Lord's Day Devotion - Devotional Prayer - Light & Truth

 

O God, deceitful, unjust and ungodly people are spread out all over the earth.  Deliver us, Your children through Jesus, from them.  We take refuge in You for You are our God.  The Light and Truth of Jesus have shone out into our hearts and now lead us to You, into Your presence on Your "holy hill".

May we walk in Your truth and light with willing hearts that love You because You first loved us.

Communing with You in our "prayer closets" brings us exceeding joy and praise.  We raise our vocal chords to You and make "joyful noise" to Your Name.

When we are downcast, in turmoil of soul, we will hope in You.  We will eventually choose to praise You because You sent Jesus to us.  

Jesus is our salvation and living God.  He delivered us from our own ungodly ways.  Deliver more of those people too, Father.  Jesus has made the way.  May His light and truth shine on them until they give way to You and submit, repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because He is Light and Truth.

Thank-You, Father.

Thank-You, Jesus.

Jesus, as we remember how You submitted Yourself to that cruel death upon Calvary's cross, and shed Your blood for the remission of our sins, may we ponder upon Your work of bringing us this Light and Truth for the saving of our souls.

On a Lord's Day, we partake of the broken bread and drink from the cup of wine, showing and recalling what You have done for us with grateful, illuminated hearts and minds.  Your cup of suffering is now our cup of joy.

Humbly, we remember.

May Your Light and Truth now emanate to others and bring many sons and daughters to glory.  Shine on us so we can shine on others with Your truth.

I ask in our Savior Jesus' most holy and precious Name.

                                                 ~ERC  December 2020~

Based on Psalm 43:1-5 ESV.

Sing, Shine Jesus Shine by Graham Kendrick

Silent Chinese New Year!?

 

Could it be, for the first time in history, we will have a silent Chinese New Year?!  Sounds preposterous to me!  Normally for a couple of months beforehand, there are nightly lion dance practices with their drum beats and rolls just a stone's throw from our abode.  People also get itchy fingers and "practice" lighting off a firecracker here, a whistler there, in anticipation of "letting loose" on Chinese New Year's Eve.

This Covid-19 year through, the song "Silent Night" seems appropriate; every night blissfully quiet.  Oh, except for tonight, we did hear a few trial bangs, pops and whooshes.  Ha, ha!

Guess there will be some noise.

The joy of it all can not be suppressed, Covid or no Covid; lockdown or no lockdown.  Family reunions will be smaller but still we do what we can -- even "zoom" gather.  Hearts can still be 'knit' together even from a distance; exuberance levels muted a couple of notches lower, yet still vibrant and buzzing.

Chinese New Year songs resonate in the background; food flourishes in abundance on groaning tables, and adds girth to waists; children run amok, ever hopeful of thick 'ang pao' (little red envelops stuffed with money gifts) and stretch the sanity of mothers and fathers and their Chinese New Year leniency potential, maxing it out; and excited, happy adult voices blend and combine to create a choral cornucopia, on the canvas of family.

It's not so quiet after all.

"Hey, let's go light off some firecrackers!"

                          HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!

                                                          ~ERC February 2021~

 

Prayer - Like or Not Like, "Like Father, Like Son"

 

This proves it.  It is not always a case of "like father, like son".  The Sons of Korah quit themselves like  men and so did many of their descendants thereafter.

Korah was of the Levitical tribe of Kohath.  The Kohathites were in charge, rather "ordained," to take care of the Tabernacle implements as well as the Ark of the Covenant. This was a very holy and sacred "job".  Or, to put it in a more God-honored term, "ministry".

"Ministry" implying it comes from a willing heart of love and gratitude to God their Father, as opposed to "job" being an obligatory duty one must preform.

Even with such a high ministry, Korah aimed for the priesthood of Aaron and sons. He wanted to know who had made them (& Moses, for that matter), "Boss".  So in insolent revolt he rounded up three others of similar sentiment and they stirred up two hundred and fifty community leaders, forming a conspiracy against Moses and Aaron, to protest the issue.

