OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS TO OUR FAITH

The book of Mark Chapter 6 verses 1 - 2 says this;

 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

Jesus had been at Capernaum where some momentous events had occured. The man with a withered arm had been healed; the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus' cloak and was healed; Jairus' twelve year old daughter had been raised from the dead. 

Jesus had even gone on a side-mission to Genasseret to cast many evil spirits out of a demon-possessed man.

Now, Jesus returned to His home town with His disciples and on the Sabath, taught at the synagogue. 

The people were amazed and they began to question where He got His wisdom and ability to do His astonishing miracles.

They remembered Jesus, the son of Mary, working as a carpenter among them and they knew His brothers and sisters. They became offended at him as Mark chapter 6 verse 3 says;

Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

After that, not many miracles could be done in the town and Jesus was Himself amazed at the lack of faith. 

Mark chapter 6 verses 4 - 6 reads this way;

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

May we always honor the Lord and may our faith be ever growing in expectation at the amazing power of God so that His miracles flourish in our midst.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SEARCHED FOR US

I SING TO THANK YOU LORD

WHOM I HAVE ADORED

FOR YOU MADE A WAY FOR ME

I STUMBLED IN THE NIGHT

THEN I SAW YOUR LIGHT

YOU, O LORD, CAME BACK FOR ME (X 2)

YOU ARE THE GOOD SHEPHERD

YOU KNOW ME BY NAME 

YOU SEARCHED TILL YOU FOUND ME

WHEN I WAS LOST AND AFRAID (X 2)

 OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES FOR US.

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 13 - 14 say this;

Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

The Apostle Paul, in this passage, demonstrates that the scriptures show that the ministers of the gospel of the Lord should earn a living preaching the gospel in the same way that temple priests in the old covenant earned a share of what was offered that the temple.

Even though Paul was indicating that it was good and proper for ministers to receive a living for their work, he himself exempted himself from this right so that he could  preach the gospel at no cost to the hearers and the gospel was in no way hindered.

He supported himself by the work of his own hands and to him, it was his boast that he was not supported in his ministry by others but rather that he supported himself for the work of the ministry.

Bless the Lord for the leeway he gives us serve in His kingdom as full-time ministers or as working servants of the Lord who provide for their own living.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO LIFTS US OUT OF DESPAIR  AND ONTO SOLID GROUND

Genesis chapter 41 verse 30 says this;

but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.

This verse records the words of Joseph that he  spoke to Pharaoh to explain the meanings of Pharaoh's two dreams.

Pharaoh described his first dream as seven fat cows grazing by the river Nile then 7 scrawny cows emerged and ate the fat ones.

The second dream was that a stalk with seven healthy heads of grain was devoured by a stalk with seven thin and scorched heads of grain.

Joseph, having been given insight by the Lord, revealed that the two dreams were pointing to the same thing. Seven good years of agricultural production were going to begin and then they would be followed by seven years of severe famine.

Interestingly, Joseph also revealed in verse 32, that the fact that there were two forms of the same revelation meant that God had firmly decided on this course of history and that it would begin very soon.

Joseph laid out a plan for Egypt to survive the severe famine by using the seven good years to store up the food required for the seven bad years.

Pharoah, when looking for the person he could put in charge of implementing the survival plan, quickly realised that Joseph, the one who revealed the meaning of the dream and the plan of mitigating its effects, was the correct person to place in charge of the resources of Egypt .

It was this that took Joseph from a prison cell to the highest administrative office in Egypt under Pharaoh himself.

As Psalm 40 verse 2 says;

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES A WAY OF ESCAPE

James chapter 1 verses 13 - 15 says this;

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

This passage is a sobering expression of what happens when we let our evil desires entice us away from the path of righteousness.

We are subjected to temptation so that a desire is conceived in our hearts. The result of this conception in our hearts is that sin is birthed in our body and if that sin is let to grow to maturity, it will give birth to death.

