Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

Fear / Reverence for God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Obeying God, Seeking God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Focus on God’s Mission, Not Your Own, and Do It His Way

Sometimes we may have a tendency to get angry with Yahweh when something does not work out well, even if it was relating to the church or ministry or service to others. David experienced this when he tried to move the ark and Uzza was struck down by Yahweh for touching the ark. David became fearful, which is understandable, and paused the movement of the ark.

1 Chronicles 13

Peril in Transporting the Ark

      1Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader. 2David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; 3and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

      5So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called. 7They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets.

      9When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. 10The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11Then David became angry because of the LORD’S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day. 12David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.

A common attitude in reading this scripture may be that Yahweh was harsh or that David was only trying to honor Yahweh. However, if we look deeper the history gets more interesting.  David clearly asked the people if moving the ark was a good idea, and said he wanted to do it if it was from Yahweh. However, there is no firm indication that David went to the LORD in prayer and sought an answer from Yahweh about moving the ark. It is not clear if he did so, but its absence of mention may imply he did not as elsewhere in scripture that action is explicitly mentioned.

Further, David moved the ark his own way, not the way Yahweh had instructed. David used a cart where Yahweh instructed it was to be carried by men in a certain way. Yahweh also said noone should touch it and that was violated when Uzza reached up to stabilize it. It would not have tipped and needed to be stabilized if it was carried properly as Yahweh instructed.

I suppose a summary may be that David was so excited with what he wanted to do, perhaps with good intention for honoring the LORD, that he may not have consulted with the LORD on the mission and definitely went about it his own way instead of Yah’s way. The ark was holy and set apart for Yahweh’s purpose. It was not to be treated as common cargo.

I believe there is a lesson in this for all of us. It is not enough to seek to honor God in what we think is right and do it however we want. We must honor God how He instructs and seek Him to make sure we are lined up with His mission and not our own.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to stop and ask You about those things I want to accomplish, even if my heart is towards You. Help me pause and seek You. Let me hear from You. May the Spirit guide me. Show me how to accomplish all You call me to do in a way that is pleasing to You. Help me not to just hurry to do it how I think is right without seeking You. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Discerning / Judging, Healer, Miracles, Miracles, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

Focus on the Father’s Mission Even When Criticized By Others

Great multitudes were following Yeshua. He went up on a mountain with the twelve disciples, trying to escape the crowds somewhat who were pursuing Him for healing. When he returned home, the crowd was so relentless that Yeshua and His disciples could not even eat a meal. People did not understand Him attending to the crowds as much as He did, so they started imagining that He lost His senses or worse.

Likewise, if we go “all in” for the Father, many people, even those who claim to believe in and follow Christ, will not understand. They will try to guide us to do things the way they expect or may mock us. We should take care not listen to godly counsel, but not to be pulled away from the Father’s mission for us by others who do not understand what it means to be fully invested in and submitted to the LORD.

Mark 3:20-27

      20And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25“If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26“If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27“But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

We see today as we see in scripture, that the way people are willing to stretch beyond logic to rationalize their view when they see something they do not understand is amazing. What sense would it make for Satan to use his power to cast out demons through someone? Similarly today we could ask, what sense does it make that everything in this universe sprang into existence by itself with no creator from literally nothing, a void. I don’t care how many millions of years someone imagines, if I have nothing it can not become something, let alone organize and evolve on its own. It requires a divine creator.

I invite you to pray:

Father, please lead and guide me and help me to focus on You and the mission You have chosen for me. Help me to have wise and godly counsel and courage and discernment to stand firm when others, even those claiming to follow You, try to stop me or change my full submission to You and Your work. Help open the eyes of the people to see and understand Your glory and turn from cultural norms to Your ways. Help the people fully submit to You. Amen.

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

What an Honor to be Chosen, Let Us Answer the Call

Do not assume that all of us are called with the same authority and purpose as the twelve. However, it is an honor to be called by our LORD no matter what our mission may be.  Let us seek to joyfully and consistently answer when He calls us.

Mark 3:13-19

The Twelve Are Chosen

      13And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); 18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

It helps me to remember that He does call me to change my life and to follow Him. I am called to seek Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I am called to put Him first in my life. I am called to be a light to others to lead them to Him. I am not just called to continue living my life the way I was before He called me and squeeze time with Him in once a week for an hour or two. I am to be transformed over time to His image more and more.

