JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Luke 2:49) “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Another part of “our Father’s business” is healing.
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went about doing good and “healing all who were oppressed by the devil.
In fact Jesus told us this was His purpose in coming to the earth.
(Luke 4:18-19) because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
And in fact He tells us that we should be doing the same in (Mark 16:17)
If indeed what is described above is “Our Father’s Business” then to what extent “must we be about it”?
I want to state here that according to (Galatians 5:17) “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh… so that ye may not do the things that ye will”
To actually be about the Father’s business means laying down our own will.
Each day I continually have to remind myself of that.
I understood his words early in my walk with Him.
He said, “I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me”. (John 5:30)
Do I succeed all the time?
Unfortunately no… but that’s where forgiveness and prayers of repentance come into play.
We need to recognize God’s purpose for our lives during those moments where we would perhaps rather indulge in our self-interests… or run from the demanding implications of His commend “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:16)
If we truly want to see a change in our world, a change in our society, and a change in our families… then we are going to need to say “No” to ourselves on a daily basis and instead, make ourselves available to God.
As well as this, if we are entrepreneurial types… then we need to stop thinking about all the ways we could make money and surrender it all at the feet of Jesus.
We need to say, “You are the Lord. I will follow you. Speak Lord, for your servant hears” (1st Samuel 3:11-17)
I find in my own life that God gives me opportunity to go into “all the world” as a “market place ministry” which we have been actively engaged in for over 30 years.
I could wish that churches and believers today would accelerate and broaden their vision and its mission by broadening their influence and witness beyond their church walls, and would actually put financial resources in the hands of grass-roots level evangelists like myself who are passionate about going into all the world to be a light of Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately there is this assumption that “bigger is better” and certain church leaders seem to enjoy gathering all the resources they can towards the self-promotion of their own ministries in their own little world and around them.
But that is another subject.
But the model assumed by such men is that as much as possible, it is everyone else’s job to go out there and make money for the kingdom of God and then bring it into their “storehouse” so that the influence of their leader and his name grows.
Other ministries don’t matter only theirs.
But this is a strategy that will never result in every man coming into the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ, which is what the “five-fold” ministry is supposedly all about (Ephesians 4:11-13).
How can preachers preach this message of being about the Father’s business to their people if all they really want is money and attendance?
They can’t, and they won’t.
Yet, it is God’s desire that we be actively engaged in winning the lost
It doesn’t mean forsaking all secular employment or business where we are of practical service to society.
Neither does it mean baptizing our jobs and businesses as Christian… and in doing so become so “heavenly minded” that we are no earthly good.
We must be a people of God whom are more concerned about the Fathers kingdom than we are of our own!
(Luke 2:49) “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
More about this tomorrow.
Good day!
(Luke 2:49) “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
I woke up this morning with this dialogue in my mind that Jesus had with His parents.
In Luke chapter 40 we read that Joseph took his family to Jerusalem where they went yearly to attend the feast of the Passover.
When they left for home they were obviously traveling with quite an entourage that consisted with many relatives and family because the bible says they lost track of one of their children, namely Jesus.
You might think this rather strange, someone losing track of their child but in that culture, children were taken care of by relatives all the time.
Who knows what the reason for losing track of Jesus was… but when Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus was not with them, they frantically headed back to Jerusalem to find him.
As they frantically began to look for Him thru out that bustling throng of people, they heard conversation concerning a young child who was debating with the religious leaders at the temple.
Anxiously they ran to the temple to see if this was their child and lo and behold there was Jesus.
And when they began to scold him asking Him how he could do this to them... Jesus responded “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Even as a young child Jesus put a higher priority on “His Father’s Business” than on the concerns of his parents.
The Scripture does tell us later that Jesus returned with His parents and lived “subject” to them (Luke 2:50)
I’m glad the bible records this fact… otherwise I’m sure that with the attitude of our society today… there would be some kind of movement rise up advocating for children and teenagers to despise parental authority… which is being taught and advocated in a lot of schools across our country… happening more and more as wickedness abounds.
But this is not the point I want to focus on with the above passage.
You and I are “spiritually regenerated people”, adopted into God’s family, and we have the same Father as Jesus.
In fact Jesus said to his disciples in (John 20:17) “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.”
So understand that if you are a believer in Christ, we have the same spiritual Father as Jesus.
So then the question arises… “Must we, as children of the Father, share the same perspective of Jesus?
