Obedience of Josiah

“Then Saphan the scribe told the king saying: ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king.  Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes.” (2 Chronicles 34:18-19)

  Josiah was eight years old when he became king. His grandfather had been Hezekiah and had been a great king in Judah "And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all his father David had done." (2 Chron. 29:2) But Josiah’s father was Manasseh "But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel." (2 Chron. 33:2)

    Josiah had become king only one generation after the rule of a righteous king and now everything had changed because of the evil deeds of his own father. He and his people had no knowledge of what God had instructed the people of Israel through Moses when they had been led out of Egypt and entered the Promised Land they now occupied.  Now he was suddenly able to hear the Word of God as it had been written down and he knew that his nation was in sin and was not worshiping the God who was responsible for their very existence as a nation and as a called out people for God.

   He understood after hearing the Word of God that he and his people needed to change. So he commanded the high priest, Hilkiah: “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in the book.” (2 Chron. 34:21) And then Hilkiah went and sought out a prophetess named Huldah (yes there are women prophetess’s in the Bible!) and asked her to find out what God would say. She said that the Lord told her that there would be great calamity on the people because they had forsaken God and burned incense to false gods and that His wrath would not be quenched. 

  Then she related the following: “But as for the king of Judah….thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,’ says the LORD. (2 Chron. 34:26-27)

   God  promised to allow him to die before all of the dire prophecies concerning Judah and Israel would be accomplished. Then the king gathered the elders of Judah and Israel and they all went together to the house of the Lord. “And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant (First five books of the Bible) which had been found in the house of the LORD. Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statues with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.” (2 Chron. 34:30b-31)

What about you? Are you a faithful reader of God’s Holy Word, the Bible? And more importantly are you obeying those things that the Holy Spirit reveals to you when you do read or hear it preached in God’s house? Are you struck in the heart when God’s word convicts you of sin? Unlike Josiah, we have never been without God’s Word unless we grew up in another faith that did not allow us to read it or in a part of the world where it was banned. But that should not be a problem now! We all have God’s word available in hundreds of languages and dozens of different translations in English.

  Take time today to read something from the New Testament, something from the Old Testament, and something from the Psalms and Proverbs. See if God doesn’t speak to your heart and draw you closer to Him! (Then repeat the process daily for the rest of you life!)

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“Thy word I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a)

PRAY

1.    Lord help me to be faithful to read your Word everyday. Open the eyes of my heart to understand and to have a desire to obey whatever Your Word tells me.

2.    Thank You that there are so many ways I can gain access to Your words that have been written down for me and all who would be your disciples.

3.    We praise You for You  are always with us through good times and hard times and You always want what is best for us.

  

  

Holy Spirit Prayer

  “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

   Perhaps you are suffering now or you are going through a tough period of trials in your job, your family relationships, or direction for your life. You do not really know how you should pray or what you should be praying for. Not to worry, if you are a born again believer the Holy Spirit lives within you and He will pray for you. My wife and I recently read a book entitled Suffering by Paul David Tripp. He does an awesome job of explaining what the Holy Spirit does for you when you don’t know how or just emotionally cannot bring yourself to pray. (He knows something of suffering. He was suddenly hit with a disease in the prime of his life that put him in excruciating pain for days and then required numerous surgeries over a period of six months and he still is unable to do physically the things he loves to do.) Here is what he has to say:

  “Pain is painful, and it is painful not only in a physical, relational, situational way but also spiritually and emotionally. There are times when we are so confused that we do not know what in the world we are supposed to pray for. There are times when we are so emotionally distraught that the words just won’t come. In my suffering there were times of unbearable pain when all I could do was pray, ‘Lord, help me! Lord, help me!’

    In your pain, God doesn’t require that you pray biblically literate, theologically rich prayers. He doesn’t reject your prayers because you don’t have the right words, spoken in the right way. In fact, when prayer is hard, he not only doesn’t reject you; he offers you help. And the help he offers is not a lesson in how to pray when it’s hard to pray. The help He gives is Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit. When you don’t know what to cry, He carries your cries to the Father. The Spirit, who knows your heart and what you need, turns your groanings into words.

