Monday - Spiritual Tests - John 6:5-6 
From Sunday's message we see that there are times when God tests our faith to see how obedient, how trusting we are in what He would command of us. Jesus did the same with His disciples and will do with us as well. Jesus saw the crowd coming and asked the disciples how they could take care of the people's physical need for food. The disciples saw the size of the situation and wondered how anything could be done, but Jesus already knew what He was going to do. It is the same in our lives today. When the Lord asks of us something that seems so overwhelming, He already knows how He will handle the situation if we will but let Him. He tests our faith to bring strength to it.

Tuesday - High Places - 1 Kings 18:19ff 
In this passage of scripture we see another instance of worshiping God on a high place, as Elijah offers an offering calling on God to let the fire fall to prove Himself to be the One True God to Israel and to the prophets of Baal. This high place was unlike others that were then considered evil for the worship of Baal and Asherah taking place there. In Sunday's message the mountain or high place was going to become the very spot of the Temple in the time of David and Solomon, where the worship of God Almighty would take place. We need to make sure that the high places in our lives are those spots where we gather to meet our God and that we come to Him often.

Wednesday - Worshipers - John 4:23 
The question in the life of Abraham was what kind of worshiper was he going to be? Was it to be one who would properly worship God only when things were good and easy or would Abraham worship the Lord God no matter what? Jesus shared with the woman at the well that true worship done by true worshipers, is done by those who worship in spirit and in truth. It is not dependent upon the a place, but upon grace; not upon an altitude but and attitude. Worship must be done properly and in the Presence of the Lord.

Thursday - Burden-bearer - Matthew 8:14-17 
On Sunday we read about how Abraham put the wood on the back of Isaac and carried the fire and the knife himself. Each of them became a burden-bearer by carrying a load that was not really their own but given to them. In Matthew we read where when Jesus was healing many from their sickness and demon possession at the house of Simon Peter, Jesus was fulfilling the truth that the prophets spoke. Messiah would come and take upon Himself the burdens of many, elevating the load, setting them free to live life the way God had intended for them to live. Isaac was a burden-bearer for the testing of Abraham. Jesus is the burden-bearer for the salvation of mankind.

Friday - Providence - Matthew 6:26 
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, shared that if we would observe the birds of god's creation, we would see that they do not provide for themselves the food or labor in anyway for it, but that it is provided by God. He goes on to share that we are much more valuable than the birds to God, so we must realize that God will provide for us as well. In the situation with Abraham it was God who provided a substitute sacrifice for Isaac in the heat of the moment. Yet in the passage from Matthew, Jesus shares that the Lord will provided what we need in the everyday situation and in those moments when desperation is apparent. Trust in the Lord. Abraham told the servants that "...we will go over to worship and we will return..." Abraham trust the Lord for the sacrifice as he had trusted the Lord for the promised son.

Saturday - God's Promises - 2 Peter 1:3-4 
The promises of God have always been upheld for it is by divine power that they are given. Just as Isaac was saved from the altar of sacrifice, we have the glory and goodness of God's promises that brings us to place where we can participate in the divine nature, becoming the children of God, being rescued from the corruption of evil desires that are in the world. It is the power of God that has given us everything we need for life and the understanding of Who that life comes through.

 

Monday - Divine Direction - John 6:38-40 
Just as Abram was willing to follow the divine directives of the Heavenly Father, Jesus lets us know that the whole reason he came to earth was to do the will of the Father. Even in the time of His temptation, Jesus said that man could not live on bread alone but by all the words (commands, directives) that come from the very mouth of God, the Father. God through the power and person of the Holy Spirit directs us in each step we are to take as we follow in the footsteps of the Savior.

Tuesday - Divine Call - Isaiah 6:8 
Every time God called for a person to step out and take on the role of being "an instrument of righteousness in the hand of God," it has been given to folk like you and me who were living a life of following God in an everyday fashion until God needed to accomplish something special. Isaiah was a priest, a preacher who was going through a tough time after losing a friend (family member) in death. Yet God called upon Isaiah to be a prophet that was needed to relay some of the most important messages about the coming Messiah that Israel needed to hear. It was the voice of God that called. A divine calling that came with all of the power of God to help fulfill the task that was to be accomplished. 