That we to… “must be about our Father’s business”?
I realize that when we are first “born of the Spirit”, we actually have very little idea about exactly what “our Father’s business is”… or what our purpose as His children is.
When my children came into the world, they didn’t know much.
They had no idea what their fathers purpose was in life or what I was doing at the time.
They didn’t understand my business or know what it was.
But over time, they started to understand.
Jesus was 12 years old when he said these words “I must be about my Fathers business”.
He was old enough to know what His Father’s business was.
And that brings me to my challenge this morning.
Are we old enough in Christ to understand what our Heavenly Father’s business really is?
If we aren’t ready to understand what it is, then we can’t really be expected to “be about it”.
In (Acts 1:8) Jesus told the crowd that was gathered there after the crucifixion and in a miraculous meeting in the upper room… “Ye shall be witnesses of me”!
Jesus said to his disciples after the resurrection in (John 20:21) “As the Father sent me, so I send you”.
What is “Our Father’s Business”?
Our Father is into the restoration of His family, and spiritual fellowship.
We are all in a growing and a learning process, and this will continue until we die and go to Heaven, or are caught up in the rapture the “great catching away” of the church, the Bride of Christ.
But as we grow, as we mature spiritually, we must start taking our place in the continued work of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must be about our Fathers business spreading the message of His love in and to and for this lost and dying society of wickedness.
The problem we face today though… is all this sin and all the demons and minions of hell running around trying to spoil everything.
They are bringing bondage, enslavement, hurt, pain, sickness, death and hardness of heart… by whatever means they can, purely out of hatred for God.
Jesus came for the purpose of “destroying the works of the devil”.
“For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1st John 3:8)
Part of “Our Father’s Business” then is destroying the works of the devil.
This may involve casting out demons, choosing to not follow the pressure of Satan’s agents… resisting the devil in prayer and with the sword of the Spirit “the Word of God”…
Being a sweet savor and a witness unto all men and letting our light shine in the darkness of our world, so that men might see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven… as a result of the change or the difference they see in your life and mine. (Matthew 5:16)
Jesus did this, and we are called to do it as well.
We to must be about our Fathers business!
Good day!
Good day!
(Hebrews 6:1) “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
When you think of the greatest golfers of all time, you may think of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, or Tiger Woods.
Perhaps there are other great legends of golf that you would put at the top of this list, but the question is… what makes these particular golfers so great?
Obviously, they all know how to golf, but beyond that they have gone about winning in very different ways.
They all have different golf swings, different putting strokes, different personalities, and different approaches to the game.
However, they all understand that they have to have a whole-istic
approach to the game of golf.
They cannot just be a good ball-striker or just a good putter or just have a great mental game to become the one of the best.
They had to grow in all areas to be looked upon as one of the best golfers of all time.
On a spiritual level, when you think of the greatest Christian examples of all time, you may think of the Apostle Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham.
But what makes them great men and women of God?
In order for us to mature and grow in our spiritual lives, we need to know what a mature follower of Christ truly looks like.
Do they just believe doctrinally the right things about God, the Bible, and the person and work of Jesus Christ?
Do they just exhibit the right attributes and characteristics (i.e. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control)?
Do they just do the correct actions and activities (i.e. go to church, pray, help the poor, etc.)
Obviously, all of these things are important, but what is the most important?
I think the one thing that most “Believers in Christ” fail to perceive or realize is that we are not only called unto salvation, but we are also called to grow up!
We are called to become mature.
There is a time for all of us when we leave diapers behind.
There is a time when we begin to desire meat rather then just milk.
There is a time when we move from being a baby to being a child, then an adolescent, then a teenager, then an adult.
What makes us mature Christians?
Just like the golfers that I mentioned earlier would not have become great golfers by only focusing on one aspect of the game of golf, we as Christians must take a whole-istic approach to our spiritual lives… to become spiritually mature men and women of God.
God desires all believers to “go on to maturity” (Hebrews. 6:1)… but He does not leave it up to us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and mature on our own strength.
We are invited to participate in this maturity process by responding in faith and obedience… by working out our salvation (Philippians. 2:12)… training ourselves to be godly (1st Timothy. 4:7)… and loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)
But it is the Lord who brings about the change the transformation and maturity in us.
Remember, He has promised to conform and transform us into the image of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:29),
(2nd Cor. 3:18)… and He will not stop until He has completed the work He has started.
