One Thing

We can learn so much from Mary and Martha.  Their story is found in Luke 10:38-42.  Jesus came to their house, and each of the women responded differently to his coming.  Martha was busy serving Him, while Mary sat at His feet and heard His word.  Martha was distracted with her serving, and therefore had no time to spend in fellowship with Jesus.  What did Jesus want when He went to their house?  I'm sure He wanted to spend time with them, and fellowship with them.  So when Martha asked that He would tell Mary to come help her, He said that one thing was needful, and Mary had chosen that good part, which would not be taken away from her.  This story goes far beyond serving in the kitchen.  It is a call for everyone of us to choose priorities in our lives that will bring us into fellowship with Jesus, and cause us to walk by revelation, rather than by the strength of our flesh.  God is found by those who diligently seek Him, and so we are each called to set aside the worries and troubles of our day, and seek first the kingdom of God.  As we put God first, we will find the peace that passees all understanding.  Our worries and troubles wiill fade away, and we will be changed.  This one thing is the key to walking with God.  Paul mentioned this one thing in Philippians, when he said he was forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forth to the things which are ahead.  He put his full passion into pressing toward the mark of God's call on his life.  David also found one thing, which was more important to him than anything else.  In Ps. 27:4 he said, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."  This one thing is more important that all the other things in our lives.  Do we have this one thing in our lives today?  Time spent with the Lord is never wasted time.

How God Reveals Himself

It is God's desire to reveal Himself to all people!  Here are 3 main ways that God reveals Himself:
1.  Through Christ.  Christ is the revelation of God.  1 Cor. 1:24 says, "...Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God."  It is through Christ that we see God's wisdom and power.  We need the spirit of wisdom and revelation to see Him, for even some of those close to Him did not know who He was.  In John 14, Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  But Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He that has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'"?  Philip did not realize that in seeing Jesus, he was seeing the Father.  Jesus is the Word, from the beginning, made flesh, and dwelt among us.  He declared and showed to us the Father.  God has spoken to us through His Son, the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person, Heb. 1:1-3.  Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, Col.2:9.  God has revealed Himself through Christ.
2.  Through Scripture.  The Scriptures are the God inspired words given to us to reveal God to us.  2 Tim. 3:16 says,  "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  Only through the scriptures can we become mature, and equipped to do every good work God has planned for us.   By our hunger for the Word of God, we are transformed and changed, and God reveals Himself to us. 
3.  By the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit brings revelation of God to us.  It was by revelation that Paul received the gospel, Gal. 1:12.  We need that same spirit of revelation to bring the power of the gospel alive in our lives.  The Spirit has come to teach us and lead us into all truth. 
Today, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, give attention to the Scriptures, and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit.  We will grow in our revelation of God as we do these things.   

Living By Revelation

"I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes."  Matt. 11:25.  The things of God are revealed, and therefore available to anyone who will receive them.  The Christian life is to be a life of revelation.  Paul's prayer for the church was that we would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Chirst, Eph.1:17.  Only through revelation can we know the things given to us in Christ.  1 Cor. 2:12 says, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."  We need the Holy Spirit to show us the things that are ours through Christ.  Without the Holy Spirit, we are blind to the things of God.  God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  This is revelation!  It is the revealing of Christ to our hearts.  The rock that the church is built upon is the rock of revelation.  In Matt. 16, Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  The people had many different ideas about who Jesus was.  They thought maybe he was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.  They didn't know Him, even though he was there with them.  So Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?"  "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' "  Jesus said, "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but My Father in heaven... and on this rock I will build My church..."  The revelation of Christ to our hearts is the unmoveable rock upon which the church is built, and nothing can stand against that revelation.  We are called to live by that revelation.  Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to bring revelation into our hearts today.

The Blood Line

There is a blood line that goes through the Bible from the beginning to the end.  It begins in Gen. 3 when God made tunics of skin to clothe Adam and Eve, as a result of their sin.  We see the blood in Gen. 4 as Abel brought an offering of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.  We see the blood when Noah offered sacrifices unto the Lord.  We see the blood as Abraham offered animals to God in Gen. 15, and God cut a covenant with Abraham that day.  God's presence, as a smoking oven and a burning torch passed between the pieces.  The offering of the passover lamb in Ex. 12 is an amazing picture of the power of the blood.  Every family was to apply the blood of a sacrificed lamb to the doors and windows of their houses.  At midnight, in every home in Egypt, the firstborn was dead, except in the homes of the Israelites where the blood had been applied.  Ex. 12:13 says, "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.  And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and  the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."  Throughout the Old Testament, there is the shedding of blood, to sanctify and to set apart God's people and their place of worship.  Hebrews 9:22 says, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."  On the Day of Atonement, the high priest went into the holy of holies, not without blood, to make atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the people.  But all this was pointing to the one day, when Christ would shed His blood, and once and for all, the price for sin would be paid.  Never again would there need to be a blood sacrifice for sin!  Now we are invited to enter into the holy of holies, by a new and living way, through the veil, into the very presence of God.  Now by the blood we enter, we worship, we stand, we are purified, we overcome, we are forgiven, we are in right standing with God.  Now, and forever, our song is "Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain."  Rev. 5:9 "...For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation..."  Claim the power of the blood in your life today.  Apply the power of the blood to sanctify, cleanse, and overcome every enemy, in the name of Jesus!