Wednesday - Blessing - Genesis 17:15-20 
We read that the blessing of God comes through the covenant relationship that we can have with the Heavenly Father. But God has a way of going beyond what we may ask or think and bless in such a way that brings joy to our hearts. In the story of Abram, God shares that Fie will bless both Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac would be the person through whom the covenant will be fulfilled, but God told Abram that He would bless Ishmael to be a great and mighty nation. God knows that we not only want blessings for ourselves but He is willing to give blessings to others on our behalf.

Thursday - Guidance - John 16:13 
Just as God gave guidance to Abram to gain the land of promise for himself and his descendants, God through Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit who will guide us in our times of trouble, moments of searching for His will for us. The Holy Spirit leads us into the will of God which is the truth that all seek but few find. It is only through the information passed from God through the Son and to us through the Spirit that helps us to realize what the truth is and how to live by it is such a way as to find fulfillment and joy in our lives and be able to share it with others. Abram was guided to be blessed but to also be a blessing to all that would come after him and believe in his God.

Friday - Covenant - Isaiah 54:10 
God lets us know that as we live our lives of faith trusting in the covenant relationship that we have with Him, His unfailing love will never be removed or the peace that it brings to our hearts will never be taken away. God makes His covenant to last and as we enter into that relationship with Him the promise is our and nothing can take it away. But we must remain in that relationship with him. We must rely upon the Holy Spirit's strength to keep us true to that covenant made. Both parties are needed to give to make the covenant stand true to the tests of time. It is like unto the covenant made between God and a repentant David who serve the Lord. 


Saturday - Altars - Genesis 13:18 
We see how that when Abram came to the land of promise God appeared to him and he built an altar to worship the God who not only led him but revealed Himself to him. Those sacred places where we meet the Lord are precious to us and there are times when we need to run back to the altars and call upon the name of the Lord just as Abram did when he returned from a terrible trip to Egypt. A trip that left him shaken in his faith, needed to be restored. Abram called upon the Lord, not waiting for an appearance but calling out of a heart that was broken and weak. Abram needed his God.

Monday - Divine Direction - Joshua 1:2 
There are times in our lives when explicit instruction, commands, are given to us by God and our obedience is timely. In the case of Noah, when God said to enter into the ark with all the animals, his family and provisions, God was not wanting to debate the issue but was ready to close up to any other alternatives. Joshua came to see that just as in the past 40 years of wondering in the wilderness when it came time to now cross over the Jordan and enter the opportunities afforded by the Promise Land, there was no time to waste. God was ready now to place the land into the hands of the Israelites. If they wanted to possess the great promise, now was the time to obey.

Tuesday - Hearts Searched - Matthew 12:25
Jesus is able to read the thoughts of man that come from the heart, the innermost part of a person. After doing the work of God, casting out demons, the Pharisees said that Jesus did this by the power of the devil himself. Jesus shared that every kingdom divided against itself (every divided heart) will fall, it will not stand. In the time of Noah, God had examined the heart of Noah and his family and found and declared them to be righteous as they followed the instructions in building the ark and gathering the animals and the food needed for the time in the ark.

Wednesday - Faith - Daniel 3:17 
In this story of the three Hebrew children, they believed so much in the Lord, God that they were not going to give in and bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar when the music played. They believed enough that they were willing to face the fiery furnace's heat. Noah and his family were obedient even with the probable ridicule of the neighbors and the peer pressure that was mounting to give up on this foolish project. But Noah knew that even if the rains did not come, he was going to believe in all that God had said and the protection and providence that God would extend to them.

Thursday - Sure Word - Luke 21-33 
Jesus declares that in the last days, end times, things as we know it to be will pass away, the heavens and the earth. But He gives His word that the His teachings, the truth that He shares, the promises of God will never pass away. This is the security that we are given; that blessed assurance that we sing about which brings hope and increases faith, brings peace to our hearts and lifts us up out of the darkness into His wonderful light. In the time of Noah the word of God was taken to be unchangeable and a secure foundation to build trust upon in the relationship between God and mankind. God would not let them down for He had said they would be safe and later makes a covenant with Noah that a global, or universal, flood would never come again, that would destroy all. 