We always need the help of the Lord to resist temptation for even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. He always provides a way of escape as it says 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13;

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Thus we must call upon the Lord for His provision of help so that we may remain on the narrow path that leads to life.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GRANTS US FAVOUR WITH GOD AND WITH MEN EVEN IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS 

Genesis chapter 39 verses 1 - 4 says this;

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

We leave Canaan behind to continue with the story of Joseph who was sold by his brothers to passing traders on their way to Egypt.

Joseph arrived in Egypt with his feet bruised by shackles and his neck in irons  which is described in Psalm 105 verse 18. 

He was sold to an Egyptian official named Potiphar who was the captain of the guard to Pharaoh.

Joseph was blessed by the Lord in all that he did in Potiphar's house and Potiphar, seeing that the Lord was with Joseph, made him his attendant and put everything in his household under his care. He entrusted him with everything he owned.

The Lord, with Joseph's destiny in mind, let Joseph undergo the trial of slavery and then used that venue to incrementally increase his responsibilities until he was administrating Potiphar's entire household. 

Joseph was severely tested when he was falsely accused of assaulting his master's wife and was thrown in prison but the Lord, having tested and prepared Joseph, put him on a path that would take him from his prison cell to the head administrator of all of Egypt.

The Lord gave Joseph favor so that even in slavery and imprisonment, he still rose to fulfil his destiny that was set for him.

Bless the Lord who grants us favor with God and with men.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO ASSIGNS TO US SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS AND INHERITANCES

Joshua chapter 19 verses 3 - 4 lists 6 towns as some of the areas that were allotted to the tribe of Simeon. 

Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

In total, Simeon was allotted 17 towns along with their villages. In the case of Simeon, all of the territory allotted to them lay entirely within the territory that had already been allotted to the tribe of Judah.

It was determined that Judah had been assigned more territory than they were able to use and thus the territory sectioned off for the tribe of Simeon's inheritance was taken out of Judah's portion.

Upon receiving spiritual allotments, we must seek to occupy them fully and leverage them to gain strength in the spirit through sowing into them and reaping harvests of righteousness  from them. 

If left to lie fallow, these allotments may be assigned to others and the inheritances may fall to those to whom they are re-assigned to.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GUIDES US IN PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE.

Joshua chapter 15 verse 9 says this;

From the hilltop the boundary headed toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, came out at the towns of Mount Ephron and went down toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim).

This verse captures a detail of the survey notes that describe part of the northern boundary of the land of Judah.

The southern border began at the southern tip of the Dead Sea and wound its way westward to the Mediterranean Sea.

The western boundary of Judah was the Mediteranian Sea itself.

The Dead Sea was the eastern boundary of Judah. 

The northern border of Judah was a complex and precise allocation that started at the mouth of the Jordan River where it empties into the Dead Sea.

The boundary wound it's way westward via Gigal, Jerusalem,  the hilltop west of the Hinnom valley,   the springs of the waters of Nephtoah and turned to the towns at Mount Ephron and then to Mount Seir.

The border then went across to Timnah, crossed to Jebneel then ended at the Mediteranian Sea.

These were the limits of the kingdom of Judah.

These demarcations defined the area that the people of Judah were given to conquer. The territory they were able to take back from the inhabitants of the land that they were alloted, was the inheritance that they gained.

In the case of Judah, they were unable to dislodge the Jebusites from the area of Jerusalem and so that territory  never became exclusively theirs and remained shared land.

Such is the striving of a believer in the areas of our lives from where we are unable to drive away our enemies. These territories become jointly owned with the powers of darkness and they hold sway over how those parts of our  lives operate.

Let us bless the Lord who is our shepherd and who leads us in paths of righteousness for His names sake.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT PLAN FOR THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND PROGRESSED TO EGYPT ON THE SHOULDERS OF A YOUNG SLAVE

Genesis chapter 37 verses 2 - 3 reads thusly;

This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.

This was when the trouble started. Joseph, the second to last born in Israel's family, was out with the rest of his brothers tending the flock.