What made it worse was that Korah was Moses' relative; a nephew.  However, Moses did not play cronyism.  He meekly sought God in the matter.

God was very displeased with Korah and these wicked upstarts.  He dealt with them very quickly and decisively.  There was an earthquake that swallowed up Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their belongings.  Fire came out of Heaven and consumed the two hundred and fifty men (Numbers 16).  In terror, the rest of the assembly of Israelites fled.

With such an infamous father as Korah, what was the effect upon his sons' souls?  They had made a choice to fear God and walk in His ways, and to honor His authority and the role He'd given them. 

 Remarkable!

Scripture does not say why they had not been swallowed up by the ground as had their father but years later, out of the ashes of disgrace, shame and shards of rebellion, came forth submission, worship and praise to God their Heavenly Father.  Get this, eleven Psalms are attributed to them.

What's more, we can see they "panted" and "thirsted...for the living God" (Psalm 42:1, 2).

Oh yes, they had had tears, they had been "disturbed" within themselves; they had been, "downcast" as if the breakers of the sea had bashed over and over them.  Yet, they'd learned to put their "hope in God".  They'd "loved to go to God's house" and that with "shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng".

Their foes had taunted them, and that, "all day long".

Yet, these Sons of Korah, had learned to stand with dignity as in Psalm 42:11 (NIV), which is beautiful.  They direct,

"...Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

Do you know what is so wonderful about the Sons of Korah?  They had learned to be thankful.  They were content with their "ministry" and felt the honor of that position of caring for the Tabernacle's holy implements and the Ark of the Covenant.  Years later, they were seen as doorkeepers and custodians of the Temple.  Furthermore, during King David's time they became renown for their choral and orchestral talents.  They were such men as:  Asaph, Jeduthan and Heman.

Father God, I thank You that despite any of our ancestor's behavior, we can put our hope and trust in You and in Your Son, Jesus, our Savior.  Any stigma that may fall on our shoulders because of what a parent or grandparent or some other relative has done in the past or is doing even in the present, that we do not need to be defined by that.

Yes, we may be bowed down in shame and devastation for a while, Father.  Lift us up as we put our hope in You.

May our rebellious hearts learn to humbly submit to Your authority in our lives; making conscious effort with the Lord's help.  Then we can learn, as the Sons of Korah, did, to be content and grateful with the ministry you ordain us to do and to sing Your praises while engaged in Your work.  May it be our "family business" forte and not seen as a job of duty and obligation.

Give us that intense longing to meet with You, to pour out our souls in song to You even when things get tough in our lives.  Remind us, Your offspring, that we do not need to be like our fathers who may have done/do nefarious deeds.  

Heavenly Father,  we do want to be like You though and put our hope in You.

In Jesus most precious name we praise, pray and petition.

                                                ~ERC  December 2020~

Based on Psalm 42.

Sing, To Be Like You, along with Hillsong Worship singers.

Good Book - To the Parents of My Grandchildren

 Bet you had to stop a few seconds to figure out that book title's connection:  "To the Parents of My Grandchildren".  The Grandfather who wrote this book spent many years in China as a missionary.  He was also a very godly family man, interested in the welfare, upbringing and salvation of his grandchildren.  Not to skip a generation, however, he left a legacy to his own children in the nurturing them for Christ and then in the writing of this book.  He had seen the devastation in descendant generations of Christians who were no longer following after the Lord and felt he needed to address the situation.  

Subsequently, not only his own children, and children's children benefited but parents from all walks of life can potentially glean a continuing heritage for Christ, in their own families all down the line by delving into this book, taking it to heart and putting the words of wisdom into practice.

Most babies do not come with an instruction manual.  This Grandfather (the author of the book is simply put as, "by A Grandfather"), took a close look at many Bible fathers, mothers and grandparents and their offspring, for inspiration, encouragement, warning and wisdom from God.  That is what this book is about and can loosely be termed as, "a manual".

