Numbers 13 - 07.25.24
SCRIPTURE - Numbers 13:30 NIV
“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us GO up at once and take possession of it; for we will certainly conquer it.”
OBSERVATION
God delivered HIS People out of Bondage from Egypt SO they could ENTER The Promised Land. A Land of Milk and Honey. A Land that God had Promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—And a Land that God had reaffirmed the Promise of to Moses. God’s Promise was Assured!
God’s Promise was Israel’s Title Deed to The Land!
APPLICATION
Walk BY Faith—and NOT—BY Sight
Twelve Spies had been sent into the Promised Land to scout it out and make a report. They saw that it was INDEED a Land of Milk and Honey-so described because of the beautiful Lush Pasture for Livestock to Feed Upon and vast Farmlands with plentiful fruits, vegetables, and plants for bees to draw nectar from. The Spies brought back a Huge Cluster of Grapes the likes of which they had never seen hoisted on a pole that was carried by two men.
Nevertheless…This was the problem…
There should NEVER have been a “Nevertheless”.
Because ten of these men were “Walking By Sight” They looked at the people of the land and SAW Giants; They looked at the cities and SAW High Walls and LOCKED Gates; They looked at themselves and SAW Grasshoppers.
If Only they had Looked BY Faith TO God—They would have SEEN The ONE who IS Able to Conquer Every Enemy and who SEES The Enemy like Grasshoppers!
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably MORE than we ASK or IMAGINE, According to HIS Power
That is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus Throughout ALL Generations,
Forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)
“I AM God, and there is no other; I AM God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9b NIV)
PRAYER
LORD Jesus,
Thank You that You are HOLY and Sovereign and Perfect in ALL Your Ways. Thank You for Your Loving Kindness and Goodness. Teach me to Sabbath at Your Feet in the midst of the Storms. Thank You for Your Word that comes and Tabernacles WITH me. Deep calls unto Deep. May I learn to Walk by Faith. Lead me in the way that I should go. I will follow you all the days of my life. Here I am Lord, Send Me.
- Tina L Kudelka
Matthew 1 - 7.24.24
Scripture
Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us”. (Matthew 1:23, NKJV)
Observation
In the first chapter of Matthew, we read about the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they were married, she learned that she would conceive by God’s Holy Spirit. Joseph being a good man, considered secretly calling off the wedding without embarrassing Mary. While he was contemplating this, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him that Mary had conceived of the Holy Spirit. In verse 23, we read that all this happened so that God’s promise would be fulfilled that a virgin will bear a son and he will be called Immanuel which means “God with us”. Jesus came so that we would have God with us.
It is interesting that whenever God’s children felt inadequate to do the tasks in front of them, God did not give them a motivational message of “you can do this, you got this”. Instead He always said, “I am with you”. When Moses was afraid of facing Pharoah, God said “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). When Joshua balked at the formidable task of stepping into Moses’ shoes as the next leader of Israel, God said “Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5). When Gideon was fearful of leading Israel, God said “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). God tells us in Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you”. When Jeremiah was fearful of the task God asked him to do, God said “I am with you” (Jer 1:7). The list goes on and on. The last recorded words of Jesus before his ascension into heaven after resurrection was “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Application
God with me makes me the majority. God with me is all I need. When I walk into those tough corporate boardrooms for negotiations for work, God is with me. When I face challenges at home, God is with me. When I struggle with parenting my children, God is with me. Whatever I am facing, I have all the help I need when God is with me. I will say with the Psalmist, “I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I will not be moved” (Psalms 16:8). Because God is with me, I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalms 46:2,3). A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me, because God is with me (Psalms 91:7).
Prayer
Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Thank you Jesus, because you are Immanuel, God with me. Thank you for your promise that you are with me always to the very end of the age. Thank you because you are with me today as you were with Moses and as you were with Joshua and as you were with David. Help me to be conscious of your presence with me always. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight (Psalms 19:14). May everything I do bring glory to your name. May your will be done in my life as it is in heaven. May my life be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you (Romans 12:1). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
- Asha Chacko George
Revelation 22 - 7.23.24
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 22:6, 16-17, 20-21
“Then He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.”
“I Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. Both the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.
He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen! Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
OBSERVATION: The time is near! The book of Revelation ends where it began: with Jesus speaking through an angel to John, who, in turn relayed the message to the seven churches of Asia. The principles to live by are for believers of all time. The main principle that stands out from the beginning is that Jesus could return at any minute, and we are always to be ready!
APPLICATION: For those who haven’t received the gift of eternal life, Jesus is telling all lost humanity there is still time to repent. As Christ-followers, we must be diligent to share the Good News of Jesus Christ before He returns!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are the source of life, and we have been given a beautiful glimpse of what it will be like when we see You face to face! The New Jerusalem will be a magnificent place to spend eternity, and the inhabitants will live forever in Your awesome presence! “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent - Jesus Christ.
“ Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what will be has not been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” ( 1 John 3:2,3).
Thank You Lord that we have Your promise that one day You will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain won’t exist either, because You, the One seated on the throne, are making all things new!
I pray we will depend on You to help us prepare to live in our eternal home, and that we will be diligent to share the Good News so that many others will join us!
- Robin Orefice