Friday - Rain - 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1 
Rain came for the first time as a judgment of God upon the evil of the world. In the time of Noah God used a rainfall of forty days and forty nights, and the waters of the deep bursting forth, to wash clean the wickedness and violence that He saw among His creation. From that point on rain fell or did not fall by the workings of God. In 1 Kings the prophet Elijah shared the word of the Lord that there would be no rain except at His command, and later it was at the command of God that the prophet's servant told the king to hitch up his chariot and make way to the city for a great rain would come, the first in around three years from a cloud that at first was the size of a man's hand. God has control!

Saturday - Protective Providence - 1 Peter 5:7 
Throughout scripture we are informed that God will take care of us in all of our times of need. All we have to do is trust in Him and live like we trust in Him to guide us each and every day. We are informed to cast all our anxiousness upon Him because He will take care of it. We are not to worry. We must walk in the paths He directs us to in order to receive that care, just as Noah had to be obedient and enter the ark at the command of God to be protected from the destruction that was about to happen. God will take care of us if we trust in Him with all of our life.

Monday - Time is of the Essence - Galatians 6:9 
As we saw in the story of Esther, she became concerned about doing what was truly the right thing to do to save her people, which was the will of God. We are to not grow weary of doing what is right for there is coming a time of harvest, reward or retribution that will take place. There is a timing that is involved and we need to be faithful to see that the tasks are done so as to be prepared when Christ Jesus returns. We cannot give up on what God wants us to do as laborers of the kingdom. We should not give up even when the pressure to quit, surrender, is upon us.

Tuesday - Relief and Deliverance - Psalm 68:19-20 
Mordecai lets Esther know that for God's people relief and deliverance will come from somewhere. God is faithful to the promises to those who follow after Him daily. The Psalmist reminds us that God is a God of salvation and that in His hands salvation come to those who live lives of praise to Him. God makes ways of escape from even death itself as a part of the daily work that He performs on our behalf. God has a way of using those who will yield themselves to His bidding. Mordecai shared with Esther that if she did not want to be the answer God would raise up someone else but saying no to God has it consequences. 


Wednesday - Help From Somewhere - Hebrews 4:15-16 
God has resources available to Him that we have no idea of where they come. In my ministry I have known people who were at the end of what they thought were available to them as far as resources go. But just at the right moment, sometimes just in the nick of time, need resources seem to be given from individuals or places we never thought of as being the answer for them. God uses His blessings to cause others to want to be a blessing, ad the work gets accomplished.. .needs are met. Sometimes we forget that we have a Lord, a High Priest, that understands our situations in life and brings about aid (grace) that meets our specific need.

Thursday - Fasting with Purpose - Matthew 6:16-18 
Esther asked for Mordecai and the people of Israel to fast with her an for her so that she would be courageous and accomplish the task of influencing the King to retract the judgment against the Israelites. It was for a certain purpose. That purpose is the will of God for His people. Jesus taught that fasting was not for the purpose of letting people know you are fasting, to gain recognition or praise; but to fast in secret, just between you and God. This was to bring about the "reward" that we can gain from God as a part of the glorious plan that He has in place. The purpose of fasting should be a godly purpose.

Friday - Three Days and Counting - Exodus 19:10-19 
In the passage from Esther we see that the call to fast was for three days. This was not the first time that the idea of three days of preparation were important. When God came down to meet the People and Moses in the wilderness, they were to cleanse and sanctifying themselves for three days. Jesus was in the grave for three days before setting the fullness of salvation in place through resurrection. On that third day Jesus rose triumphant over sin and death for us so that we would never die. 


Saturday - Not According To the Law - Galatians 5:22-26 
In the passage from Esther we know that her hesitation came when she realized too that she would have to go against the law of the Assyrians about the proper way to approach the King. But we know that just as Mordecai encouraged her and the Spirit of God gave her strength, we too have the strength, the fruit of the Spirit to get us through the toughest of situations. For when we live our lives according to the fruit of the Spirit, no one can find fault with what we do for there is no law that argues, condemns, or even considers doing what is truly right.. .being wrong. Let us live according to the right "For Such a Time as This."