"For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 2 Peter 1:17
Last night at church, during our song/worship service, one of the songs we sang was "Fire Fall Down". One of the choruses in that song repeats the lines- "Show me Your heart; show me Your way; show me Your glory." As we were singing it, I felt the Lord spoke something to my heart- I want to share it with you. He said that it was His desire to show us His heart, His way and His glory. Then He said that He has indeed already showed us- we saw it in Jesus.
Jesus showed and demonstrated to us the heart of God. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The heart of God is love. It is the very core of His being; who He is, not only what He possesses. "...for God is love." (1 John 4:8,16)
Jesus showed us the Father's way. His way is obedience. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Hebrews 5:8,9) "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)
Jesus showed us the Father's glory. He was and is the glory of God. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (John 17:4,5) "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10,11) "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:2,3)
The next time you desire a deeper revelation of who God the Father is, look at His Son Jesus, in Him was the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When you saw Him, you saw the Father- the Father's heart, His way and His glory.
Have a great day. All that the Father is, is seen in Jesus.
For further reading:
Colossians 2:9
John 14:8,9
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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry.
Take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine and blogs.
http://livingstonesmagazine.homestead.com
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
"Praise Him"
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15
It is so easy to run to God for help in a time of need, and He wants us to. He has told us time and time again in His word to "ask", "pray", and "seek Him". But I want to ask you this morning, "Is the only communication you have with the Lord is when you are in need?" Do you ever just go into His presence and tell Him that you are there to just "love on" and worship Him? Do you ever sit there determined to do nothing (no asking for anything) but to give Him praise and tell Him how wonderful He is?
Yes, we are always in need, and because He loves and cares for us so deeply, He graciously allows us to come to Him with those needs and make our requests known. But don't you think His heart would be overjoyed if just once our prayer wasn't about "us" but about "Him"?
If you never have times alone with the Lord when you don't ask for something but instead express your love and adoration for Him, perhaps that is something you should think about-- and start doing. After all, He is worthy of our praise!
Have a great day. We should all spend some time praising and thanking God instead of always just asking Him for something.
For further reading:
Jeremiah 33:11
Psalm 118:28; 99:5; 132:7
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry.
Take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine and blogs.
http://livingstonesmagazine.homestead.com
It is so easy to run to God for help in a time of need, and He wants us to. He has told us time and time again in His word to "ask", "pray", and "seek Him". But I want to ask you this morning, "Is the only communication you have with the Lord is when you are in need?" Do you ever just go into His presence and tell Him that you are there to just "love on" and worship Him? Do you ever sit there determined to do nothing (no asking for anything) but to give Him praise and tell Him how wonderful He is?
Yes, we are always in need, and because He loves and cares for us so deeply, He graciously allows us to come to Him with those needs and make our requests known. But don't you think His heart would be overjoyed if just once our prayer wasn't about "us" but about "Him"?
If you never have times alone with the Lord when you don't ask for something but instead express your love and adoration for Him, perhaps that is something you should think about-- and start doing. After all, He is worthy of our praise!
Have a great day. We should all spend some time praising and thanking God instead of always just asking Him for something.
For further reading:
Jeremiah 33:11
Psalm 118:28; 99:5; 132:7
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry.
Take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine and blogs.
http://livingstonesmagazine.homestead.com
Thursday, January 27, 2011
"Your Response"
"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." 1 Samuel 30:6
There come times in all of our lives when we face problems, troubles, dark days, overwhelming circumstances, distress, grief and pain. No one is exempt- no matter how closely we may walk to the Lord. When we face them, there will always be a response to them. The question is, "What will your response be?" Will it be to "blame God" for the problem? Will it be to get bitter and angry? Will the response be to close yourself off and shut out the rest of the world? Will it be to try to "pick yourself up"?
