yokefellows

[yokefellows]

A Complete History

Today’s Saying

God wants to bring us through the deep water and wilderness experiences of life, that He might bring us into the inheritance that He has for us. Our history is already complete with God.

Today’s Scripture

“…He remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever. and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever…” Psalm 136:10-26

Today’s Sermonette

Israel is the only nation for which we have a complete history. We know how it started, how it grew, where it is today and where it will be for the rest of history--thanks to the Word of God.

In Psalm 136 the psalmist reviewed Israel's history. As he looked, he saw the mercy of God.

He performed three marvelous ministries for the Israelites: He brought them out; He brought them through; and He brought them in. God wants to care for us in the same way today.

God brought Israel out of the slavery and the bondage of Egypt (vv. 10-12). That's redemption.

He then brought them through the Red Sea and the wilderness.

Finally, He brought them into the Promised Land.

The old generation died off in their unbelief, but the new generation entered in with great glory and power and claimed their inheritance.

God wants to do this for us today. He wants to free us from sin's slavery.

He wants to bring us through the deep water and wilderness experiences of life, that He might bring us into the inheritance that He has for us. Our history is already complete with God.

Today you might be facing some seemingly impossible situation in your life. Trust God to open the way for you. Let Him bring you out of your bondage and through your difficulty and bring you into your inheritance.

Today’s Supplication

Father, I commit this seemingly impossible situation in my life into your hands. I trust You to open the way for me and bring me out of this predicament and through my difficulty and bring me into my inheritance. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Reaching Perfection

Today’s Saying

Great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made by suffering.

Today’s Scripture

"Perfect through suffering" (Heb. 2:10).

Today’s Sermonette

Steel is iron plus fire. Soil is rock, plus heat, or glacier crushing. Linen is flax plus the bath that cleans, the comb that separates, and the flail that pounds, and the shuttle that weaves.

Human character must have a plus attached to it. The world does not forget great characters. But great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made by suffering.

I heard of a mother who brought into her home as a companion to her own son, a crippled boy who was also a hunchback.

She had warned her boy to be very careful in his relations to him, and not to touch the sensitive part of his life but go right on playing with him as if he were an ordinary boy.

She listened to her son as they were playing; and after a few minutes he said to his companion: "Do you know what you have got on your back?"

The little hunchback was embarrassed, and he hesitated a moment. The boy said: "It is the box in which your wings are; and some day God is going to cut it open, and then you will fly away and be an angel."

Some day, God is going to reveal the fact to every Christian, that the very principles they now rebel against, have been the instruments which He used in perfecting their characters and moulding them into perfection, polished stones for His great building yonder. --Cortland Myers

Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer to the roots of character.

The great object of this life is character. This is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity. . . . To gain the most of it and the best of it is the object of probation. --Austin Phelps

"By the thorn road and no other is the mount of vision won."

Today’s Supplication

Father, reveal to us that the very principles we all now rebel against, is the instruments which You use in perfecting our characters and moulding them into perfection, polished stones for Your great building yonder. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Looking Up To Jesus

Today’s Saying

Thou bringest all again; with Thee

Is light, is space, is breadth and room

For each thing fair, beloved, and free,

To have its hour of life and bloom.

Each heart's deep instinct unconfessed;

Each lowly wish, each daring claim;

All, all that life hath long repressed,

Unfolds, undreading blight or blame.

Dora Greenwell

Today’s Scripture

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

JOHN 15:11

Today’s Sermonette

"'He who loves his life will lose it.'" Jesus is saying, "If you love it, you have to let it die."

Because the whole point here is, more comes from its death than came from its life.

So, if you love life, you'll lose it. "He who hates his life, in this world, will keep it for eternal life."

Jesus says, "If there is life after death and after resurrection, the only way for you to work forward toward that life is to invest what you have now in this life, for that life.

So, you put your seed in the ground, and you let it die. Because you know, eventually, it will come back and produce fruit."

Let us offer up to Him each day, and all its occupations, yes, and all its relaxations--as it begins, --and beg Him to let us somehow "see" Him throughout it.

Let us trust Him with the hallowing of our ordinary "secular" interests, let us try to shape each day's life so as best to please Him.

