Wednesday, February 29, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
II Corinthians 1:3-4

Dear God,
How I praise You that You are the Father of merices and the God of all comfort! You are the One we can turn to when we are hurt, afflicted, torn, confused, and have just had enough of this world. Thank You that because of Your comfort for me, I can comfort others. Lord, help me to be a comfort to those that need comforting today. I may not know their whole story, Lord, but You do. Put me in their path so that I might offer the encouragement needed to help them turn their eyes and heart to You, the God of all comfort. Enable me to rest secure in Your mercies today, Lord, in gratefulness for who You are.

In Your Name,
Amen.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 6

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this promise. Thank You that You have told us that Your Word will accomplish what You have set forth for it to do. Thank You that Your Word is sharper than a two-edged sword and can discern the matters of the heart. Lord, today I pray for those who are in the midst of a trial or difficult time. I ask that Your Spirit would move in them to direct them into Your Word. Encourage them through the Scriptures, Lord, and give them hope. Help them to see Your promises, and that Your Word has everything they need for life and godliness.

In Your Name,
Amen

Monday, February 27, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 5

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. I John 3:18

Dear Lord,
How I want my love for others to be evident! Let Your love flow out of me that I may love in deed and truth in everything I do. Lord, may my actions and behaviors reflect Your love and may they come from a sincere heart. I want my actions to match my words, but most of all, Lord, I want people to see You in me, and to see You in my actions.

In Your Name,
Amen

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Who is Life in Life to Me

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

Jesus came to give His life for us. When we put our faith in Him, we receive the gift of eternal life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24

We have a promise of eternal life, but we also have the promise of abundant life because of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

Jesus put death to death once and for all with His sacrifice on the cross, and His triumphal resurrection. He died to sin once for all - having been raised, He is never to die again.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11

Jesus defeated the ultimate enemy, death, by rising to life again. As Paul tells the Romans, we are saved by His life, after being reconciled to God through Jesus' death.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:10

Jesus Christ, the crucified, is life in life to me! The life which I now live I live by faith, because of the One who loved me and gave Himself to pay for my sin. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words by Johann Schwedler

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

This is that great thing I know;
This delights and stirs me so;
Faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed over the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 4

But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends. II Corinthians 10:17-18

Dear Lord,
I want to boast only in You. Certainly, I have no other boast - my life, my righteousness, my eternal security is a result of You and You alone. Lord, keep me from pride that I would not puff up because of any reason besides You and Your work in my life. May my testimony be centered on Your faithfulness and not on anything I have done. May You have center stage in my life so that others can see clearly why I put my boast only in You.

For Your glory,
Amen.

Friday, February 24, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 3

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119: 9-12

Dear Lord,
Thank you for Your Word. Thank You that You have given it to us so that we may know how to live. I pray that You would keep me in Your Word that I might not wander from it; write it upon my heart that I may not sin against You. Teach me Your ways and Your truth, so that I will grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior. Keep my heart turned to You and tuned to You, O God.

In Your Name,
Amen.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

40 Days of Prayer: Day 2

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

Dear Lord Jesus,
As we come to this time of remembering your life on Earth, Your death on the cross, and Your resurrection, I ask that You would draw me to Yourself. I thank You that You are the Savior who can sympathize with my weakness. Help me to pour myself out to You, in every situation that I face, knowing that You are my high priest who has passed through the heavens. I am so grateful that I can draw near WITH CONFIDENCE to Your throne of grace! Thank You that I can come to You in my time of need, be it big or small. Thank You that You hear me. Thank You for the promise of Your Word - that I can find mercy and grace to help in my time of need. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

In Your Name,
Amen.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Who Defeats my Fiercest Foes

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

For some reason, this verse really reminded me of the story of Lazarus. Jesus brought glory to God by raising Lazarus from the dead, even after he had been buried several days. By raising Lazarus, Jesus showed that He could defeat death, a foreshadowing of His own crucifixion and resurrection when He defeated death once and for all.