   You see, in your most confused and emotional moments, you are far from alone because God blesses you with His intervening grace. Verses 26-27 tell you that at the very moment you’re groaning, the Spirit is representing you and your needs to the Father. God knows what you are going through and is not unkind so as to reject messy, chaotic, emotional prayers offered in your moment of need. He carries them to the throne of God where they will be heard and answered. When no one hears and understands your cries, in those moments when it feels useless to cry, God listens, hears, and answers. He always greets your groanings without judgment. You don’t have to rehearse your prayers, you don’t have to wait until you’re more composed and able to think clearly, and you don’t have to worry that you’ll say the wrong thing. Your Lord listens with a tender and sympathetic heart, and he makes sense of groans that no one else could ever make sense of. He answers not because of what’s in you but because of the grace that’s in Him.” (Suffering by Paul David Tripp, pp137-138)

  Are you in pain today? Are you confused about a decision you have to make? Do you need God to deliver you from a giant or help you cross the Red Sea? Cry out to Him today and don’t worry about how you sound or look. He knows your pain. He hears your cry! 

Pray:

1.    God I cry out to you today to come and deliver me from the pain in my life! Help carry me through the next minute, hour, and day.

2.    Thank you God that You will never leave me nor forsake me. You are my “Strong tower,” "my shield," and my "shelter from the storm!"

3.    Help me never to forget that when all men forsake me, that I can always depend on You and You alone. 

  

  

Revival in America

“Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy LORD, And grant us Your salvation.” (Psalms 85:4-7)

    If you are like me you probably have been involved in many church revivals over the years. For much of our nations history there have been tent revivals or weeks set aside in our churches to ask God to move in our church, our community and in our nation. We know that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to the majority of this world that do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Perhaps you have read about some of the great revivals in America in the 18^thand 19^thcenturies or about the revival in Wales in the early 20^thcentury. But what about more recently, here in the U.S.? 

     Well there was a more recent revival that originated on the campus of Asbury College in 1970 that spread to many parts of the nation and world that you may not have read about. Here is what Robert Coleman, editor of the book “One Devine Moment” , had to say about this event:

  “One of these divine moments came on February 3, 1970. The visitation occurred in Wilmore, Kentucky, a small town near Lexington. While many students across America were burning down buildings and rioting in streets, students at this college community were strangely drawn to their knees to pray. It was as if the campus had been suddenly invaded by another Power. Classes were forgotten. Academic work came to a standstill. In a way awesome to behold, God had taken over the campus, Caught up in the wonder of it, a thousand students remained for days in the college auditorium---not to demand more freedom or to protest the Establishment, but to confess their sin and to sing the praises of their Savior.

  This divine moment did not come about through human scheduling or preaching. Instead, it came as people opened themselves to the living God and received the forgiveness and cleansing which God alone can give. The change wrought in them was and is too great to keep secret. It must be shared. Thus one man’s divine moment becomes a gateway through which others may come to know the same experience.” (One Divine Moment , The Asbury Revival by Robert E. Coleman, pp10-11)

    As is the catalyst in all revivals, this one was preceded by prayer. Several groups of people on campus who met at various times to pray for spiritual awakening. During the beginning of the weekly chapel service the Dean of the college, who was scheduled to talk, was not impressed to preach and opened the floor to any students who would like to give a testimony. Several students got up to speak and increasingly the testimonies were powerful confessions of sin and a desire to obey God better. One of the professors, as the normal chapel hour was coming to an end, announced that the altar was open if anyone wanted to pray. 

“No sooner had the invitation been extended than a mass of students moved forward.  The congregation began singing “Just As I Am.” There was not room for all at the altar. Many had to kneel in the front seats of the auditorium. Their prayers were mingled with heartfelt contrition and outburst of joy. It was evident that God was moving among His people in power. The presence of the Lord was so real that all other interests seemed unimportant. The bell sounded for classes to begin, but it went unheeded.” (Ibid, p.15)

The service continued as many others came forward to confess sins of cheating, theft, animosity, prejudice, jealousy, and other actions and some made their way to individuals to ask forgiveness and to make restitution. A long line began to form and many waited their turn to tell what God had dealt with in their hearts.

