in an illicit sex act? Did the unborn child rape? Name the crime and I will be the first one to come alongside and demand justice. Oh, but you say, that unborn child is not really alive.” Really. Think this through. The Bible says that we are CONCEIVED in sin. Sinners from conception on. The Bible also says the wages of sin is death. How is it possible to execute a death sentence on someone who is not alive? Life begins at conception! Listen, if you have committed this sin. Don't handle it like Saul. Don't lash out. Rather lash yourself to the cross and the mercy of Jesus, because there is no sin that He didn't die for. No sin that He will not forgive. Confess your sin and receive His forgiveness and healing.

An Anger Management Issue

# 281 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:27-30, “And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?" 28 So Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 "And he said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table." 30 Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? (1 Sam 20:27-30) Well, this is a delicate passage to handle on a family oriented radio station. After hearing Jonathan's report concerning David, Saul blows his top. He has been suspecting a developing sense of loyalty in Jonathan towards David, and this excuse for David's absence given by Jonathan was the last straw. In a fit of anger he says things that should never be spoken of another, especially to one's own child. We have a similar expression today for “son of a perverse rebellious woman,” but I for one, with the help of God, refuse to say it. Eph 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” He goes on to speak of Jonathan's mothers nakedness in a way that suggests he is sorry that Jonathan was ever born! These are hurtful inexcusable words spoken by angry, selfish people.and typical for those who are susceptible to fits of rage. I'm going to be point blank here. If you have ever spoken to another in this tone, you have an anger management issue. Get help now before the anger festers and grows and you do more damage to others and yourself. James 1:19,20 says, Be “slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Father help those with anger issues, grant them a new spirit of humility that opens the door to Your grace in their lives.

Take Care Of It Before You Come To Table

# 281 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:24-26 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25 Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean." (1 Sam 20:24-26) Saul isn't overly concerned about David's absence on the first day of the feast. Knowing David and His love for the Lord, it is likely David had experienced some sort of accidental ceremonial uncleanness and out of obedience to the Lord, he would have to take care of it before he feasted,: Le 7:20 says, “'But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people.” It's ironic that while Saul is thinking that David is ceremonially unclean, he is unceremoniously unclean in his own heart which is murderously envious of David. The fact is, Saul should not be present at this feast until he has taken care of the sin of envy in his own heart. Jesus said in Mt 5:23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. We observe one feast in the New Testament church. The Lord's Supper, and if there is uncleanness in our hearts we ought to take care of it before we sit at table. 1Co 5:8 says, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Do you have ought against a brother or sister? Take care of it before you come to table. Father, guard my heart from any malice or wickedness toward others. And if it shows up, give me the fortitude and humility to meet my brother at the cross.

Go Forth

# 280 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:20-23 "Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 21 "and there I will send a lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I expressly say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come' -then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 22 "But if I say thus to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you' -go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 "And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever." (1 Sam 20:20-23) Jonathan has come up with a plan to convey a message of safety or grave danger to David. David was to hide in this field on the third day and wait for Jonathan to come to him with the news. If Saul meant to do David harm, Jonathan would shoot the arrows beyond David, if the coast was clear, he would shoot the arrows short. Why the elaborate plan of secrecy? I believe there is some symbolism involved here. The three arrows are symbolic of the word of God going forth to conquer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is an instance in the 6th chapter of Revelation that speaks of the first rider on the white horse going forth with a bow “conquering and to conquer.” It is the proclamation of the Word of God (the Gospel) that does the conquering, for it goes right to the heart. Heb 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” So Jonathan sends David off from the stone of Ezel (which means, the stone of departure) with a reminder to go forth with the arrows of the Word of God, relying on God and His word to bring him the victory over Saul who personifies the devil. This is exactly what Jesus did when He departed. He charged His disciples to go forth in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit preaching the message of the Gospel. Mt 28:19says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. And in Mark 16:15,16, “"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. The strategy hasn't changed, let us go and do the same. Father, You have armed us with a special message of mercy and grace, let us go forth shooting the arrows of the gospel, in the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus' Desire To Connect To Us

# 278 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:17-19, “Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 "And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. (1 Sam 20:17-19) Charles Spurgeon writes concerning this passage “Which is the “he” and which is the “him” referred to in this verse? Is the “he” David, and the “him” Jonathan; or is the “him” David, and the’ “he” Jonathan! There is the same indefiniteness in the second text, there is a kind of mixing up of the pronouns; and I like that, because a true friend or a true lover is one’s other self; the two persons are so closely joined to one another that they have become one. So our blessed Lord Jesus, who has linked himself with us by many strong ties, would have us link ourselves with him by many ties also." ....Spurgeon I love this commentary because of the picture it paints of the relationship between us and Jesus. Jonathan, like us, always in need of assurances of the love of Christ toward us. And so he asks David to vow again, to give him further assurances, and David is more than happy to oblige. Just as Christ is happy to oblige us with assurances of His desire to be one with us. He does this through His Word of course and through the cross. Who could not look at the cross and not understand the depth of His love for us. But He uses other means as well that seek to give us powerful assurances. There is baptism where we are “buried with Him and raised to new life.” And through which we have literally “put on Christ!” Ga 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Then there is the Lord's Supper where He brings His body and blood to us where among other things our faith is strengthened as we pause and remember what He did for us on the cross. Yes as Spurgeon notes, the Lord Jesus has linked himself to us by many ties,” Revel in them and may they strengthen your faith today. Father, thank You for the numerous ways You seek to assure us of Your unfailing love.