The older boys probably began speaking and acting leacherously while they were away from their father's homestead and upon returning home, Joseph reported to Israel what his older brothers were doing.

Israel, a seasoned manager of men, probably lined up his sons and excoriated them for displaying conduct unbecoming of the family name.

The brothers deduced that it was Joseph who had ratted them out and from that time on, they found every excuse to hate him more and more.

Their father plainly loved Joseph more than he did his other sons even going so far as to make an ornate robe exclusively for him which added fuel to the burning hatred his brothers had for him.

After Joseph announced to his family that he dreamt that they would all bow down to him, a murderous rage settled in the minds of his brothers.

Later, Israel sent his son Joseph out to the fields to see how his brothers were doing. He was probably interested in whether the older sons were behaving better after being disciplined.

When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they plotted to kill him as described in Genesis 37 verse 14;

“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

They debated among themselves on what to do with Joseph and ultimately decided to sell him as a slave to some passing traders who were on their way to Egypt.

The brothers took a story of Joseph's death back to their father and produced his ornate coat dipped in the blood of a sheep as evidence of his demise.

Israel was heart-broken. He likely blamed himself for the death of his son Joseph because it was he who had sent him out to keep an eye on his brothers. He refused to be comforted and the family absorbed a very heavy psychological blow because of the disappearance of Joseph and the deception that surrounded it. 

Grief settled over their household and became the prevailing tone for most of the rest of Israel's life.

Unbeknownst to any of them, the young slave Joseph was in the hands of the Lord and he was set on a course that would change the fate of nations.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT POWER MAKES A WAY FOR US

Joshua chapter 4 verses 11 - 12 says this;

The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.

This passage captures the moment when the nation of Israel finished crossing the Jordan River into the promised land. The first across were the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe  of Manasseh who were armed and ready for battle. The rest of Israel hurriedly crossed and finally,  the priests who had been been standing in the middle of the river holding the ark of the Lord, crossed as well.

While the priests were still standing in the Jordan, the Lord commanded Joshua to select a  man from each of the 12 tribes  and direct them to go to the middle of the river bed and pick up a stone and carry it on their shoulder back to their camp as a memorial of when the Lord, in His great power, dried up the Jordan river for the children of Israel to cross.

As Joshau said in the book of Joshua chapter 4 verses 24 - 25;

For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE PROPHETS SPEAK TRUTH EVEN AT THE RISK OF THEIR LIVES

Mathew chapter 14 verses 5 - 7 says this;

Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 

King Herod, the tetrarch of Judea, had been warned by John the Baptist that his marriage to his brother Phillip's wife named Herodias, was unlawful.

Both Herod and his wife Herodias harboured animosity towards John for this indictment against them and Herod had John arrested and imprisoned but dared not kill him because the people sensed that John was a genuine prophet and harming him would have been a political risk for Herod.

As it happens, it was Herod's birthday and  Herod's step-daughter danced for the guests and Herod was so pleased that, before all the guests,  he recklessly promised to give her anything she asked for.

Herod's wife quickly siezed the opportunity to force Herod's hand and she prompted her daughter to respond to his promise by  asking for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

He was distressed but because of his oath and his guests, he ordered that John the Baptist be executed and his head brought to the girl.

A reckless off-hand promise compelled Herod to do something dreadful that endangered his political career as well as his soul for killing a prophet of God.

This passage highlights two thing; Firstly, that our Father's prophets speak His truth even when it endanger's their lives. 

Also, may our Father teach us to avoid  making careless oaths that so easily entrap us.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GUIDANCE GIVES US THE STRATEGY TO AVOID CALAMITY

Genesis chapter 35 verse 4 says this;

So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.

Jacob, asked all the people in his household to surrender their house idols and earrings to him and he buried them under an oak tree.

This action was predicated by a command that Jacob received from the Lord to go and settle in Bethel and build an altar to God there. The preparations to do so included the gathering and burying of all foreign idols and earings that members of Jacob's family possessed.