“The service continued on into the afternoon as an announcement was made that classes were suspended for the rest of the day…..Toward the supper hour some began to leave, but the building began to fill again as the marathon service entered into the evening. At times nearly every seat in the 1,500-seat auditorium was occupied….there was continual movement to and from the altar. At times, the whole front of the auditorium was crowed with people on their knees---some praying, some giving counsel, some just rejoicing in the Lord.” (Ibid, p16)

The revival spread across the street where Asbury Seminary was located and the people continued to gather in great numbers until late at night or early morning and then dwindling to about a 100 but then refilling in the morning. This continued for a week! Many townspeople joined in, and on Sunday many of the local churches came to the campus to participate in the revival. Additionally, people from all over North America came that had heard about the revival. They came from as far away as  California, Florida, and Canada!

The revival did not stop there. Many Christian colleges (130) and churches requested students to come to their campuses or churches and in many cases revivals broke out there also! Two campuses that saw big movement of the Spirit were Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Texas and Azusa Pacific College in California.

(To read the whole story get a copy of: One Divine Moment, the Asbury Revival (25th anniversary edition) edited by Robert Coleman and David Gyertson, published by the Fleming H. Revell Company, 1995.)

   So what do you think is keeping us from having a revival today in 2018? I think we all know the answer. We need a group of people gathering together and praying for God to move! Are you willing to meet with someone else or a group and just pray for our awesome God to come down and fill us with His Spirit and fire us up to go and tell the world about Him?

PRAY

1.    Lord please help me to be led by Your Spirit and prepare my heart to be a prayer warrior for You.

2.    Forgive me Lord for my sin of laziness and help me to be more faithful in praying for Your will to be done in my life and in the life of those You have put in my life.

3.    Thank You Lord for loving me so much that You saved me from my sins and have adopted me to be your son or daughter. 

  

The Only Answer is Prayer

“I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;” (Isaiah 44:3)

    We all know that prayer is powerful and is the most important activity we can be involved with, but evidently, we do not believe it because we do not spend much time there and when we do we are not passionate for those who are lost and on their way to hell. Below is a story of what our God can do if two people decide to be serious and passionate about praying for their community.  The story takes place in the Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland. (If you are like me, you have to look on a map to see where that is. I know where the New Hebrides Islands are in the South Pacific Ocean but I did not now where their namesake was located.)

  “The year was 1950. The famous revival on the windswept Isle of Lewis on the Scottish Outer Hebrides was underway. It began when two elderly sisters fervently prayed. Peggy Smith was 84 and completely blind. Christine, her younger sister by two years, could hardly walk and was bent over double from arthritis. 

   

  With a deep burden in their hearts, they began praying. Twice a week for many months, they went down on feeble knees at 10:00 p.m. and did not rise until 3.00 or 4:00 a. m. In the midst of their prayers, God gave them a vision of a man they had never met, a man God would use to change the island. The man’s name was Duncan Campbell—and God brought him to the Hebrides to preach and shepherd the revival.

   People of the island were inexplicably drawn to Christ. Without publicity, telephones, or Internet, they awoke in the middle of the night and felt compelled to gather in a farmer’s field or at a local parish church. Sometimes they did not make it—and instead simply fell by the side of the road, confessing their sins to God. Bars and dance halls shut their doors for good. Starting with the small town of Barvas, the entire Isle of Lewis turned from darkness to light. Entire towns were being converted to Christ, with the exception of the stubborn little parish of Arnol.

   Arnol defiantly resisted the gospel. No one wanted to hear what Duncan Campbell had to say. In fact, the citizenry held opposition meetings to denounce the revival. Campbell and his fellow leaders knew the only answer was prayer.

   They gathered one evening in a farmhouse and began to pray, earnestly appealing to the promises God had made in the Bible. At midnight, Campbell asked John, the local blacksmith, to pray, which he did for more than two hours! Near the end of his prayer, with his cap in his hand, John looked heavenward and said: ‘God, do You know that Your honor is at stake? You promised to pour water on the thirsty and floods on dry ground…..I stand before You as an empty vessel and I am thirsty—thirsting for Thee and for the manifestation of  Your power. I’m thirsty to see the devil defeated in this parish. I’m thirsty to see this community gripped as You gripped Barvas. I’m longing for revival and, God, You are not doing it! I’m thirsty and You promised to pour water on me. God, Your honor is at stake, and I take it upon myself to challenge You now to fulfill Your covenant engagement.'