"Would our Lord like me to say this or to read that? Would He sanction this train of thought or of fancy? When I go with that companion, can I imagine His drawing near and walking beside us?"

This habitual "looking up to Jesus," this repeated reference to His will and pleasure--does it seem to us likely to be oppressive, restrictive, burdensome?

Let us only try it, and judge for ourselves: it will turn out to be a source of peace and comfort indescribable.

Today’s Supplication

Father, we offer up to You each day, and all its occupations, yes, and all its relaxations as it begins, and importune You to let us somehow "see" You throughout it. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Worthiness: Reflecting Glory

Today’s Saying

We say it--"the chief end of man is to glorify God."

We sing it--"glorify His name"

We believe it--"Christians are to glorify God."

Today’s Scripture

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV).

Today’s Sermonette

We say it--"the chief end of man is to glorify God."

We sing it--"glorify His name"

We believe it--"Christians are to glorify God."

What that means and how to do it, however, few seem to understand. Jesus helps us know how we can give glory to God.

"'I brought glory to You here on earth by doing everything You told Me to do'" (John 17:4, NLT).

Jesus brought glory to the Father by living obediently every day. We can do not only the same through our obedience, but Paul tells us that glorifying God permeates the life of the Christian.

Here's how Paul puts this truth:

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV).

So, if we are to follow the example of Jesus and bring glory to God, we must purpose to live reflecting Christ's glory and walking in obedience.

Scripture gives us specific actions that will bring glory to God. Here are two examples from the Bible.

"'You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven'" (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV).

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, ESV).

In light of the verses in Matthew and 1 Corinthians, summarize the two things we can do to bring glory to God. What are two things that will not glorify God?

Living to glorify God comes down to our choices. It doesn't depend on our parents, friends, church family, fellow employees or students or the government.

Today’s Supplication

Father, help us to choose what brings glory to you. To choose to be light of the world and also to flee from sexual immorality, this we pray in Jesus matchless name, Amen!

[yokefellows]

Love Must Serve

Today’s Saying

True love is climaxed by our being willing to lay down our lives for fellow believers.

Today’s Scripture

…Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth…,1 John 3:11-24

Today’s Sermonette

The word for love in 1 John 3:11 does not refer to a sentimental love but is a strong word that describes God. It is the kind of love that recognises a need and responds to that need.

An illustration of this contrast is seen in the case of Cain, who was of the Wicked One and killed his brother (v. 12). He killed Abel because his own works were evil and his brother's were righteous.

Cain did not have love in his heart because he was not a child of God. He had hatred, and for that reason he murdered Abel.

First John 3:16 shows that true love is climaxed by our being willing to lay down our lives for fellow believers. This is the very opposite of being willing to slander and spread evil reports concerning God's children.

This kind of love is very practical, for John said, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (v. 17).

God expects us to share the temporal and spiritual provisions that He makes for us. How can anyone, looking on this lost world, say that he loves the Lord and yet not seek to make known to the unsaved the unsearchable riches of Christ?

Because the Scriptures say that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him, we need not conclude that a murderer cannot be saved. He can be if he will come to Christ and receive Him as Saviour.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

Today’s Supplication

Father, quicken us to make it our duty to recognise a need and responds to that need.

[yokefellows]

Reflecting Glory

Today’s Saying

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. “

Today’s Scripture

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? "Father, save Me from this hour"? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.'’ John 12:27

Today’s Sermonette

It's all about bringing glory to the Father. From John 12, Verse 27, "'Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? "Father, save Me from this hour"? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.'’

This is Palm Sunday; Jesus knows what the next week's calendar is like. And He's concerned that everything He does show glory to the Father.

There's a point in our lives when our greatest concern becomes that we bring glory to God.

Jesus was so intent on investing in our lives for the future, that He recognised that investment would bring glory to God.

He was interested always in reflecting that glory back to the Father.

To bring glory to God, you need to know His Word.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul says that this amazing glory resides in us.  It resides in you as a pastor.  You are a carrier of the glory of god.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplatethe Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)

Today’s Supplication

Father, quicken us to contemplate and boldly live on your word to live to glorify you. Amen!

[yokefellows]

The Would-Be King

Today’s Saying

Demonstrate your concern for others in the way you care for their needs.