It is good not to say, "Oh my children are all grown up--no need for me to read this."  No.  Grandparents can have  major impact for good upon their grandchildren's' lives.  I'd encourage potential parents, present parents and grandparents, alike, to read this book and genuinely ponder its message.

To give a little 'taste' of the book...think of some of the examples set by some of the following Bible characters.  Stop and consider each one and their story if you know it.  Search the Scriptures about them, if you don't.

ADAM...

LAMECH, the 7th from Adam--who had more than one wife.  He was the first recorded man in the Bible to practice polygamy.  He came from the line of Cain, not Seth.  Our parental examples influence and leap from generation to generation.

Compare with ENOCH.  He was also "7th from Adam" but through the line of Seth.  Enoch "walked with God"!

Do we?

Think of the DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD, who valued their inheritance.

AMRAM & JOCHEBAD who saw Moses as a "proper child" and found ways to preserve his life.  Our children are also "proper" ones.

In the New Testament we have ZECHARIAH & ELIZABETH, parents of John the Baptizer.

HOUSEHOLDS get honorable mention:  Cornelius', Lydia's; Onesiphorus' and more (there were about ten households mentioned).  

Would our households get into such a "Hall of Honor"?

Pray. Pray. Pray.

Walk the talk.

The copy of this book I have appears to be very Chinese in its cover design, as it is likely one of the earliest editions of it (examine the picture above).  It was given to my maternal grandparents who must have willed it to my parents and it ended up in "my lap" for the good and benefit of my husband's and my children.  One cannot say one has entirely lived up to those good Biblical examples but by God's grace and mighty hand, may our next generation live for Him and honor Him with their lives to impart and impact the same into their children and so on....

We can all use as much help, encouragement, and warning, as possible, in the childrearing and training for God, department.  The Bible parents and grandparents are a real good place to start our reflections and gear into action.  It's a solemn but rewarding responsibility.

                                                    ~ERC February 2021~

P.S.  We don't always need to let our family tree define us.  A person in a negative setting can have a breakthrough by choosing God's way.  It may be a tough slough but by perseverance and God's grace, together with the Lord, You could be the one to begin a Hall of Honor for your next generations to come.

Take note of ADAM to LAMECH  vs  ADAM to ENOCH.

Be encouraged.

May God bless your parenting and grandparenting....

P.S.S.  I personally know some of the Grandfather's descendants and his prayers and nurturing have certainly been answered in many positive ways.  

God Speaking Directly; Still?

 God speaking to us directly, one-on-one is rejected by some but I think it can still happen.  This in context of, outside the Bible; that is, in what some may term, "extra-biblical revelation".

No, please don't go away.  Let me try to explain.

Most will agree that,

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

So, when we read of God speaking directly to Adam, Noah, Job, Abraham, Moses, and to numerous others throughout the Bible's accounts, we see plainly, God's "yesterday" modus operandi.

There are those who argue that because we now have the complete Word of God, that God no longer speaks directly to us except through His Word, in the "today".

This begs the question, what does it mean then, when potential missionaries, pastors; and Christian politicians, for example, say they got, "the Call", from the Lord for a particular vocation or ministry?  Was that not God speaking directly?

Yes, we all have been given "the Call" of the Great Commission, but I'm talking about specific direction to one place or another.  One does not read in God's Word, "Mr Peter John Wong Wei Jun*, though shalt serve me in North Korea; go on 5 January 2021".  Thus, one can conclude God does speak directly, still.

The manner and mode of that "directly spoken" word, may or may not come with the audibly spoken words and dramatic accosting my Jesus as happened to Saul of Tarsus en route to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).  However, I've heard of stories where Jesus appeared, and spoke to various persons who were sincerely seeking God.  For that matter, Jesus also appeared to those who were not overtly seeking, or didn't realize they were seeking.