    At that moment, the house shook violently. A jug on the sideboard crashed to the ground and broke. Those who were present said that wave after wave of power swept over the room.

  At the same time, the town of Arnol was awakened from its slumber. Lights went on. People came into the streets and started praying. Others knelt where they were and asked God to forgive them. Men carried chairs and women carried stools, asking if there was room for them in the church. At 2:00 a.m., revival came to the last resistant town on the island.” (When God Answered the Prayers of a Scotsman by Jim Jarman as seen in the One Cry newsletter, 7/19/18.)

   Do we need revival in our community? Do we need to see our loved ones, neighbors, and acquaintances come to know Christ as their Savior? You know that we do! So how can we begin to take the time to gather with other believers to pray? It is simple: just do it and start today!

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19,20)

Pray

1.    Lord help me to find someone to pray with me for the lost in my family and neighborhood and help me start today.

2.    Lord forgive me of my laziness and give me the courage and faithfulness to pray for those people You impress on my heart. 

3.    Help me to pray for a mighty revival in my church, town, state and nation; and Lord start with me!

   

   

Waiting patiently

  

“I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. “ (Psalms 40:1-2)

King David is the author of Psalms 40. “A man after God’s own heart” is in clear view as we read this marvelous Psalm to our Lord and our God.  This is a great Psalm to read whenever you go through a trial. I remember my pastor telling us one time that you are always going through a trial, coming our of a trial, or about to go into a trial. In my short 71 years on this planet I can say that has been true of  my life. There are trials in your job, in your family, your church, and your nation.

    David says he waited patiently for the LORD! How does a man or woman wait patiently these days when we need help now? We want an answer today! It is hard but David tells us that he waited patiently and so are we to do! I think we can learn a thing or two by reading what David has to say in this Psalm.  He knows that it was God that pulled him out of the miry pit and set his feet upon a rock.  (Can you just imagine your feet stuck in some deep claylike mud and you are struggling to put one foot before the other as the clay holds tight to your boots?) Then God set his feet on a rock and directed his feet where to walk safely and securely. He declares that God established his steps. He continues:

   “He has put a new song in my mouth---Praise to Our God; Many will see it an fear, And will trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done: And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.” (vs. 3-5)

  When God has delivered you from a trial do you rejoice, and make sure everyone knows it was God who got you through your trouble? Do you have a song in your mouth? Are you praising the Lord on a daily basis? Are you trusting in His truth, the Bible, or are you turning aside to the lies of the world? Have you taken time out today to remember some of the countless works He has performed for you in the past? David continues:

  “I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly: Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know, I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart: I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation: I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.” (vs 9-10)

   Have I done a good job of telling my children, my grandchildren, my neighbors, my coworkers, my siblings, and my friends of God’s faithfulness to me and how He has saved me and adopted me as His child? It is the desire of David to do the will of God because he has His law written in his heart! Like David, I should proclaim the good news in my church and wherever He sends me to share the Good News of His faithfulness, and mercy.

   “Do not withhold Your tender mercies form me O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs on my head; Therefore my heart fails me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O Lord make haste to help me!” (vs 11-13)

  Are you surrounded by trouble and evil? Are your sins weighing you down. Cry out to Him! He is able to forgive you and return you to the right path.

   “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The LORD be magnified!’ But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. Your are my help and my deliver; Do not delay, O my God.” (vs16-17)

   Wow! Let us all who are followers of the King of Kings rejoice and be glad in Him! We are needy people, but God is our help and deliverer! Are you waiting on the Lord, or are you trying to handle this life in your own strength?

Read the whole Psalm yourself and rejoice in the faithfulness of our heavenly Father and the benefits He bestows upon His loyal followers and disciples!

PRAY

1.     Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness and lovingkindness that you give to all who call upon Your Name and allow You to control their lives everyday.