God's Covenant of Mercy

# 277 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:14-16, "And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; 15 "but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies." (1 Sam 20:14-16) It was customary in these days that when a king was dethroned, his offspring was also killed so that they would not be a threat to the new king. Jonathan knew that and so he sought to make a solemn covenant with David, that would protect him from any retaliation. Jonathan knew that if Saul answered roughly against David, it was game on. It would be David's house versus Saul's house, and I think he knew by now that the Lord was on David's side. He had an inkling about who would win this battle. So Jonathan seeks to make a covenant with David, if indeed, there would be a struggle between the two families, he asks that David would show the same kind of mercy toward him and his offspring, that God shows to His covenanted people. What is this mercy? A quick definition of mercy is “not getting what we deserve.” Saul's murderous intent toward David was deserving of retaliation, just as our rebellion against God is deserving of retaliation, but God in His mercy covenants with us through faith in Jesus Christ, and we do not get what we deserve. And if David were to break this covenant of mercy against Jonathan and his family, Jonathan is calling on the Lord to deal with David in like fashion. Hear the Good News! God will never break His covenant with His people (those who have faith in Jesus). Now hear the bad news. “If we break the covenant, (that is depart from the faith by ceasing to trust in Jesus, we will be “cut off” from the kindness of God, but we have no one to blame but ourselves for it is our unbelief that does the cutting off....the breaking of the covenant. More Good News! God keeps the door open for our return. If you have broken covenant with God, return today! Father Thank You for Your mercy through Jesus Christ. May You help me to guard my faith.

Communing With God In Nature

# 276 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:10-13, “Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?" 11 And Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out into the field. 12 Then Jonathan said to David: "The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, 13 "may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. (1 Sam 20:10-13) In our reading today, I want to zero in on where Jonathan took David to explain his plan and make the covenant. They went to an open field. In this field, it was just Jonathan, David, and the Lord. There is something special about communing with God in His creation. As you look around and take in your surroundings, Psalm 19:1,2 comes to mind: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.” Recently I was blessed to be a part of a men's prayer retreat at Camp Luwisimo in Wild Rose Wisconsin. At this camp there is a hill you can walk up, and at the top of the hill is a cross. It's an amazing place because you really don't realize how high up you are until you reach the top and turn around. The view almost takes your breath away and I'm told you can see five counties from this one particular spot. Add to that the beautiful Wisconsin fall colors and, well, you get the idea. When I'm in an open field, or in the midst of a forest, when I think of God, I cannot help but consider how small I am in relation to all of His creation. This always puts things in their proper perspective for me as I wonder with the psalmist, “who am I God, that You are mindful of me. Father, thank You for Your marvelous creation.

The Mercy of Church Discipline

# 275 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:8,9, "Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?" 9 But Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?" (1 Sam 20:8,9) David has a plan by which he feels he can determine Saul's intentions toward him and he plays his covenant card with Jonathan to carry it out. This covenant was mentioned back in 1 Sam 18:3, and it was a solemn oath that sealed a relationship of mutual kindness. David was telling Jonathan that if he desired to be kind toward him, he would go through with the plan and thereby find out his father's true intentions. But if Jonathan suspects any iniquity in David, that is, any scheming against Saul to take his throne, then he invited Jonathan to kill him himself. This brief exchange here between David and Jonathan reminds me of church discipline. As brothers and sisters in Christ, individual congregations are in a covenant relationship of mutual kindness with each other and with Jesus. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we ought to be like David and willing to place ourselves at the mercy of those we are in fellowship with. And David is saying here that if there be any iniquity (sin, that he refuses to repent of) Jonathan has his permission to slay him now. In terms of church discipline, that is the equivalent of cutting the unrepentant off from the congregation through ex-communication. It is better for the congregation (Jonathan) to do this, than to wait for God to have to do it on the Last Day, when there is no opportunity for repentance. And Jonathon's reply ought to be echoed by every congregation when a member has strayed from the truth. If we are aware of a brother or sister caught up in sin, shouldn't we tell that individual that they are in immortal danger from the Father if they don't change their ways? Father, thank You for providing us with guidelines to restore erring brothers and sisters. Help us to exercise this kind of restorative love and mercy in the church today.