(Philippians. 1:6) ”being confident of this one thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform to the very end”.
(Jeremiah 29:11) God says … “for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord”.
God wants us to grow up!
Paul says (Romans 8:29) "for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren"
(Romans 12:2) “do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to show and prove what the acceptable will of God is.
To prove what the acceptable will of God is, is to be “a credible witness” of the Kingdom of God.
Paul in teaching the early church told them that he could not talk to them as spiritual but as infants.
The Message Bible puts it like this… “But for right now friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God.
You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast.
Well then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more.
As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way?
When one of you says, “I’m on Paul’s side,” and another says, “I’m for Apollos,” aren’t you being totally infantile? (1st Corinthians 3:1-4)
Listen folks… there is a time when as a believer in Christ, we need to grow up, and take our place in Christ.
How many of you have encouraged your children, or your wayward teenager that it was time to grow up and take their place in society.
Well the same must happen in the life of the believer!
There comes a time when we need to “grow up spiritually” and become an effective and productive part in the body of Christ.
And that often means we need to learn to be obedient, to walk in submission to others, give up having and fighting for your own way.
(Isaiah 55:6-9) says it like this… “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
Mature believers think differently than the world.
Mature believers act differently than the world.
Mature believers have different priorities than the world.
Mature believers are concerned for the Kingdom of God, more than for the affairs of this world and or their own selfish interests.
Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy saying…“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier (2nd Timothy 2:4)
Many things and activities in this world are visible, attention grabbing, and may appear important, but they have no lasting significance.
They will all pass away.
From (2nd Peter 3:11) we are asked a question by the Apostle Peter... “What are the implications for believers since all that is in the temporary realm will be destroyed? What then should we concentrate on”?
The answer is… Holy conduct and godliness are crucial.
We need to concentrate on developing inward qualities (becoming spiritually mature) in our own lives so that we can be an effective witness and lasting impact, influencing and making a difference in the lives of others.
It’s time to grow up… It’s time to take your place.
(Hebrews 6:1) “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
Good Day!
(James 1:2) “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, we all have a choice.
We can either go down the path of despair, or the path of hope.
The first path takes us from disappointment to discouragement, then to despair.
We feel powerless and hopeless, and we don’t know how things will ever get better.
If we’re honest, we can often find ourselves heading down that path, especially if we’ve been struggling for a long time.
But in (Romans 5:3-4) we find an alternative path.
The Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the church says, “suffering produces perseverance… perseverance… character… and character… hope”.
In order to choose this path, we need to trust that God will stay with us in the hard times, and that He’ll bring something good from them.
The Bible says, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)
The problem that I see is that we tend to limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do.
But we need to understand that God has a plan that is not limited to our expectations, or our minute and finite understanding.
Isaiah said it well in (Isaiah 55: 8-9) ‘“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We must try… we must look to see Him at work in any trial or circumstance that come our way.
And more than that, we need to rejoice at those times of trouble.
This may seem too difficult, or even an impossibility, but James writes, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4)
When we remember the amazing things God can do in and through us while we’re facing trials, it’s easier to have joy, trust in Him, and choose the path which leads to hope.
It’s all about choice… and whether you really believe that God can do all things.
(Mark 11:22-23) says the following, “Have faith in God”, Jesus said to them. “TrulyI tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea and has no doubt in his heart, but believes in his heart that it will happen, it will be done for him.”
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:23)
Now I ask you, why do you think the Master of our destiny, the savior of our souls, the one who loves us more than he loves His own life but gave it up for us all, why do you think he would tell us words like that if they were not true?
The issue at hand is not “if God will do for us what we cannot do”… but …
“if we will remain diligent, steadfast, un-moveable, trusting in Him passionately with all faith”.
Victory in Jesus comes when you and I make the effort to let Him be “the Lord of our lives” and allow Him to fulfill His plans in and for our lives.
(Jeremiah 29:11) “for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and give you a future, not plans for evil”.
We are living in some pretty troubling times as a society right now.
Fear of the Covid 19 virus… as well as other new viruses and pestilence has gripped the heart of many.
Violence has exploded as a result of atrocities committed by the leaders and the authorities of our land.
War has broke out on most of the continents of our world.
Because of that our economy has tanked as the price of fuel and groceries has gone thru the roof.
The cost of living has forced many from their homes and homelessness has now become a major concern in cities all around the country.
Earthquakes and volcanic activity and tsunamis are constantly threatening to erupt.