2.     Help me to be a better prayer warrior for Your Kingdom on earth and in the kingdom you are preparing for us in the future when You return to this earth or when You call us home before that glorious day.

3.     Help my life to reflect the joy of Your salvation which You have so wondrously given to those of us who accepted Your free gift of salvation and eternal life.

Nehemiah's prayer

Nehemiah’s Prayer

“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

   Nehemiah was a Jew living in captivity in Persia. We don’t know his early life story but we do know that he was the cupbearer to the King of Persia so he had a good life in the palace of the king and was someone whom you could say had arrived at a place of importance and luxury. (Something you can actually say for almost anyone living in 21^st century United States who has a job and a place to live.) But God called upon him to leave his life of ease and to go to Jerusalem and help to rebuild the wall that had been torn down and to help the High Priest, Ezra, there. His prayer in chapter one of the book named for him is one of 10 times in thirteen chapters that he goes to God in prayer.

“ And I said:  ‘I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God. You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night for the children of Israel, Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations: but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from the there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling place for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.’ For I was the king’s cupbearer.” (Nehemiah 1: 5-11)

  Since May third was a national day of prayer I couldn’t help but think or how appropriate much of this prayer is applicable to our country today! We are a nation who has sinned against God and has not obeyed His commandments! Although everyone is not a Christian, we are nation that was founded on Christian principles by men and women who had a desire to be obedient to the teachings of the Christian faith in our government, in our communities, and in our families. But just like the Israelites, we have turned away from God and have not been obedient to God’s laws and precepts.

    It is time to start with ourselves individually and as families and churches to return to God; to seek His forgiveness and to follow His leading in all aspects of our lives.

     “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

PRAY:

1.     Lord forgive me of my sins (list them) and forgive my family and church for not being the salt and light You have called us to be in our community.

2.     Help me today to spend time with You in prayer and in the reading of Your Scripture so that You can direct my paths aright.

3.     Help me and all those who call Your Lord, to be quick to obey all that You have commanded of us for our own good.

4.     Thank You for loving us so, and allowing us to be Your children now, and for eternity.

He is Risen!

He is Risen!!!!!

  “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’’ And they remembered His words.” (Luke 24:1-8)

     All four gospels record this event and it is one event in history that can be believed with certainty!

CHRIST AROSE FROM THE DEAD ON EASTER MORNING!

   He demonstrated once and for all time that He was who He claimed to be: The Son of God, the Messiah, that had been prophesied about for a thousand years!

   He had died on a cross and taken the sins of the world upon His shoulders on Good Friday, just as Isaiah the prophet had said he would over 500 year earlier:

  “Surely, He has borne out griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned everyone to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

   Now on Easter morning He had risen from the dead just as he had prophesied on numerous occasions. (Matthew 20:18-19, 17:22-23, 16:21) As we read further in the gospel accounts and the book of Acts, we know that he spent forty days on earth after the resurrection and then ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives.

    So the question for you now is this: Do you believe that Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead on the third day and sits at the right hand of God today and that He is coming again as He promised to take all believers to heaven to live with Him for eternity? That is what the Bible teaches us. That is what the Apostle Paul is telling us in the book of Romans when he says:

   “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

    “You will be saved!” And if you are already a believer, then you are already saved! What a glorious message for us today as we rejoice in what our Savior had done for us on Calvary and has demonstrated that He has power over death and hell!

Hallelujah, what a Savior we have! As Jesus stated on the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30) He has paid the price for our sins. We have only to believe and give our lives over to Him and allow Him to be our Master and King. Let today be a day of celebration and joy as we celebrate what He did for us 2000 years ago and be comforted in the fact that He is coming back to establish His kingdom someday and we will be his beloved sons and daughters in the kingdom.

PRAY:

1.     Lord help me to take time today to celebrate what You did for me on the cross and to rejoice over your resurrection from the dead.

2.     Lord, thank you for paying the penalty for my sin and for adopting me to be your son or daughter.

3.     Fill me with Your Holy Spirit everyday and help me to be a faithful disciple  and witness for you in my family, my workplace, neighborhood, school, and to the uttermost parts of the world.

4.     Help me to love those around me with a love that can only come from You that I might see people as You see them Lord.