Monday Morning Devotion #256

This week's focal passage:

"The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of the fools."
Proverbs 3:35 (NKJV)

Strong's:
Wise #2450 - chakam = intelligent, skillful, artful, wise-hearted
Inherit #5157 - nachal = occupy, have, leave for
Shame #7036 - qulown = disgrace, confusion, dishonor
Legacy (promotion in the KJV) #7311 - ruwm = breed worms

As parents, Glen and I often think about what we will leave our children as an inheritance. We do not have many earthly possessions, but we do have something that is FAR more valuable and ETERNAL…We have an intimate, personal, real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are no longer bound to the things of this world, but we belong to the kingdom of God. We are children of the Risen Lord, the Great I AM, the King of kings, the Most High, and all that belongs to Him HE has graciously given to us as an inheritance!! "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." (Colossians 1:12)

God's Word tells us exactly what Christ Jesus has done for us and offers to us through His sacrifice on the cross. "HE has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin." (Colossians 1:13-14) God's Word goes on to explain exactly who Christ is and the power that is His. "HE is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And HE is before all things and in Him all things consist." (Colossians 1:15-17)

Scripture continues this promise in Ephesians 1:17-23 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which HE worked in Christ when HE raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And HE put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him all in all."

My Friend, many of us are walking a very thin line. We say, with our mouths, that we love the Lord God with all our hearts, minds, and souls; however, very little in our daily life reflects that. We allow ourselves to get distracted by the things of this world, i.e., responsibilities, daily chores, employment, successful ventures, children, spouses, our hopes, dreams, expectations, circumstances, etc. Not all of which are "bad" but when they become our focus, our love, our driving motivation, then the "good" things quickly become our idols…They replace our focus and our love for Christ Jesus. When this happens, we begin to live a life that is worthless and void of all meaning and purpose. We were created to bring glory and honor to the Lord God. We must not forget this!!

Forgetting our purpose is detrimental to our walk/relationship with Christ Jesus. Christ will NOT take 2nd place and HE will not be our "genie in a bottle". HE demands complete surrender, absolute abandon to self and sin, and true humility that only comes through His revitalizing work in our hearts. Living a life that has eternal purpose can only be obtained through a daily study of God's Word, allowing ourselves to approach the throne of God with honesty and openness, and a heart that is willing and obedient to the Lord God no matter what the cost.

Time is running out, My Friend. Christ is preparing to return and gather His bride…Are you preparing to meet your Groom? Reread our focal passage once more. "The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of the fools." (Proverbs 3:35) If Christ Jesus called you home today, what would your legacy be? What would those left behind learn from your life? Would they look at your life as an example of a godly man/woman or would they be "confused" because you said you loved the Lord, but you lived your life for self? Shame in this verse means confusion and legacy here means "to breed worms." Scripture talks about the destruction of worms…"Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And the worms cover you." (Isaiah 14:11) "Then the Angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died." (Acts 12:23)

When we live a life of hypocrisy, people know it. They may not confront us, but they know that we are not truthful and the Lord is not in us. We destroy ourselves and the testimony that the Lord has for us before men. What are we doing? We only have a short time to prepare for the coming of the King and we allow ourselves to get sidetracked by meaningless things, meaningless accomplishments, meaningless pursuits. When you exit this earth, what do you want to leave behind? May the cry of our hearts be repentance before the Lord God and may HE grant us another day to live for Him and Him alone. May we understand the inheritance that is ours as a child of God and may our sole desire be to bring others to the foot of the cross so they may inherit the glory of God themselves. "…That HE might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy…" (Romans 9:23)

Your Sister in Christ,
Michelle Jones
October 20, 2008
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Monday Morning Devotion #255

This Week's Focal Passage:

"Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart." Psalm 119:111 (NKJV)

Strong's:
Testimonies #5715 'eduwth - witness
Heritage #5157 nachal - inheritance, to take for, divide, to inherit
Rejoicing #8342 sasown - welcome, joy, gladness

To whom do you look when you need a little lift or a shoulder to cry upon? What makes you happy? Where do you find joy? When are you the most content? Most of us have many answers for each of these questions. We have several friends, family, or loved ones to whom we could turn to in our time of need. We have activities, programs, ministries, hobbies and/or careers that bring us enjoyment and/or satisfaction. We find success in the world's eyes when we obtain a certain economic status. Our world is filled with "things" that enhance our life and bring us pleasure.