Today’s Scripture

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king"; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 1 Kings 1:5

Today’s Sermonette

Adonijah was afflicted with the menace self centredness. His father, King David, was old and feeble but had not yet publicly appointed an heir.

Instead of considering his father's wishes, Adonijah decided he would "exalt himself." He was a self-appointed king.

Furthermore, his actions reflected the attitude that he considered his father as good as dead. He never saw beyond himself.

Our@ culture encourages self-centeredness. Slogans such as "You deserve a break today," "Grab all the gusto" and "Have it your way" can seduce even Christians into believing that life revolves around their own whims and wishes.

How different this attitude is from what the New Testament teaches. We are commanded to "love one another" (John 13:34), "receive one another" (Rom. 15:7), "serve one another" (Gal. 5:13) and "forgive one another" (Col. 3:13).

Instead of exalting ourselves, Scripture exhorts us to be concerned about the welfare of others.

Be careful not to buy into the "me-first" philosophy that permeates our world today. Ask God to give you a heart that is sensitive to the needs of others.

Pray for others. Demonstrate your concern for others in the way you care for their needs. And trust God to provide for you as He provides for others through you.

It's the way to beat the trap of self-centeredness.

Exalt others and let God exalt you.

Today’s Supplication

Father, help us to learn the way to beat the trap of self-centeredness. And as well to give us a heart that is sensitive to the needs of others.

[yokefellows]

Enduring Mercy

Today’s Saying

God, in His grace, gives me what I don't deserve, and God, in His mercy, does not give me what I do deserve.

Today’s Scripture

"For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 136:1-9

Today’s Sermonette

Psalm 136 magnifies the mercy of God. Every verse ends with the refrain, ‘for His mercy endures forever’.

I would like to have heard this psalm sung in the Jewish temple. One group of priests would say, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (v. 1).

Then the priests on the other side of the court would answer, "For His mercy endures forever."

Mercy and grace go together. God, in His grace, gives me what I don't deserve, and God, in His mercy, does not give me what I do deserve.

His mercy endures forever, and our response should be thanksgiving and praise.

Praise the Lord for His wonders. "To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever" (v. 4).

"His name will be called Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). Jesus Christ said and did wonderful things. When God touches a life, it becomes filled with wonder.

I think of Peter, Andrew, James and John--men who would have remained ordinary fishermen had they not met Jesus. They went to a wedding at Cana, and wonders happened. They went to funerals, and wonders happened.

Praise God for His wisdom. "To Him who by wisdom made the heavens" (v. 5). The God who created the universe has the wisdom to run it, and He has the wisdom you need for your life.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God" (James 1:5). He'll guide you.

Praise Him for His works. "To Him who laid out the earth above the waters" (v. 6).

Let's worship God today because of His wonders. Let's seek His guidance because of His wisdom. Let's enjoy all that He gives to us through His manifold creation.

You would not be saved were it not for God's grace and mercy. Never take those two gifts for granted.

Do you devote time to praising and thanking Him for what He does in your life?

Today’s Supplication

Father, quicken us to devote time to praising and thanking You for Your grace and mercy, what You have done and continue to do in our lives. Amen!

[yokefellows]

God is on Our Side

Today’s Saying

We fling aside the weight and sin,

Resolved the victory to win;

No shrinking from the desperate fight,

No thought of yielding or of flight;

With the brave heart and steady eye,

We onward march to victory.

Horatius Bonar

Today’s Scripture

Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed; with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and to fight our battles. 2 Chronicles 32:7,8

Today’s Sermonette

If you, your heart, your will, are enlisted on the good side, if you are wishing and trying that the good in you should conquer the bad, then you are on the side of God Himself, and God is on your side; and "if God be for us, who shall be against us?"

Take courage, then. If thou dislikest thy sins, so does God.

If thou art fighting against thy worst feelings, so is God.

On thy side is God who made all, and Christ who died for all, and the Holy Spirit who alone gives wisdom purity, nobleness.

How canst thou fail when He is on thy side?

On thy side are all spirits of just men made perfect, all wise and good souls in earth and heaven, all good and wholesome influences, whether of nature or of grace, of matter.