The result of doing this purge of foreign gods was that, as Jacob and his people travelled, a dread of God filled the towns all around them and no one dared to pursue them.

The reason that they were likely to be pursued was  that Jacob's sons had retaliated against the Hivites who had  defiled their sister and they killed every male of that group.

When Jacob heard of this, he was afraid that the people in whose land they sojoured would unite against him and destroy him.

He was then led to carry out a spiritual exercise where he cleared his whole household  of idols and earrings  and buried them. This brought an atmosphere of dread in all the towns around them and Jacob's family and the people with him were able to travel to Bethel without being attacked.

The leading of the Lord provides the means of avoiding catastrophe when danger looms over us.

Amen.

 OUR FATHER WHOSE CLEANSES US BY HIS WORD

John chapter 13 verses 9 - 10 reads like this;

 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

During the last supper before the crucifixion,  the Lord Jesus got up, wrapped a towel around His waist, took a basin of water and began to wash the feet of His disciples.

When He got to the apostle Peter, Peter objected saying that he would never let his Lord wash his feet. 

Jesus told Peter  that if he did not participate in the object lesson, he could not be a part of Jesus.

In response to this, Peter said to Jesus that it should not be just his feet that He washed but his hands and head as well. Peter reasoned that if foot washing gave him a part of Jesus, then having his whole body washed would give him even more of Jesus.

The Lord replied that those who had taken a bath were clean all over and thus only needed to have their feet washed.

Jesus then said that His disciples were clean (though not all).

This is clarified  in John chapter 15 verse 3 which says;

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 

The disciples of Jesus were cleansed by His words and thus only needed their feet cleaned to remove the residue of the road.

Let us bless the Lord who words cleanse us and  make us part of Him.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARES GREAT THINGS FOR US WHO LOVE HIM

1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9 says this;

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—

This verse in 1 Corinthians mirrors what is found in Isaiah chapter 64 verse 4 and it alludes to the idea that our mental faculties and physical senses have never been exposed to the things that God has laid out for us who love  Him.

It is when we start to walk by the Spirit of God that we are given the capacity to begin to perceive these things that were hidden as it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 10;

these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

We live with the limitations of this world and as the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13;

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

We will first perceive things  that God has prepared for us dimly but they will absolutely boggle our minds when we see them in full.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE VIOLENT 

Joel chapter 3 verse 19 says this;

But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

This verse contrasts the fate of the nations that committed  violence and murder on the people of Israel with the fate of Israel herself.

Whereas Israel is blessed abundantly and populated forever, the nations that plundered Israel are left  as desolate ruins and as uninhabited desert wastelands.

Israel will have rivers from the very temple of God flowing through the nation watering it plains and trees while the violent nations will be left arid and parched.

The price that these nations pay for shedding the  innocent blood of the people of God is the erasure of their destiny and termination of their inheritance.

Such is the judgement on those who were prepared to kill the innocent to gain economic and political advantage.

Bless the Lord who categorically prohibits the taking of innocent life and will inescapably  judge those who practice it.

Amen. 

OUR FATHER WHO ESTABLISHES JERUSALEM

Joel chapter 3 verse 17 says this;

“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.

This verse describes the state of the kingdom of God after the judgement that is visited on the nations.

The people of God, having seen the actions of the Lord will understand that His kingdom is centered in Zion and that the Lord dwells there on His holy hill.

The city of Jerusalem will be the earthly locus of Zion and it will be sacred and will never again be invaded or defiled by foreigners.

The whole of the land of Israel will be abundantly blessed when Zion is established in Jerusalem and the Lord dwells in Zion.

Amen.

OUR FATHER KEEPS HIS PEOPLE SAFE FROM THE CALAMITY OF JUDGEMENT

Joel chapter 3 verse 16 says this;

The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble.

But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

The Lord's people are summoned as warriors in the spirit and He prepares them for the battle.