All of us have been distracted by the "glitter" of the world's promises at one time or another. We have all sought approval, acceptance, and attention from the world and rejoiced when we received those things. We have each traded holiness for immorality, sinful pleasures and wickedness. "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God…" (Romans 3:10-11) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

My Friend, pause here a moment. We have all read/heard Romans 5:8 before but let's just take a moment to really ponder on what God is saying to us. God, the Great I AM, the Most High, Holy of holies, Lord of lords, King of kings, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, lowered Himself from the glories of heaven to the filthiness of earth and WILLING gave Himself for sinners. That includes you and me!!!! BEFORE we even knew of Him, cared about Him, turned to Him, repented of our sins, Christ died for us. Does that Truth take hold of your heart today? Does that revelation make you drop to your knees in absolute worship and repentance? God's grace is sufficient for us and through that grace we are able to understand God's Word, our eyes and ears are opened to Him, our hearts are drawn to Him and our wills are surrendered to Him.

God loves us with an everlasting love and His glory spills over upon us. HE created us to glorify Him and to live a life that points others to Him. We absolutely waste our lives when we live for any other purpose. When we allow ourselves to be distracted by the world's promises, we sacrifice and destroy ourselves. Our lives become worthless and hopeless, even when everyone around us screams and shouts that we are successful. My Friend, time is short. The Lord Jesus Christ is preparing to return from the riches of heaven, gather His children together, and destroy the earth and everything in and of it. Nothing will last, nothing will stand, nothing will matter when Christ returns and reigns holy judgement out upon everything and everyone who has stood against Him, lived a life without Him, sought to glorify himself/herself, lived a "good" life yet never accepted Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior.

God's Word tells us "I Am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not share with another. Nor My praise to carved images." (Isaiah 42:8) "Indeed you (idols) are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." (Isaiah 41:24) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You." (Psalm 69:5) "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts…" (1 Corinthians 4:5) "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before ME. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, HE is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when HE appears? For HE is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. HE will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver…" (Malachi 3:1-3a)

Jesus is coming, My Friend, and we are not prepared. We live in a nation where God's blessings have been poured out upon us for over 200 years, yet we are seeking to destroy the things of God and eliminate Him from our daily lives. We quietly sit by and allowed wicked men and women to dictate to us what we will teach our children and how we will live our lives. We, the children of God, are not residents of this earth! We are foreigners in a pagan land and we are passing through on our way to eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ; however, we were placed here by God to be a light. To be a witness for Him who loves us and gave Himself for us. To be an example of how to live a pure life in the midst of depravity and death. What are we doing?!?! Have we become so blind and/or so cold-hearted that we do not care about the destruction of those around us and to our own families? We have sat quietly on the sidelines while evil men and women pass laws that eliminate our right to worship and speak freely about our Lord. We vote so that other men/women can "fix" the problems.

Absolutely, we must vote and exercise our God-given right and responsibility, but we have to do more than just cast a vote and then sit back while others try to fix this nation. The children of God must arise "and come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) We must cry out to the Lord God and allow Him to search our hearts and reveal the hidden sins in our lives. We must do more than just agree that we have sinned, we MUST repent from those sins. Allow the Lord God to cut away those areas of our lives, not matter the cost, and allow Him to purify us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must live a life that is different than before. God's glory and His grace must be evident in our lives. God's heart is that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), is that our heart today? Do we care about the eternity of those outside our family and/or friend circle? If so, our life should reflect that in every area. We cannot live for ourselves and the satisfaction of self if we truly desire to share Christ with others. People see through hypocrites all the time. If we "talk the talk", we MUST "walk the walk." Even when no one is looking!!!

Reread our focal passage once more. "Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) The psalmist loves the Lord God and he has taken the Word of God and the promises of God as his very life force. Because the testimonies of the Lord bring his heart the most pleasure, he seeks it day and night. May we ask ourselves this question…Do the testimonies of the Lord, do His promises and His presence in our lives matter more to us than anything else. If the Lord decided to remove everything from us, our health, our wealth, our spouse, our children, our career, our clothes, our car, our home, our looks, our abilities, our talents, our hopes, our dreams, our desires, would we TRULY be content in Him? Would our hearts cry out praises to Him and to Him alone? Would we sit before His feet and worship with a pure heart and joy in Him alone? "And God is able to make all grace abound to you , so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Your Sister in Christ,
Michelle Jones
October 6, 2008
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