The child of God has only one dread—to offend his Father; only one desire—to please and delight in Him. Charles Bridges

Christians also have a Father who knows best. And He knows best because He knows us so well.

It should be an amazing source of comfort to every believer that they are known and loved intimately by the God who created them.

"Episode after episode" in our lives, God is there to provide solutions and support in the way that He knows is best.

The solutions may not come in a half hour like they did in the original TV show, but they will come—even if the solution is "No" or "Wait."

God's answers are not given primarily for our comfort but for our conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29).

If you have a question or a crisis, take it to the Father who knows you best. You can trust His response, whatever it is.

Today’s Supplication

Father, I come to you, first and foremost, to fortify my mind and garrison my heart with the notion that with you all things a possible and you will neither leave me nor forsake me and if you are for me, who can be against me. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Get a Life

Today’s Saying

The life we want to be sure to "get" is not this life but the next one.

Today’s Scripture

"He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal." John 12:25 (NASB)

Today’s Sermonette

Maybe someone has said to you (or you've said to yourself), "You need to get a life!" If your heart was beating and your lungs were breathing in air, you knew the person wasn't talking about a physical life.

Instead, your adviser was suggesting you needed to focus more on the things that make life enjoyable.

Jesus, on the other hand, tells us just the opposite. In John 12:25 (NASB), He says, "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal."

Jesus expands upon this seeming contradiction in the Book of Matthew. Let's take a look.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done (Matthew 16:24-28, ESV).

• What does Jesus mean by losing your "life"?

• What promise do these verses end with?

On the surface, it seems like Jesus is talking in contradictions. "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

It's only when we look at the context that it makes sense. Jesus is looking beyond the few years that we spend on earth. He has eternity in mind.

The people who live totally for the "now," might gain great wealth and power, but they will leave it all behind when they die. Those people will lose everything they felt was worthwhile in life.

Even Christians can get sucked into focusing on things that are only temporal and forget that it's those things of eternal value that really matter.

The life we want to be sure to "get" is not this life but the next one.

What is the focal point of your life--the things of the world or the things of Christ?

Make a list of the most important things in your life. Put a star beside those things that have eternal value. Determine to focus on these items and put a lower priority on all the rest.

Today’s Supplication

Father, help us to see things from your perspective that we may not get sucked into focusing on things that are only temporal and forget that it's those things of eternal value that really matter. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Losing Your Life

Today’s Saying

If there is life after death and after resurrection, the only way for you to work forward toward that life is to invest what you have now in this life, for that life.

Today’s Scripture

“He who seeks to keep his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33 NASB).

Today’s Sermonette

Jesus said some really puzzling things--you'll hear one of those with today's sermonette.

"'He who loves his life will lose it.'" Jesus is saying, "If you love it, you have to let it die."

Because the whole point here is, more comes from its death than came from its life. So, if you love life, you'll lose it.

"He who hates his life, in this world, will keep it for eternal life."

Jesus says, If there is life after death and after resurrection, the only way for you to work forward toward that life is to invest what you have now in this life, for that life.

In essence, just as, you put your seed in the ground, and you let it die. Because you know, eventually, it will come back and produce fruit.

He says this in another setting in John 12:25. If we try to hang on to our own selfish ways of living and doing things, we lose.

You'll find answers to life . . . and death . . . when you pick up the Bible.

Today’s Supplication

Father, quicken us to heed this warning of Jesus about the conditions of the world at His second coming and the judgment He will bring. Let us not be consumed with the mundane aspects of life on earth - of building relationships, celebrating life, and accumulating wealth but Your will. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Under Construction

Today’s Saying

The parallels between physical growth and spiritual growth make it easy for us to understand. As the child is fed, he grows and develops. As the believer is fed the Word, he also grows and develops.

Today’s Scripture

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Jude 20

Today’s Sermonette

What is the biggest room in your house? The room for improvement, of course!

There is always room for improvement in our lives. No matter how much we may think that we have arrived, there are still rough edges and missing pieces that need work.

The typical homeowner knows that there is always something that needs to be fixed, replaced, removed or added. That means he has two choices-either get to work on those things or forget about them. Obviously, the former is preferred over the latter.