Those were folks who came to Christ after Jesus got their attention through such encounters as Saul's.  What about those of us who have been followers of Jesus Christ for some years?!  Well, it's already been mentioned that some have gotten their "call", which could have been through Holy Spirit leading through the reading of the written Word of God, or it could have been through the impression of a dream or of a wise brother or sister-in-Christ's godly direction.  Nevertheless, as Jesus is the same past, present and future, I believe He could and would speak directly to His children.  God is not hampered by the way we think He should operate.

Of course, we'd best be sure that the voice that speaks is truly the Master, Jesus Christ's voice.  Test the spirits to see whether they be of God or not (1 John 4:1).  If what is said goes against or does not measure up to biblical standards and principles of God's Word, then you'd best reject that voice - its not the Good Shepherd but His enemy or our own wishful thinking.  

This could well be a reason some would "pooh-pooh" the notion of  God speaking directly to a person and /or appearing in form before their eyes and having a conversation.

I've known of someone who would kneel to pray each night before climbing into bed.  Within minutes she'd be asleep on her knees.  Finally, a night of this having happened "one too many times", and in exasperation with herself (after waking and realizing she'd been sleeping instead of praying), she petitioned the Lord and said, " I really want to talk with You but I only fall asleep.  Let me sleep a while then please wake me up.  Also, let me be able to sleep again quickly thereafter and then be able to still wake up refreshed in the morning as I need to go to work."  Up off her knees she'd gotten and climbed into bed and fell asleep...

"Cornelia!"* (not her real name)

"Cornelia!"

Cornelia awoke and peered around in the dark, in the direction of the voice.

"Cornelia!" came the loving voice once more.

"OH, You did it!" she whispered to Him!

She didn't have to ask who 'He' was, she instantly knew.  He smiled at her as a loving Father would.  Oh, how she felt His tender love.  Praise welled up in her heart and she slipped gratefully out of bed and onto her knees to give thanks and praise.  He had then disappeared from her visible sight but His presence lingered and she had a blessed time communing with Him; this time, without dozing off.

Later, she snuggled back into bed and to sleep and before she knew it, her alarm pierced her slumbers.  She arose still in wonder and amazement; and in the thanksgiving and gratefulness avoided her in the night rendezvous.  Refreshed by her encounter, she prepared for work, bright eyed and bushytailed.

This was not exactly a voice, giving a call to a ministry; however, I've heard that Cornelia still gets calls for middle of the night trysts with Jesus.  This, so many decades on.  It's uncanny at times and she's heard His voice, urgently, directing her to pray for this person or that.  It was discovered later how that individual truly needed the Father's intervention and protection.

Obviously, you can ascertain this writer's opinion on the subject.  Nevertheless, I also believe that the Lord doesn't appear without purpose.  It may not always be for a believer to get "the Call" into mission work but so that His child can know His tender loving care and to commune as friends, with Him, or to even be directed to supplicate on another of His child's behalf.   This too, can be a 'mission'. He may also choose to appear and speak directly to a "pre-believer" as He did with Saul of Tarsus in the "past" and has been known to do many times since, even in the "today".  

For sure, He will do so in the "tomorrow" until He calls us all to be with Him in Heaven.  

Then we will be able to see Him and speak with Him in the "forever," for ever.

Won't that be blessed!?

                                               ~ERC  December 2020~

* names pulled out of a hat; any person of the same name is purely coincidental 

Sing, Face to Face With Christ, My Savior, along with Altar of Praise Chorale

Prayer - Put a Muzzle On It

 

Father, the word "muzzle" is almost a bad word these days.  Muzzles are for dogs and horses and other animals, but not for human beings!  Nevertheless, nowadays we must muzzle our mouths with masks and many mumble manifold muffled murmurings about such 'mask-er-aids'.