There is only one response to the troubles that we face that will make us victorious and successful in them-- "but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God". You have to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord- that's your response. We encourage ourselves in the Lord by praying- talk to Him about the situation. We encourage ourselves in Him through His written word- read and meditate on His promises. And we encourage ourselves in Him by remembering- remembering that He loves us, that He is faithful, that He is all powerful and by remembering what He has done for us in the past. I have a feeling that at this distressful place in His life, David remembered how God had delivered him from the lion, the bear, Goliath, King Saul and saved him in every other battle he had fought. As he remembered God's faithfulness he was encouraged because he knew that the Lord does not change and if He was faithful to him then, He will still be faithful to him now in this situation.
Take time today to think about, and examine, how you respond to times like these. Is your response one that encourages yourself in the Lord or something else? There is only one way to respond to trying times if we expect to walk in victory over them instead of being buried by them.
Have a great day. Encourage yourself in the Lord.
For further reading:
Psalm 119:52; 36:5
There come times in all of our lives when we face problems, troubles, dark days, overwhelming circumstances, distress, grief and pain. No one is exempt- no matter how closely we may walk to the Lord. When we face them, there will always be a response to them. The question is, "What will your response be?" Will it be to "blame God" for the problem? Will it be to get bitter and angry? Will the response be to close yourself off and shut out the rest of the world? Will it be to try to "pick yourself up"?
There is only one response to the troubles that we face that will make us victorious and successful in them-- "but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God". You have to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord- that's your response. We encourage ourselves in the Lord by praying- talk to Him about the situation. We encourage ourselves in Him through His written word- read and meditate on His promises. And we encourage ourselves in Him by remembering- remembering that He loves us, that He is faithful, that He is all powerful and by remembering what He has done for us in the past. I have a feeling that at this distressful place in His life, David remembered how God had delivered him from the lion, the bear, Goliath, King Saul and saved him in every other battle he had fought. As he remembered God's faithfulness he was encouraged because he knew that the Lord does not change and if He was faithful to him then, He will still be faithful to him now in this situation.
Take time today to think about, and examine, how you respond to times like these. Is your response one that encourages yourself in the Lord or something else? There is only one way to respond to trying times if we expect to walk in victory over them instead of being buried by them.
Have a great day. Encourage yourself in the Lord.
For further reading:
Psalm 119:52; 36:5
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
"The Right Hand of the Lord"
"The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly." Psalm 118:16
There are two characteristics of the Lord that I want to talk about this morning:
1) His authority. "The right hand of the Lord is exalted."
2) His power. "The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly."
The right hand or right arm speaks of authority. In God Himself all authority resides. There is no one who is over Him. There is none who can tell Him what to do. There is none who can rule over Him. He has no "boss" - He IS the "boss". It is at His name every knee bows. It is at His word all creation was formed. It is in His presence that demons tremble. All He has to do is "speak" the word and situations change. He does not possess a portion of authority, but all authority is given unto Him.
The right hand of the Lord speaks also of power. It is by His strong right arm that the victory is won. There is no weakness in Him. There is none who has more strength than He does. The sea even fled when it saw His power displayed, the mountains shake, all of heaven falls prostrate before His throne. There is none who can stand against Him. He does not back down from anyone or anything. He has nothing to fear, but is Himself feared.
I often wonder who we think God is by the way we act. We act as if He is weak and defeated. We act as if there are things that are too hard for God to do. On the contrary just the opposite is true. Perhaps it's time that we renew our vision of Him. He is an awesome, mighty God who is before all and above all and in whom all things exist. His power is displayed in all creation, for without Him was not made anything that was made and He holds it all together.
Have a great day. God has all authority and all power! (That means He is not weak and powerless!)
For further reading:
Ephesians 4:6
Colossians 1:16-18
Matthew 19:26; 28:18; 8:8
1 Corinthians 1:26
Psalm 98:1; 114; 24:8
There are two characteristics of the Lord that I want to talk about this morning:
1) His authority. "The right hand of the Lord is exalted."
2) His power. "The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly."
The right hand or right arm speaks of authority. In God Himself all authority resides. There is no one who is over Him. There is none who can tell Him what to do. There is none who can rule over Him. He has no "boss" - He IS the "boss". It is at His name every knee bows. It is at His word all creation was formed. It is in His presence that demons tremble. All He has to do is "speak" the word and situations change. He does not possess a portion of authority, but all authority is given unto Him.