The same is true with our spiritual lives. There is always room for improvement, and we can either work on it or forget about it.

God's will is that we "build [ourselves] up in [our] most holy faith" (v. 20).

You started out your Christian life as a baby believer, one needing to be fed the milk of the Word. As you grew and developed, you moved from milk to meat.

The parallels between physical growth and spiritual growth make it easy for us to understand. As the child is fed, he grows and develops. As the believer is fed the Word, he also grows and develops.

Sometimes, though, a Christian may be content to stay a child in the faith. That is not the same as childlike faith. Also, there is no excuse for stunted spiritual growth.

God wants, expects and commands us to mature. It is a building process that should occur in the life of every believer.

Are you growing in your faith, or are you stagnant?

Reading the Bible is part of the growth process, as is praying, which is also mentioned in this key verse today. Be sure to do both every day.

Today’s Supplication

Father, as you want, expects and commands us to mature. Help us to understand that our It is a building process that should occur in the life of every believer. Amen!

[yokefellows]

The Word Cleanses Your Walk

Today’s Saying

The sanctification by the Word of God is a continuous process; it goes on from day to day. Obviously, in order to be set apart by the Word of God, we must learn to know the Word of God

Today’s Scripture

I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. John 17:13-19

Today’s Sermonette

The Bible speaks of our being sanctified by the Word of God as well as by the blood of Christ and by the Holy Spirit.

Just as Christ is not of the world, so the believer is not of the world.

God uses His Word, under the power and work of the Holy Spirit, to bring about the changes He wants in our conduct.

Concerning this our Saviour prayed in John 17:16-19, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

This sanctification by the Word of God is a continuous process; it goes on from day to day. Obviously, in order to be set apart by the Word of God, we must learn to know the Word of God.

Some people are not separated from the old life of sin as they should be, even though they have made a profession of faith in Christ.

The reason is not necessarily that they are not born again but that the Word of God does not have the place in their lives as it should.

The Holy Spirit indwells them, but because they have not studied the Word of God and allowed the Spirit to apply it to their lives, they have not experienced the purification and cleansing that follows.

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3).

Today’s Supplication

Father, quicken us to study thy word so as to allow the Spirit to apply the word of God to our lives to experience the purification and cleansing that even our Saviour Jesus Christ asked of you, our father. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Get to Know God

Today’s Saying

Getting to know Jesus is getting to know God.

Today’s Scripture

If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” John 14:7-8

Today’s Sermonette

How do you get to know God? The answers can be found in John 14.

Jesus says, "Watch carefully. You want to get to know God? First of all, you get to know Me, because I came so God could be in flesh and live among you.

Second, you want to get to know God? You listen to what I have to say, because I don't say things based on My own authority. I say things based on the authority that God has given Me."

Then there's that third little thing in verse 10 of John 14. Jesus says, "But the Father who dwells in Me does the works."

So Jesus says, "There is My person who reveals God to you. There is what I say that reveals God to you. And there is what I do that reveals who God is to you."

He says, "Watch what I do. Listen to what I say, and you'll get to know God."

To understand God, Jesus gives a clear roadmap in John 14. He essentially says, "To know God, know me first.

I embody God in human form. Listen to my teachings, which come from God's authority, not mine alone.

Additionally, observe the works I do, as they reflect God's nature."

In essence, getting to know Jesus is getting to know God.

Today’s Supplication

Father, thank you for Jesus, whose personhood reveals your authentic nature to us; his speech reveals your authority to us; and his deeds reveals your actions to us. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Spiritual Getaways: Day of Prayer

Today’s saying

If you are too busy to pray, then you are too busy.

Today’s Scripture

Now it came to pass in those days that [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12

Today’s Sermonette

Think of life’s challenges in two categories: specific and general.

Specifically, we might be faced with a decision, a problem, a need, or a burden.

Generally, we are often faced with the challenge of keeping life’s priorities in order amidst the busyness of life.

Either case is a good reason to plan a spiritual getaway to pray.

Jesus made time to pray for both reasons. In Luke 6:12, we read that Jesus spent an entire night in prayer.

We aren’t told why, but the next morning He chose His twelve disciples (verse 13). Did He set aside time to pray specifically about whom to choose?