Meanwhile, the judgement of God falls on the enemies of God who sold children for money and alcohol and desecrated God's articles of ceremony  by looting them from the temple of God and taking them back to their mum, btemples.

Multitudes of people are in the valley of decision where they are waiting for judgement pertaining to their  lives. 

In this tense atmosphere, the Lord Jesus, from Zion, roars and thunders His commands to His army such that the heavens and the earth tremble at the terrifying sound and power of His voice.

In this place of judgement, the Lord remains the protector and shield of His people and they need not fear.

Bless the Lord who keeps his people from the calamity of judgement.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT POWER OVERWHELMS THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

Isaiah chapter 15 verses 3 - 7, speaking of the destruction of the land of Moab, says this;

In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public square they all wail, prostrate with weeping. Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.

Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint. My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith,  weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim  they lament their destruction.

The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.

So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.

The cities of Moab are destroyed and their inhabitants become grieving refugees wandering through the inhospitable land.

The agricultural areas suffer drought so that rivers dry up and all vegetation is gone. 

The wealth they have stored up does not help them in this calamity and they carry it with them as they leave.

Such is the dreadful condition of Moab and the power behind Moab who was judged for his arrogance, his conceit, his rage and his deceptive boasting. 

Bless the Lord whose great power overwhelms the powers of darkness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO ALLOWS SOME SITUATIONS TO OCCUR SO THAT WE CAN GROW IN FAITH

John chapter 11 verse 14 - 15 says this;

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

The Lord Jesus, speaking to his disciples while on the east side of the Jordan river, informed them that his friend and their friend Lazarus, from the village of Bethany near Jerusalem, was dead. To this statement He added that for their sake, He was glad that He was not there so that they would believe.

If Jesus had been at Lazarus' side before he died, Jesus would have healed him and prevented his death and thus His disciples would have missed an opportunity to see a man raised from the dead and to understand that Jesus was Himself the ressurection and the life.

As Jesus said to Martha in John 11 verse 25,  “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

Jesus wanted His disciples to witness the raising of a man from the dead so that their faith would grow and so He held back from going to Bethany so that Lazarus would be certainly dead by the time they arrived.

Famously, when Jesus arrived at the tomb, He called Lazarus by name and commanded him to come forth out of the grave. Lazarus, wrapped in linen grave clothes, came out.

Many people who were there and witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead were astonished and believed in Jesus. 

When the religious authorities of the time heard of this event, they realised that the Lord Jesus was eclipsing their religious position and from that time on, began plotting to kill Him.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SENT US THE GOOD SHEPHERD

John chapter 10 verse 3 says this;

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

In this verse, Jesus, speaking of the good shepherd whom he identified as Himself, has the gate opened for him by the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper in this verse  is the Holy Spirit who is the seal and the link between Jesus the shepherd and his followers. The words of Jesus are transmitted to his people by the work of the Holy Spirit.

When the good shepherd speaks, the sheep listen to His voice. He knows each one of His followers personally and He calls them by their own name when He leads them out to pasture. 

Bless the Lord who is our good shepherd. As Psalm 23, written from the point of view of the sheep says; 

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO IS GLORIFIED WHEN WE DO HIS WORKS 

John chapter 9 verse 4 says this;

As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

This enigmatic statement was said by Jesus when He and his disciples came across a man who was blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus whether the man was blind because of the sin of his parents or his own sin.

Jesus informed them that neither was the case but rather, the man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

To that end, Jesus then told them that they had a limited window of time within which to display of the works of Him who sent Jesus because night was coming when no one can work.

Jesus then healed the blind man so that he could see for the first time and God was glorified among the people who were amazed that a man born blind could now see.

Bless the Lord and may we do the works that glorify God while it is still day for night is coming when no one can work.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO REWARDS OUR PARTICIPATION BEYOND EXPECTED DUTY IN THE WORK OF HIS KINGDOM

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 14 says this;

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Those who preach the gospel are permitted by the Lord to receive a wage from the church body as they work to broadcast the good news of salvation to those who are to be saved.