The rest of the details may vary for each of us based on what gifts and abilities and specific mission He has called us to pursue, but we all have a common mission identified above.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for calling me and thank You for Your Spirit and Your written word that guide me. Help me to be a good and faithful servant, focused on joyfully carrying out whatever mission You choose for me. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Healer, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Teachable

Did Yeshua Really Heal Everyone Who Came to Him?

It is interesting to pause and reflect on Yeshua’s ministry, that it was very demanding on Him. We don’t usually think of it that way, because He is God. However, He was also man. He slept, ate, drank, got tired, rested, etc.

As Yeshua healed people, His reputation spread and people came from farther and farther around. To be clear, it appears that most of these came for selfish reasons, for personal healing or healing of friends or family. They did not come seeking to hear His teaching. The miracles brought them in and then He was able to teach them while they were with Him.

Mark 3:7-12

      7Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

This scripture also sheds light on the incorrect understanding that Yeshua came to heal everyone or healed everyone who came to Him. Some people take this to mean God wants everyone to be healed of all illness. It is not the case. Yeshua wanted to be able to get on a boat to keep distance from the crowds pressing in to touch Him and be healed. It is not that He did not have compassion, but rather that He was there to teach and guide people. He was not there to heal everyone. They were crowding so tightly they were impacting His teaching ministry.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to fully appreciate the tireless and difficult work that Yeshua did during His earthly ministry. Let me not take for granted the physical and emotional demands on Him personally. Help me in my life to seek You through Yeshua for who You are and what You teach and not just for my own personal healing or that of those around me. That said, thank you also that You invite us to come before You with our requests or personal needs and wants, including healing. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Compassionate, Healer, Kindness / Gentleness, Loving / Kind, Slow to Anger, Teachable

Do Not Grieve Yeshua With the Hardness of Your Heart

Sometimes we can get very focused on certain ways of dong things. We can be sure we are right. In fact, we may be so sure we are right, that we lose track of what is most important. We may miss Yeshua working through or in someone we do not expect. We may look past miracles or the opportunity to help someone, because we are so focused on following the rules.

In fact, if the rules in question are Yahweh’s commands, we may indeed be right to want to follow them. However, we still need to take care that we don’t get so focused on someone obeying the rules that we let our hearts grow hard and miss out on something that may be even more important. Mark 3 records an example we should pay attention to. Think beyond the miracle and beyond the perspective of the man who is healed. Focus for today on Yeshua’s anger at the hardness of their hearts in focusing more on “getting” Yeshua and less on a man being healed.

Mark 3:1-6

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

      1He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me have a love of obeying Your commands, but also help me to keep focused on loving others and helping them. Let not my heart grow hard. Help me to be loving and kind.  Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Encouragement, Help / Serve Others

Be Truly Grateful for the Helpers the LORD Provides

We often think of how great King David was, but he was surrounded by other great, or mighty, men. It is seldom that a single person will achieve greatness all on their own. Even when Yahweh is moving, He often uses more than just a single individual.  As you read about David’s mighty men, do not think only from the perspective of you being like David, but also the perspective of you perhaps being one of the mighty men for someone else Yahweh has put in your life.

David’s Mighty Men

      10Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.

      12After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13He was with David at Pasdammim when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle, and there was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled before the Philistines. 14They took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and struck down the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great victory.

      15Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. 16David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 18So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD; 19and he said, “Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

      20As for Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the thirty, and he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them; and he had a name as well as the thirty. 21Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the first three.

      22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. 25Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three; and David appointed him over his guard.

      26Now the mighty men of the armies were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45Jediael the son of Shimri and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46Eliel the Mahavite and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

The records of David’s mighty men are incredible. They are fun to read and reflect on. I think it is also good to look around in our own lives and think about who the “mighty men” are in our lives. Who are those people that are there to help us succeed, even when times are tough. Another perspective on it may be, for whom in our lives are we acting as one of the mighty men, to help and support them in whatever Yahweh has for them.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to appreciate and seek out those around me that You have provided to help me. Please also lead me to help others as You have intended. Help Your people stand together to accomplish what You call us to do. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Let Us Neither Seek Nor Define Greatness On Our Own

David served Yahweh and Yahweh established David as king over Israel. David became greater and greater because the LORD was with him.  We should seek a similar approach. Seek first the kingdom of Yahweh. If we are serving Him, then He is more than capable of establishing us and helping us achieve what He calls us to do. We should take caution not to try to do it all on our own, in our own power and control, though clearly action is required on our part.