The Prophetic Breaks Through

John the Baptist went through his own prison of doubt.  He sent two disciples to ask Jesus, "Are You the Coming One, or should we look for another?"  This was amazing, considering all that John had been through with Jesus.  John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins, and they grew up together,  John baptized Jesus, and proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  But John had become offended while waiting in the prison.  Jesus sent a message to him saying. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  Then Jesus spoke the prophetic word about who John was.  The prophetic word breaks through our prison and hardness of heart.  Jesus said about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written..."  Jesus spoke the prophetic word over John.  Jesus spoke the word that was the destiny of God in John's life.  This word told who John was, why he came, and what his role in the kingdom was.  This confirmed to John and to all who heard exactly why John had come, and this word dispelled the doubts that were lingering about what was happening in John's life.  We need the prophetic word in our lives.  The prophetic word breaks through our doubts, and confirms to us that God is still with us, and that His destiny is being accomplished in our lives.  My wife had a dream of herself driving a big semi truck, plowing through snowbanks and obstacles.  I said to her, "That is the prophetic word that breaks through the obstacles in our hearts, and sets us on the path of destiny for our lives."  This is the Word of God that changes our lives and brings breakthrough.  We receive this word when we, like Mary, sit at His feet and hear His Word.  God will give you the prophetic word for your life as you wait on Him, and this word will change your life, and bring breakthrough for you into the destiny God has for your life. 

Priorities

The familiar story of Mary and Martha serves us well in talking about priorities.  Jesus came to their house, and the two women responded in different ways to His coming.  Martha became very busy and distracted with much serving.  Her focus was on the state of the house, the preparation of the food, and the whole appearance of everything in the house.  I don't blame Martha at all.  When someone is coming over who is of the highest dignity and worth, it is expected we would feel pressure to get the house in shape, and serve in the very best way.  Mary's response was different, in that she sat at His feet and heard His word.  Martha even asked Jesus to tell Mary to come and help, yet Jesus said that Mary had chosen that good thing which shall not be taken away from her.  There were not a whole list of priorities, and do and don'ts. There was one thing needed, and that was what Mary had chosen.  I fall into the Martha syndrome at church sometimes, thinking most about the cleanliness of the carpet, the straightness of the rows of chairs, the temperature in the building, but that is not what church is about!  I asked myself, "What did Jesus want?"  What did He want out of the visit at Mary and Martha's house?  What was He concerned about?  Now we know, that what He wanted was time to fellowship with them.  He wasn't concerned about the other things.  He came for fellowship.  What does God want in my life?  Why did He come into my heart?  To give me a list of do's and don'ts?  To give me a bunch of rules to follow, and if I slip up, He is ready with a big stick?  No!!!  He came to fellowship with me.  He came for relationship.  He stands at the door and knocks, to see if I will open the door, so He can come in and sup with me.  "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, Abba, Father."  Rom. 8:15  The Spirit in us cries out for the Abba, Daddy relationship with the Father.  That's why He came into my life.  "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father.'"  Develop the relationship today.  Sit at His feet, and talk with Him, and He will fellowship with you!

Prison of Doubt

When we answer the call to follow Jesus, we do it initially with great passion and enthusiasm.  But our faith will be tested, and trials will come to all of us.  Even the strongest believer will have times of doubt and wondering.  This was true of John the Baptist also.  We read in Matt. 11:2,3 "And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  This is the same John the Baptist who baptized Jesus, when the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, and a voice spoke from heaven saying, This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.  This is the same John who preached boldly to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and called them to repent.  This is the same John who cried out, "Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight."  When he saw Jesus coming, he cried out, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world."  John said, "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." John 1:34.  But now John is in prison, having been put there because he told Herod it was not lawful for him to have Herodias as his wife.  Now he is languishing in the prison, knowing his life could be taken at any time.  Now as he sits and thinks about what has happened, he hears about the works of Christ.  And yet, there are unanswered questions in John's mind.  He doesn't understand why things have turned out the way they have.  Even though he has known Jesus all his life, and was the forerunner in announcing Christ's coming, he now wonders if this is really the Christ.  So he sends two disciples to ask Him, "Are you the Coming One, or should we look for another?"  Jesus sent the disciples back to John to tell him that the signs testify that He is the Christ.  "And blessed is he who is not offended in Me."John was getting offended!  John was beginning to stumble in his circumstances.  This is something everyone of us has to face.  When things do not turn out the way we thought they would, and when it seems God is not doing what He said He would do, do we get offended with God?  Do we put ourselves into our own prison of doubt?  My dear friend, you will be blessed if you don't get offended at God.  Seek Him, sit at His feet, and He will give you a word that will carry you through the circumstances, and deliver you from the prison of doubt.