People are in a troubled unrest all around us.
But my friend it doesn’t have to include you and I.
We can live out lives filled with peace and joy, if we will commit to trusting God in all things.
Did you hear what I said?
In all things!
Our prayer today needs to be “Lord I believe, Help thou my unbelief”… and then start taking steps to firmly commit and trust our lives into His care.
(1st Peter 5:7) “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares foryou.
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.…”
God cares for you!
(Psalm 37:4-5), “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. “Commit your way unto the Lord and He will do this.”
He said what He meant and meant what He said!
Good Day!
(Hebrews 9:28)… “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, not to deal with sin… but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him”.
It’s comforting to know that Christ has promised to offer salvation to those who wait for Him with eager hearts?
This verse reminds us of the hope and promise of Christ’s second coming, where He will bring ultimate redemption and fulfillment to those who have faithfully followed Him.
It speaks to the importance of endurance, with patient anticipation in our relationship with Christ, as we look forward to the day when He will come again.
This verse serves as a powerful reminder that our ultimate hope and salvation rest in Christ’s return as we navigate through the challenges and uncertainties of life.
It encourages us to live in “expectation” of His coming, staying faithful and steadfast in our commitment to Him.
So let us eagerly await His return with hope and joy, knowing that He will bring ultimate salvation to all who believe in Him.
This is “The Blessed Hope” of every believer.
The term “Blessed Hope” appears explicitly in (Titus 2:13) where we as believers are encouraged to await “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Unlike ordinary hope, which may imply uncertainty… the “Blessed Hope” is a confident expectation.
Believers are assured that Jesus will return as promised in scripture (John 14:3) as well as (Acts 1:11)
It is both a present and future hope.
Currently believers experience salvation… that is the saving grace of God, deliverance and redemption from the judgement and penalty of sin… “for all have sinned and fallen short”… (Romans 3:23)
Why… because Christ fulfilled all the law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17)
In a sense He nullified the power of the law of sin.
(Romans 10:4) says that Christ is the culmination of the law bringing righteousness to everyone who believes.
(Galatians 3:24) explains that the law was a guardian trying to curb us from sin until Christ came.
(Hebrews 10:1) tells us that the law was only a shadow of the good things that are coming.
Through His actions Christ demonstrated that the law served as a guide to righteousness… and His fulfillment of all the law, reveals His love and the fulfillment of Gods promises.
Then God sent the Holy Spirit to lead us individually into a new way of living both in this life we are now living… and eventualy eternity in heaven.
The indwelling Holy Spirit… a fulfillment of (Acts 1:8) has become our guide, our friend, our resource as we wait for the fulfillment of Christ’s eventual return to catch His Bride the Church… (you and I whom have received Him and or believed in Him) to meet Him in the clouds of the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
And in the future we will see Christ face to face and share fully in His glory as Paul talks about in (1st Thessalonians 2:19) and (1st Corinthians 13:12)
In essence, the “Blessed Hope” is the joyful, steadfast expectation of Jesus Christ’s return, assuring believers of the completion of our salvation, resurrection and eternal life.
It is central to “Christian Faith”… shaping the believers outlook and daily conduct… providing a foundation of confidence, peace and purpose, in this present age we are living in.
So I encourage you today… keep your eyes thoughts and priorities focused on Him today… He is coming soon…
(Hebrews 9:28) to them that look for Him shall He appear…
Good Day!
(Matthew 24:13) Jesus says, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”
The above text or scripture verse comes from Jesus at what is called the “Olivet Discourse”, an explanation to His disciples about things to come.
Jesus told the disciples and His followers that the temple was going to be destroyed (Matthew 24:2), and in response they asked Him, “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age”?
That same question is being asked time and again in these days of moral, economical, and spiritual upheaval… concerning anything to do with the “absolutes that have guided human destiny thru out history.
Their question had two parts and so required two answers.
Jesus combined those answers into one long discourse about what was ahead before He returned.
Some of those prophecies were fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70… the remainder has yet to happen.
This specific verse is best understood when read in context...
(Matthew 24:9–14) says, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
From God’s viewpoint and outside of our time frame, the “end times” began with the outpouring of “The Holy Spirit” of which we read about in (Acts 2:16-21)… when the disciples and Jesus followers were gathered together in the upper room after His ascension.
Peter describes this event as “the last days.”
The pouring out of the Holy Spirit, started the count down to the fulfillment of the last days.