1 Chronicles 11:1-9

David Made King over All Israel

      1Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 2“In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince over My people Israel.’” 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.

Jerusalem, Capital City

      4Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. 5The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not enter here.” Nevertheless David captured the stronghold of Zion (that is, the city of David). 6Now David had said, “Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander.” Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8He built the city all around, from the Millo even to the surrounding area; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9David became greater and greater, for the LORD of hosts was with him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to focus on You first, above all things. Lead me to submit to You and Your will over my own. Help me to seek Your help in whatever I achieve and to seek to achieve whatever You call me to do. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Fortune Telling, Protector / Deliverer, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

What Caused the Fall of Saul, Chosen By Yahweh as King?

Saul was once God’s chosen to lead Israel when they asked for a king. What did he do that he was brought down to defeat, by God’s will? This is worthwhile to explore as we should all seek to avoid a fate like his. Do not assume just because you are have once (or currently) have a good relationship with Yahweh that you can “coast” and stop pursuing Him. We must continuously seek to know, love, and serve our LORD to continue on the right path with Him.

1 Chronicles 10

Defeat and Death of Saul and His Sons

      1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died. 6Thus Saul died with his three sons, and all those of his house died together.

      7When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

      8It came about the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9So they stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10They put his armor in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

      11When all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

      13So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, 14and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

Yahweh defeated Saul and gave his kingdom to David because Saul did not keep the word of the LORD. Additionally he asked counsel of a medium rather than Yahweh.

We should all recognize the potential that we can drift or outright turn away from Yahweh and we should be diligent to avoid it. Do not get complacent, arrogant, or too self reliant. Always remember that Yahweh is our provider and father. Remain humble and submitted, looking always to Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me remain humble and devoted to You. Let me not drift away from focusing on You and relying on myself. Help me to always seek to know You, love You, and serve You. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively

Let us Pray for One Another

Pray For One Another

God has a lot to say about prayer in the Bible. It is a very important 2-way communication between God and His people. He wants to hear from us and wants us to hear from Him. God also wants us to selflessly pray for others, not just for ourselves.

These are just a few of many scriptures where God tells us about prayer.  Prayer Matters.

1 Timothy 2:1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done

Matthew 26:39 [Jesus] went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

To study more about learning to pray, review our teaching, Learning To Pray Effectively.

As individuals within a global Christian community we can ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for us. To submit a prayer request, go to our Submit Prayer Request page.

We at Hearing From Jesus will pray for you when we receive these prayer requests. We also invite other members of our community to visit our site Pray for Others page and pray for the needs listed there.

We are all in different places in our prayer life with the Father. Some of us may still not even set aside time each day to talk with Him. Others are strong and consistent prayer warriors. For those that are inconsistent in your prayer life, find an accountability partner and commit to praying at least 5-10 minutes each day at first. You can grow the time you spend with the Father from there over time.

For those of you in the body of Christ that have a calling to pray for others… the prayer warriors among us… pray not only for yourself but also for all believers everywhere. Pray for teachers and leaders of the faith to preach boldly as they ought to. Pray for local and regional and national leaders to turn toward God. Pray for revival or for the spread of the gospel to new places and people. You may even consider adding the Pray for Others page as a favorite to remind you to click in and pray for God’s people in their need.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God

Yeshua Provides Perspective on Sabbath

Not everything in the Law is absolute. Sometimes we must make decisions based on a deeper understanding of the relative importance of different parts of the Law. What if we have to pick between stealing some bread and starving? David had to make a slightly different choice, and Yeshua actually indicates his choice, which was against the Law, was acceptable.

Mark 2:23-28

Question of the Sabbath

      23And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28“So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

This is not to be misunderstood that somehow it is ok to ignore the Law whenever we want. Rather, there are times when we must decide what is more important. We should not work on Sabbath. However, there may be times when we choose to do so, perhaps to help someone in need or to meet some urgent needs for ourselves. That said, we should try to plan such that this will not be the case.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let the Spirit lead and guide me with discernment so that I will live according to Your law, in obedience to You. Help me know what is right when I am faced with difficult situations in which I may be faced with considering going against Your law for what I believe to be something of greater importance or urgency. Help me not just form habits of ignoring Your instruction for convenience. Amen 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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