David said he had a muzzle and put it on himself!  That caught my eye while reading Psalm 38.  David's action being because of the wicked in his presence.  He did not want to say anything for some reason.  Yet he near burst his buttons over it.

Father, may we too have "increased anguish" and hearts that grow hot  "as a fire" as we meditate on the wickedness in society today, and at home, even on our own wrong actions.  It is strange though that David, at first, wanted to keep mum with his muzzle.

He did not lash out, at the wicked, but seemed to be pondering his own thoughts and actions.  He wanted You to show him his "number of days" and his "life's end".  Was he thinking of his own wrong doings and/or that he might do more of them?  Was he thinking his life would be cut short because of them?

He talks about Your "scourge" upon him.  Our wrongs do have consequences but Father we too, look for Your compassion, grace and mercy as did David.  We cry out to You for them.

We know we need rebuke and discipline and often, Father, so that we, Your children, will go in the way that we should.  May we learn to put a muzzle on it ourselves, restraining from wrongful, unhealthy thoughts, actions and words that displease You.  May we instead, meekly follow Your will, ways and Word.

Only then, may we speak for You.  Let us be able to rejoice in Your intervention before we depart from this earth.  Let it be known that we walked in Your truth and spoke gracious, kind, healing words of righteousness that came from only speaking as Jesus would.

We would really love to de-muzzle da-masks, doh.  

We wait patiently for You.  When we all get to heaven, what free-flow rejoicing there will be!  I look forward to that.

In Jesus' most precious Name we petition and praise.

                                                  ~ERC  December 2020~

Based on Psalm 39 (NIV).

Prayer - Up, Out of the Mud

 

Heavenly Father, You spread Your mantle of mercy, love and faithfulness upon us by Your manifold righteous saving acts.  These have brought gladness and rejoicing of heart to us.  You are our great Deliverer.  You are our LORD and God.

Indeed, as David said in Psalm 40, You'd,

"lifted (him) out of the slimy pit...and set his feet on a rock...giving him a firm place to stand..." (Psalm 40:2 NIV).

You caused him to rejoice and sing a new song of praise to You because of it.  David had cried out to You and You had heard and delivered him--reason to sing afresh.  You do so over and over again for our trials, troubles and temptations of life.

Here are our will and hearts; make them malleable to Your law of love on hearts softened by Your goodness, love, forgiveness and salvation.  We humbly bow down in thanksgiving for all Your emancipation help.

You have rescued us from ourselves and sin, and its consequences through Your saving act of sending Jesus to rescue our souls and put those new songs upon our lips.  We sing of Your faithfulness in the congregation of Your redeemed people (family).  You had not withheld Your mercy and love and now You protect us from the evil one despite any number of troubles that surround us.

Come quickly to help us so all may rejoice at how You work, wend and weave Your ways in us, even when others wish to bring us down to disgrace and shame.

Oh Father, they did that to Your Son.  They tried to discredit and shame Him.  They thought they had brought Him down, when He got arrested, stood trial and was crucified.  They thought they had the last word as the stone was rolled into place across the tomb's mouth.

All those who put Jesus to shame were forgiven by Jesus.  He asked You to forgive them for He said that they did not know what they were doing.  It was then a charge of unintentionally sinning against You; therefore there was room for repentance.  He was so good.  Like Father, like Son.

You came quickly to their help even though they did not deserve it.  Father, come to Your children's aid too, especially when others desire their ruin and to disgrace them to their co-workers, neighbors, even on the daily news channels and in the newspapers; some, perhaps, even among the assemblages of those gathered together in the Name of Jesus.  

False accusations, power struggles, misinformation; these can all bring a person down.

Come quickly to Your child's aid.  Lift them up out of that quagmire of muddy malice and manipulations so that those who love Your Name can rejoice and tell out Your salvation.  May You be exalted.  Come quickly, do not delay.

We want to sing You new praises in Jesus most precious Name.

                                               ~ERC  December 2020~

Based on Psalm 40:1-17 NIV