Generally, we read of another prayer getaway—again, no reason given (Matthew 14:23).

But His night in prayer followed the day of “feeding the five thousand”—an exhaustive day of teaching and ministry.

Perhaps that night in prayer was simply to rest and refresh, alone in fellowship with God.

When was the last time you planned a spiritual getaway to pray? Whether for an hour, a night, or a day—it will be time well invested.

Today’s Supplication

Father, help us to see the importance of prayer, so as to make it a point to plan a spiritual getaway for an hour, for a night, a day and even week to seek your face for a pressing need. Amen!

[yokefellows]

God’s Rescue Kit

Today’s Saying

The Greek word translated provision in Philippians 1:19 means “bountiful supply” or “full resources.” Paul understood that he could rely on the complete resources of the Holy Spirit. John MacArthur

Today’s Scripture

I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Philippians 1:19, NIV

Today’s Sermonette

God has two tools in His rescue kit for us—the prayers of God’s people for each other and the Spirit of Christ.

Paul wrote Philippians while in Roman confinement. But he told the Philippians he was certain of deliverance.

Paul knew it would come as his friends prayed and as God sent special provisions to his heart by the Spirit.

The Greek word translated provision in Philippians 1:19 means “bountiful supply” or “full resources.” Paul understood that he could rely on the complete resources of the Holy Spirit.

If you’re in over your head today, ask someone to pray for you—even as you keep the names of others on your own prayer list.

Ask God to send you the strength you need by means of the Spirit. He will buoy you in today’s culture and give you courage for all that comes.

 

Today’s Supplication

Father, thank you for friends like the Phillipians who understood interceding for one another and much more importantly your bountiful supply or should I say full resources at my behest to strengthen and buoy up me in todays culture and give me courage for all eventualities. Amen!

[yokefellows]

Under a Peculiar Form of Indebtedness

Today’s Saying

We are all under a peculiar form of indebtedness that we cannot pay and still have hope!

Today’s Scripture

All have sinned and come short of the glory oG(Romans 3:23

Today’s Sermonette

In Jesus' parable, Simon and the woman held something in common—something Simon did not grasp, but the woman did.

Both were debtors to the same Creditor, and neither could meet their obligations, but Simon did even see his indebtedness.

Interestingly, in the model prayer (Matthew 6:12), sin is expressed as debt. It is a true metaphor because duty neglected in relation to God is a debt owed to Him, one that must be discharged by paying a penalty.

All have sinned (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans l 6:23). We are all under a peculiar form of indebtedness that we cannot pay and still have hope!

Simon and the woman each portray a [class of sinners. ]Though all are sinners, some have incurred more debt through the way of life each has lived.

)Some are outwardly respectable, decent, and clean living, while others have fallen into gross, sensual, and open transgression.

In this regard, Simon was a great deal "better" than the woman, who was coarse and unclean. She had been wallowing in filth while he attained civic respectability through rigid morality and punctilious observance of civility.

He had far less to answer for than she, but he had also received a great deal more from his morality and righteousness than she had.

God is not so unfair as to withhold blessings from people for the right they have done. Yet, regardless of the relative size of each one's debt, neither was able to pay it! Ooo

We all are sinful and stand in the same relation to God as these two debtors.

One's sins may be blacker and more numerous than another's, but upon considering degrees of guilt and the complex motivations behind each one's sins, we may not be so quick to judge the woman's sins worse than Simon's.

From this perspective, they were equal. His sins were clothed with respectability, but he still could not meet his debt. Jesus says, "They had nothing to pay." That also precisely describes our position in relation to each other.

What does this mean practically in regard to Jesus Christ and our sins? No depth of guilt, no amount of tears, self-flagellation, or discipline, no amount of repentance can work this into a payable debt.

Some of these are certainly required of God and are good to do, but forgiveness, the payment of our debt incurred through our personal sins, is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).

It comes by God's mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ (I John 1:7).

We absolutely cannot pay it ourselves and still have hope of eternal life. If it could, God would owe us something—He would be indebted to us! That will never, never be.

Today’s Supplication

Father, thank you for making arrangements for our debts, as a debt we couldn’t pay and thus has given us a hope of eternal life. Amen.