In this story, Jesus also shows us that He is the One who consoles. Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, were saddened and woeful, and wondered why Jesus had delayed in coming; after all, He knew Lazarus was sick, but He waited several days, and by that time He was dead! Jesus consoled Mary and Martha and revived their fainting hearts. He reminded them that He is the Resurrection and the Life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” John 11:25-27

Even when the hurt of our hearts is hidden, Jesus sees it and can heal it. We may be "smarting" on the inside while putting on a brave face to the world, but Jesus knows our hearts. Because He experienced everything that we have, He can sympathize in our weakness and in our hurts. We can turn to Him for the healing that we need, and rejoice in His power to be our Great Physicians, whether our hurts are physical or emotional.

Over the next 40 days, we will spend time in daily prayer drawing close to Jesus Christ, the Crucified. As we look forward to Good Friday and then Easter Sunday, we want to join with Jesus in His suffering so that we can share in His resurrection.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11

Join me in drawing close so that you, too, can say, "Whose the name I glory in? Jesus Christ the Crucified."

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words by Johann Schwedler

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

This is that great thing I know;
This delights and stirs me so;
Faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed over the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Who is He that Makes me Wise

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

God's word tells us that fearing Him, and following His commands, make us wise.

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. Psalm 119:98

Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments. Psalm 119:66

God makes us wise by teaching us through His word.

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

Through His word, we not only receive His commands, but we see how Jesus lived, interacting with others, and obeying His Father, so we can emulate Him. I believe this is what the hymn writer had in mind as he penned this verse.

Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

When we look at Jesus Christ, we see the epitome of humbleness and obedience to God's will. Paul tells us that Christ is to be our example in this regard.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8

By looking at Jesus, we become wise and we can discern where our duty lies: it lies in obeying our Heavenly Father, just as Jesus did.

When we look at Jesus, we also see how to be true to the duty we have been called to do. When we discern how God is calling us to serve (our duty), we can look to Jesus for the example.

And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 21:41-42

Jesus was being sent to the cross by His Father. He petitioned His Father to "take this cup away" but He also said "Not My will, but Yours."

Jesus, a sinless man, asked to be relieved of His duty. We can certainly take our requests to our Father in prayer, but we must have the same request as Jesus: "not my will, but Yours." That is not always an easy prayer to pray. Most often, I want God's will to MATCH mine! But I look to Jesus, as my example, and see His obedience and submission to the Father. I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ the crucified, felt and experienced everything that I am facing. Because of this, I can confidently pray, like Jesus, "not my will, but Yours."

Look to Jesus! Follow His example, and grow in wisdom and discernment, so you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words by Johann Schwedler

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

This is that great thing I know;
This delights and stirs me so;
Faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed over the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Monday, February 13, 2012

What is Faith's Foundation Strong

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Cor. 3:11

Jesus Christ, through His subsitutionary death on the cross, laid the foundation for my faith. I can trust the One who gave His life for me.

He bore my sinful load, so that I can be dead to sin and alive in Him forever.

His death also purchased for me peace with God. When I was dead in my sin, I was separated from God. His sacrifice reconciled me to God, bringing me peace.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds at Jesus' birth, they proclaimed the two reasons for His incarnation: glory for God and peace for men.

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”Luke 2:14

We are justified by faith, and because of this, we have peace with God.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

Jesus Christ, the crucified, makes it possible for me to live in peace because I have peace with God, which is foundational to all other kinds of peace.

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. II Cor. 13:11

That awakes my heart to sing!


Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words by Johann Schwedler

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.


What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

This is that great thing I know;
This delights and stirs me so;
Faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed over the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I Corinthians 2:2

When singing this hymn recently, I was struck by the simplicity of the message - the restatement of the gospel that Jesus Christ was crucified for me. He took my place. As we look forward to the upcoming Lenten season, I wanted to take some time to reflect on this wonderful old hymn (written in 1741) and its timeless message for us as Christians, and for the world.

What great thing do I know, that delights my soul and wins me an eternal reward? Jesus Christ, God's son, gave His life for me so that I would be free from the bondage of sin and reconciled to God.

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Colossians 1:21

Whose is the name I glory in? Jesus Christ, the crucified. For through His subsitutionary death of the cross, He has made salvation available to those who believe. We deserved to die for our sin, but He took our place.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

Lord Jesus, may we know you! May we be conformed to Your death so that we may attain the resurrection from the dead.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words by Johann Schwedler

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is He that makes me wise
To discern where duty lies?
Who is He that makes me true
Duty, when discerned to do,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
Healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
With the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

This is that great thing I know;
This delights and stirs me so;
Faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed over the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.