Listen

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”                                                                   Luke 10.16

I am reminded that I represent Jesus, not only as I speak for Him but also in all that I am and do. I take hold of the phrase, “You may be the only Bible that people will read.”

Jesus is in me. I truly believe this! He is in me, and He must come out. I am committed to Him. I give myself to Him for Him to shine out through me.

Jesus connects me to the Father who sent Him. As I am in personal relationship with Jesus, so to I am with the Father. I also claim relationship with the Holy Spirit. My God is most wonderful, and I relate to every part of Him.

As I share, then, I give of my connections with Father, Son and Spirit. And whoever receives from me, receives what I am open to give them from the Triune God. Whoever is open and willing to receive will expose themselves to the blessings of heaven. As people allow themselves to listen to me, this verse assures me that they will be listening to Him. Conversely those who reject me, reject God – Father, Son and Spirit. I feel for such people. Words cannot adequately describe the extent to which they miss out. I can feel for them but I sense there is little else I can do for them in the physical realm. I can, however, be more useful in the spiritual realm. I can pray for them!

 Lord,

I have two aspects to my prayer today. The first is that I will be willing to speak for You in each and every situation You would have me do so. I ask You also to give me the words to speak and the actions to play out.

I pray as well for the listeners. May they willingly hear what You say to them through me, and may they eagerly respond. I pray for those who reject. I ask for a softening of their hearts, and further opportunities for them to hear and respond to Your message of love. I share Your desire that none shall perish. Receive my prayer, in Jesus’ name I ask.                   Amen.

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Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”           John 14.27

I have long been familiar with the reality of the first part of this verse. I experienced an encounter with Jesus wherein He made a specific gift of His peace to me. I have known that peace, and ministered it widely for many years.

Today, I am drawn to the second part of the verse. Jesus tells me He does not give as the world gives. The NIV Study Bible (p 1626) relates this giving to the gift of peace saying, In its greetings of peace the world can only express a longing or wish. But Jesus’ peace is real and present. I can quite see this, for the world is a place where trouble and strife occur and this makes it virtually impossible for the world to guarantee peace. World history illustrates, time and time again, the hope for peace that the world holds to, yet that same history shows humanity’s consistent and unfailing ability to dash such hopes. The world cannot truly offer us an assured peace. But Jesus can!

Another aspect of giving highlights differences between the giving of the world and the giving of Jesus. Almost without exception, the world’s giving carries an ulterior motive. When the world offers anything, one is tempted to ask “Where’s the catch? What will this cost me? What are they after from me?” The way of the world, sadly, is to claim ‘the pound of flesh’. Jesus does not give in that way. Indeed, as far as Jesus is concerned He gave both the pound of flesh and His blood with it. And this was His most perfect gift to us. His very life assured us of eternal relationship with a loving Father, a relationship fully restored by the gift of Jesus.

We may rest fully in the knowledge that Jesus does not give as the world gives. Sure, we must face the up-front realisation that, in order to receive any gifts from Jesus, we need to surrender ourselves to Him as Saviour and Lord, and seek to follow Him as truly as we  are able to, in living to fully serve and obey the Father. When this is my conviction, I move on to seeking God’s will in every area and aspect of my life. I learn to live in God’s will and presence and, as I do so I respond to Jesus’ final remark in this verse from John’s writings: Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Are there times when I allow my heart to be troubled? Sadly, yes! But I think I’m slowly learning to deal with this and release myself more fully to God. For He is the answer! As I seek Him out, press into Him and commit to obey all that He might lead me to, then I truly know the peace of Jesus. Then I can take it into every fibre and pore of my being. And in the fullness of the peace of Jesus, I will find my heart released from any trouble, and I can live my life free of any fear, save that of a respectful reverence of God.

The peace of Jesus is real to me. May it become even more so as I continue to release myself to Him.

Dear Jesus,

You gave me a powerful revelation some years ago when You released me into the reality of Your peace. I thank You for that and pray that Your peace will continue to underpin my life, and my ministry for You.

I do not want my heart to be troubled, nor do I want to be afraid. For these things, then, I bring myself into complete surrender to You. I realise You are the way, and I give myself – more and more – to You that I might truly follow You as the way.

I pray also for greater opportunity to release Your peace into the world. May I show them (the world) how different Your peace is from theirs? Is this part of the reason You gave me such a specific gift of Your peace all that time ago? Lead me please in my walk of obedience to the Father.

As I read Your story, bring me further revelation. Empower me by the promised Spirit to go forth and do ‘even greater things than these’. I ask these things, humbly but believing, in Your wonderful name.                   Amen.

Communion

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”                                                                                                                     John 14.10

The words that Jesus speaks forth are the teachings of the Father. God, the Holy Father teaches us through the words of Jesus recorded by the New Testament writers. Jesus did not preach His own brand of faith and belief. He was always the earthly representation of the heavenly Father. Earlier in this response to Philip, He says, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (v 9) Jesus and the Father are as one.

This is my desire and hope: I want to be so infused with God – Father, Son and Spirit, that it becomes difficult to discern where I end and God begins. What glorious communion this would be. To me this would be the ultimate blessing, yet, as I reflect, it is the relationship God created me for.

I yearn to know this intimacy and intertwining of myself with my Creator. I pray also that, like Jesus, the words I speak forth will not be my own, but those of the Father in me, doing His work.

Holy God,

I come to You as a damaged human, but my desire is for a life totally entwined with You.

Come to me, please, with even greater power and infilling than I have known before. Consume me such that I am totally Yours. Help me to give myself completely to You.

I ask also that I might speak forth Your words. I truly, truly want to follow Jesus. He spoke forth the words that You had placed within Him. He did only those things that You would have Him do. I want to do likewise. I want my every thought to be based on You. Help me, please, to live out my life in the fullness of Your will. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name.               Amen.

Untroubled

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”        John 14.1

God is against anxiety – most assuredly!

Here, Jesus exhorts us to trust God. Paul echoes similar sentiments when he says: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil. 4.6) Paul continues by telling us what will happen when we trust God with our troubles and anxieties: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (v 7) These verses give further evidence of the unity and collusive behaviour of the Triune God. Father, Son, and Spirit work together in love, peace and blessing – and repentant and trusting humanity are the recipients and beneficiaries.    

I sense that peace of God. Even though I am a sinner, and I am most aware of my sinful state, I am not despised by God. I don’t deserve His love and blessing, yet it is freely offered to me.

Yes, I have no cause to be troubled or anxious. I can present myself, repentant, before God and receive His forgiveness and peace.

Lord God,

I don’t deserve Your love and blessing. I come to You in my sinful state and lay my sins down. I’m sorry, and I ask Your forgiveness. Help me, if You will, to discard sinful ways and to move more fully into the things of You.

I am strangely not troubled, for I feel Your peace around me. I rest in Your peace and I pray, that even when I am at my busiest and most active, I will always rest in Your peace.

I trust You, Lord. Father, Son and Spirit I trust You. To know that I can sit with You in complete honesty is most reassuring. I embrace You and the way forward in You.

I seek an increase in trust of You. Lord, let me trust You, willingly, for signs and wonders and miracles to issue forth in abundance, as I journey on with You. I ask these things in Jesus’ precious name.                Amen.