Sunday, August 26, 2018

Blessed beyond Measure

Genesis 22:17

I will surely bless you  and make your descendants  as numerous as the stars in the sky  and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

2 Chronicles 7:14

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

God told Solomon that the Temple would be a place his people could come and be assured that their prayers would be heard if they honestly and humbly would seek God. This promise is true still, to this very day, for while God's physical Temple isn't standing, his spiritual one is found in the gathering of his people (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16; Matt. 18:20).

What a great blessing and what a powerful gift for us today! We know that when we gather with believers and humble ourselves before God and seek his presence he will hear us. Rather than wait for a grandiose, world-wide effort to start, why not get together regularly with others who will join us in this prayer effort?

Thoughts 

"Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice. And we do not really love Christ unless we are prepared to face His task and to take up His Cross." - William Barclay
"If we wait upon God, there is no danger. If we rush on, He must let us see the consequences of it." - John Darby

Philemon 1:25

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Have you noticed how words of blessing are in such short supply? There is something about our fallen state that makes sarcasm and ridicule easier to use than blessing. But, in God's family, words are always to be used for the benefit and blessing of others. What simpler or kinder words do we need to use to bless others than these words Paul sent to Philemon? Let's find a way to say them ... and say them again ... and again ...

[Message No: 6485]


No comments:

Post a Comment

Post a Comment