From that perspective, it makes sense that Jesus combined events in AD 70 with those yet to come.
He then warns that as persecution increases, many who considered themselves His followers… will reveal their true spiritual condition when they turn away from the faith.
It was to this that Jesus instructed the seven Churches of Revelation to “hold on”, “hold fast”, and “endure till the end”.
Many had begun to forsake Him and were already falling away from following Him at the time of this discourse.
(John 6:66) “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Him”… Jesus said this would escalate until the end.
Jesus also warned that “true Christian faith”, would be tested by deception, false prophets and the increase of wickedness.
Not only will there be some who turn away, but Jesus foretold, ‘the love of most will grow cold.”
In the midst of that, the implication is that those who “stand firm to the end” will be the minority (Matthew 7:14).
Those who endure to the end are the opposite of those in the previous verse whose love grows cold.
So what is the relevance of this portion of scripture, this text from Jesus concerning our society today?
Well the simple fact is this.
We are living in a time when those things Jesus spoke of, are happening this very day.
Our society is being shaken to its very roots.
The opinions of this world are undermining truth, as not seen in our society in the past.
All “absolutes” are being devalued, questioned, and ignored with an arrogant attitude of “secular disdain”.
And unfortunately many of todays “supposed” open minded, followers of “human secularization”, have bought into the lie and are forsaking anything that once stood for truth.
The question is still being asked today, that was asked at the trial of Christ, “What is truth”?
In answer to that question, we can only be sure, when we make Gods word the “pre-eminent authority“ over our lives.
His Word is truth! (John 17:17)
It is absolute, and does not change in its examples, instruction, and warning.
Paul told Timothy that in the last days “men would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God”. (2nd Timothy 3:1-6) “But mark this… There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth”.
My point that I’d like to bring out his morning is this… We are to be followers that need to be ready, and be prepared, “watching therefore as a good soldier who does not entangle himself with the affairs of this world”.
Unfortunately many believers, Christians, children of God, have lost their focus on what our “priority and focus should be, as we live out our lives in the midst of these end times.
They are indicative of Jesus statement from (Matthew 24:48)… “My lord delayeth His coming”… and our society for the most part has become consumed with the affairs of this world, and have forgotten that our “first responsibility” as believes is to be witnesses of Christ, in all that we do and participate in.
Jesus taught us, “a tree would be known by the fruit you see on its branches”. (Luke 6:43)
So my question for you today is this.
What are the priorities in your life as a follower of Christ, as a child of God, as a professing Christian?
Are you involved in and consumed with the affairs of this world… or in the service and promotion of Gods Kingdom?
Many are falling away, many have fallen away, and many will fall way.
Will you be the next… or will you endure till the end?
Good Day!
(Psalm 119:97) “Oh how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”
I’ve found in my life that there is only one thing that will bring me true peace, comfort, joy, and hope in this life we live… amidst all of the chaos in this world… and that is quiet time with God!
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33)
But what kind of "things" was He talking about?
Things like money, houses, relationships, health, and jobs.
What did He mean by "the kingdom of God?"
The answer?
Living under the rule of Christ each moment and submitting to His will in all things.
When Jesus used the word "seek," He called for three things…
?(1) Intentionality.
When something important is lost, you must put aside other things and seek until you find it.
(2) Importance.
Position, performance, prosperity, and popularity can be good things when properly used… but without the rule of Christ in your life, you'll always be vulnerable to the devil.
(3) Importunity.
No matter how long it takes, how hard you must work, or what you must rearrange… restoring your quiet time with God is the most important.
?
The Psalmist wrote, "When You said, "Seek My face", my heart said to You… 'Your face' Lord, I will seek'" (Psalm 27:8)
"Quiet time" has been called many things throughout the history of the church.
The morning watch, daily devotions, appointment with God, or personal devotional time.
?
It really doesn't matter what you call it, as long as you have it regularly.
Your quiet time with God is simply daily fellowship with Him through His Word and prayer.
It's a time you deliberately set aside to meet with Him.
The goal is that you might grow in your personal relationship with God so that you can know Him, love Him, serve Him, and become more like Him.
That’s why I take the time each day to write and post these little mini sermons or thoughts for the day.
They are not only the fruit of my quiet time with God but they are insights I post to help you, my fellow man, find a way to begin a daily habit of quiet time with God.
With out it life is overwhelming to say the least.
Good Day!