However, the Apostle Paul, who preached the gospel over a wide area, relinquished the right to earn a living as a preacher but rather supported himself financially by working a regular job as a tent-maker while working as a preacher of the gospel.

Because the duty assigned to him was preaching, it was his expected sevice before God to preach and so by preaching, he had no reward. He was merely discharging the trust committed to him.

Paul explains further in the chapter that to get a reward for preaching, he preached for free so that his efforts of presenting the gospel to people far and wide at his own expense would be rewarded in heaven.

Let us serve the Lord beyond our expected level of service for it is from this that our reward in heaven is given.

Jesus taught his disciples this principle just after his encounter with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 9 verses 34 - 38. The passage goes like this;

 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 

Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 

I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Here, the Lord calls us to voluntarily join in the work of the harvest and it is a time of gladness because as we participate willingly, we share in the crops for eternal life with our co-labourers. 

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO MADE THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION

Acts chapter 4 verse 3 says this;

They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.

The apostle Peter and the apostle John had been teaching people at the temple about the ressurection of Jesus after they had performed the notable healing miracle upon a well- known lame man who had sat begging for money at the gate of the temple for many years.

When the elders and priests heard what Peter and John were saying, they were so disturbed that they arrested the two men and held them in custody overnight in order to keep people from hearing the message being taught but nevertheless, the number of people who believed in the Lord Jesus continued to grow rapidly.

The next day, the council brought the apostles before them and questioned them asking where they got the authority to perform miracles like healing the lame man. 

Peter, filled with boldness by the Spirit of God, told the  Sanhedrin that they had been given the authority by the Lord Jesus whom the religious leaders had crucified and whom, thereafter,  God raised from the dead.

Peter said that Jesus was described in the scriptures as the  stone that the builders rejected but became the chief cornerstone.

The exclusivity of the gospel is also expressed when Peter said;

 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Bless our Lord who made the only way by which we might be saved. Our Lord filled His servants with boldness so that they would unequivocally declare that Jesus is the only way of salvation.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO IS AWESOME IN GLORY AND POWER

Habakkuk chapter 3 verses 1 - 4 says this;

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.

Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.

His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.

Habakkuk recorded this prayer of deep reverence for the Lord and astonishment at the deeds that the Lord had done.

Habakkuk asked the Lord to display His great power in his day so that the Lord's fame would recur in his time.

God is described as coming from Teman and from Mount Paran which is an expression that means that the Lord had the appearance of a sunrise in the east because Teman and Paran are east of Israel.

With great glory in the heavens and praise in the earth, God approaches like a splendid sunrise with ray's of light flashing from His hand which conceals His immense power.

The Lord is awesome in glory and might.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS TO HUMBLE REPENTANCE

Jonah chapter 4 verse 11 says this;

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

This last verse of the book of Jonah is a question that the Lord God asked Jonah.

At the start, the Lord had directed the reluctant prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to warn them that God's judgement was going to visit them because of the evil being done in their city.

At first, Jonah tried to evade the directive by fleeing the opposite way but famously, a vicious storm overtook his getaway ship and the sailors were forced to throw Jonah overboard to save their own lives. 

A large fish swallowed Jonah and when he cried out to the Lord, he was vomited out after three days and given his  instructions again.

Upon delivering the news of the coming judgement to the people of Nineveh, Jonah found a lofty spot where he could watch what was about to happen to the city but the people of Nineveh from every strata of their society including the king,  caught the Lord's attention by humbling themselves in sack-cloth and dust.

Jonah, perched on a viewpoint above the city, was granted a shady plant by the Lord to protect him from the heat of the sun. Jonah was very happy to have the plant. As the day passed, the plant was eaten by a worm and it wilted thus exposing Jonah to the heat of the blazing sun as well as the heat of a scorching east wind. Jonah was deeply vexed by that.

Meanwhile, the Lord responded to Nineveh's wholehearted repentance and relented from bringing judgement on the city.