The right hand of the Lord speaks also of power. It is by His strong right arm that the victory is won. There is no weakness in Him. There is none who has more strength than He does. The sea even fled when it saw His power displayed, the mountains shake, all of heaven falls prostrate before His throne. There is none who can stand against Him. He does not back down from anyone or anything. He has nothing to fear, but is Himself feared.
I often wonder who we think God is by the way we act. We act as if He is weak and defeated. We act as if there are things that are too hard for God to do. On the contrary just the opposite is true. Perhaps it's time that we renew our vision of Him. He is an awesome, mighty God who is before all and above all and in whom all things exist. His power is displayed in all creation, for without Him was not made anything that was made and He holds it all together.
Have a great day. God has all authority and all power! (That means He is not weak and powerless!)
For further reading:
Ephesians 4:6
Colossians 1:16-18
Matthew 19:26; 28:18; 8:8
1 Corinthians 1:26
Psalm 98:1; 114; 24:8
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
"Chosen"
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you..." John 15:16a
I watched a movie about the life of Joseph the other evening. I have seen it many times before and read the scriptures about his life on several occasions. But for some reason this time it stood out to me what a notorious bunch they were- especially the sons of Jacob. When you look at their lives, they were full of faults. They murdered, were liars, deceivers, vengeful, proud, haughty, and the list goes on. Yet God made a covenant with them, made them a great nation and it was through their lineage that the Messiah would come.
Watching it gave me a renewed sense of encouragement. If the Lord would use people such as these to bless all the nations of the whole earth, then He can and will use me. The Bible says that He uses the weak and foolish things of this world to accomplish His purposes through.
As you look in the scriptures you discover that most of the people that He chose to fulfill His plan through were murders, prostitutes, weak, uneducated, fearful, and so on. When God uses the weak to display His strength through, when He uses the unlearned to display His wisdom through, when He uses the outcast and reveals His grace and mercy through, then it is evident that what ever was accomplished could not have been the person who accomplished it but God. There can only be one testimony to come out of it-- "That was God"! Therefore, no man can take the glory for himself. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)
Wherever you are, whatever you may have done, whatever faults you may have, you are still a candidate for the Lord's service. It blesses, encourages and causes me to love Him more, knowing that I can be so weak and yet He chose me. That should encourage you as well.
Have a great day. Regardless of who we are and what we have done, God still loves and chooses us as instruments to reveal His glory to the world.
For further reading:
Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
John 15:16
Deuteronomy 7:7
I watched a movie about the life of Joseph the other evening. I have seen it many times before and read the scriptures about his life on several occasions. But for some reason this time it stood out to me what a notorious bunch they were- especially the sons of Jacob. When you look at their lives, they were full of faults. They murdered, were liars, deceivers, vengeful, proud, haughty, and the list goes on. Yet God made a covenant with them, made them a great nation and it was through their lineage that the Messiah would come.
Watching it gave me a renewed sense of encouragement. If the Lord would use people such as these to bless all the nations of the whole earth, then He can and will use me. The Bible says that He uses the weak and foolish things of this world to accomplish His purposes through.
As you look in the scriptures you discover that most of the people that He chose to fulfill His plan through were murders, prostitutes, weak, uneducated, fearful, and so on. When God uses the weak to display His strength through, when He uses the unlearned to display His wisdom through, when He uses the outcast and reveals His grace and mercy through, then it is evident that what ever was accomplished could not have been the person who accomplished it but God. There can only be one testimony to come out of it-- "That was God"! Therefore, no man can take the glory for himself. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)
Wherever you are, whatever you may have done, whatever faults you may have, you are still a candidate for the Lord's service. It blesses, encourages and causes me to love Him more, knowing that I can be so weak and yet He chose me. That should encourage you as well.
Have a great day. Regardless of who we are and what we have done, God still loves and chooses us as instruments to reveal His glory to the world.
For further reading:
Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
John 15:16
Deuteronomy 7:7
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