Jonah, while being tormented by the heat of the sun and the hot winds on his prime viewing spot, was greatly angered and said that he knew that coming to Nineveh was unnecessary because he knew that God would relent from destroying its citizens.

The Lord responded to Jonah's anger by pointing out to Jonah that the city contained more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who were unlearned in even the basic things of life. 

The Lord also pointed out to Jonah that he had been concerned about a mere plant that had shaded him from the sun and wind.  The Lord then asked Jonah that if he had been concerned about the life of a plant, should he not also  be  concerned for all the human beings along with all the animals who lived in the city?

Bless our Lord who is moved by humble repentance and shows mercy on those who ask it of Him.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARES THE WAY TO FULFILL THE PRAYERS OF HIS SERVANTS

Genesis chapter 24 verses 3 - 4 records Abraham speaking to his trusted servant regarding finding a wife for Isaac, Abraham's son. The passage says this;

I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

As Abraham gave his  servant instructions regarding finding a wife for Isaac, he was emphatic that Isaac's wife not be taken from the Canaanites  among whom Abraham lived.

He told his servant to swear by the Lord God tq

At he would go to the land of Abraham's own relatives and get a wife for Isaac there.

Abraham felt so strongly that Isaac's wife should come from his land of origin, he was willing to accept a potential spouse for his son without knowing anything about her.

Abraham knew that God would send an angel to accompany his servant to make the journey to find Isaac's wife a success.

When Abraham's servant reached the town of Nahor, he, while at a water well, prayed for a sign that would point to the  wife the Lord had chosen for Isaac. While he was still praying,  the sign was confirmed when Rebekah came to well and offered to draw water for all his camels.

Rebekah and her family accepted the proposal and Rebekah went back to Canaan with Abraham's servant and married Isaac.

Bless the Lord who prepared the way and fulfilled the prayers of His servants.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO GRACIOUSLY GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US

Galatians chapter 1 verse 3 - 5 says this;

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Our God and Father willed that the Lord Jesus Christ give himself  to die for our sins  so that we might be rescued from the evil age that enmeshed us in our sins.

This very costly gift  of being rescued out of darkness comes from the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ with grace and peace.

Glory be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.

 OUR LORD WHO ALERTS US 

Genesis chapter 20 verses 3 - 4 says this;

 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”

This passage records a dream that the Lord used to warn Abimelek  (the king of Gerar).

Abraham had temporarily settled in Gerar and while he was there, he let it be known that Sarah and himself were brother and sister. This was true because Sarah was Abraham's half sister. They did not reveal that they were also married.

Abimelek called for Sarah and intended to take her as his wife but before he could go near her, the Lord intervened with a dream that warned him to back away from Sarah because she was a prophet's wife.

Abimelek pleaded his case before the Lord claiming that he was operating with a clean conscience because he truly did not know that Sarah was Abraham's wife.

The Lord exonerated Abimelek and instructed him to return Sarah to Abraham so that he and his nation would be restored by Abraham's prayer.

Bless the Lord who alerts us to keep us from irreversible actions.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO CALLS US TO JOIN THE WAR IN THE SPIRIT

Joel chapter 3 verse 9 says this;

Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!

Rouse the warriors!  Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.

This verse is a call for preparations to be made for war in the spiritual realm.

Those who have been trained by the Lord for spiritual warfare must arise. The summons have been issued to draw near and engage the forces of the kingdom of darkness.

This call must go to the people of God in all the nations. 

Prepare.

Amen.

 OUR LORD WHOSE DAY DRAWS NEAR

Joel chapter 1 verse 17 says this;

The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.

The day of the Lord draws near as famine takes hold. Crops fail when they die beneath the surface of the soil. 

Crops stored up for shortages are ruined as the storage facilities are destroyed and torn down.  Grain silos are rendered worthless as the grain they contain dries up.

Such are the times leading up to the day of the Lord.

Let us call to him for the conditions will be dire.

Amen.